Sheldrick Daphne

Dame Daphne Marjorie Sheldrick, DBE (née Jenkins; 4 June 1934 – 12 April 2018) was a Kenyan-British author, conservationist and expert in animal husbandry, particularly the raising and reintegrating of orphaned elephants into the wild for over 30 years.

The Kenya-born Daphne Jenkins was educated at Nakuru Primary School and the Kenya High School where she matriculated in 1950 with Honours and the possibility of a bursary to attend university; however, she opted for marriage. From 1955-76, she was co-warden of Tsavo National Park with her late husband, David Sheldrick (MBE). During that time she raised and rehabilitated back into the wild community orphans of misfortune from many different wild species, including elephants, black rhinos, buffalo, zebras, elands, kudus, impalas, duikers, reedbuck, dikdiks, warthogs, civets, mongooses and birds.

She was a recognized authority on the rearing of wild creatures and was the first person to perfect the milk formula and necessary husbandry for both infant milk-dependent elephants and rhinos. Sheldrick died on 12 April 2018 at the age of 83 after a battle with breast cancer. After her husband's death in 1977, Daphne Sheldrick created the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) in Nairobi, Kenya. Embracing the conservation, preservation and protection of wildlife in Kenya, the DSWT today operates the most successful orphan-elephant rescue and rehabilitation programme in the world alongside Anti-Poaching Teams, Mobile Veterinary Units and Aerial Surveillance and a Sky Vet initiative in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Other projects which aim to safeguard the natural environment and enhance community awareness include Saving Habitats and Community Outreach projects. Best known for its pioneering Orphans' Project, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has successfully rescued over 180 orphaned elephants and reintegrated over 90 back into the wild. Sheldrick appeared as herself in the 2011 documentary Born to Be Wild. She also had an appearance talking about an orphan elephant, which she took care of, which aired on PBS on the show "My Wild Affair".