Wild Orphans

Photographs and text document the lives of eight baby orphaned elephants and their surrogate human "mothers" over a two year period at the Nairobi National Park in Kenya, East Africa.

This is the inaugural volume in a series of books featuring photographs and stories from the various field sites of GLOBIO's Wild Orphans project. Photojournalist Ellis founded GLOBIO to help children learn about biodiversity by illustrating the relation between an orphaned wild animal and the state of its ecosystem. (Orphaned wildlife are key indicators of the pressures exerted on biodiversity by poaching, habitat loss, toxins, overhunting and wars.) In this book, Ellis documents the story of eight baby elephants brought to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya during the drought-plagued summer of 1999. He chronicles their lives over two years, beginning with haunting photographs of the rescues of the abandoned baby elephants, through their upbringing by dedicated 24-hour surrogate mothers (all African men of almost superhuman patience and generosity), to their release back into the wild. It's an amazing project and a stunning book. More photos and information are available at www.sciam.com

Editors of Scientific American

Author and photographer Ellis had been documenting animal orphanages in Africa when the "Orphan 8" entered his life in 1999. These eight baby elephants arrived at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust orphanage on the outskirts of Nairobi during an intense drought and increase in ivory poaching. Daphne Sheldrick (who penned the introduction) has pioneered a technique for raising baby elephants and rhinoceroses for eventual return to the wild. It involves 24-hour care and attendance by a dedicated group of caretakers: the little elephants are encouraged, cajoled, stroked, and continuously handled to encourage bonding, for without this bond they would die. The care and concern pictured in Ellis' heartwarming photos must be seen to be believed. The intimate text explains the reasons for many of the techniques used when rearing baby elephants and is often as evocative as the photos. The journey of the Orphan 8 to Tsavo National Park, where they are adopted by Malaika (herself a graduate of the orphanage), completes the story. Nancy Bent
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