Original subtitles

Viewers like you make this program possible.

Support your local PBS station.

In the wild north of Kenya...

...the lives of the Samburu people

have been entwined with elephants for generations.

Now they're reshaping that ancient bond,

forging something new,

rescuing orphans who have lost everything.

Becoming their mothers,

they offer love, care, and wisdom,

all to prepare them for one thing --

returning to the wild.

At Reteti Elephant Sanctuary,

the Samburu are reacting to the pressures

of a rapidly changing world.

Taking matters into their own hands,

they have set up a project unlike any other in Africa.

Good boy.

Baby elephants, some only weeks old,

arrive here for all kinds of reasons,

from poaching to falling into water holes.

Mm.

From tiny beginnings,

Reteti is now home to 47 elephants.

But learning how to survive in the wild

happens beyond the sanctuary gates.

The youngest of Reteti's three herds

is just beginning to absorb the world around them.

Guiding them on this first step

towards eventually rewilding...

...is keeper Dorothy.

No!

Don't be jealous.

Kiss, kiss.

Little Naisimari is one of the newest arrivals,

found abandoned and alone.

Let's go.

Over the years,

Reteti keepers have become experts in raising orphans

and treating their ailments.

There you go.

That's perfect.

Hold on. Let's see if he likes that.

We want him to eat, but because he's so dehydrated,

we don't want him to be at risk of colicking.

Yeah.

Co-founder Katie

helped the Samburu people set up Reteti in 2016.

You got to get better.

The team here are just incredible.

These elephants have been raised by the community.

All the keepers know elephants,

and they've lived, coexisted with them.

So they've got this inherent knowledge

of how elephants behave in the wild.

So there's just ancient wisdom that exists here.

Assistant head keeper Naomi

is looking for the second of Reteti's three herds

who roam farther afield.

Unlike the youngest group,

these 3- to 5-year-olds are boisterous,

like teenagers testing their boundaries.

Hi.

Trying to find his way in the second group

is 3-year-old Long'uro.

Long'uro lost his trunk

when he was just a few weeks old.

Yeah.

After his injuries healed...

...Long'uro, at just 8 months old,

had to develop his own ways to survive.

So, let's go.

Farther out from the sanctuary,

more advanced lessons are taking place

with Reteti's oldest orphans...

...the Release Herd.

In six months, they could make history

if they can be successfully returned

to the vast, unfenced landscape they came from.

Colman is teaching this third group, aged 6 to 7,

to navigate the terrain far beyond camp.

Raised on the flat plains,

they'll need to become mountaineers

if they want to roam freely.

Weighing in at around one ton,

they're not built for nimbleness.

The Release Herd also needs to learn to stay together,

mimicking the structure of a wild herd,

with the matriarch taking the lead.

And one female is already stepping up.

During her seven years at Reteti,

Kapai has gently taken on the role of looking after the group.

One of the elephants is missing.

Kelele, the smallest and most vulnerable of the herd,

is nowhere to be seen.

Colman's search brings him all the way back to the sanctuary.

Find some branches to give him.

Come on, come on, come on, Kelele.

Don't be aggressive. Come on.

Come, please.

Come on. Come on. Come on.

6-year-old Kelele is small for his age...

...and known for throwing his weight around.

But this kind of temper hints that something's not right.

While they try to find out what's wrong,

Kelele is put into sickbay.

As the day draws to a close,

everyone returns to the safety of the sanctuary.

The middle herd hasn't lost any of its energy.

Making --

It might seem like fun and games...

...but the bonds that play creates

help build a tight-knit group,

crucial for survival in the wild.

The trunk is key to all of this.

It's used to touch, comfort, and build connections.

To have any chance of thriving as an adult,

Long'uro needs to step out of his shell and join in the play.

At night, the babies sleep safely within the sanctuary.

And the youngest babies

get some extra love from their keepers.

Each day in Samburu

begins as it has for generations...

...with rhythms shaped by nature and tradition.

At Reteti, they have a ritual of their own.

In the absence of their mothers,

this bottle feed offers comfort and nourishment

while strengthening bonds with the keepers.

Each orphan needs half a gallon of milk

every three hours, day and night.

So feeding the 47 elephants of Reteti...

...is no small feat.

Instead of using expensive formula

like other sanctuaries...

...the team has pioneered a sustainable solution...

...that involves the whole community.

A thousand local women, known as the Milk Mamas,

sell their fresh goat milk to Reteti,

with drop off points across the region.

Six and a half.

Come here, little boy.

Back in the sickbay,

the physical signs of Kelele's illness

are now painfully apparent,

with infections breaking out on his body.

You'll get well.

You'll get well. Don't worry.

Okay.

At the sanctuary's lab,

Colman is processing a sample of Kelele's dung with vet Joseph.

600. Okay.

So, Colman... Mm-hmm?

Yeah, absolutely. Yes.

The large number of parasites could be fatal.

Kelele immediately begins a course

of anti-parasite medication alone in quarantine.

Falling ill now is a cruel blow to his chances for release.

Everyone is at a different stage of their rewilding journey.

Ha!

Dorothy's group is just starting theirs.

Bah!

Shh!

And today's lesson...

...is exploring new terrain.

Ha!

Good girl!

You know, you're a nice girl.

Over the last few weeks,

furry Naisimari has fully accepted Dorothy

as her surrogate mother.

Hi. Hi, honey. Hi, honey.

And the bond is making all the difference.

Dorothy is teaching them a crucial survival skill

they need to learn --

how to cope with the intense heat of northern Kenya.

Happy, happy sound.

The dust forms a protective layer

over their sensitive skin,

shielding them from the sun's rays

and helping to keep biting insects at bay.

Kiss, kiss.

Back at camp...

...it's playtime again.

And with Naomi stepping back,

Long'uro is finally starting to get involved.

Just as Long'uro is getting the hang of play fighting,

the group is raising the bar.

Mounting is a critical skill males must master,

not just for future mating.

It's about holding their place in the group's hierarchy.

The trunk provides support to help balance

during this tricky maneuver.

Without it, Long'uro is at a clear disadvantage.

Reteti's doors are always open to other animals in need.

But the latest arrivals are a first for the sanctuary.

These seven Somali ostrich chicks are just weeks old.

Despite their gangly appearance,

these chicks will grow

into one of the fastest animals on the savanna,

clocking up speeds of almost 45 miles per hour.

But the youngest has a way to go.

Somali ostrich chicks usually walk a few days after hatching.

But this chick has been struggling for the last week.

The keepers are always there to lend a helping hand.

And their patience is starting to pay off.

It'll be a while before this chick can reach its potential.

While some animals are finding their feet...

...others can't seem to say goodbye.

These giraffes were successfully rewilded two years ago.

Yet they regularly return to visit.

A huge wild bull

has broken in to Kelele's quarantine pen.

Wow, wow, wow.

Oh, my God.

Wow.

Wow.

In the wild,

mature bulls act as mentors to younger males,

passing on survival skills,

as well as social and cultural knowledge.

It's now four months until the oldest herd

is released into the vast landscape...

...free to roam among the nomadic Samburu people

herding livestock.

It's not an easy coexistence.

Elephants can be dangerous.

For the release to succeed,

manager Peter needs the community's backing.

Long'uro's friendship with herd mate Lodosoit

has been going from strength to strength.

The pair regularly engage in play.

But Long'uro still can't mount.

By taking advantage of elevated positions,

Long'uro is training his core muscles and honing his balance.

Long'uro's persistence has finally paid off.

Overcoming his disability,

Long'uro has found his place in the herd

and will continue to learn and grow.

The keepers give every animal here the space to adapt,

no matter their challenge.

With gentle coaching,

the young ostrich chick who could not stand

is now walking tall, fully fledged at six weeks old.

Her progress has been so strong,

she's even become the leader of the flock.

This time has been healing for other animals, too.

Come on.

Kelele has fully recovered from his infection...

...and has been given the all-clear

to rejoin his herd.

Kelele's return to his herd is just in time.

There are only 40 days until their release.

They're looking so healthy.

Those tusks are pretty impressive,

so they're well prepared, you know?

They've got everything in their favor.

Co-founder Katie has every confidence

they'll thrive in their natural habitat.

It's taken a few years, but in a few weeks' times,

to see elephants walking out of here,

back out in the wild,

it's a pretty big milestone.

In the wild, without human guidance...

...they'll need to find natural resources for themselves...

...especially water.

As their time at Reteti comes to a close,

they're proving they've learned the skills

to make it in the wild together.

Next time at Reteti...

Well done, well done!

...the dry season brings

new arrivals to care for...

...and goodbyes that won't be easy...

...while Long'uro and his herd...

...still need to show they've learned what it takes

to become elephant.