I visited a baby elephant orphanage in Kenya — here's what it was like

• I recently took a trip to Nairobi, Kenya, where I visited the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
• The project started in 1977 as a way to rescue orphaned elephants and rhinos.
• More than 200 elephants have been rescued and reintroduced into the wild.

The clapping started immediately.

Behind a roped-off mud pit, over 100 tourists and I watched as a small parade of baby elephants walked single-file from the thick bush, down a dirt road, and up to the handlers awaiting them. They were soon rewarded for their brave entrance with oversized milk bottles and reassuring pats on the head.

I was at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, in Nairobi, Kenya. There was little structure to my visit: Stand behind a rope for two hours as about a dozen 200-lb. toddlers frolicked in the mud, guzzled milk, and carried branches from one spot to another.

In these tumultuous times, I felt lucky to experience such innocence firsthand. Here's what I saw.

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It's a long, suspense-filled walk from the parking lot to the entrance of the elephant pen. I could sense everyone's excitement as we struggled to walk in an orderly fashion.

We walked past the emergency vehicles garage, past the gift shop, down through a narrow canopy — until finally the scene unfolded before us.

I was one of the first people to nab a spot behind the rope. The people beside me clutched iPhones, GoPros on extended handles, and long-lens cameras.