Reteti’s impact is reaching beyond the elephants in its care – with its knowledge and experience inspiring a new generation of wildlife caregivers across Kenya.
Apart from its mission to rescue, rehabilitate and rewild orphaned and injured elephants in Northern Kenya, Reteti is increasingly becoming a hub of learning, with respected organisations looking to the sanctuary’s experience and operational protocols to strengthen their own approaches to wildlife care.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), one of Reteti’s longstanding and valued partners, is among those looking to the sanctuary’s expertise. As part of its efforts to improve animal welfare and management practices at the Nairobi Animal Orphanage, KWS sent 12 keepers, two wardens and a veterinarian to Reteti earlier this year for benchmarking and knowledge-sharing, and to learn from the sanctuary’s approach to nurturing orphaned and injured wildlife.
From gaining insight into Reteti’s round-the-clock care and three-hourly milk feeds, to observing how keepers monitor the orphans’ health and behaviour, manage their daily bush walks and support their development towards eventual reintegration into the wild, these exchanges offer invaluable practical learning. For visiting keepers, it’s eye-opening to join this hands-on work – and especially to share in the passion of those who are grounded in Reteti’s pioneering community-led conservation model.
Unprecedented milestone
Established in 1964, the Nairobi Animal Orphanage is one of Kenya’s longest-standing wildlife care facilities. Today, the KWS-run orphanage is a world-renowned conservation facility dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and care of orphaned, injured, aged and abandoned wildlife. It also plays an important role in conservation education, welcoming schoolchildren, university groups and members of the public to learn about Kenya’s wildlife and the importance of protecting it.
“Having KWS come to learn from our methods for caring for elephants and other wildlife is an unprecedented milestone. It underscores the sanctuary’s emerging role as a standard-setting facility, and the potential for our experience to help guide and influence official KWS animal-care protocols.”
Peter Lenasalia
Reteti Manager
Comprehensive focus on learning
In addition to offering hands-on learning to visiting keepers and wildlife carers, the sanctuary is also a centre of learning for visitors from all over the world and across the region.
Since opening its doors in November 2024, the highly interactive Reteti Visitor Centre has welcomed scores of international travellers, local visitors and school groups keen to deepen their understanding of the sanctuary’s work at the forefront of elephant conservation.
Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Mathews Mountain Range, it offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to rescue, rehabilitate and ultimately return orphaned elephants to the wild.
The experience goes far beyond exhibitions, with vivid storytelling by Reteti’s Samburu keepers bringing the sanctuary’s work to life as they share their own experiences, stories and deep commitment to the elephants in their care. Visitors gain a profound awareness of the challenges facing Northern Kenya’s elephants and the realities of caring for orphaned calves, as well as an appreciation for the Indigenous-led approach that lies at the heart of Reteti.
To date, the centre has offered a window into Reteti’s world to:
2,500+ international visitors
1,500+ local visitors
20 local school groups
“All in all, it’s been a remarkable period of growth, partnership, and recognition for Reteti and we are thrilled by the increasing number of organisations reaching out to partner with us and learn from our unique model of conservation and animal care.”
Peter Lenasalia
Reteti Manager
