U.S. first lady Melania Trump Friday visited two Kenyan orphanages — one for children, one for elephants — as she neared the end of a week-long tour of Africa.
Trump stopped by the elephant orphanage on a visit to Nairobi National Park, a nature preserve located just a few kilometers south of the Kenyan capital.
Park rangers told the first lady about steps Kenya is taking to conserve the elephant and rhino populations, which have been decimated by poachers. Another 11 rhinos died in July from drinking salty water after a transfer to a new Kenyan sanctuary.
On Friday, Trump fed a baby elephant using a giant bottle, then got a small bump from another pachyderm as she tried to administer another feeding. Neither the first lady nor the young elephant was injured.
During a 90-minute tour of the park, where she caught glimpses of hippos, a giraffe and other animals, Trump got out of the car to look at an ivory burn site, where the material has been destroyed to discourage the trade in elephant tusks.
After the visit to the park, Trump visited a Nairobi orphanage known as The Nest, which cares mainly for children whose parents have been incarcerated.
Melania Trump, as she was welcomed to an orphanage in Kenya on Friday.
Trump’s first-ever visit to Africa and her first extended solo international trip as the first lady have included visits to Ghana and Malawi.
Egypt will be her final stop on the four-nation tour to highlight child welfare, education, tourism, and conservation.
Trump’s visit includes promoting the work of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the funding of which President Donald Trump has twice proposed slashing by nearly a third. Lawmakers, however, have not approved those requests.
– VOA
