Adopt Long’uro
Adopt Long’uro, our one-of-a-kind special needs elephant, for yourself or as a gift for a loved one.
For a monthly donation of $5 or more, you will become a foster parent to Long’uro – supporting the keepers in caring for him.
Your monthly donation gets you exclusive access to Long’uro’s private album and stories, frequent photo, video, text, and email updates from his keepers, and will also get you automatic membership to The Herd – our global community of monthly supporters!
Long’uro’s extraordinary life story
On 18 April 2020, the Reteti team was called in at night by Loisaba Rangers, informing them of a bleeding, abandoned calf that had fallen into a well in Loisaba Conservancy. He was in a desperate state. Cries of despair flooded the night, and on inspection, the team discovered that two thirds of his trunk had been lost to a hyena the previous night, whilst stuck in the well.
Teams from Kenya Wildlife Service and Reteti rushed in and were able to save the distressed calf from the most terrifying situation, and bring him to safety at Reteti Elephant Sanctuary. He was only a month old at the time. We didn’t know what fate Long’uro faced. It was the most unique rescue we had ever encountered. But as the months ticked over, we watched him grow stronger and stronger.
Upon his arrival at Reteti, Mary Lengees then stepped in and took on the task of being his mother, and stayed by his side, day in and day out, nursing his emotional and physical wounds.
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.
In addition to losing most of his trunk, he also became blind in his left eye. He’s learned to adapt in the most interesting ways, like how he instinctively keeps his friends always on his right-hand side ("the good eye"), making sure he’s always in control. His resilience is nothing short of inspiring!
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 and his willingness to trust and learn from the other keepers and orphaned elephants.
Long'uro is proof that nothing can hold you back if you have the right spirit.
We celebrate his courage, optimism, and intrepid personality everyday. His life represents so much, to the community, to the keepers, and to conservation globally. His story is only beginning and we hope you too, will join us in supporting him the rest of the way.
Adopting Long’uro will contribute to…
-
Feeding Reteti’s orphaned wildlife
with nourishing milk from the Milk to Market Program -
The Keepers
and their 24/7 expert care and endless love for the orphans -
Veterinary care
ensuring the orphans are healthy and strong from rescue to release -
Long’uro’s journey
and his possible release back to the wild in Northern Kenya
What is included in your adoption?
A digital, sharable Adoption Certificate - making your foster parent-hood official! (Emailed to you or your gift recipient after the purchase!)
Regularly updated, exclusive online album with photos, behind the scenes stories, and videos of Zawadi
Regular email and video updates about your giraffe (SMS updates too for those of you in the USA!)
Automatic membership to "The Herd" - our monthly donor club that gets you invites to our livestreams, updates from the Reteti team, and more!
PLEASE NOTE
We are a US-based 5013C and therefore your monthly donation is 100% tax deductible for customers in the USA. Additionally, multiple adoptions of individual orphans enable us to cover the costs of caring for all the orphans at Reteti. Your contribution will help us cover the cost of milk, the keepers, veterinary cost and other essentials your your orphan needs.
Support one of the world’s most remarkable elephants by gifting him milk
Did you know Long’uro drinks more than $35,000 worth of nutrient-rich milk every year? A one-time donation of $100 covers the cost of his milk for 1 day.
Want to walk with him all the way back to the wild? Set up a monthly donation of what you can afford to give and become part of his journey while also supporting the incredible keepers who care for him!