It's back to the wild for orphaned elephants in Samburu sanctuary

In a remote corner of northern Kenya lies Reteti Elephant Sanctuary which has been home to 13 orphaned or abandoned elephants for the past seven years.

The Samburu community manages the sanctuary. Traditionally, Samburu warriors are charged with protecting their community and caring for their livestock.

At the sanctuary, they rescue baby elephants injured, orphaned, or abandoned. They keep the animals and release them back into the wild after a while.

The activities at the sanctuary are transforming the way the local community relates to elephants and benefit both humans and animals.

Last Saturday, after seven years of raising the baby elephants, a program of re-wilding the animals that had stalled due to prolonged drought, became a reality.

Tourists drawn from the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, and France were at the sanctuary to witness the release of the calves to wander in the wildness where they belong.

As the tourists enjoyed feeding the calves for the last time before being released to wander in the vast Namunyak, Kalepo, Sera, and Lerate conservancies in Samburu North, the ‘keepers’  who reared the calves were sad to let them go.

“They have been part and parcel of our lives. Most of us had become attached to the calves. It is so hard to let them go,” said Dorothy Lowalto, one of the ‘keepers’ at the sanctuary.

Lowalto recalled in 2016 when she took charge of three baby elephants that had been abandoned in the wild by their mother.

“I have worked with them since 2016. They were part of my daily routine here. They were like my children. I started taking care of them when they were three years old. They taught me many things about elephants. Elephants can love you if you show them love,” she remembered her time with the three calves as she parted them on their back.

Lowalto said she had gone through numerous challenges with the calves that seemed not to be aware of why they were at the sanctuary.

“I am so sad today that I have to bid them goodbye. I will be following up on their progress in the wildness because we have that connection with the animals,” she said.

Recalling the seven-year journey with the 13 calves, the sanctuary manager Peter Lensalia remembered that when the baby elephants were brought in, they were placed in quarantine weaning stables for three years.

“That was to protect them from conflict with humans. We slowly introduced them to the keepers. Now they have matured and we started conducting community awareness that the elephants will be released to the wilderness,” he said.

His sentiments were echoed by Naomi Leshongoro, another keeper at the sanctuary who said the baby elephants had grown to be friendly with them but acknowledged the decision to rewild them, saying the wilderness was the best place for them to grow further.

Working with the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS), Lensalia said the elephants will be released to Namunyak, Kalepo, Sera, and Lerate conservancies

“We have installed gadgets for the elephants for ease of monitoring their progress in the wilderness, and we will be able to locate them within 30 minutes,” he said.

Titus Letapo, the director at Sarara Conservancy, said the process of releasing the elephants to the wild had stalled for two years due to drought. “We are determined to ensure that the elephants are safe in the conservancies and the community that owns the conservancy are happy with the new inclusion. The elephants will be under 24-hour surveillance by our rangers. I am certain they will adapt to their new environment quickly,” He said.

As for Gilo Arero, the acting senior standard conservation officer at KWS, the agency encourages the community around to help in the protection of the elephants in their new environment. “It is a great day to see what the community has done with the calves, and now we move them to wander in the wilderness. We expect total support from the community and the management of the conservancies,” Arero said.