Becoming Elephant: The Orphans Of Reteti: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

Becoming Elephant: The Orphans of Reteti is set in the wild north of Kenya, where a groundbreaking blueprint in conservation is under way. This touching documentary series follows the remarkable journey of orphaned elephants at Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, the first community-owned and -operated elephant sanctuary in Africa.

These young elephants, rescued after losing their mothers to accidents, drought, or human-wildlife violence, are raised by Samburu men and women who care for them as their own. They nurture these young elephants with patience, care, and deep ancestral knowledge to get them back on their feet and ready for life in the wild.

From tiny calves taking their first bottles from their human carers, to adolescents preparing for release, this series captures the elephants' intimate moments of struggle, healing, and transformation. It also shows how local community members are creating a unique, thoughtful new model of conservation from the ground up.

Series details

• Title: Becoming Elephant: The Orphans Of Reteti
• Format: Documentary
• Language: English
• Premiere date: 2026-01-11
• Status in TVmaze: Running
• Network listed by TVmaze: Sky Nature
• Network country: United Kingdom
• Typical episode runtime: 60 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 89731

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 2026-01-11; final listed air date 2026-01-18; episode order: 2.

Source and licence

Adapted from Becoming Elephant: The Orphans Of Reteti on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.