Ngaremara’s Rescue Story

Thinking back to the way little Ngaremara started out in life, we admire her courage and determination so much! At such a very young age, she had the wisdom and intuition to find safety – despite being all alone and in pain after becoming separated from her Mama and herd.

How brave she was to leave the familiarity of the bush, and seek out company and comfort at the Turkana homesteads in the Ngaremara area – after which she was eventually named. In fact, her incredible courage probably ended up saved her life, as it led to the long-term monitoring team from Save the Elephants finding her at last.

A rescue operation was immediately launched, calling in the Reteti veterinarian and assistant, keepers, Kenya Wildlife Service, as well as members of the Namunyak Security Team. Our aim is always to reunite calves with their mothers, but after waiting with Ngaremara for 72 hours hoping that her herd would return, we realised that rescue was the only option – and brought Ngaremara safely to the sanctuary.

Having been in human care from such a young age, Ngaremara settled right in at Reteti with her herd mates and keepers – and it was clear right from the start how much she enjoyed all the companionship here! Always loving and playful, she’s such a cuddler – who just can't stop giving squishy hugs to both the ellies and keepers.

Perhaps because she herself had been deprived of love from so early on, Ngaremara was even more aware of everyone’s need for affection – and wanted to share the abundance of love in that big heart of hers whenever she could! Luckily, here at Reteti, she’s also finally receiving the love she had been yearning for. 

For an extrovert like Ngaremara, making friends comes naturally and everyone in the nursery herd is her friend. But without picking favourites, Titiyo and Laankailler deserve special mentions, as they truly seem to have captured special places in her heart!

Ngaremara Today

It’s impossible to tell for sure, but we have a sneaky suspicion that Ngaremara's heart takes up 90% of her tiny body! She really has the biggest ❤️ – and expresses her abundance of lovingkindness with such generosity that everyone who meets her instantly falls in love with her too.

Filled with positive energy, she is a ray of sunshine who loves all beings, especially the other ellies and people – and one of her biggest joys in life is to make meaningful connections. The keepers know by now that she’d happily burst away from the herd just to run up and greet them – and what a little bundle of inquisitiveness she is!

Wanting to ‘chat’ with everyone in her own sweet way, she’ll try to find out everything from what you’ve been doing to where you have been. To do so, this crafty bush reporter will drape her trunk all over your head while rubbing your face – she really doesn't want to miss a thing! While gently prodding about, she’ll “read” your mood and your thoughts, almost like a blind person would understand Braille. Intuitively understanding what’s in your heart, it’s as if Ngaremara can look right into your soul! 

Her ability to deeply connect with all beings makes her especially unique – and it’s so important to her that she’d even forfeit food to rather spend quality time with someone close! So when the herd sets out on bush walks, and the other ellies are browsing and busy feeding, you’d often find her nuzzling up to one of the keepers – which is pretty special as elephants really love to eat! We’re also amazed how she’d come stand next to the keepers and listen for ages while they talk about the herd – almost as if she’s part of the conversation. But come to think of it, she is!

While always being friendly and so innocent of heart, Ngaremara also has the most incredible innate wisdom – which is truly beyond her years. We love how she’s such a wise old soul – and at the same time, such a spirited young ellie lady, in such a tiny body!

No one loves touch more than Ngaremara, and it’s obviously one of her favourite love languages too! In fact, she never misses a chance to have skin–to-skin contact, either with her elephant friends or one of the keepers she’s so fond of. One of her most endearing habits is to sling her trunk over the shoulders of her favourite human and elephant pals – just like little children would fling their arms around each other in joyful embrace.

It’s so similar to the spirit of closeness in human friendships and communities – and inherent to the kindness and love with which Ngaremara always leads. Looking at her extraordinary journey so far – and the strength of her character that’s been there all along – she’s going to show such amazing leadership in future, and it’s a privilege to be part of her growth!

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.