Nance

Andy Serkis reading Trump's tweets in Gollum's voice is the best thing you'll see on social media today.

With great sadness, we received information of the passing of Albrecht Weinberg, a German-Jewish Auschwitz Survivor. Albrecht Weinberg was born in 1925 in Rhauderfehn in East Frisia. Deported to Auschwitz in 1943, he later survived Mittelbau-Dora, Bergen-Belsen, and the death marches. After the war, he emigrated to the United States. In his 80s, he returned to Germany and became an important witness to the Holocaust and an advocate for remembrance. He spent years teaching about the atrocities he endured. Albrecht Weinberg was 101 years old. (Photo: Shahar Azran / WJC)

Today we’re celebrating Guillermina’s 4th sanctuary anniversary! 💚 Watching her grow from a shy young elephant into her bold, playful self has been a beautiful journey—and the bonds she’s built with the other elephants make it even more special. More: globalelephants.org/its-guilles-4t…

Two Asian elephants, Shirley and Jenny, spent one winter together in 1973 at a circus in the United States. Shirley was a fully grown adult of about 25. Jenny was a young calf, just arrived from Sumatra. They were separated when the season ended. Shirley went on with the circus. Jenny was sold elsewhere. Twenty-two years later, both worn out and injured, they ended up retired to the same sanctuary in Tennessee. Different decades, different states, different owners in between. They had not seen each other since Jenny was a baby. The night Jenny was led into the barn next to Shirley’s stall, she became frantic to get closer. The two of them trumpeted, roared, and reached for each other so hard they bent the steel bars between them. The staff opened the gate. Shirley took on a mother role and the two became inseparable for the next seven years until Jenny passed. Elephants have the largest brain of any animal that walks on land. The hippocampus, the part of the brain that handles memory, is enormous in elephants relative to their body size. They can pick out the bones of a dead relative decades later by smell. A study in 2024 found they use distinct vocal sounds as names for each other, the way we do. So when people say an elephant never forgets, it isn’t a saying. They’ve actually been measuring it.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Korbessa, our little frog, is still frogging her way through life. These clips were taken 18 months apart, but it’s the same elephant, same dust pile, same pose! It’s been a period of transition for Korbessa. Her band of bulls (Toto, Natibu, and Mwinzi) just graduated to Ithumba, leaving her the senior elephant at Kaluku. We wondered how she would handle the change, but she hasn’t skipped a beat! She is now the leader of a little girl gang (Lamuu, and two orphans we are excited to introduce) and seems beyond content with the arrangement. Korbessa is one of the younger orphans currently in our care. Discover her rescue story and support her journey back to the wild: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/korbes…

Elephant gives birth to her baby and the rest of the herd forms immediately a wall to protect mommy and the newborn.. 😊

One week with Bumpy! Like any baby, he sleeps deeply and often – especially snuggled up to his Keeper, with a tummy full of milk. Bumpy was rescued just last weekend, after the Kenya Wildlife Service received reports of a deceased female hippo with an orphan left behind. She appears to have died in a territorial fight, likely defending her baby’s life. Bumpy had stayed huddled beside his mother’s body for at least a day. Now, Bumpy has a family with us and a wild future ahead. He’ll never be alone again – Keepers like Joseph, pictured here, are with him around the clock, loving him and attending to his every need. As you can see, he is lapping it up! Read his full rescue story and find out how to support his journey: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/bumpy

Hey @NIH — the American people are waking up to what’s happening behind closed doors, and we’re not going to stay silent anymore. Thousands of dogs are still being bred into laboratories and experimentation pipelines while the world advances beyond these outdated systems. We want transparency. We want alternatives. And we’re going to fight like hell to save these dogs.

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen is speaking out in support of Lani, the beloved Hawaiian monk seal, after a man allegedly threw a massive rock at the endangered seal.💔🦭 Mayor Bissen made it clear that harmful behavior toward Hawaii’s wildlife will not be tolerated. ⚖️ @CountyofMaui

Throwback to Tytan's first 24 hours in our care. His rescue was something of an endurance race – after his mother fell off a cliff and died, Tytan somehow survived, making his way down to her lifeless body. Then, he disappeared. Rangers, aircraft, even drones, went out in search of him, knowing that the seven-month-old would not survive long on his own. When Tytan arrived at the Nursery after his rescue, he was wild-eyed and wary. Our Keepers sat with him in shifts, day and night. It turns out scratches are the way in with a young black rhino – ours soon stopped flinching at the contact and started leaning into it. Hands up – which rescue stories have stayed with you, even to this day?

Skip, splash, and snuggle through Bumpy’s first days with us. This little hippo was rescued by the Kenya Wildlife Service over the weekend, after his mother died — likely defending her baby’s life in a territorial fight. Bumpy remained huddled by her body until help arrived. Now, Bumpy has a family with us and a wild future ahead. Discover his story: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/bumpy

Contact your Representative to urge them to vote “no” on this dangerous bill—and stand up for endangered animals and the habitats they need to survive. action.ifaw.org/page/189823/ac…

Meet Bumpy the baby hippo! This is NOT AI. My beloved @SheldrickTrust is best known for its rescue, raising, and reintegration of orphaned baby elephants, but as some of you have come to learn over the years, no orphan is left without a home and love when it comes to Sheldrick. Bumpy, a son of Kenya, is just one week old. Bumpy’s mom likely was killed in a territorial fight while defending him. He was found standing next to her body, confused about what had happened, desperately nudging her with his nose. Without his mom around anymore, and being only a week old, Bumpy needs to be raised by hand for a few years (male hippos can’t survive without their mothers until about 2–3 years old). So my pals at the Sheldrick Trust got their rescue engine fired up, and next thing you know, Bumpy got his first — and likely only — helicopter ride when Taru Carr Hartley scooped him up to bring him to the Sheldrick facilities in Kaluku. I always wonder how these babies experience the helicopter — is it like an alien abduction to them? As you can see in these photos, just as the orphaned baby elephants do, Bumpy will have a keeper sleep next to him every night. While no human keeper can ever replace the love of his mother, you can rest assured that the keepers of the Sheldrick Trust—along with the staff—will love and protect him until he’s ready to return to the wild. To learn more about Bumpy and to adopt him (which means you’ll get updates on him), click the link in the post below!

Meet Bumpy! This enchanting little chap was rescued over the weekend. His mother likely died defending him in a territorial fight and when the Kenya Wildlife Service found him, he was huddled beside her body. They rescued him and placed him in our care. This was Bumpy's first night with us, snuggled next to Keeper Simon. Simon put his mattress on the ground and the tiny hippo nestled by his side, swaddled in his cherry blanket. After his fraught ordeal, he finally felt at peace and slept soundly in the crook of Simon's arm. Now, you can become part of Bumpy’s journey — read his full rescue story and support him through an adoption: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/bumpy

At two months old, baby Kiki was already honing essential life skills, dunking, splashing and getting most of the water in her mouth. Sandwiched between her mum, one-tusked Kihari, and her nanny, she's got the very best support system around her to learn from – something her own mother, Kihari, never had (she was rescued as an orphan and raised by our Keepers). It was an unusual upbringing – but it worked! Kihari is now living successfully back in the wild, where she is raising her own calf. Reacquaint yourself with Kiki: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/updates/p…

Ears out, tail swinging – Kaikai is on a mission. And then, just like that, she runs out of steam and plonks down for an impromptu dust bath and siesta!  When she arrived in our care, we knew we were in for an uphill battle. An orphaned newborn, she was confused and missing her mother, spending her first nights pacing her stable and crying. We assigned two of our most experienced Keepers to her care, and as the days and weeks unfolded, Kaikai started to heal from her emotional trauma. Today? She is full of mischief and growing by the day.

After animal activists broke into Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin back in March to rescue several beagles being used for scientific testing — and months of protests — the facility recently agreed to sell 1,500 of their 2,000 dogs to organizations, like Big Dog Ranch Rescue. Now, dozens of the animals are being taken to properties like this one in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin to get checked out by veterinarians before being transferred to rescue shelters and centers that will help them find their forever homes.

Love isn't all about roses or grand gestures. At our Nursery in Kenya, it looks like a Keeper dragging a mattress onto the lawn so a sleepy (yet playful!) orphaned infant elephant can enjoy a rest. With over 300 orphans successfully raised to date, discover how we raise orphans with love (and lots of milk) so they can return to the wild: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/projects/orpha…

Ever the excellent mini matriarch, Muridjo adjusts her pace and priorities based on the other orphans. After escorting her beloved babies to the mill feeding area in the forest (read: running as fast as she could with them), she makes sure the Keepers aren’t the only ones pouring love into Kipekee – and extends a curious trunk to spilt milk - ulterior motives anyone? Muridjo has always been a leader. After the drought left her orphaned, she managed to fend for herself for several days, although she was far too young to survive on her own long-term. Now, Muridjo has a family with us and a wild future ahead of her. Learn more about her rescue and become part of her journey through an adoption: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/muridjo