Elephants play too
Stephen Mudiari Kasabuli/Twenty Ten
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
With the FIFA World Cup on the horizon, all eyes are on Africa, and football is on the tip of everyone’s tongue. In Kenya, even elephants are perfecting their soccer skills at The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
It is not a common sight to see a herd of elephants chasing a yellow football and tackling one another for possession of the ball. But just outside Nairobi City Centre, visitors flock to the Trust to watch the animals playing a game of football while they graze.
The Wildlife trust was established in 1952 by the late David Leslie William Sheldrick who was also the founder warden of Tsavo East National Park in 1948. After his death in 1976, David’s wife, Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick, took over the activities of the trust and has earned numerous awards for her work.
The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. Illegal poaching has had detrimental effects on the elephant population in Kenya. The Trust is also involved in conservation projects in the park such as de-snaring, maintaining fences and monitoring animals.
During their two years in the Trust, the elephants are fed milk every three hours. At night, the keepers tuck them in with blankets and provide them with mattresses to sleep on. As part of their programme, the elephants are taught to play soccer as a way of developing their relational skills. After their two years, the elephants are integrated...
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Soccer-playing elephants graze at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, October 27, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
A baby elephant, Nchan, steps on the ball as she plays soccer at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, October 27, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
A baby elephant, named Nchan, plays with a football at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, October 27, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
A baby elephant dribbles the ball during a football game at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, October 27, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
Baby elephants play soccer while they graze at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, October 27, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
A keeper takes the elephants for their mid-morning feeding at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, October 27, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
Elephant keepers, James Kariuki (L) and Abdul Kashe (R), prepare milk to feed the baby elephants at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, October 28, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
An elephant keeper feeds a two-month-old baby elephant with bottled milk at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, October 27, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
Fred Amanya, an elephant keeper, plays with baby elephants at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, October 27, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
An elephant keeper feeds a baby elephant milk at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, October 27, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
Elephants play soccer at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, October 27, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
Baby elephants, Nchan (L) and Kalama (R), chase the ball during a football game at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, October 27, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
Elephants wrestle with the ball during a football game at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, October 27, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
Elephants tackle one another during a game of football at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, October 28, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
Elephants chase the ball during a football game at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, October 28, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
Baby elephants play soccer at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, November 3, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
Jiba Galgalo, an elephant keeper, feeds baby elephant Nchan after a day's grazing at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, November 3, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
A baby elephant, Nchan, rests in his shed after a day's grazing at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, November 3, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
Gerald Maganga, an elephant keeper, covers a baby elephant named Kibo with a blanket in the evening at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, November 3, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
Baby elephants, Kalama (L) and Kibo (R), sleep under blankets on their mattresses at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, November 3, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
A baby elephant, named Kibo, sleeps covered by a blanket on a mattress at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya, November 3, 2009. The elephants are orphans that have been rescued from various parts of the country after their parents were killed by poachers. After spending two years in the Trust, they are integrated into the wild at the Tsavo National Park. (Credit: Stephen Mudiari/Twenty Ten/Africa Media Online)
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