Reteti Elephant Sanctuary uses Samburu songs to rehabilitate orphaned elephants

Keepers at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Samburu County, Kenya, use traditional Samburu songs to bond with and rehabilitate orphaned elephants.

The sanctuary rescues young elephants that have lost their mothers due to accidents in man-made water wells, human-wildlife conflict, or natural predators like lions and crocodiles. Staff bring calves to the facility for medical care and emotional support if they cannot be reunited with their mothers within 72 hours.

The sanctuary currently cares for 52 young elephants and has released 23 of them into the wild. The sanctuary operates on a community-led conservation model that provides economic benefits to the local population. The facility buys more than 1,000 litres of goat milk every day from local suppliers, which supports approximately 1,250 women. The sanctuary also employs 140 keepers and shares 60% of its tourism revenue with the local community to fund school bursaries and hospital bills.

While the sanctuary attracts between 5,000 and 10,000 annual visitors, remote locations and poor roads make it difficult to reach more tourists. The Kenya Tourism Board is currently working with partners to develop travel packages for Northern Kenya to increase domestic travel and reach a goal of 5.6 million bed nights by 2027.