Took a work trip in Samburu County and happened to pass by the world famous Reteti Elephant Sanctuary located in the Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy in Northern Kenya.
Such a great highlight and loved getting to see all the animals including the Elephants and Giraffes up close.
The local Samburu community are running an elephant sanctuary that rescues and raises the orphaned elephants with the ultimate goal of reintroducing them back into the wild.
The elephants were adorable. The mostly malnourished and abandoned elephants are taken care upto the age of five by and then released back to the national park.
They are fed every three hours with goat milk, moringa and baby food apart from natural food. The goat milk–based formula is cheaper and easier to source. It is also healthy for the calves and allows the orphanage to contribute to the local economy.
The staff show immense dedication to their work and great job done by the founders. You will have many explanations about their histories including age, where they were found, what happened to them and/or their mother.
I loved learning about the conservancy efforts and how the ultimate goal is to release the animals back in the wild, when they are most able to survive. The focus is on healing them and nourishing them until they are old enough to be reintroduced to the wild.
One can go near them and take pictures, however going near elephants is forbidden. Also the management prefers you wear dark green if possible, otherwise shades of brown or khaki.
Also, they are tied to the community. The vast majority of the staff is local to the area and the milk used to feed the animals is from local shepherds and families. The community has now realized that the can benefit from healthy elephant populations and they’re proud to take care of wildlife.
For visitors, the sanctuary is accessed from the Great North highway (Isiolo-Moyale highway), three hours from Isiolo town, you will arrive at Sereolipi town. Drive through Sereolipi and cross the river bridge. Once you pass Sereolipi Secondary school, there is aroad to your left that leads to the sanctuary, 20 kilometers away.