Maisha
Rescued from death’s door at the height of a drought in 2017, Maisha went on to become a pivotal part of the orphan herd with her innate capacity to care. She sadly passed away in 2021 and in honour of her life and loving nature, she is immortalised in the Herd of Hope.
Maisha’s rescue story began under the beating hot sun, when an orphaned elephant collapsed of malnutrition and dehydration in southern Kenya. At the time, some 500 elephants had died from a terrible drought in the area but rescuers were determined to give this lone little elephant the very best chance of survival. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust scrambled a rescue team to fly to her aid and for 12 hours, she lay lifeless despite IV fluids and emergency support. Read more.
If you feel inspired by Maisha’s story, and want to support the care of an orphaned elephant, you can adopt through the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Adoption Program. Our ability to raise orphaned elephants so that they will grow up as healthy, loved and supported animals is completely reliant on donations and the generosity of others.
Creating Maisha’s sculpture
Expertly crafted by acclaimed public artists Gillie and Marc, our life-size bronze sculpture of Maisha represents her fight for survival and eternally loving nature - a source of inspiration to us all, especially during these challenging times.
Raising awareness for elephants
Elephants once roamed the plains of Africa in their millions but now, the species are officially endangered. Poachers and habitat loss, amongst other threats, has brought African savanna elephants like Maisha to the brink of extinction, while their forest elephant cousins are listed as critically endangered. There is a very real possibility we might be the last generation to see elephants in the wild.
By sharing Maisha’s story, we hope to raise awareness and engage people in the plight of elephants, and how our own actions could help save a species.