The phrase 'It never rains, but pours' seems somewhat fitting to describe the flurry of rescues we had last week. In the span of three days, we rescued three young calves - orphaned due to reasons related to extreme drought.
Nowadays, most of our rescues are from calves who have became separated from their herd because they have not been able to keep up with the vast distances that their herd has had to cover to find food and water, and fallen behind. Other times, because they have fallen down a well searching for water.
The first few days at Reteti are understandably hard for a new orphan and the bond that these calves form with the keepers is crucial, and the younger babies especially suckle their keepers hand or dust coat for comfort. ❤️
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Video @Amivitale#reteti#retetielephants#elephants#northernkenya#rescue#drought#climatechange#communityconservation#namunyakconservancy
Two baby elephants from our Nursery Herd comforting themselves on Naomi’s dust coat.
From very young age, elephants have a strong sense of smell and calves are biologically and genetically programmed to connect to their mothers through scent.
Just like the keepers take on the role of becoming parents to the calves - the calves also identify the keepers by smell, just as they would with their mothers.
This shows just how deeply connected the babies become to the keepers that they spend time with. ❤️🐘
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Video by @r.e.s.c.u.e#reteti#retetielephants#wildliferescue#rescue#samburu#northernkenya#rescue#conservation#elephant#babyelephant
Long’uro’s extraordinary journey! ❤️
This week, exactly two years ago, Long’uro was rescued from a well where he was stuck overnight and attacked by hyenas who left him with only one-third of his trunk.
His story is one of hope, courage and resilience. But, also a story that is groundbreaking, unprecedented and extraordinary!
Against all odds, Long’uro has adapted to life as a special-needs elephant and with each milestone, he is redefining and showing the world what is possible. Day by day, he is changing how we think about conservation and animal behaviour.
Yet, the real story still lies ahead...!
His journey of how he will become a wild elephant bull. If there’s one thing we learned these past 24 months, it is that Long’uro will lead the way.
Long'uro's story is only beginning and we hope you will join us in supporting him the rest of the way. ❤️🐘
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#longuro#reteti#retetielephants#rescue#elephant#conservation#wildliferescue#kenya#samburu#communityconservation#namunyakconservancy#love#babyanimals#adopt@sararafoundation
(6 / 6) It's been remarkable to see how beautifully Long'uro's trunk has healed and how he has adapted to life as a special-needs elephant.
Long’uro is growing and so is his ability to browse out in the wild. We are so happy to see him getting the hang of feeding himself whilst out on bush walks with the keepers and the rest of the elephant orphans. More recently he has learnt to splash water on himself and also eat seed pods off the ground.
Long’uro still has a smashing sense of smell! Elephants’ olfactory receptors that detect odors are located in the upper nasal cavity. He is also not smaller than his counterparts - in fact, his growth has been the same as Sera and Lomunyak who were also rescued in April 2020.
We know Long’uro has a long journey ahead of him, more challenging than most, but he has already shown us his ability to adapt to a new deformity, he has shown us his willingness to trust and learn from the other keepers and orphaned elephants .
We can’t help but feel he will teach us a huge amount about elephants and their kind spirit, their intricate herd structure and ability to look after each other.
We celebrate his courage and his optimistic and intrepid personality. His life represents so much, to the community, to the keepers, to conservation globally.
His story is only beginning and we hope you too will join us in supporting him the rest of the way.
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You can support Long’uro by adopting him and becoming a Reteti Foster Parent. To learn more, visit the link in our bio, or reteti.org/adoptions
Videos: Reteti Elephant Sanctuary
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#longuro#reteti#retetielephants#rescue#wildliferescue#adopt#northernkenya#samburu#elephant#rescueanimal#babyelephant#conservation#namunyakconservancy#earthday
(5/6) Shortly after Long’uro’s arrival, two other baby elephants joined the nursery: Lomunyak and Sera. The three quickly became best of friends and inseparable.
Long’uro quickly shows us he is not only a warrior but also a bubbly, bouncy and sometimes boisterous little character. With his new found friends, playing was top of the agenda every day.
The physical and mental scars were fast fading away, especially for Longuro and Lomunyak (who nearly drowned after surviving a lion attack!)
But, Longuro often forgot that he didn’t have a trunk anymore and he bumped his nose ALL the time. Each bump would be followed by his little yelps of pain. It was heartbreaking and everyone was trying to figure out the best thing to do.
He has weathered countless storms and demonstrated unrivaled resilience in his fight for survival and we knew he would figure this out.
Long’uro along with Lomunyak and Sera, were the first three elephants that started using our unique goat milk. The milk had a tremendous effect on their rehabilitation and they are still on goat milk today - including 15 other elephants.
Continued.
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You can support Long’uro by adopting him and becoming a Reteti Foster Parent. To learn more, visit the link in our bio, or reteti.org/adoptions
Photos: Reteti Elephant Sanctuary
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#longuro#reteti#retetielephants#rescue#wildliferescue#adopt#northernkenya#samburu#elephant#rescueanimal#babyelephant#conservation#namunyakconservancy#earthday
(4/6) When all logic had suggested that an elephant calf which had been rescued from a well whilst separated from its herd, and whose trunk had been torn off by hyenas during the night was not considered capable of survival, it was the community at Reteti in northern Kenya which disagreed
Shortly after his arrival at Reteti, the veterinarian team from Kenya Wildlife Services prepared for Long’uro’s surgery. The vet surgeon carefully cleaned his wounds, removed loose and torn skin, and neatly closed the wounds and gashes on his short trunk.
In the days following the surgery, Mary kept the wounds clean and the veterinarian would visit regularly to check on his progress.
Looking back today, it’s a miracle that Long’uro, despite the wounds to his trunk, face and ears, never got a bacterial infection.
Continued.
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You can support Long’uro by adopting him and becoming a Reteti Foster Parent. To learn more, visit the link in our bio, or reteti.org/adoptions
Photos by @chancellordavid
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#longuro#reteti#retetielephants#rescue#wildliferescue#adopt#northernkenya#samburu#elephant#rescueanimal#babyelephant#conservation#namunyakconservancy#earthday