Celebrating Namunyak’s ‘ecosystem engineers’ this World Elephant Day!

Here at Reteti, we feel like celebrating World Elephant Day all the time! And since this year’s theme honours their critical role in healthy ecosystems, they deserve a tribute every day!

Photo by Will Burrard

Known as ‘ecosystem engineers’ for good reason, elephants modify, transform, maintain, and create favourable habitats for other species in the most resourceful ways! From dispersing seeds through their dung to creating new pathways in densely forested areas – they truly are the gentle giants of the bush!

Did you know?

Elephants are some of nature’s best ‘gardeners’! They:

• push over and uproot trees, which causes it to decompose and create new habitats for small mammals and thousands of insect species

• trample forests and dense grasslands, making room for smaller species to coexist

• strip bark off trees and clear overgrown areas – making them more accessible for other animals

• dig water holes in dry riverbeds when rainfall is low – which other wildlife also use

• introduce much-needed plant variety leaving their dung over vast areas – as they cover such great distances

• have home ranges of more than 15,000km2, making them a so-called umbrella species

• play a pivotal role in wildlife conservation – because as a prominent umbrella species, their protection is a strong incentive for the protection of other species too!

We love how elephants are a fundamental part of their environment and many species’ survival revolves around their ingenious methods of navigating the wilderness! That means our work here at Reteti is not only about conserving these gentle giants – it’s about conserving our entire ecosystem!

Celebrate this World Elephant Day by donating a milk bottle to one of Reteti’s elephant orphans – and become part of their journey to return to the wilderness and fulfil their destiny as one of Namunyak’s ecosystem engineers! What’s more, thanks to our Milk Match Campaign, your donation will be doubled – so the impact of your gift will be twice as big!

Photo by Ami Vitale