Saving Orphan Elephants
I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful one-hundred percent! Dr. Seuss
Baby elephants Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, Kenya ©Kathy Karn
Baby elephants score high on the cuteness scale. Those huge ears, tiny trunks and fuzzy heads steal my heart. Did you know elephants have knees like a human knee joint, not the reverse direction like a dog or cat’s back leg?
©Kathy Karn
Elephant knees allow them to crawl and sit for a good bum scratch.
Ah, great rock for a bum rub ©Kathy Karn
Elephant calves play like 300 pound puppies – all rough and tumble. I can’t resist their antics.
Reteti orphan elephants ©Kathy Karn
There’s so much to love in these little eles. Those huge ears …..
©Kathy Karn
Those long eyelashes! Be still my heart ….
Long eyelashes protect the baby’s eyes from dust and sun. ©Kathy Karn
Daily dust baths protect elephant skin from sun and parasites. ©Kathy Karn
The orphans at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Northern Kenya enjoy playtime after every bottle feed. Play and friendship are sure signs they are healing from their traumatic loss. They will need their elephant community to survive when they are ready to be released back into the wild.
The Reteti Sanctuary was established in 2016 in response to demands from the local Samburu community, who recognised wildlife as an opportunity to improve the livelihoods of the pastoralist people. It is the first community owned elephant sanctuary in Africa. The goal of the sanctuary is to rescue and release orphan elephants back into the wild. Last year Reteti successfully released 13 young elephants back into the local conservancy.
The nomadic pastoralists have occupied this land for over two centuries. In an unprecedented move for wildlife conservation on community owned land, the communities have come together, united for wildlife.
On a fast-developing continent where space is at a premium, the Samburu community that occupy the Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy is reversing the trends and securing their wilderness landscapes, returning to a learned, age- old history of wildlife tolerance and coexistence.
A tiny elephant calf follows her keeper to the stockade for the night ©Kathy Karn
Opportunities are being created, livelihoods are improving, and wildlife is returning – proving that nature can provide a sustainable economy for the populations that occupy this magnificent ecosystem.
It takes a village to raise an orphan elephant. You can support Reteti’s work, foster an elephant or donate to this visionary model of conservation here.
