Meet Sitiin!

On the 20th of September, Samburu herders came across a young elephant calf who was guarding her mother’s deceased body. They immediately notified Reteti and explained their location. They were deep in the Matthews mountain, an a location too remote which neither not car nor helicopter could reach.
After three hours of hiking up steep, technical terrain, the Reteti Team reached the calf, who was still alive, incredibly dehydrated and trying to suckle from its mother’s lifeless body. Based on the condition of the calf and the carcass, it seemed that the calf had been with its mother’s body for three days or more
The terrain was too steep and too technical to carry the calf, so sedating the calf was not an option. The team had to walk the calf back down the mountain to where the Reteti vehicle was waiting. Whilst that in itself was a challenge, separating the calf from its mother’s body was not only sad, but deeply distressing for the calf and team alike. With every attempt the team made to try walk the calf away from its mother, the calf would force itself loose and run back to her side; devastated and unwilling to stand down from her guard.
The keepers managed to give her time to say good bye and gently walked her down the mountain, using their bodies to guide the calf who was now shaken-legged and low on glucose. Once they reached the vehicle, Reteti’s vet was ready and waiting.
To adopt Sitiin and contribute to her milk bottles, visit: www.reteti.org/adoptions