Every morning, Kimani the elephant and Siilai the buffalo go for a walk together in central Kenya. They wrestle and nap on each other. In fact, they’ve developed a daily routine that ensures they get to spend as much time together as possible.
Back in February, Kimani fell into a well and got stuck. Rescuers successfully pulled him out, unscathed, but were unable to track his mother or herd. They brought him to Reteti Elephant Sanctuary for care, food and shelter.
Two weeks later, Siilai turned up in the Kirisia Forest, just east of the sanctuary. Only a week old, locals worried he wouldn’t make it in the wild alone and called the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary for help.
When Siilai arrived at the facility, he and Kimani clicked immediately.
“At that time, we didn’t have any other baby elephants the same age as Kimani,” Katie Rowe, cofounder of Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, told The Dodo. “So, these two babies found each other at Reteti. Suddenly there was someone else to play with.”
After months of friendship, the pair’s routine includes sunrise strolls, mud baths from their favorite caretakers — who are all Indigenous Samburu warriors — and giant bottles of milk every three hours.
Rowe said more often than not, Kimani will initiate playtime with Siilai, nudging his friend with his trunk. The two roll around in the dirt, wrestling between meals and naps.
“They lovingly play together,” Rowe said. “Then they’ll go into a deep sleep knowing that they have each other.”
