| Samburu Community to Open Elephant Sanctuary
Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy in Samburu County of northern Kenya is to open the first community owned and managed elephant orphanage in Africa. The Reteti Elephant Sanctuary is situated in the remote Mathews Range, among Kenya’s second largest elephant population. It will take in orphaned and abandoned elephant calves with an aim to release them back into the wild herds adjoining the Sanctuary. This is the result of a widely recognised and expanding grassroots movement of community-driven conservation across northern Kenya; a movement that is growing new economies, transforming lives and conserving natural resources.
While elephant poaching elsewhere in Africa continues at unsustainable rates, as highlighted in the recent Great Elephant Census, the proportion of illegally killed elephants in north Kenya’s community conservancies has fallen 53% since 2012. Nevertheless, there are still elephant calves orphaned or abandoned resulting from a variety of instances that include poaching, man made wells and natural mortality.
It is estimated between five and ten elephant calves are rescued in north Kenya each year, from a population of an estimated 8,700. The Sanctuary was established in response to demands from the local community, who recognise wildlife as an opportunity to improve livelihoods. The Kenya Wildlife Service and Samburu County Government have promoted the establishment of the new Sanctuary, recognising the wish of the local community to retain their elephants within Samburu County and seeing local communities taking a lead in rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing elephants within their home range.
A partnership between Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy, Samburu County Government, Kenya Wildlife Service, Northern Rangelands Trust, San Diego Zoo, Conservation International, Tusk Trust, The Nature Conservancy and Save the Elephants, together with several individuals, has seen the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary established to be able to house and care for young elephants. 5 keepers, all from the Namunyak area, have been formally trained in the care, rehabilitation and release of elephant calves. An elected board from within the community oversee all operational aspects of the Sanctuary. This facility also houses a mobile elephant rescue team that works daily on elephant rescue, community awareness and the mitigation of human/wildlife conflict.
Of the five the elephant keepers all recruited from within the Conservancy, Mary Lengees and Naomi Lechongoro have perfected the skill of returning lost calves back to their family herds. Since March, they have successfully returned five abandoned calves to their families, and have not yet needed to hand raise any individuals. This is the primary aim of the Sanctuary – with elephants only being taken into care as a last resort.
"San Diego Zoo Global is delighted to be part of a new approach to caring for the orphaned elephant youngsters that come into the Reteti preserve" said Douglas Myers, CEO San Diego Zoo Global. "This facility will work to ensure that elephants will maintain bonds to other elephants rather than humans. An approach that we expect will allow earlier reintroduction back into the herd."
The Reteti Elephant Sanctuary was officially opened by the Samburu County Governor, H.E Moses Lenolkulal, on the 20th August 2016.
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The Northern Rangelands Trust is an umbrella organisation whose mission is to build resilient community conservancies that transform lives, secure peace and conserve natural resources. There are now 33 NRT member conservancies over northern Kenya – of which Namunyak is one.
Bringing species back from the brink of extinction is the mission of San Diego Zoo Global. As a leader in conservation, the work of San Diego Zoo Global includes onsite wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) at the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, as well as international field programs on six continents. The important conservation and science work of these entities is made possible by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Conservancy and is supported in part by the Foundation of the Zoological Society of San Diego. |
