7 Orphaned Elephants Complete Rewilding Journey into the Wild

In northern Kenya, elephant calves sometimes lose their families to prolonged drought, human-wildlife conflict, or the death of their mothers. Alone and vulnerable, few survive without intervention.

When an orphan is found, community members, rangers, or wildlife officers alert authorised rescue centres such as Reteti Elephant Sanctuary or the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. There, the calves are treated for injuries or illness, bottle-fed, and given intensive care until they are strong enough to begin the next stage of rehabilitation.

But rescue is only the first step. Before an orphaned elephant can return to the wild, it must learn survival skills its mother would have taught it: where and what to eat, how to find water, especially during the dry season, how to recognise danger, and how to navigate the landscape.

Once they are old enough, the calves are moved to Sera Wildlife Conservancy, where they begin the next and most critical stage of their journey: the rewilding transition. Unlike a rescue centre, Sera offers something human caretakers cannot—a landscape shared with wild elephant herds. Here, the orphans gradually spend more time with wild elephants and less time around people until they are ready to live independently.

One of Sera’s greatest strengths is its resident wild elephant population. Over time, these herds have come to accept the orphaned elephants, allowing them to learn through natural interactions rather than from people.

The first four orphaned elephants arrived at Sera in 2019. Later that year, six more calves joined them, bringing the total to ten. Like any conservation programme, rewilding came with challenges. Two elephants were lost during the severe drought that hit northern Kenya in 2022, and another was killed by a lion before it had fully developed the instincts needed to survive on its own.

Despite these setbacks, the programme showed encouraging results. Monitoring by conservation teams revealed that the elephants were becoming increasingly independent, venturing beyond Sera into neighbouring Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy and other connected habitats.

As elephant numbers inside the Sera Rhino Sanctuary grew, management recognised the need to balance elephant numbers, habitat health, and the sanctuary’s growing rhino population. The recent release of 17 elephants therefore marked a major milestone for elephant conservation and an important habitat management decision. By releasing elephants that had completed their rewilding journey into the Greater Samburu Landscape, the conservancy reduced browsing pressure inside the sanctuary, created more space for wildlife, and allowed vegetation to regenerate.

For Reuben Lendira, Conservancy Manager at Sera Wildlife Conservancy, the release reflects the success of both the elephant rewilding programme and the sanctuary’s growing rhino population.

“When Sera Rhino Sanctuary was established in 2015, it was mainly to protect black rhinos. We now have 26 black rhinos and we’ve also introduced white rhinos. And because these populations continue to grow, we have to make sure there is enough space and habitat for them,” says Lendira.

Among those 17 elephants were seven rescued calves from Reteti. Their release marked the successful completion of years of rewilding, allowing them to live independently once more.

“The Sera elephants helped shape our release protocol, leading to the successful release of orphaned elephants into a community managed landscape and setting a global example for community-led conservation.

With tracking technology, we can now follow Shaba, Warges, and the other released orphans as they roam freely across northern Kenya,” says Peter Lenasalia, Reteti Manager.

David Daballen, Director of Field Operations at Save the Elephants, says the journey of these orphans does not end with the release. It is also providing lessons that extend far beyond Samburu.

“Radio tracking has allowed us to follow these elephants long after their release, giving us insights into how hand-raised elephants adapt to life in the wild. Those findings will form the basis of how we manage such situations here and in other landscapes facing similar conservation challenges.”

The programme is built on a partnership between Reteti Elephant Sanctuary and Sera Wildlife Conservancy, with support from Kenya Wildlife Service, Save the Elephants, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, local communities, and other conservation partners.

Together, they ensure orphaned elephants are rescued, rehabilitated, rewilded, and eventually returned to the wild. The activity was made possible through funding and support of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, whose contribution helped strengthen efforts to rescue, rehabilitate and rewild the orphaned elephant.

In addition to protecting wildlife, the team will continue working with communities to promote peaceful coexistence between people and wildlife and help reduce the growing cases of climate-induced human-wildlife conflict.