There are about 10 to 25 young elephants that orphaned and rescued in Reteti Elephant Sanctuary every year. There are many reasons why these elephants are left alone here every time. Some are due to human conflicts and wars, other a due to poaching and wildlife trade, then natural mortality (some elephants die naturally and leave babies) and many other factors.
Reteti Elephant Sanctuary was started as a response by the local community here to save the elephants. The efforts were supported by the Kenya wildlife service and Samburu county government. This was a very good initiative as it was the efforts of the locals trying to support the conservation of the elephants in the Samburu National game reserve.
They started this as a place to collect and rehabilitate the rescued elephants. Elephants are rescued from different situations like poaching and human conflicts.
This being a local project, all the labor at the sanctuary are from within the community. As a way of creating employment for the youth in the community. Also a way of reducing wildlife trade since the redundancy of the locals is reduced as well. The keepers have been formally trained in the care, rehabilitation and release of elephant calves.
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