Every morning in central Kenya, a baby elephant named Kimani and a young buffalo named Siilai stroll side by side through the grasslands.
They nap together under the sun, wrestle playfully in the dirt, and share nearly every moment of their days. To anyone watching, their bond looks as natural as it is extraordinary.
Kimani’s journey to this friendship began in February, when the tiny elephant accidentally fell into a well. Though rescuers managed to pull him out safely, his herd had already disappeared.
With no family to return to, he was brought to the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, a haven for orphaned wildlife in Kenya’s Samburu region.
Just two weeks later, another orphan arrived — a one-week-old buffalo named Siilai, who had been found alone in the nearby Kirisia Forest. Locals feared he wouldn’t survive on his own, so the sanctuary took him in as well.
From the moment Kimani and Siilai met, something clicked.
“At that time, we didn’t have any other baby elephants the same age as Kimani,” explained Katie Rowe, cofounder of Reteti Elephant Sanctuary. “So these two babies found each other. Suddenly, there was someone else to play with.”
Since then, Kimani and Siilai have built a beautiful rhythm together — morning walks, afternoon mud baths with their caregivers (all Indigenous Samburu warriors), and shared bottles of milk every few hours.
When playtime begins, Kimani is usually the first to nudge his best friend with his trunk, inviting Siilai into a joyful wrestling match.
“They lovingly play together,” Rowe said. “Then they’ll go into a deep sleep knowing that they have each other.”
The ultimate goal for both animals is to return to the wild. And while elephants and buffaloes don’t typically form friendships beyond sanctuary life, caretakers at Reteti believe this bond is something special — and possibly lasting.
“They seek each other’s love and friendship,” Rowe said. “They’re real beacons of coexistence.”
Through their unlikely companionship, Kimani and Siilai have shown that love and connection can bridge even the widest divides — a gentle reminder that friendship knows no species.
If you’d like to support Kimani and Siilai’s journey, you can donate through the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary website.
