Why these gentle giants don't intermarry

They are giants of the savanna—forever cloaked in the dust of Samburu, with long, powerful trunks and footsteps that roll like distant thunder. 

Among the most endangered of Kenya’s iconic Big Five, they are often misunderstood as fierce and unfeeling. Yet behind their size lies a tender heart.

Elephants mourn their dead, remember childhood friends decades later, and can trace their family lines across vast landscapes.

As the world marks World Elephant Day under the theme Matriarchs and Memories - A powerful tribute to the emotional lives of Elephants — and the wisdom of the Matriarchs who lead, remember, protect, and guide, their story takes on deeper meaning. 

In the dry heat of Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy in northern Kenya, lies Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, a place where orphaned and injured calves are given a second chance at life.

Here, the scent of dust and thorny acacia hangs in the air, and the calls of young elephant’s echo across the hills.

Naomi Chelongor, an assistant elephant keeper, has worked here since the sanctuary’s founding in 2016. She knows every calf by name, every quirk and habit. 

“People think elephants are just big and angry,” she says with a smile, “but they are soft, needy, and emotional. They cling to you when they’re scared. They have moods, just like us.”

Reteti is the first community-owned elephant sanctuary in Africa, a symbol of how conservation can be rooted in local stewardship. Working in partnership with Save the Elephants, the team tracks elephant movements across northern Kenya. 

Kenya's elephant conservation efforts have shown remarkable success. The 2021 National Wildlife Census covered 343,380 km2, with over 30 species counted including 36,280 elephants, demonstrating significant population recovery. 

The 2020 elephant population represented "a 2.5 per cent annual population increase since 1989, when the estimate was 16,000", according to data from Save the Elephants and Kenya Wildlife Service.

However, success brings new challenges—Mwea National Reserve's elephant population surged from 49 individuals in 1979 to 156 today, leading to human-elephant conflict as elephants venture outside protected areas.

According to World Animal Protection elephants are commercially exploited in entertainment industry for example elephant rides in Thailand.

These are wild animals and with a right to live a wild life. 

Using GPS collars, they follow ancient migration routes carved into the land—paths travelled in search of water, pasture, and minerals.

Some bulls have been recorded walking over 500 kilometres, sometimes to escape threats like poaching or human-wildlife conflict, other times to seek mates in unrelated herds.

“Elephants don’t intermarry,” Naomi explains.

“When a male grows up, he leaves his family to find a mate elsewhere. That’s why you’ll sometimes see lone ‘bachelor’ bulls wandering the bush.” 

Adult males (bulls) are typically 25-40 per cent larger than females (cows), standing 10-13 feet tall compared to females at 8-9 feet

Both sexes can have tusks, but males typically have larger, thicker tusks. Some females may have smaller tusks or no tusks at all.

Males have broader, more rounded heads, while females have more angular head shapes. Bulls have more prominent, bulging foreheads compared to females.

Females live in matriarchal herds with their daughters and young sons, while adult males are often solitary or form loose bachelor groups.

Young males leave the maternal herd around 12-15 years old.Males only join female herds during mating periods (musth).

Males have their genitals positioned between their hind legs, while females have their reproductive organs located closer to their belly, between the hind and front legs.

Many calves arrive at Reteti after harrowing ordeals.Some fall into open wells while following their herds.

Others are abandoned—not from neglect, but because drought or injury makes it impossible for them to keep up.

Naomi recalls cases where a calf has stood by its dead mother’s body for over a week, waiting in vain for her to wake up.

Rescue calls often come from local herders, who spot distressed animals while tending their livestock.

Once notified, Reteti’s team mobilises quickly—sometimes hiring a helicopter or plane to reach remote areas. In every case, they must first seek approval from the Kenya Wildlife Service before bringing an animal into care.

Where possible, they wait up to 72 hours before removing a calf, to give the mother a chance to return.

But if the calf is critically weak, injured, or under predator threat, the team moves immediately.

Upon arrival, each calf undergoes a health assessment and is quarantined to prevent the spread of disease.

Most arrive severely dehydrated, malnourished, and traumatised. Care begins with feeding—every three hours, day and night.

Initially, Reteti used powdered formula made from cow’s milk meant for the human baby, but soon discovered it caused stomach upsets. 

The solution came from within the community: goat’s milk.

“Elephants are lactose intolerant when young,” Naomi explains. “Goat’s milk has the right balance of nutrients, and since we started using it, diarrhoea and digestive issues have almost disappeared.”

This change created a ripple of economic benefit. Today, 1,280 Samburu women supply up to 700 litres of goat’s milk daily, earning a steady income from their herds. “This is conservation that feeds families,” Naomi says.

Feeding, however, is just the start. Keepers must also help the calves overcome stress and learn essential survival skills. “We sleep with them when they’re small,” Naomi says softly. “We keep them warm and give them comfort, but as they grow, we reduce human contact so they can adapt to the wild again.”

At around seven years old—when they’re strong enough to fend off predators and forage independently—calves are ready for release.

The process is gradual. They are introduced to wild herds in nearby conservancies, sometimes joining relatives, other times forming bonds with unrelated groups.

Last year, Reteti released 12 elephants. Tracking collars revealed that two immediately integrated into wild herds—one in Sarara Valley, another in Kalepo.

The remaining ten stayed together as a small bachelor group, supporting each other as they explored.

What’s remarkable, Naomi says, is elephants’ ability to remember and reconnect.

“They can recognise a skull as belonging to a relative. They will stop, touch it with their trunks, and cover it with grass or leaves—like saying, ‘Rest in peace.’”

Caring for elephants is as emotionally demanding as it is physically exhausting. Each keeper develops bonds with the calves, bonds that make release days bittersweet. “We cry when they go,” Naomi says. 

“You remember the nights you stayed up feeding them, the days you worried they wouldn’t survive. But you also feel proud, because you know they are where they belong.”

Some calves are playful, others shy. A few are “huggers” who will drape their trunks around a keeper’s shoulders.

But too much attachment can make it harder for them to adapt after release, which is why the sanctuary gradually limits close contact as they mature.

Reteti’s impact reaches far beyond the sanctuary gates. Revenue from tourism and conservation fees—60 per cent of it—goes back to the local community, funding education, water projects, and livelihoods.

By creating jobs and sharing benefits, the project strengthens local support for wildlife protection.

Before Reteti existed, orphaned elephants from the region were sent to Nairobi Animal Orphanage and Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage often never returning to their native ranges. 

Now, they are raised in their home ecosystem, with the best chance of rejoining their original families.

World Elephant Day is a reminder of the challenges these animals face—poaching, habitat loss, climate change—but also of the hope that comes when people and wildlife share the land as partners. 

“They are more like us than we realise. They have families, friendships, grief, and joy. Caring for them isn’t just saving a species—it’s protecting a part of ourselves.”