All language subtitles for Nature.S44E12.Becoming.Elephant.The.Orphans.of.Reteti.Graduation.Day.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-Kitsune_track3_[eng]

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At Reteti Elephant Sanctuary...

...the Samburu people
rescue orphans

and nurture them back to health.

Each elephant
is navigating its own path

back to the wild.

While new arrivals adapt
to this unlikely family...

...the oldest members
prepare to leave.

This will be the ultimate test

of a journey
years in the making.

Reteti is Africa's

only community-run
elephant sanctuary.

Each of the 47 elephants here
arrived with a tragic story.

Some were orphaned
by poaching and conflict,

others by the challenges
of the wild.

My baby, baby.

Baby, baby.

Healing is helped
by a sense of belonging,

so they're grouped into herds --

the youngest calves...

the middle group
of 3- to 5-year-olds...

and the oldest orphans,
the release herd.

Aww.

Right now sanctuary life
has never been busier...

as the team gears up

for the most significant event
in its history.

In just one week,

the release herd will be
returned back to the wild...

set free
from the sanctuary gates

with the hopes
they'll explore the vast expanse

of the Samburu wilderness.

For keeper Colman,

it's the result of years
of dedication and care.

Yeah.

Colman has a particularly
close relationship

with the very smallest member
of the herd.

Kelele's journey
hasn't been easy.

Recovering from an infection,
he almost didn't make the grade.

Along with Kelele,

these elephants will walk
from the safety of the sanctuary

into the untamed wild.

This is real,
kind of true wilderness.

There are no fences from here
for thousands of acres.

Co-founder Katie
helped shape the plan

for the elephants' release.

This is the best chance
that they've got

to go back and really have
a truly wild existence.

They're collared to keep track
of them across the landscape.

The dream is that the elephants
rescued from here

would once again walk out
back into this landscape,

where they belong...

be free-roaming,
joining wild herds of elephants,

and potentially even meeting up

with the family herds
that they came from.

To see that becoming a reality

is a huge step,
a huge part of it.

This is a special type
of rewilding mission,

rescued elephants returning
to roam free

on the very lands
they came from.

But on this same land,

emergencies can happen
at any time.

A call has come in
for the Reteti team.

Oh, baba.

Hello.

Hiya.

Huh?

Dotted throughout
the dry riverbeds in this region

are water holes.

And a week-old baby
has fallen into one.

The elephants can smell water.

Those wells are deep.

You'll see little trunks
that can smell the water,

but can't quite reach it.

And they'll either lose
their footing,

or they're kind of
nudged in by the excitement

of the rest of the herd that are
trying to also get to the water.

Elephant herds
are often forced to move on

for their own survival,

leaving calves behind
when their rescue attempts fail.

The plan is to get
the elephant out of the well.

We can't lose hope.

Well-done.

Well-done, well-done.

You can actually see
how long he was in the water

because the bottom
of his feet are all white.

Just like us, you know,

if you sit in the bath for too
long, you get wrinkly fingers.

You're just constantly
thinking about them.

You're sort of waking up
in the night,

and it's the first thing
you think about.

You know, you're checking in
with the team at all hours.

The team knows just how deeply
the ordeal weighs

on a young elephant's mind.

Back at Reteti,
in order for this baby to heal,

the keepers must earn its trust.

I'm sorry.

Hey. No.

All new arrivals
have one-on-one care at night.

Kimani.

The day everyone has been
working towards has arrived --

release day --

a milestone for Reteti...

and for the elephants who are
about to return to the wild.

They'll be free to roam
wherever they want

across northern Kenya.

It's six years
in the making for everyone,

including Katie
and manager Peter.

Are you nervous?

- Yeah.
- Yeah?

Oh.

There's gonna be challenges.

- Yeah.
- That's the thing.

On this momentous day, from
every corner of this valley...

the community gathers
to say their goodbyes.

A final prayer is offered
before the gates open.

The elephants
step into the wild,

leaving the keepers' care
forever.

34 elephants remain at Reteti.

And so
the daily routines continue.

Sweetened with honey...

fortified with supplements...

the milk bottles
are carefully prepared.

Keepers know that the elephants
feel the absence

of the oldest herd.

That's why this bottle feed
is even more important --

to provide comfort
and reassurance.

The release herd has moved on.

But a new chapter begins.

To ease her nerves,
Kisima is given time

to grow familiar
with her new surroundings.

Rescued Kimani
is also at the very start

of his Reteti journey...

...and trying to make sense
of the absence of his mother.

Good boy! Well-done.

Kimani, Kimani.

Kim-Kim, Kim-Kim, Kim-Kim.

It's been a week
since the graduates left Reteti.

Each has been fitted
with a radio collar

to track their movements.

Colman expects
to find them close by.

It looks like
they've traveled far.

So Colman is setting out with
manager Peter to check on them.

But with the radio collars only
pinging once every few hours,

tracking isn't straightforward.

Yeah.

They've come
to the end of the road.

The herd
is completely inaccessible,

heading on a new course.

Climbing higher
offers richer vegetation

and shows the elephants
are adapting fast

to their new freedom.

Keeper Mary is looking after
newest arrival Kisima.

Helping orphans through
their fear and loneliness

is part of everyday life here.

Mary's helping ease the young
zebra's separation anxiety...

gently encouraging her
to bond with the other animals.

And one of them knows
that struggle well.

Long'uro lost his trunk
in a hyena attack

when he was just a month old

and found it difficult
to bond with other elephants.

Long'uro's come a long way,

learning to play
and connect with his heard.

But after receiving
so much one-on-one care

to help him adapt...

...he's become
a little territorial.

Overnight, the team has rushed
one of the released herd

back to the sanctuary.

Kelele's radio collar showed
he had separated from the herd.

The reason is clear to see.

Sorry, sorry, sorry.

Vet Sharon has to be hands-off.

Kelele.

Examination
could cause more discomfort.

Yes.

No problem.

Kelele will undergo
an intensive course

of anti-inflammatories carefully
mixed into every milk bottle.

With rest and recovery,

the vets are hopeful
he can still be rewilded.

Over the next three months,

the dry season descends upon
Samburu, transforming the land.

Rivers shrink,

vegetation withers,

and temperatures soar
above 100 degrees.

Survival for everyone
becomes a daily challenge.

And it's no different
for the elephants of Reteti.

For the youngest herd,

the heat brings a new lesson
with keeper Dorothy.

Elephants have
an extraordinary sense of smell.

Normally,
babies follow their elders,

learning their way over time.

But these orphans have to rely
on their instincts much earlier.

Dorothy's youngsters
have followed their noses...

...and found a natural pool.

25 miles away,
high in the mountains...

the release herd has found
a water source of their own.

Elephants drink
not just for hydration,

but for essential mineral salts
abundant in this mountain range.

It's a clear sign
they've remembered the lessons

Reteti taught them.

Naomi's herd,
next in line for release,

are also feeling the weight
of the dry season.

With little left to graze, Naomi
is teaching them how to survive.

And for Long'uro,
it's even more difficult.

He spent his early life learning
to graze while kneeling.

Long'uro, go.

Yeah. Hi, boy.

In stepping back,

the keepers are helping Long'uro
to fend for himself.

Now out of quarantine, Kimani
is joining another young orphan.

Where their mothers would have
dusted them to keep them cool,

Dorothy steps in.

The Samburu have long
mastered the art of survival

in this harsh environment.

And as temperatures rise,

their search for water
gets more intense.

They dig up to 15 feet deep

to reach hidden reserves
belowground.

They sing a unique song
as they go,

a melody calling each cow
to its herder.

These singing wells

are not only a vital lifeline
for livestock...

but, also, for the wild
elephants that roam this region.

Under the cover of darkness...

elephants gather
at the many wells

dotted throughout
the dry riverbed...

taking over
where the herders left off.

The extra-hot days mean
the whole herd is dehydrated.

The water is almost unreachable

for the smallest members
of the herd.

The biggest danger
of the dry season

is babies
falling into the wells.

And this is how
many orphans come to Reteti.

The mothers know
to be especially cautious,

shielding their youngsters.

But in the desperation
for water,

the young can easily slip or
be pushed too close to the edge.

This tiny baby
has had a lucky escape.

- After extensive rest...
- Kelele...

...Kelele is now making
good progress.

To aid his recovery,

the keepers rely
not just on western medicine...

but on something prized by both
the Samburu and elephants --

an essential lifeline
in the dry season.

Kelele.

Kelele.

If Kelele continues to heal...

...the team hopes
he could be returned

back to his release herd family.

Integration isn't always easy.

Kisima struggled at first.

But with time, she's found her
footing among the other animals.

Another of Reteti's residents
has made great progress.

Long'uro has endured
the long dry season,

foraging for himself

and emerging
with an independent spirit.

Long'uro now has a future
full of possibilities...

one where he can thrive
on his own beyond the sanctuary.

Kimani is settling in well.

And one member of the herd
can't wait to meet him.

Bonds like this
help orphaned elephants heal,

not just physically,
but emotionally, too.

As the dry season
comes to an end,

the next chapter for Reteti
begins,

as one generation is ready
to welcome the next.

These little ones are just
beginning to form bonds,

to become part of the Reteti
family for the next six years,

before they, too,
return to the wild.

Drawn to the last remaining
water sources,

the release herd has descended
into the valley

and passes
close to the sanctuary.

It's not something
the keepers would ordinarily do,

but Dorothy can't resist

going to see the elephants
she helped raise.

Oh, my God!

Oh, my God.

Yes.

Bye, everyone.

But the goodbyes
aren't quite over.

Hi.

Ah.

Oh, my God.

Bye!

Mwah! Thank you!