Meet the SWT Team: Peter, SWT Keeper, Nairoby Nursery

Peter Mbulu

SWT Keeper, Nairobi Nursery?

Peter, you are one of our longest-serving Keepers!?

Yes, I have been working here since 1999.

How did it all begin?

Before I worked here, I was doing construction in Nairobi. I would visit the Nursery sometimes, learning about what the guys were doing and seeing how they interacted with the animals. Seeing how the baby elephants were very social created a lot of interest in my heart. So, I asked if I could get my chance with them one day and work with them.

Where you grew up, were there elephants?

Where I come from, in Makweni county, there were no elephants. There were before — I would hear stories of them, how they were interacting with humans, how the humans were fighting them away. Because of population increase, there was no space for elephants and they moved on. I never saw an elephant until I came to Nairobi.

You've been on board for almost all of the orphan rescues. Which was the most challenging?

The most challenging was when we went to rescue Quanza in Amboseli. Her mother and family had already been killed [by poachers] that day, and we found the lone baby very wild. She saw her family killed, so she was understandably not friendly, because she knew humans were not good for her. The other two guys with me were afraid of the baby, because she behaved so aggressively, but we kept trying and trying and finally we managed it.

Are there any orphans you've formed a particularly special bond with?

Luggard (1). I went to rescue him and saw he had a broken leg. I felt so sorry for him because of the state he was in. When he came to the Nursery, that connection never vanished. I never saw him as an elephant, I saw him as a kindred soul. I was the one who moved with him to the Kibwezi Forest, when he graduated to the Umani Springs Reintegration Unit. When we alighted from the truck, he never wanted to leave me. I stayed for two days to slowly introduce him to the Keepers there.?

In all the years you’ve worked with elephants, what is the most surprising thing you’ve discovered about them?

People think elephants are dangerous animals. But during the years I have worked with them, I have learned that they are very friendly and gentle. They have a very big heart if you respect and don’t harass them. They also have a perfect memory. If you do wrong by one, it will avoid you. But if you are very nice to them, you will see that they respond and always want to be close to you. Elephants can read your heart.

What is your favourite part of the job?

My favourite part is when I go out for a rescue, because I take pride in saving a life — a life which turns into multiple lives later on, when they go wild and start their own families. I am lucky to have worked long enough to see that come about.

What word would you use to sum up the work of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust?

Amazing. We are saving the lives of so many wild animals.

(1) Luggard overcame so much, but he sadly passed away in May 2021. He forever remains in our hearts, and you can read our tribute to this special elephant at sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/updates/farewell-luggard-our-lionheart