Goat's Milk Fed to Protected Elephants in Kenya
2021-10-30
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1Elephants in a protected community in Kenya are being fed goat's milk as a less costly form of food.
2Workers at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in northern Kenya say the elephants enjoy drinking the goat's milk.
3They say the milk may be healthier for them than other choices.
4The sanctuary had been using powdered baby milk to feed the young animals it cares for.
5But it decided to test goat's milk, which costs less and is locally available.
6The sanctuary rescues young elephants that are found alone in the wild.
7It cares for them until they are old enough to be returned to the wild.
8Dr. Steven Chege is the sanctuary's medical advisor.
9He told Reuters news agency the goat's milk seems to be especially helpful to baby elephants.
10"This is an animal that has just maybe lost a mother, they have been separated from their family," he said.
11"So they get a lot of psychological traumas."
12This kind of trauma can harm the animal's overall health, Chege said.
13But goat's milk has been found to be "very good for the survival and health" of baby elephants, he added.
14Chege said goat's milk is helpful because it contains a different kind of "highly digestible protein" not found in powdered baby milk.
15This results in fewer stomach problems for the young elephants.
16The change to goat's milk is expected to reduce feeding costs for the sanctuary, Chege said.
17The sanctuary usually keeps between 15 to 30 elephants.
18Local community member Liwana Lenakukunyia is one of many goat farmers selling milk to the sanctuary.
19She told Reuters she was happy to get new earnings.
20Lenakukunyia said many of the farmers now earning money are women.
21"Since we started milking goats and selling milk to the sanctuary, at least we have our own cash...you can feed your family with," she said.
22I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Elephants in a protected community in Kenya are being fed goat's milk as a less costly form of food. 2Workers at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in northern Kenya say the elephants enjoy drinking the goat's milk. They say the milk may be healthier for them than other choices. 3The sanctuary had been using powdered baby milk to feed the young animals it cares for. But it decided to test goat's milk, which costs less and is locally available. 4The sanctuary rescues young elephants that are found alone in the wild. It cares for them until they are old enough to be returned to the wild. 5Dr. Steven Chege is the sanctuary's medical advisor. He told Reuters news agency the goat's milk seems to be especially helpful to baby elephants. 6"This is an animal that has just maybe lost a mother, they have been separated from their family," he said. "So they get a lot of psychological traumas." 7This kind of trauma can harm the animal's overall health, Chege said. But goat's milk has been found to be "very good for the survival and health" of baby elephants, he added. 8Chege said goat's milk is helpful because it contains a different kind of "highly digestible protein" not found in powdered baby milk. This results in fewer stomach problems for the young elephants. 9The change to goat's milk is expected to reduce feeding costs for the sanctuary, Chege said. The sanctuary usually keeps between 15 to 30 elephants. 10Local community member Liwana Lenakukunyia is one of many goat farmers selling milk to the sanctuary. She told Reuters she was happy to get new earnings. 11Lenakukunyia said many of the farmers now earning money are women. "Since we started milking goats and selling milk to the sanctuary, at least we have our own cash...you can feed your family with," she said. 12I'm Bryan Lynn. 13Reuters reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 14We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 15____________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17sanctuary - n. a place where people or animals are given protection and shelter 18trauma - n. a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes mental or emotional problems 19digest - v. to change food in the stomach into substances the body can use 20cash - n. money in the form of coins or paper