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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!