Daphne Sheldrick is one of those indomitable women who take it upon themselves to save a species. She was the first person to successfully hand-rear newborn elephants against all advice and has had a huge impact on conservation in Kenya and worldwide. She founded the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the Orphans’ Nursery in Nairobi National Park, where I visited some years ago and felt what she feels every day, an innate love and  deep compassion for these dear elephant babies . I think I am in love with elephants!

This is her story of amazing relationships with a host of orphans, including her first love Bushy, a liquid-eyed antelope; Rickey-Tickey-Tavey, the little dwarf mongoose; Gregory Peck, the weaver bird; Huppety, the mischievous zebra; and the majestic elephant Eleanor, with whom Daphne has shared more than forty years of great friendship.