Part 2: Rescuing a calf from the mountain
Sitiin’s bouncy bum!
If there ever was a case to be made for “love heals”, this would be it.
From a gut wrenching rescue not wanting to leave her muma’s body, to seeing how far she has come in just 3 weeks… her recovery can only be attributed to the outpouring of love from keepers and herd alike.
Our last blog post on Sitii’s rescue ended with her arriving at Reteti after bravely guarding her muma’s body for three whole days by herself. The separation left the keepers and Sitiin completely heartbroken, but entire Reteti team was ready to fight for her recovery.
First days at Reteti
Sitiin’s first week at Reteti was tough. She was visibly traumatised and sad. Elephants are emotionally complex and community creatures; and their mourning journey has been likened to those of humans. The enclosure she was in during her first days (while we assessed her health) is located in the centre of the boma and faces outward. Whilst he had keepers by her side, around the clock, the design of the enclosure encourages the other members of the herd to come say hello. This video from 2021 shows just how curious the herd is, and in this video Kapai, our matriarch manages to open the to get to the baby.
Healing
As Sitiin got stronger and healthier, she started joining the nursery herd on their daily bush walks (these are naturally much shorter than the bush walks of the intermediate and big herd), but we noticed that she didn’t join the mud baths.
Then one day, around 5 days after her arrival, she walked back through the gate of the boma after her bush walk and walked straight to the mud bath and started splashing water on herself. The way in which she did it almost seemed as if she had made a conscious decision to step out of her mourning and wash the sorrow away. The more she started splashing, the more you sensed her relief. In the video you can also see the other elephants embracing her - which is so special.
We can’t help but wonder if Sitiin held off on bathing to keep her mum’s smell on her just a little longer? Maybe she wasn’t ready to let go of her just yet, until this day. But, as Sitiin shows us, by letting go of sadness, we open our hearts to be filled with love and kindness from those around us. This doesn’t mean Sitiin will ever forget her muma, we know elephants always, always remember.
We incredibly proud of how far she has come and how brave she is. We’re grateful that we can follow and support her journey over the next couple of years in preparation for her return back to the wild.
Rescues like this are only possible thanks to the generosity of a global community of supporters. Together, we can ensure that Sitiin and 40 other orphans will one day roam the plains of Northern Kenya as wild elephants.
