In
the mountains of northern Kenya, a Samburu community is doing something
that has never been done before. They have built an elephant sanctuary
for orphaned elephants, where they rescue and raise them with the
ultimate goal to reintroduce them back into the wild. The
sanctuary isn’t just about saving elephants; it’s about breaking down
stereotypes and redefining wildlife management. When people realize that
they can benefit from healthy elephant populations, they’re proud to
take care of wildlife.
Reteti
is also empowering young Samburu women to be the first-ever women
elephant keepers in all of Africa. At first, the community didn’t think
there was a place for women in the workplace. Now, the success of these
women elephant keepers is unlocking new possibilities and setting a
powerful example for young girls hoping to pursue their dreams. It’s
also changing how the community relates to elephants. Schoolchildren who
have never seen an elephant before or who were afraid of elephants
visit Reteti and experience these elephants up close. They then realize
they can grow up to be a veterinarian or an elephant keeper.
In
the past, the local people weren’t much interested in trying to save
elephants. A rescued calf had to be transported to Kenya’s only
orphanage, some 240 miles away, near Nairobi. If successfully
rehabilitated, the youngster would have to be released into Tsavo
National Park, with no hope of reunification with its original herd way
to the north. But now, elephant orphans can be returned to their home
ground, where they’ll have a good chance of reconnecting with their
relatives.
What’s
happening here, without fanfare, is nothing less than the beginnings of
a transformation in the way the Samburu people relate to wild animals
they have long feared. This oasis where orphans grow up, learning to be
wild so that one day they can rejoin their herds, is as much about the
people as it is about elephants.
Since
September 2016, they have rescued over 35 elephants and returned ten
back to the wild. This is the result of a widely recognized and
expanding grassroots movement of community-driven conservation across
northern Kenya; a movement that is growing new economies, transforming
lives and conserving natural resources.
Shaba is an 11-minute short film about the sanctuary that will be available
on-demand and all ticket sales go directly to support the elephants and
their incredible keepers. It will be available until the 31sth of August
at shabafilm.org
The
film is about an orphaned elephant named Shaba who arrived traumatized
after poachers killed her mother in front of her. It took weeks for the
team at Reteti to finally forge a connection with her and Shaba soon
became the matriarch of the entire orphaned herd. She became
instrumental at the sanctuary, caring for each new orphan that arrived
and teaching the keepers how to be better caretakers. This is a story
about learning to trust those that we fear. Shaba teaches us about love
and our connections to all of life around us.