Behind
the Gates
I spend so much of my life trying to preserve moments through photographs. That day reminded me that sometimes it's okay to simply live one.
The visiting hour
I had visited the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's Nairobi Nursery before during their public visiting hour.
And even that is an incredible experience.
For one hour, the orphaned elephants come in from the forest for their midday milk feed and mud bath. The keepers introduce them, tell their rescue stories and explain their different personalities. And while the elephants are busy drinking, playing and covering themselves in mud, some occasionally decide to come very close to the visitors.
If you're visiting Nairobi, it's an experience I would recommend without hesitation.
But in October 2024, we were given the opportunity to experience the Nursery in a completely different way.
A private visit.
And I can still say that it was one of the best days of my life.
I'm honestly not sure what will ever beat it.
Tiny trunks
Reaching towards me.
Investigating.
Suddenly, we weren't watching the little elephants from the other side.
We were standing right there with them.
And they were curious.
Very curious.
Tiny trunks appeared everywhere.
Then came the little pushes.
They were playful, gentle and completely impossible not to fall for.
Put the camera down
I had my camera with me, of course.
But for once, I didn't really care about taking photographs.
I didn't want to spend the experience looking through a viewfinder.
I wanted to be there.
To feel the tiny trunks around my arms.
To watch them play.
To laugh when one of them gave me another little push.
To take in every second and somehow make time slow down.
I don't think I stopped smiling.
There are moments as a photographer when you know you could be taking incredible pictures, but something inside you says:
This was one of them.
After the milk
Once the elephants had finished their bottles, we continued around the Nursery with the keepers.
They showed us more of the property and the places where the orphans spend their nights.
The Nairobi Nursery is where newly rescued orphaned elephants begin their rehabilitation. The youngest are completely dependent on their keepers, with milk feeds continuing around the clock. Eventually, when they are ready, they graduate from the Nursery to one of Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's Reintegration Units, where the much longer journey back to a wild life begins.
I already thought the day couldn't get much better.
Then came the surprise.
At the end of our visit, we were introduced to a tiny black rhino.
She was so calm.
So sweet.
And absolutely adorable.
We were able to spend some time beside her and interact with her.
After all the playful chaos of the elephants, Raha felt completely different.
She simply stood there with us.
This tiny little rhino.
Quiet and curious.
And once again, I found myself trying to take in the fact that this was actually happening.
Raha had been rescued as a very young calf in September 2022 after being found badly injured at Ol Pejeta. She was brought to the Nairobi Nursery, where the keepers and veterinary team worked through an extraordinarily difficult recovery with her.
But standing there that day, I wasn't thinking about any of that.
I was just completely taken by her.
When we eventually left, there was one name that kept coming up for the rest of our trip.
I can't believe we got to meet Raha.
We couldn't stop talking about her.
Some days don't need many photographs.
Little elephant pushes.
Standing among the orphans and smiling so much my face hurt.
Walking through the Nursery with the keepers.
Looking back, I actually love that I didn't spend the entire visit behind my camera.
There are photographs from that day.
But there are even more moments that exist only in my memory.
And then, right at the end, meeting a little black rhino who somehow became one of the biggest memories of the entire trip.
I spend so much of my life trying to preserve moments through photographs.
That day reminded me that sometimes it's okay to simply live one.
And I'm so glad I did.
Raha passed away in July 2025 after becoming ill with a bacterial infection. I feel incredibly grateful that our paths crossed, even if only for a little while.
