Introducing Reteti Keeper: Russia Lenanyokie, a remarkable individual dedicated to the care and protection of wildlife. She works tirelessly to ensure the well-being of animals and is passionate about conservation efforts. Get to know Russia Lenanyokie, who plays a crucial role in preserving nature for future generations.
Can you share with us your full name? My name is Russia Lenanyokie and I work at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary as a keeper. As a guest relation officer, I also inform visitors about Reteti’s history, elephant behavior and character, and our relationship with the community. Could you tell us a bit about yourself? Where were you born, raised, and your family background? I was born in Ngilai, which is part of the Namunyak Conservancy situated along the Mathews Ranges.
Growing up, I attended primary school in the area before proceeding to Meru for my high school education. When did you start working at Reteti and what motivated you to join the team? Working with elephants has always been a dream of mine since I was a young boy. I have a personal story that inspired me to help elephants. One day, when I was looking after more than two hundred goats during a dry season, I couldn’t find any green browse for them to eat. The only available food was Acacia Tortalis pods, but it required strong men to climb tall trees and shake the branches so that the pods could fall down for the goats to eat on the ground. I searched for hours without finding a short tree to climb. Then, I encountered three men in the bush and asked for their help, but they refused and chased me away with our goats. Eventually, I stumbled upon a big elephant bull shaking a tree with his tusks, causing millions of pods to fall down. The goats joined him, and I was worried he might harm them, but he became their friend. That season, our goats depended entirely on that elephant for food until it rained. This experience made me dream of helping elephants in the future.
