They are the proud foster parents of Kibo, Chemi Chemi, Sities, Ishanga, Naipoki and Mumbushi … all African elephants.

Mrs Kennedy, of Weeroona Island, has always had a passion for animals, but the idea of fostering orphan elephants started in 2007, after a trip to Africa and during a chat with a stranger on the way to Adelaide.

“I have always been fascinated by elephants, but during our first trip to Africa I saw this little elephant running down into the water, all clumsy, flopping his trunk and I fell in love with these animals,” she said.

“When we were back in Australia, Den and I were driving to Adelaide and I was wearing a belt with lots of elephants drawn on it so, while stopping for coffee, a truck driver asked whether I liked elephants and told us his wife fostered an orphan elephant. I talked to her and went from there.”

From this conversation, they learned about The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust based at two established Elephant Rehabilitation Centres within Tsavo East National Park and at the Trust’s Nairobi National Park Elephant and Rhino Nursery.

Less than a year later, Mr and Mrs Kennedy were the proud parents of Kibo, a three-year-old male elephant.

A year later they welcomed Chemi Chemi and Ishanga (who was rescued from the jaws of a lion) to the family and gave their niece a very peculiar Christmas present – two-year-old Sities, a female elephant.

The Kennedys also fostered Mumbushi, who died, so they welcomed Naipoki on his place.

Mrs Kennedy becomes emotional when she talks about the calf they lost.

“If I can get one person to help as well, I am happy,” she said.

“It costs $US50 a year to foster an elephant and the money goes a long way. The trust has a keeper for each elephant, who replaces the orphan’s lost family until the transition to the wild herds.

“The money is used for medicine, cream for their sunburn, their food and infrastructure.”

The trust campaigns in support of the international ban on the sale of ivory and to disallow sales of Southern African ivory stockpiles.

As long as there is a market for carved ivory trinkets, the elephants of Africa will continue to be cruelly killed.

But as long as there are people such as the Kennedys, there is still hope.