THE elephant
ABOUT THE FILM
THE BACKSTORY
“Reteti brought a lot of stability in our community. We appreciate the elephants because it is the elephant that has given our children jobs... ”
A Samburu legend says that elephants once lived in homes and worked with the women. Nowadays it is Samburu women and men who protect and care for Kenya’s ancient and endangered giants.
The Reteti Elephant Sanctuary is the first sanctuary that’s owned and run by the Samburu people. It takes in orphaned and injured elephants with an aim to rehabilitate and release them back into the wild. This film is about the remarkable bond between keepers and elephants and how it’s possible to restore balance in an otherwise disrupted global landscape.
MEET AMI & THE KEEPERS
Ami Vitale, an award-winning photojournalist and filmmaker, began documenting the work of the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in 2015. Since then, Ami has continued to film and photograph the work of the sanctuary, the role of the Samburu women keepers and how caring for the elephants has changed their lives.
Find out more about Reteti and Ami’s work: retetielephants.org
amivitale.com
Map illustration by Lola Noguer. Photographs and film footage by Ami Vitale.
