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9/26/09: David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya

Have you ever seen that commercial for Banana Boat with the guys in suits holding umbrellas over people as they bike sit on the beach? I never thought I’d see personal umbrella holders in real life, but today I did!

Baby elephants are apparently very sensitive to the sun, so at the orphanage they get sunscreen put on them AND they get their own personal umbrella bodyguards. [Side note: I recently found out that it is possible for the backs of your hands to burn. Who knew?] The elephants are rescued and then rehabilitated with the intention of returning them to the wild once they are two or three years old. The caretakers also told us a lot of other information about them, but I was too busy watching the baby elephants stumble around to pay attention. Yes, they stumbled. I don’t know why I was so surprised by this – I guess I just thought they would be good at walking since they’re such large baby animals. But they stumbled around, exactly like babies who have just learned to walk. You haven’t seen cute until you see a baby elephant struggle to get up after falling down.

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Picture of the Day: Mr. Turtle contemplates Kevin’s love affair with chocolate milk