Reteti Elephant Sanctuary is located in Namunyak Community Conservancy in Northern Kenya – home to the nomadic Samburu people. Established by the indigenous community in 2016 to care for orphaned elephant calves, the sanctuary’s mission is to release them back into the wild. The facility is the result of a widely recognised and expanding grassroots conservation movement driven by communities across this key region – a movement that is growing new economies, transforming lives, and conserving natural resources. Many elephant calves are orphaned every year in Northern Kenya due to drought, man-made wells, poaching, human-wildlife conflict, and natural mortality. The sanctuary was established in response to urgent requests from the local community to rescue these orphans and bring them to safety. In the past, it was difficult and expensive to rescue orphaned elephant calves in such a remote region, and local communities saw little value in raising the alarm. Today, with Reteti, there’s a strong desire to assist orphaned calves and help them remain in the landscape of their birth. The Kenya Wildlife Service and Samburu County Government have promoted the establishment of the sanctuary, with local communities leading the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of the calves. Reteti’s Keepers are all recruited from within Namunyak Community Conservancy. They are all part of the Samburu community, which has lived alongside wildlife for thousands of years and deeply respect the elephants with whom they share the land and its resources.
