The women putting community at the heart of elephant conservation.
Dorothy Lowakutuk, one of Africa's first female elephant keepers, works at Kenya's Samburu-owned Reteti sanctuary, where local women gain income and a voice while orphaned elephants are rescued and returned to the wild.
Dorothy Lowakutuk joined the Reteti elephant sanctuary in northern Kenya in 2016 and became one of Africa's first female elephant keepers, Positive News reports. She drove through the night to reach Nemparwai, a calf barely a week old that had fallen into a well. Lowakutuk stayed beside her for two nights, and the calf finally took milk from her cupped hands.
Reteti is Africa's first Indigenous-owned elephant sanctuary. It was founded in 2016 by Samburu elders working with conservationist Katie Rowe. According to the article, 90% of its board members come from local communities. The Sarara Foundation acts as operating and funding partner. The board decides how tourism revenue is spent: 40% covers operating costs and 60% pays for community projects.
The article reports that Reteti returned 13 young elephants to the rangelands last year, and that since opening its rescuers have reunited 60 stranded calves with their mothers, drawing on Samburu tracking knowledge. Across the region, elephant numbers have grown from a few hundred 30 years ago to more than 6,000, which the article attributes to a mix of modern conservation, land management and Samburu bush knowledge. Reteti employs 110 staff from Samburu communities, and 1,250 local "milk mamas" supply more than 20,000 litres of goat milk each month. Almost $342,000 went directly to Samburu women last year, many of whom now hold their own bank accounts for the first time.
Lowakutuk said the sanctuary has changed how women are seen. "Reteti has made women people to be believed in," she said. Reteti sits within the 850,000-acre Namunyak Community Conservancy, which Samburu elders established in the 1990s. Under Kenya's Community Land Act of 2016, the Samburu now hold legal ownership of the land. Titus Letaapo of the Sarara Foundation, who once doubted conservation, said attitudes toward wildlife have shifted: "It has changed from negative to positive."
The article also notes tensions. Dr Dilys Roe of the International Institute for Environment and Development said power struggles over land and wildlife resources persist. The Northern Rangelands Trust, which supports 47 community conservancies, has faced criticism from rights groups over land rights, grazing restrictions and carbon project transparency. It told Positive News it does not own community land or impose a single grazing plan. Namunyak left the trust in 2022.
At a Glance
- Reteti was founded in 2016 by Samburu elders and conservationist Katie Rowe, and 90% of its board members are local.
- Reteti returned 13 young elephants to the wild last year and has reunited 60 stranded calves with their mothers since opening.
- Almost $342,000 was paid directly to Samburu women last year, and 1,250 milk mamas supply over 20,000 litres of goat milk monthly.
- Elephant numbers in the region rose from a few hundred 30 years ago to more than 6,000 today.
- Tourism revenue is split 40% to operating costs and 60% to community projects.
Sources
This brief was written by Brightside Report from the reporting linked above. Spot an error? Request a correction.