Ngaremara, a heart of gold
Ngaremara snuggling with Keeper Dorothy. Photo by Simon Pocock
If you haven’t ‘met’ Ngaremara yet, you’re in for a wonderful treat!
She’s the embodiment of tenderness and love – who shares her endless supply of kindness and affection wherever she goes, and with everyone she meets! It’s impossible to be sure, but we have a sneaky suspicion that her heart takes up 90% of her tiny body
Ngaremara giving Keeper Lekupanai a hug. Photos by LouAnne Brickhouse
Ngaremara’s Rescue
This little bundle of love had such a rough start in life, and at the age of just one month, she was separated from her Mama and herd. We deeply admire her courage, because despite this profound heartbreak and pain, she still managed to find safety all by herself. Bravely leaving the familiarity of the bush, she sought out company and comfort at Turkana homesteads in the Ngaremara area – after which she was eventually named. Ultimately, the fact that she’s so fearless and determined saved this little ellie’s life – and helped the long-term monitoring team from Save the Elephants to discover where she was.
A rescue operation was immediately launched, calling in Reteti’s veterinarian and assistant, keepers, Kenya Wildlife Service, as well as members of the Namunyak Security Team. We always try our utmost to reunite calves with their mothers – and waited with Ngaremara for 72 hours hoping her herd would return – but sadly this didn’t happen, and the only option was for her to be rescued, and brought safely to Reteti.
Photo taken during Ngaremara’s rescue; while waiting for her herd to return
Ngaremara today at Reteti
From the get go, Ngaremara settled right in with her herd mates and keepers – and clearly loved all the companionship she found at the sanctuary! Perhaps because she’d been deprived of love from early on, she’s even more aware of everyone’s need for affection – and shares it whenever she can. What’s more, she’s also finally receiving all the love and nurturing she’d been craving for so long.
As an extrovert, she easily made friends with everyone, and in particular, Titiyo and Laankailler both found a path straight to her heart! Thriving on meaningful connections, she adores both her ellie and human friends. Communicating with everyone in her own sweet way, she’ll try to find out their latest news by wrapping her trunk all your head and rubbing your face – this crafty little bush reporter doesn’t want to miss a thing!
What and who is not to love?
Her ability to connect with all beings makes Ngaremara especially unique, and she’d even forfeit food for a chance to spend quality time with someone close! For example, when the herd sets out on bush walks and the other ellies are busy to feed, she’d often rather nuzzle up to one of the keepers – which is quite something as elephants really love to eat!
One of her favourite love languages is touch, and she’d endearingly sling her trunk over the shoulders of her favourite ellie and human pals – like little children flinging their arms around each other in joyful embrace. It’s so inherent to the kindness and love with which Ngaremara always leads – and she will most definitely show us even more of her incredibly gentle yet strong leadership skills as her future unfolds!
We can’t wait to see what’s still in store for Ngaremara, and feel so honoured to be part of her world.
It takes a village to raise a calf!
Ngaremara’s journey is only starting and by joining her foster family, you can support her as she grows under our care at Reteti and stay up to date with her development, hugs!
