Maasai Mara had been great. No two ways about that and I enjoyed it to the fullest. I went back to Nairobi after that for a two day tour of the city. I parked myself in a hotel aptly called After 40 for two nights at $100 a night. My friend back from school at Welham Boys, Yah Krishna sent a car for me and I was off to see a really loving place called the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
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The organisation was founded in 1977 by Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick D.B.E, in honour of her late husband, an Englishman, a famous naturalist and the founding warden of Tsavo East National Park, David Leslie William Sheldrick MBE. It is a famous landmark in Nairobi and housed here are orphaned animals like elephants, mambas and rhinos.
They have a show beginning at 11:00 am everyday where baby elephants that are under the age of four are showcased to a cheering crowd. I saw school children watching the show and playing with these orphaned elephants.
The elephants were fed with milk and grass. They looked cheerful as they rolled in the mud and enjoyed being the centre of attraction.
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The elephant keepers treated them like their own kids and very lovingly fed them milk.
After they are grow up and are strong enough, they are let free in their natural habitat where they can join a new herd and find a family.
We were told that these orphans had been spotted alone as their mother had died. Without the milk of the mother, they would not be able to survive or would be attacked and eaten alive by lions and hyenas.
Some were found alone in bushes due to the man vs nature conflict as they were thrown out of their natural habitat.
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These orphans were picked up and nurtured like their own children. They were fed, loved and cared for by their keepers and were brought back to health.
My heart went out to them as even at a ripe age of 38, I was also orphaned after losing my father. I instantly decided to become a father and adopted one of the orphaned elephants by the name of Nadotto. I paid $50 to sponsor him and got a certificate with Nadotto’s details and photographs.
I was told that I would receive monthly updates on how he was developing. I loved the concept and I firmly believe now that it is better to adopt an animal child than a human child. An animal will be grateful and will love you back twice as much but a human child will be ungrateful and deceitful when he grows up. I know, I had been there and I have begun to think that humans are the worst animals on the planet and their greed has destroyed our planet. Humans know only how to take more and more but animals are givers.
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I am planning that as soon as I have the technical details done, my blog would carry a section which will be updated every month and show the progress of Nadotto, my elephant son, and will showcase his photos and paintings, perhaps, that are made for him. Thinking about them, I was reduced to tears to see these beautiful beasts and the compassion of their keepers.
I felt so small when I looked at how people like Sheldrick have devoted their entire life to look after and rehabilitate these beautiful beasts. A part of me thought “damn I am a dad now!” It may sound crazy but I know I am not alone anymore and in Nadotto, I have found a son who would love me the way that I love him and perhaps, will always be grateful unlike humans. That emotional connection with Nadotto would be the highlight of my blog from today onwards.