Samburu: An elephant orphanage in Kenya is testing goat milk as a food for its small herd as a potentially healthier and cheaper form of nutrition than human baby formula - a solution that also puts money back into the pockets of the local community.
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The Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, in Samburu County in the semi-arid scrublands of northern Kenyan, helps to rescue orphaned and abandoned elephant calves.
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When the elephants are old enough to survive on their own, the sanctuary, founded in 2016, releases them back into the wild.
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The sanctuary has been using costly powdered baby milk to feed the calves, but Dr. Steven Chege, the facility's veterinarian adviser told Reuters they have started using goat milk-based formula as a potential replacement, especially for infant calves.
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This is an animal that has just have maybe lost a mother, they have been separated from their family. So, they get a lot of psychological traumas, that is a big challenge, which can compromise their health," he said. "Goat milk is very good for the survival and the health of small (elephant) calves."
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Human baby formula, he said, was very expensive, and that switching to cheaper goats' milk could slash feeding costs for the sanctuary's herd which fluctuates between 15-30 animals.
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A keeper prepares bottles of milk before feeding orphaned elephants.
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"Goats milk is very rich in protein, and not just protein, it's very highly digestible protein, unlike cow's milk," he said, adding it causes less stomach upsets.
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On a recent day, the calves rushed across a dusty enclosure to take a gulp of the milk, exposing their budding tusks as they opened their small mouths to take in feeding bottles.
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Pauline feeds an orphaned elephant with a bottle of milk.
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Local goat farmer, Liwana Lenakukunyia, one of many farmers selling goats' milk to the sanctuary, told Reuters she was happy to get a new source of revenue. Many of the farmers who are benefiting from the new scheme are women.
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"Since we started milking goats and selling the milk to the sanctuary, at least we have our own cash whereby you can feed your family with," she said.
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