DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT → World Animal Protection has pledged to match every donation – which means each contribution will go twice as far!

Your investment will safeguard an entire ecosystem

Our vision is for Reteti to become the leading centre for community-led wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and rewilding – setting the benchmark for animal welfare while advancing biodiversity, resilient landscapes, and thriving Indigenous communities across Northern Kenya.

  • Illustration of reteti rangers

    Second Sanctuary
    Creating dedicated space for the next release herd – complete with stockades, an elephant kitchen, pasteuriser, borehole, and water systems – increasing Reteti’s overall capacity from 45 to 75 elephant orphans.

  • Illustration of Samburu community

    Infrastructure Expansion
    Meeting growing needs with crucial equipment and transport to deepen our impact, and improving well safety to help prevent elephants from becoming trapped and orphaned.

  • Illustration of mobile vet unit

    Community Partnerships
    Strengthening Reteti’s Indigenous-led model across Northern Kenya – empowering local leadership, supporting neighbouring communities, and expanding the collective impact of conservation.

  • Illustration of monitoring and tracking

    Restoring Biodiversity
    Regenerating critical landscapes, safeguarding natural resources, and supporting resilient ecosystems by helping threatened species like Grévy’s zebra and greater kudu return to their natural habitat.

  • Sustainable Livelihoods
    Growing economically empowering programs to benefit more Samburu families, including increasing the number of women earning stable income through Milk to Market from 1,250 to 1,700 by 2030.

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP

We built a conservation model that works –
now we are ready to expand…

Every year, mounting challenges like climate change leave scores of elephants injured and orphaned, and as pressures intensify, so does the need for rescue, rehabilitation, rewilding, and restoring the landscapes they call home.

Originally built to accommodate up to 45 elephant orphans – to provide each with the space they need to heal and grow – Reteti is growing too, expanding its capacity to create more room for elephants to thrive.

With 48 calves currently in our care and around 15 new arrivals every year, the opportunity to expand our impact marks an exciting new chapter for elephant conservation in the region. The expansion will enable us to support up to 75 orphaned elephants, giving younger calves personalised, round-the-clock care during those crucial first years of healing and rehabilitation at Reteti 1, while allowing the next release herd the freedom to explore at Reteti 2 as they build their independence on their journey back to the wild.

As we lay the foundations for the next chapter of impact, we are expanding Reteti’s blueprint conservation model to expand our reach, strengthen infrastructure, and provide greater support for Namunyak’s wildlife and the communities that protect it.

With your help, we can ensure more elephant rescues and rewilding across Northern Kenya. So this World Elephant Day, stand with Reteti’s pioneering story and help power the next decade of elephant conservation!

Help us grow!
Katie Rowe, Co-founder of Reteti Elephant Sanctuary kneeling and touching an elephant's trunk in a natural outdoor setting.

“Our goal is to ensure the future of elephants in Northern Kenya by extending Reteti’s impact across Namunyak Conservancy’s entire 850,000-acre landscape and beyond. Honouring everything that’s been achieved in the past 10 years, we are ready to expand the reach and impact of our work – and a second sanctuary will provide the perfect platform.”

Katie Rowe, Reteti Co-founder

10 Years of Reteti Milestones

2016 – TODAY

  • 170+ calves rescued

  • 23 elephant orphans rewilded

  • 60+ elephant calves reunited with their families

  • 110 Samburu staff members

  • 16 female keepers

  • 10-15 monthly callouts handled by our Rapid-Response Vet Unit

  • 5,700+ visitors welcomed at Reteti Interactive Centre to date

  • 1,250+ Samburu Milk Mamas supporting calves with fresh goat milk

  • $ 1M+ paid to Milk Mamas to date

  • 53%+ of Namunyak’s community benefiting from Milk to Market Program

From Rescues to Rewilding

Across Northern Kenya, hundreds of calves are orphaned each year due to drought, human-wildlife conflict, man-made wells, and the loss of their mothers. In the past, the plight of these calves were desperate.

Reteti has changed that story entirely…

  • Back where they belong

    2020

    Reteti's first release herd has completed an extraordinary journey from rescue and rehabilitation to wild freedom. Now, in a heartwarming full-circle moment, they are making their way back towards the Mathews Mountains – coming home.

    Follow their journey home

  • A historic release

    2024

    After devastating events left them injured and orphaned, this group not only survived and healed, but now thrives once again in the land of their birth. For the past two years, they’ve been forging a future in the wild and shaping a new chapter in conservation.

    See Reteti’s impact unfold

  • Ready to return

    2028

    Ten remarkable orphans are preparing for one of their most important milestones: stepping back into the wilderness. They’ll follow in the footsteps of Reteti’s pioneering release herds – and a second sanctuary will pave the way for their independence.

    Be part of what’s next

The next decade of elephant conservation starts NOW

Donate today!

This World Elephant Day, join this grassroots movement that’s become a blueprint for elephant conservation worldwide.

It’s the next chapter in our mission to extend Reteti’s impact – a decade welcoming more space for elephants, more opportunities for successful rehabilitation, more land restored, and more room for people and wildlife to thrive together.

  • Join Reteti’s World Elephant livestream!

    12 AUGUST 2026 | 5:45PM EAT

    Don’t miss this chance to experience a dedicated World Elephant Day live broadcast from Reteti – hosted by Reteti Co-founder, Katie Rowe. Including the joy of a bottle feed at the sanctuary, it’s an opportunity to step right into the magic of Reteti, complete with a behind-the-scenes sanctuary tour and Q&As with keepers.

    Register here

  • Fundraise for Reteti Elephant Sanctuary

    GET INVOLVED

    This World Elephant Day, you don't have to give alone. Set up your own campaign page and ask your friends, family, or community to join you in supporting the build of Reteti's second sanctuary — whether that's a birthday fundraiser, a work challenge, or just sharing your own reason for supporting Reteti.

    Start Fundraising

World Elephant Day 2026

At Reteti, every day is elephant day. And as we celebrate all that’s been achieved, World Elephant Day’s global call for awareness serves as a powerful reminder that much more remains to be done.

Every year, on 12 August, World Elephant Day raises critical awareness about the threats facing elephants while promoting collective action to ensure their conservation and survival. With this year's theme, “Bringing the world together to help elephants”, Reteti is proud to engage its global community of loyal supporters not only to shine a spotlight on the plight of vulnerable elephants, but also to expand our impact and reach, helping to ensure that every orphaned elephant gets a second chance.

What your support achieved for World Elephant Day in 2025

Last year, our focus was on raising funds for a much-needed Rapid-Response Mobile Vet Unit, enabling the team to reach critically injured wildlife across this vast wilderness in time. 

Thanks to the loyal support of Reteti followers around the globe, more than 781 donors across more than 26 countries came together to raise US$ 102,000 – matched by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) – which made it possible for us to launch this all-important unit.

From milestones to momentum

Donate this World Elephant Day and help us grow the next 10 years of impact.

Help us grow!