US First Lady Melania Trump has kicked off her tour in Kenya by visiting an elephant orphanage
at David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
"FLOTUS meets an Elephant in the most successful orphan-elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world," State House Secretary Digital Dennis Itumbi said in his Twitter handle.
US First lady Melania Trump visits an Elephant at David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust accompanied with Kenya's First lady Margaret Kenyatta./PSCU
Melania who wore a brown trouser, white blouse and maroon
boots was seen holding the ear of the elephant and she looked at it keenly.
She later fed the elephant with milk accompanied by First Lady Margaret
Kenyatta who also touched and admired the Jumbo.
This attracted other elephants who were seen trooping in to get a feel of the guests and also be fed on milk as they left a cloud of dust behind.
U.S. first lady Melania Trump laughs with CEO Angela Sheldrick, after Mrs. Trump was nudged by a baby elephant she petted, at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi./REUTERS
At one point a Secret Service agent was forced to step forward to protect
Melania
after being nudged by a baby elephant she petted.
The agent was seen holding Melania from the back as she protected her.
A Secret Service agent holds U.S. first lady Melania Trump to protect her./REUTERS
Angela Sheldrick, the Executive Director of the
Trust established in 1977, narrated to the First Ladies moving stories of how the orphaned baby elephants were rescued and brought to the orphanage.
Margaret commended the trust for their efforts in rescuing baby elephants and for giving them such loving care.
She
also briefed her US counterpart on the “Hands Off Our Elephants” initiative, a broad-based wildlife conservation campaign that targets to curb poaching in Kenya. First Lady Margaret is spearheading the initiative as its patron.
The Wildlife Trust is one of
the pioneering conservation organisations for wildlife and habitat protection in East Africa.
Melania and her host
are expected to head to State House for talks before going to the
Kenya National Theatre where they will be treated to Kenyan creative cultural performances.
Police have already closed The Harry Thuku road ahead of her arrival at the Theatre.
U.S. first lady Melania Trump pats a baby elephant, accompanied by CEO Angela Sheldrick and Kenya's first lady Margaret Kenyatta, at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi./REUTERS
Melania landed at JKIA on Thursday night having concluded her trip to Ghana and Malawi.
She is on her first solo tour of Africa.
She is set to champion for her "Be Best" initiative, whose goals are similar to those of Margaret's Beyond Zero.
The two first ladies are expected to work on a plan that will see the two initiatives complement each other.
The US first lady left Malawi on Thursday afternoon and is set to also tour Egypt after leaving Kenya.
Also read:
Related: