Slowly but surely I’m making progress on my travel journal, which documents our trip to Kenya and Tanzania last month. I’m on the final edit so hopefully I will be able to share it with you soon. In the meantime, I’d like to tell you about our visit to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT).

I think the very first time I heard about the DSWT was from the CBBC children’s program ‘The Really Wild Show’ but I can’t be sure as it was a long long time ago when I watched that programme! More recently, I know the organisation from the BBC series ‘The Elephant Diaries‘, and maybe you do too?

Through the zoocrew.eu project, I discovered the website of DSWT and also found they have a Twitter page, and a Facebook Fan Page. They are regularly posting updates and photos of the orphaned elephants and rhinos; the work they are doing is just incredible – go check them out!

When my husband’s birthday came around, I decided to foster an elephant from the DSWT in his name, but when I was browsing the website it was Maalim that stole my heart; a little black rhino, born prematurely and abandoned by his mother. He had just turned one year old and was absolutely adorable in the photos. I couldn’t have picked a more perfect gift. We have LOVED receiving updates on his progress, and if you didn’t already read his ‘Maalim and the Mattress‘ update then you must do. I know I’ve written about it before, but it really is a must-read! :-)

During the planning of our safari adventure to Kenya and Tanzania, it worked out that on our way home we’d be spending a number of hours in Nairobi, Kenya, waiting for the overnight flight back to Amsterdam. If only we could arrive in Nairobi a bit earlier so we could visit the DSWT and see Maalim! It was difficult to arrange because we first had to fly to Nairobi from Ndutu in the Southern Serengeti/Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania. But Karin, the Director at Wild Times Safaris, worked her magic and with some careful planning we were able to visit the orphanage in the afternoon on our last day. Thank you SO much Karin!

So the day came. Our first plane was late and we had three small flights before we would arrive in Nairobi. We were very nervous as we waited; we absolutely did not want to miss our visit to the DSWT. When our plane landed on the airstrip we both let out a big sigh of relief. Three flights later, all on small aircraft (and the last flight was a very bumpy ride!) we arrived in Nairobi.

We had some time to spare before our appointment at the DSWT so we first visited the Giraffe Centre – but I’ll blog about the Giraffe Centre another time ;-)

The DSWT is adjoined to Nairobi National Park; we entered via the ‘Kenya Wildlife Service’ gate and followed the signs for ‘Sheldrick’. We were so happy to be able to visit and couldn’t wait to meet with the keepers and see the orphaned elephants and rhinos; most of all we couldn’t wait to meet Maalim!

We waited patiently whilst the keepers locked Shida, a large male rhino, in his enclosure. Shida left the Trust two years ago but often comes back to visit. He can sometimes be aggresive so for safety reasons he had to be put in his enclosure before the visitors were allowed into the area.

Little Maalim was the first to appear. He was still so tiny and so cute as well!

It was wonderful to see him and we watched almost in amazement as he happily made his way to his night stable. He knew exactly where to go!

In his stable area, one of the keepers wrapped a blanket around him whilst he greedily drank his milk from a bottle. He was so adorable to watch and we stroked his face just above his upper lip.

Now for a video share:

Look, you can see his mattress :-) he sleeps underneath it with his head poking out one side and his tail out of the other! lol

The elephants were the next to enter their night enclosures and stables. They all walked very close to us and each knew exactly where to go. The very last elephant was little Mawenzi. She literally crept around the corner and slowly and cautiously made her way towards us, then she trundled off to her night stable. When you watch the video you’ll know exactly which one shy Mawenzi is ;-) Meanwhile, we heard a commotion in Olare and Sabachi’s enclosure. They were playing a game of push and shove, you’ll also see this on the video! This time Olare had started it (the one without a blanket on) but one of the keeper’s told us that often it’s Sabachi that’s the “naughty boy”.

Once they had settled we walked over to Olare and Sabachi and stayed with them for a long time. Sabachi was very friendly and came to say hello, waving his trunk in circles and placing it in our hands. He would lift up his trunk and rest it on the top of his head so that we could stoke the underside. He also nudged my hand to find my finger to suck on it! All of the elephants liked to do that, it’s comforting for them. Sabachi put his trunk through a gap in the fence to reach the water trough; we knew what was coming next so we both took a step back. Sure enough, Sabachi squirted water through the gate in our direction – cheeky! He was really quite a character and before long he had my right hand and arm covered in the dust and dirt that he was covered in from his dirt baths.

We asked the keeper why some of them shared an enclosure and others didn’t; Olare and Sabachi are good friends and spend their days together when they are outside their enclosures in the Park. When elephants become good friends they will share the same night enclosure. In June this year, all the elephants in the same row of enclosures as Olare and Sabachi will go to Tsavo National Park to join a wild herd of elephants and once again live in the wild.

Next door to Olare and Sabachi was Dida (you probably heard the two children shouting her name in the video, they were excited to see her!). Though still young she is the oldest female; this makes her the boss and all the other elephants know she has the matriachal role of the group. When she lifted up her trunk we could see two tiny tusks growing; she looked so sweet and adorable! Dida will also be going to Tsavo in June.

We walked accross to visit Malia in another row of stables. She was enjoying some tasty leaves from the tree branch in her stable. Her keeper was telling us that the elephants are very good time keepers. If you are just a minute late with the milk the elephants let you know. The keepers sleep inside the stable with the younger elephants, and if they don’t wake up in time for the morning milk feed, the elephants will steal the blanket off the keeper to wake them up!

When we popped our head through the stable door of Mawenzi, next door to Malia, we found her hiding her head amongst the branches. She didn’t move, even when her keeper called her; apparently she is not nearly this shy when she is out playing with the other elephants in the park.

The guide came over to tell us that we had only five minutes left of our visit so we went to say goodbye to Maalim but his top stable door was now closed. So instead, we peeked in on the youngest elephant, Shukuru. She was only a few months old, still very small with a tiny little trunk and short little legs. So sweet.

Visiting the DSWT was certainly one of the highlights of our trip and totally made our day. Since we’ve returned home, we’re now also fostering Sabachi and Shukuru too. It is a wonderful thing that they are doing there. It must be very special for each of the keepers to be such a big a part of these elephants lives; certainly we wish we were in their shoes.

If you’re interested in fostering an orphaned elephant or rhino, head over to the DSWT website for more information and to learn about their fostering program.

And one last video share:

Founder and Chair of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick, reflects on the DSWT’s wildlife conservation projects and how this life saving work is possible only thanks to the charity’s global network of supporters and foster parents.

The giraffe’s are next… watch this space ;-)

I am so excited to share this sneak peek…

Earlier this week I met with writer and author, Carolyn Vines, who’s well on the way to finishing her first book, a memoir entitled ‘black and (A)broad: doing it in Holland‘ and I couldn’t be more excited for her as she nears the finish line.

Carolyn not only asked me to take her PR portraits but three days before her portrait session she asked for portraits that “scream ‘inspiration’”. Now, that really made me think long and hard at how I was to achieve this seemingly momentous task. I always aim to capture the personality of my subjects in their portraits, but a portrait that immediately makes the viewer feel inspired is so much more than that, at least I felt it was. I was ready for the challenge and all of those three days my brain was buzzing with ideas! I’ll have more of those kind of challenges please! ;-)

Carolyn, you really are SO beautiful. I loved having you in front of my camera! :-)

A quick change of outfit to finish off the session…

Carolyn, thank you for a wonderful portrait session. I really enjoyed our time together and can’t wait to see your book in print. Wishing you all the best as you near the finishing post!

Are you feeling inspired? Are you curious to learn more about Carolyn and her book? Visit her award winning blog at www.blackandabroad.com

Hope you enjoyed the sneak peek…

Till next time!

Wow, first of all I would just like to say a huge THANK YOU! :-)

I have been a member of the Women’s Business Initiative International (WBII) since I first started my business, back in March 2008 (Yes, Tigs Creations turns 2 later this month!!) Each year they host an Annual Dinner on International Women’s Day, March 8.

This year’s event was held at the Bel Air Hotel in The Hague, with women and men of diverse nationalities and professional sectors all celebrating ‘Women and Opportunity’. It was an inspiring evening with a captivating keynote speech by H.E. Mrs Mary Whelan, Ambassador of Ireland to the Netherlands.

Three entrepreneurial awards were also presented on the night, one for Ambition, one for Social Innovation, and one for Networker of the Year…

When the winner of the Social Innovation Award 2010 was revealed, my jaw hit the floor! I watched the big screens with everyone else for the name, and then I read mine: Natalie Carstens, Tigs Creations Photography. What?! Really?! I was so shocked I was shaking.

I’m so proud to receive this award, which was largely due to the work I do for the Littlest Heroes Project, Helping Hearts for Haiti and zoocrew.eu

I am passionate about giving back and making a difference, let me tell you a little about these three projects…

The Littlest Heroes Project

I could not hold back the tears the first time I visited this website. The stories and the images of these brave children tugged at my heart strings and I knew instantly I wanted to be a part of this very special project. The Littlest Heroes Project provides our littlest heroes (children who suffer from any type of serious illness or life altering disability) and their family with a complimentary photo session and selection of photos. This is an extra special gift for these families that are dealing with hectic schedules as their child battles disease and sickness.

Helping Hearts for Haiti

After the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, I teamed up with another photographer and we wasted no time in joining the Helping Hearts initiative. Blog readers were invited to make a donation to the Dutch National Giro 555 in order to be entered into a raffle to win a romantic portrait session. We have a winner, so look out for the session sneak peek appearing on my blog in April! ;-)

zoocrew.eu – help us save our wildlife

I think everyone that knows me, knows I love wildlife. Who doesn’t know my favourite animal is the tiger? Come on, hands up! ;-) Together with my husband, Heiko, who is also passionate about wildlife, we launched a new website for wildlife conservation in January 2008: www.zoocrew.eu

Our aim is to raise awareness for wildlife conservation by promoting the conservation projects and breeding programmes that are supported by various zoos. We regularly update the site with zoo news and conservation updates, and frequently feature different conservation organisations ‘In the Spotlight‘.

As well as having our own personal wildlife adoptions, we’re encouraging others to adopt as well. This is a great way to give back and support these organisations. One of our recent adoptions is Maalim, a black rhino, born prematurely and abandoned by his mother he was rescued by DSWT. We loved his ‘Maalim and the Mattress‘ update :-)

We also make regular donations to Painted Dog Conservation.

Thank you WBII, and Congratulations to Arjanneke and Tina!

Many thanks to Suzy Ogé and Lisa Rouissi at the WBII for hosting a fabulous event on Monday. Thank you SO much for the award. Congratulations also to Arjanneke Teeuw, founder of Healthy People, who won the Ambition Award. (Thank you for sharing your story, and yum – your chilled juice is delicious, I’m adding it to my Albert Heijn shopping list!) And last but not least, congratulations to Tina Evans, Managing Director of Blue Lynx Group who won the Networker of the Year Award.

For highlights of the event (and photos) go visit the ‘International Women’s Day Dinner 2010 Highlights‘ article over on the WBII website.