Founder of Elephants’ Shelter in Kenia Dies Aged 83

Dame Daphne, founder of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, was a ‘national treasure and conservation icon’ Getty

Dame Daphne Sheldrick, a well-known Kenyan conservationist who helped protect the East African country’s wildlife for 60 years, has died, her organization announced, describing her as a friend of elephants who “learned to read their hearts.”

Born in 1934 in Kenya, Sheldrick died Thursday evening “after a long battle with breast cancer,” according to her organization the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) which she helped found in 1977 after the death of her husband.

According to Reuters, Sheldrick pioneered raising orphaned infant elephants and rhinos on milk, the statement said, and that the knowledge has since saved 230 elephants in Kenya.

The statement praised her for helping deepen the world’s understanding of elephants and rhinos.