Georgi Dorward | Long'uro (Kenya, 2025)

Long’uro was rescued by Reteti Elephant Sanctuary after surviving a devastating hyena attack. As a young calf he fall into a well, and during the night a passing hyena was drawn in by the cries of distress. After a long game of tug and war, the baby Long’uro was left weak and severely injured at the bottom of the well in the vast Samburu landscape of Northern Kenya. Despite losing much of his trunk and sight in one eye, he became a symbol of resilience, adapting with extraordinary determination under the care of Reteti’s keepers.

 

This image reflects the profound relationship between the Samburu people and wildlife - a coexistence shaped over generations in one of Africa’s last great wildernesses. Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, the first community-owned elephant sanctuary in Africa, stands as a testament to Samburu stewardship, compassion, and the enduring bond between humans and the natural world, while also highlighting the growing pressures of human expansion and the increasing challenge of human-wildlife conflict across the region.