Lomunyak’s Rescue

Lomunyak is a Samburu word meaning “lucky ” and boy, are we lucky that he has joined the Reteti herd! Lomunyak is called our lucky boy with good reason. He survived what appeared to be a lion attack, and become separated from his mum and nearly drowned in a river in Northern Kenya. On the 26th of April 2020, at just 2 months old, he experienced a number of tragedies including: a lion attack, separation from his mother and then almost drowning in a river in Northern Kenya! He was rescued by security staff from Elephant Bedroom Camp in Samburu National Reserve at 2am on a Sunday morning, late in April 2020. The heroic trio heard the calf crying and jumped into the fast flowing Ewaso Nyiro River to save his life. Upon arrival at Reteti, he was severely traumatized. Lomunyak also obtained serious head wounds - which we believe was from the lion attack. An enormous amount of love and care helped his emotional and physical wounds heal.

Lomunyak Today

One would never really expect that Lomunyak had experienced such trauma when you see him in the Reteti herd. He’s the most playful calf and oh so mischievous! Lomunyak is also a bit of a social butterfly - friends with all the keepers and elephants at Reteti. But, when it comes to meal times, he likes to drink his milk quietly near the weighing scale. He absolutely adores his favourite keeper Naomi, and often spends his spare moments looking for her. Naomi has been with him since the day he arrived at Reteti and the bond between the two is a thing of beauty. There are definitely some signs of past trauma deep within, and we do notice that he frightens easily, sometimes even a little ground squirrel can shock him.

His best friend at the sanctuary is Long’uro. They arrived at Reteti a month apart and are almost the same age. Lomunyak plays the role of ‘big brother’ to Long’uro and has been instrumental in helping Long’uro's development. He stays close to Long’uro and shares his tasty bushes with him, always making sure he gets what he pushes or pulls down. He knows and loves his name and you never have to call him more than once.

He is easy to find in the herd with the round, protruding head scars and his quick response to his name being called.

Lomunyak’s Name

The names of the Reteti elephants come from either the area that they were rescued from, or from a distinguishing feature or character trait. Lomunyak means “lucky” in the Samburu language, and he certainly is a very lucky elephant - having escaped a lion and a raging river!

What is included in your adoption?

• A digital, sharable Adoption Certificate - making your foster parent-hood official!

• A Social Media Starter Pack, with videos and photos which you can use to share the news about becoming a #RetetiFosterParent

• Quarterly email updates about your foster elephant

• Updated exclusive online photo album

Please note:
Multiple adoptions of individual elephants enable us to cover the costs of caring for all 46 elephants at Reteti; your contribution will help us cover the cost of milk, the keepers, veterinary cost and other essentials your elephant needs.