Kenya’s Reteti Elephant Sanctuary
Kenya’s Reteti Elephant Sanctuary : In Northern Kenya, between 10 and 25 elephant calves are saved each year. Due to natural mortality, human-wildlife conflict, drought, man-made wells, and human wells, elephant calves in Northern Kenya are orphaned or abandoned. The Sanctuary was created in response to requests from the neighborhood.
In recognition of the local community’s desire to keep their elephants in Samburu County and to see local communities take the lead in saving, rehabilitating, and releasing elephants within their home range, the Kenya Wildlife Service and Samburu County Government have promoted the creation of the new Sanctuary.
All of our elephant keepers are members of the local Samburu community. The Namunyak Conservancy is where all of the Reteti keepers are chosen from. Since they have coexisted with wildlife for millennia, the Samburu have developed a strong regard for elephants with whom they share the land and its resources. On a Kenya safari explore Reteti Elephant Sanctuary to explore all the kinds of elephants.
The keepers have received official training in the handling, treatment, and release of elephant calves. Reteti takes in orphaned and abandoned elephant calves with the intention of reintroducing them to the surrounding wild herds. This is the outcome of a well acknowledged and rising grassroots movement in northern Kenya for community-driven conservation; a movement that is creating new economies, reshaping lives, and protecting natural resources.
The percentage of illegally murdered elephants in NRT member community conservancies has decreased by 53% since 2012, whilst elephant poaching elsewhere in Africa continues at unsustainable rates. However, there are still elephant calves that have been abandoned or orphaned due to a variety of reasons, including as poaching, artificial wells, drought, conflicts between people and wildlife, and natural mortality.
Out of an estimated 8,700 elephant calves, five to 10 are thought to be saved in Northern Kenya per year. The local population, which sees wildlife as a chance to improve livelihoods, demanded the establishment of the Sanctuary.
The local population, who sees wildlife as an opportunity to improve livelihoods, demanded that the Sanctuary be built. In recognition of the local community’s desire to keep their elephants in Samburu County and to see local communities take the lead in saving, rehabilitating, and releasing elephants within their home range, the Kenya Wildlife Service and Samburu County Government have promoted the creation of the new Sanctuary.
The Reteti Elephant Sanctuary was established to be able to house and care for young elephants through a partnership between the Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy, Samburu County Government, Kenya Wildlife Service, Northern Rangelands Trust, San Diego Zoo, Conservation International, Tusk Trust, The Nature Conservancy, and Save the Elephants.
Additionally, by providing crucial operational support, Conservation International (CI) has assisted us in strengthening our capacity to be more effective and expanding our community links. The Sarara Initiative, which includes the involvement of CI, aspires to create a paradigm of community-based, sustainable conservation in Kenya and beyond.
All of the caretakers are members of the neighbourhood and have received proper training in caring for, treating, and releasing elephant calves. All parts of the Sanctuary’s operations are managed by a locally elected board.
The facility also contains a mobile elephant rescue team that works every day to save elephants, raise community awareness, and lessen conflict between people and wildlife.
The elephant keepers, who were all chosen from among those employed by the Conservancy, are experts in bringing lost calves back to their family herds. They have successfully reunited five orphaned calves with their families since March, so they have not yet had to hand-raise any youngsters.
The Sanctuary’s main goal is to achieve this; elephants are only ever taken in as a last option.
