Queen Camilla feeds an orphaned baby elephant at a specialist wildlife center in Nairobi on the second day of her state visit to Kenya

The Queen got the chance to feed an orphaned baby elephant today.

Camilla, who was later joined by King Charles, saw a herd of orphaned elephants playing at a specialist nature center near Nairobi.

She joked: “Is that the naughty corner” as she pointed to a spot where some of the larger, more restless specimens had been placed.

As she fed the orphaned elephant calf Mzinga, one of the centre’s youngest at one year old, she said: “They look very contented, very happy.”

Camilla wore a Liberty cotton elephant and peacock print dress from Fiona Clare with a pair of practical and clearly distressed brown ankle boots.

When introduced to the keepers, many who had worked at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust for decades, she said: “Everyone knows everyone, that’s so nice.”

The Queen was shown around by Angela Sheldrick, whose mother Dame Daphne founded the orphanage.

She met lead keeper Edwin Lusichi, who has worked at the center for more than 20 years, and the other keepers before the baby elephant was given a mud bath.

They explained that elephants often indulge in a mud bath to form a layer on their skin that protects them from insects and sunburn.

The King later joined the Queen and they heard about the work of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The royals watched the baby elephants as they enjoyed their mud baths.

Veteran goalkeeper Edwin adds: ‘They really never forget it. Even after they have “graduated” into the wild and will still remember you.

‘They often form a herd with other elephants that we have released into the wild. They like to be very close when they are little. As orphans, we sometimes huddle close to them to help them sleep,” he said.

Roan Sheldrick, whose family runs the British and American charity, said the baby elephants are fed artificial milk that the founder, his grandmother Dame Daphne Sheldrick, devised.

After their visit to the elephant orphanage, Their Majesties were treated to a private evening safari in the Nairobi National Park.

The couple enjoyed a sunset safari ride in an open-sided vehicle.

A source said they were thrilled to see a lion close to their vehicle, as well as crocodiles, hippos, ostriches and springboks.

On the way to Narobi National Park, Charles and Camilla also visited the park’s ivory burning site.

The site is a historic site where 12 tons of ivory were burned by former Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi in 1989.

Most of it was intercepted before reaching the market, stored and then burned to demonstrate Kenya’s commitment to elephant conservation and zero tolerance towards the ivory trade.

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust was founded in 1977 by Dame Daphne Sheldrick, in memory of her late husband, the naturalist and founder of Tsavo East National Park, Mr David Sheldrick.

It is known for its work in rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned elephants through its orphanage, located in the Nairobi National Park (which is managed by the Kenyan Wildlife Service).

To date, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has successfully raised 316 orphaned elephants and hand-raised 17 rhinos.

Another 55 baby elephants are known to have been born from elephants previously rescued by the orphanage.

Elephant conservation is a cause close to Camilla’s heart since her late brother Mark Shand founded the conservation charity Elephant Family in 2003.

Elephant Family is a conservation charity committed to building landscapes that support coexistence between people and wildlife.

The charity supports a wide range of projects that find ways for people and animals to live closer together – from securing a network of wildlife corridors that act as bridges between islands of forests, to relocating busy highways that pass through primary cutting forest.

The organization was founded in 2003 by the late Mark Shand, who died in 2014. He was deeply passionate about protecting and supporting elephants and Asian wildlife.

In 2020, Elephant Family joined forces with the British Asian Trust in a new philanthropic partnership dedicated to supporting Asia’s wildlife.

The alliance brings together the best minds in conservation, management and philanthropy to urgently respond to the growing human-wildlife conflict crisis and habitat loss that threatens Asia’s elephants, big cats and the rural communities that live alongside them.

By combining expertise, the charities accelerate their response and increase their impact on both.

As Prince of Wales, The King co-founded the British Asian Trust in 2007 with British Asian business leaders. The charity works to reduce poverty and disadvantage for communities in South Asia.

This includes work in anti-trafficking, education, livelihoods, mental health and conservation.