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Feeding Time!

An elephant sanctuary started giving its calves a new type of milk with loads of benefits

October 2022

By Susan Cosier

For many years, poaching—or the illegal killing—of adult elephants for their ivory tusks was a big problem across Africa. Hundreds of calves were orphaned. So people stepped in to raise the baby elephants at places like the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in northern Kenya. While poaching in the region has declined, the staff at Retiti helps abandoned calves that fall into wells, suffer dehydration, are caught in human-wildlife conflict, and more.

Taking care of baby elephants is a big job. Every three hours, keepers feed the hungry calves. Since it was founded in 2017, Reteti has relied on human baby formula to feed the animals. The sanctuary needs a lot of it: As many as 25 elephant calves are rescued each year! But baby formula became more expensive and harder to get last year because of the pandemic. So sanctuary co-founder Katie Rowe decided to test an alternative from a local source: goat milk.

For many years, elephant poaching was a big problem across Africa. People illegally killed the animals for their ivory tusks. Hundreds of elephant calves were orphaned. So people stepped in to raise the babies. The Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in northern Kenya was founded in 2017 to help. Since then, poaching in the region has declined. But the staff at Reteti still helps calves that are abandoned by their herds.

Taking care of baby elephants is a big job. As many as 25 elephant calves are rescued each year. Keepers feed the hungry calves every three hours. That’s a lot of baby food! For years, Reteti used human baby formula for the animals. But formula became more expensive and harder to get during the pandemic. So sanctuary co-founder Katie Rowe decided to try something different. She found a local alternative: goat milk.

All About Elephants

Watch a video about elephant habitat and behavior.

Community Resource

Jim McMahon/Mapman

Rowe had already been on the lookout for a milk source that was more affordable and healthier for the elephants. It turned out that the best resource was in their backyard: Women of the Samburu tribe were raising goats and selling their milk. Reteti and the Samburu already had a strong relationship working together to locate and save orphaned elephants. Both groups live in the Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy, part of the ancestral homeland of the Samburu.

Rowe worked with the keepers, veterinarians, and the Kenya Wildlife Service to make sure that goat milk would be just as good for the calves as baby formula. What they found was that it’s even better for the elephants. The goat milk is nutritious, easy to digest, and “right under our trunks in the local community,” says Rowe.

The goat milk has other benefits too. Buying the milk from women in the community helps local people make money. When fewer tourists visited last year because of Covid-19, the money the women made from selling goat milk helped make up for the shortfall.

The partnership also creates a stronger connection between the elephants and the people who live nearby. “Livestock plays an important sociocultural role for the Samburu people, and the fact that it is their own livestock that is supporting the orphaned elephants’ health brings them that much closer to the project,” says Rowe.

Rowe had been looking for a new milk source already. She wanted something more affordable and healthier for the elephants. Last year, she learned that women of the Samburu tribe were raising goats and selling their milk. The Samburu live in the Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy, where the sanctuary is located. The area is part of the Samburu’s ancestral homeland. Sanctuary staff and Samburu people were already working together to locate and save orphaned elephants. The goat milk seemed like a perfect opportunity.

Rowe worked with the keepers, veterinarians, and scientists to test the goat milk. They wanted to make sure that it would be just as good for the calves as baby formula. In fact, they found that it was even better! The goat milk is nutritious and easy for the elephants to digest. And it was “right under our trunks in the local community,” says Rowe.

Using goat milk has other benefits too. Buying the milk from local women helps them make money. The Samburu community usually benefits from tourism. But fewer tourists visited last year because of Covid-19. Selling goat milk helped the Samburu make up the money another way.

The partnership also helps connect the elephants and the people who live nearby. “Livestock plays an important role for the Samburu people,” says Rowe. “The fact that their [goats are] supporting the orphaned elephants brings them that much closer to the project.”

First Sips

A calf named Sera was the first to try the goat milk. At first, Rowe and the keepers were worried that—like most babies—she might not like change. Thankfully, she loved it! They then gave goat milk to the rest of the calves at the sanctuary, and all of them drank it down eagerly.

The elephants have been drinking it ever since, each one consuming up to eight bottles a day. As they grow, the calves also eat other things that help them put on weight. But milk remains part of their diet until they turn 2 years old. The milk is nutritious and helps the calves recover from the traumatic events that often bring them to the sanctuary in the first place.

A calf named Sera was the first to try the goat milk. At first, Rowe and the keepers were worried that she might not like it. Many babies—elephant and human—don’t like change. Thankfully, Sera loved it! They then gave goat milk to the rest of the calves. All of them drank it happily.

The elephants have been drinking goat milk ever since. Each one consumes up to eight bottles a day. The calves also eat other foods as they grow. But milk remains part of their diet until they turn 2 years old. The milk is extremely nutritious. That helps the calves recover from the events that bring them to the sanctuary in the first place.

Helping Hands

Ami Vitale/Animal News Agency

I can drink my own milk!

Most of the calves that come to the sanctuary are found in wells dug by people. “In the last few years, we’ve had prolonged droughts and very little rain during the rainy seasons,” says Rowe.

Elephant herds drink from these human-made water sources. But drier conditions due to climate change mean that the water is farther underground and harder to reach. Calves can lose their footing and fall into the wells and get stuck in the sand and mud. Their herd will move on, and Reteti’s staff are called to rescue the stuck calves.

But the calves don’t have to stay at the sanctuary forever. The reserve in which it’s located supports 6,000 wild elephants. So once the calves turn 5 years old, they can rejoin the groups they were separated from when they were younger. “When you take an elephant out of the landscape, it’s a very big loss,” says Rowe. “They should be able to meet back up with their families.”

While they’re at the sanctuary, keepers walk the elephant calves around the grounds so they learn how to browse for food and get used to their surroundings. Three keepers care for each elephant. The calves also bond with the people who care for them, play with them, and even sing them songs. “Elephants are intelligent and emotional,” says Rowe. “They need a lot of attention.”

Most of the calves that come to the sanctuary are found in wells. People dig these pits to collect water when it rains. Elephant herds also drink from these human-made water sources. But “in the last few years, we’ve had prolonged droughts and very little rain during the rainy seasons,” says Rowe. Drier conditions mean that the water in wells is farther down and harder to reach. Calves can lose their footing and fall in trying to get to it. Then they get stuck in the sand and mud. Their herd can’t help, so it moves on. Reteti’s staff are called to rescue the stuck calves.

The calves don’t have to stay at the sanctuary forever. About 6,000 wild elephants live in the Namunyak reserve. Once the calves turn 5 years old, they can rejoin the groups they were separated from. “When you take an elephant out of the landscape, it’s a very big loss,” says Rowe. “They should be able to meet back up with their families.”

While the calves are at the sanctuary, keepers tend to their needs. Three people care for each elephant. They walk the calves around the grounds so they learn how to browse for food. They also play with the calves and even sing them songs. The calves end up bonding with their keepers. “Elephants are intelligent and emotional,” says Rowe. “They need a lot of attention.”

All About Graphs

Watch an instructional video about graphs.

DISPLAYING DATA

Scientists studying elephants collect different types of data. To make sense of all those numbers, they turn to graphs. Graphs allow researchers to display their data so it’s easier to interpret. There are many types of graphs to choose from. How do you know which graph is the best one to display a particular set of data?

Line Graph

Choose a line graph when you want to show a change in data over time. You can use multiple lines to show different data sets on a single graph.

Bar Graph

Choose a bar graph when you want to compare data by category. You can show multiple bars per category to compare more than one set of data.

Circle Graph

Choose a circle graph—also called a pie chart—when you want to compare data as parts of a whole.

DISPLAYING DATA

Line Graph

Choose a line graph when you want to show a change in data over time. You can use multiple lines to show different data sets on a single graph.

Bar Graph

Choose a bar graph when you want to compare data by category. You can show multiple bars per category to compare more than one set of data.

Circle Graph

Choose a circle graph—also called a pie chart—when you want to compare data as parts of a whole.

The charts below show different data sets about elephants. Use the charts to answer the questions that follow. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

Which data set would be best displayed as a line graph? Why did you choose it?

A. Which data set would be best displayed as a bar graph? Why did you choose it?

B. Which bar would be the smallest?

On a separate sheet of paper, graph the data in the chart below that shows how much weight a baby elephant can gain in its first year.

BABY ELEPHANT GROWTH

African elephant calves can weigh between 200 and 260 pounds when born. They will gain 2 to 3 pounds per day during their first year. Below shows the average weight of a growing African elephant calf in its first year.

BABY ELEPHANT GROWTH

A. Can the data on the population of the three elephant species be represented as a circle graph? Why or why not?

B. Can this data be represented using another type of graph? If so, which would you choose?

C. On a separate sheet of paper, make a graph of this data (below) in the style that you believe would best represent it. Why did you choose that type of graph?

ELEPHANT SANCTUARIES

These are the largest elephant sanctuaries around the world that are raising orphaned baby elephants.

ELEPHANT SANCTUARIES

These are the largest elephant sanctuaries around the world that are raising orphaned baby elephants.

If Reteti rescues 12 elephants next year, what data set would that affect? How would that change the graph based on that data set?

Researchers continue to find new ways to estimate elephant populations, including counting dung and listening to recordings captured in an area. If they were to find a new elephant population, which data set would their findings contribute to?

Imagine you’re a wildlife biologist studying elephants. What would you want to learn about them? What type of data would you collect? How would you display your data? Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.