10/10/2026
Meet Lomunyak & Namunyak! 🍼✨
Rescued from Losesia after losing their mothers, these two 4-week-old orphans found sanctuary at Samburu Dik-Dik Lodge. From a late-night lorry rescue and a broken leg cast to switching from cow’s milk to camel milk (thanks to the Anolei Cooperative!), it’s been a wild journey. Lomunyak is already practicing his racing moves, and Namunyak is healing fast!
📖 Read their full rescue story and follow their road to recovery ⬇️
🍼 Double Trouble at Samburu Dik-Dik Lodge: Meet Our Little Rescues!
Life at Samburu Dik-Dik Lodge is never dull, but two weeks ago, late at night, our hearts grew by two tiny, furry sizes.
Meet our latest—and smallest—lodgers: Lomunyak and Namunyak (male and female forms of "Lucky" in Kisamburu)!
💔 A Midnight Arrival & A Tale of Two Mothers
Life in the bush is tough enough, but when the mothers of these two little foals were savagely killed in Losesia, their survival hung by a thread. Seeing them struggling, Samburu Dik-Dik Lodge stepped in, offering to rescue and foster them until they are strong, independent, and no longer need milk, after which they’ll safely return home to their owners, the Lekamanga family.
These two little warriors actually share a birthday—September 3rd—born to two different mothers in the Lekamanga herd (one made his grand entrance with the morning sun, and the other arrived in the evening!).
Their journey to safety was an absolute ordeal. Five days after their mother’s death on September 20th , they embarked on an exhausting multi-hour rescue trek in a lorry, all the way from Lake Lash, winding through Losesia community land, Laresoro, and Archers Post, they finally arrived at the lodge in the dark (rescue of these 2 and many others organized by MCA Hon. Lemantaan). Both foals were critically weak, and to make matters even more challenging, sweet little Namunyak arrived with a broken leg.
🩺 It Takes a Village (And an Amazing Team of Vets!)
To save two fragile orphaned foals, it truly takes a village—and a lot of love!
Our little lady’s leg has been receiving incredible, expert care from a dream team of local heroes:
• Dr. Daniel Waturu and his assistants from Archers Post were the first on the scene, acting quickly to stabilize and immobilize her leg, inject both of them with vitamins, anti-rabies and with a tetanus shot as they had sustained other small cuts and injuries.
• Dr. Jambas Leparteleg and Dr. Wakile Lentirangoi from Samburu County later stepped in to enhance the immobilization—as our little girl was getting stronger and a bit too active for her initial splint!
• A week later and as the swelling had subsided, Dr. Solomon Eligoi from Isiolo placed a proper POP cast to give her the ultimate chance at healing—and even tipped us off on where to find the vital lifeline for their diet!
Thanks to their swift action, both babies are finding their footing and showing off their mischievous personalities. Lomunyak, in particular, is already showing signs that he wants to be a racing donkey!
And a very special THANK YOU to Jackson, Rose, and Jonathan—the amazing, caring staff at Samburu Dik-Dik Lodge! As always, they happily stepped in to support my crazy ideas, taking such wonderful care of these two little ones. From bottle feeding and prepping milk to comforting them and building shades, they truly did it all! 🥰
With such a dedicated team, every guest is in the absolute best hands!
🐫 The Great Milk Mission: From Cows to Camels
When you have two newborn foals, every single hour counts. With severe drought gripping the area, neither goat nor camel milk was available locally. Our team scrambled into action, concocting a custom emergency milk replacer using cow's milk just to keep them hydrated and fighting.
Then came yesterday's breakthrough!
Guided by Dr. Eligoi, we connected with the incredible Anolei Women Camel Milk Cooperative in Isiolo and managed to source fresh camel milk—which is naturally much closer in nutrient balance to donkey milk! Starting today, we are officially beginning a 7-day transition from our temporary cow-milk blend to rich, nourishing camel milk.
🌧️ What’s Next? (Rain, Tarps, & Bright Futures!)
We have more great news: it finally rained today!
While the rainy season brings much-needed relief to the land, an El Niño year means we urgently need to protect our recovering foals from the elements. In this remote part of the world, nothing comes easy, but we’ve successfully tracked down tarps and are hard at work building cozy waterproof shelters for Lomunyak and Namunyak.
We’re keeping our fingers and hooves crossed as they begin their week-long diet transition! Stay tuned for daily updates, photos, and news on how you can help support their journey all the way to adulthood.
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BACKGROUND: WHAT HAPPENED IN LOSESIA
The security operation in the Losesia and Kom areas (spanning parts of Samburu and Isiolo counties) took place between September 19 and 21. It resulted in a heavy outcry over the mass killing of hundreds of livestock, including cattle, goats, and donkeys.
What Happened During the Operation?
• The Scale of Destruction: Between 500 and over 900 animals (including hundreds of cattle, goats, and donkeys) belonging to local pastoralist families were shot dead during the security sweep.
• Impact on Households: According to local leaders, the losses affected dozens of families, destroying livestock valued at roughly Ksh 70 million. Donkeys—which many households rely on to fetch and carry water—as well as young calves and goats, were among those killed.
• Displacement and Tensions: The aggressive nature of the operation created widespread panic, forcing thousands of residents across parts of Waso, Wamba, and surrounding wards to temporarily flee their homes.
Why Did the Operation Happen?
• Combating Banditry and Insecurity: The wider region (including the borders of Samburu, Isiolo, and Meru) has faced years of severe insecurity, violent banditry, cattle rustling, and the proliferation of illegal fi****ms.
• Targeting Rustled Stock and Safe Havens: Government-led security operations in the North Rift and adjacent corridors are typically deployed to flush out armed bandits, recover stolen livestock, and mop up illegal weapons.
• The Controversy over Ex*****on: While leaders and residents broadly agree that stamping out banditry is necessary, the core conflict arose from the ex*****on of the raid. Instead of focusing strictly on tracking armed criminals or recovering illegal weapons, security forces ended up shooting livestock.
Local leaders, governors, and human rights advocates heavily criticized the tactic, pointing out that for pastoralist communities, livestock serves as an entire banking and survival system—making the destruction of animals a severe blow to community livelihoods.
During that military-style security operation, 83 donkeys were killed alongside hundreds of other livestock, leaving orphaned foals behind without official rescue provisions. Because of the remote and distressed environment, surviving animals faced a lack of specialized care, forcing local families to try and adopt them despite low survival rates. The loss of these crucial pack animals severely crippled household logistics and daily water transport for local communities.
