In the middle of the reserve, the Ewaso Ng’iro flows through doum palm groves and thick riverine forests. The Samburu National Reserve was one of the two areas in which conservationists George Adamson and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness made famous in the best-selling book and award winning movie Born Free. The Samburu National Reserve is also the home of Kamunyak, a lioness famous for adopting oryx calves.