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It was raining this morning as the orphans were let out of their stockades. They had their milk bottles, then moved to the lucerne corner. The orphans stood grumpily eating their pellets. The lucerne pellets smell funny when they get wet, so the elephants were not happy about the rain. 

The Keepers put some pellets under the shelter of the stockades for Murera. Mwana was trying to copy her mum, using her trunk to play with the pellets. She is still too young to eat the pellets, but she enjoys playing with them.

Once the rain stopped Murera and Mwana joined the others outside the stockades. All her nannies were eagerly waiting for them, happy to take Mwana off Murera’s hands so Murera could have a break. Kiasa, Enkesha, and Quanza took Mwana with them into the bushes. Murera is now much more relaxed about her trusted nannies taking Mwana away for a small amount of time. Lima Lima and Sonje decided it was their turn to have Mwana, so they went over to get her from Kiasa and Enkesha. Mwana happily followed Sonje, but quickly decided she was hungry and went looking for her mother. 

Murera continues to amaze the Keepers. She is such a good mother. All the girls in the herd are happy about the newest addition to the Umani herd and they all fight for Mwana’s attention. Today Kiasa was determined to shield Mwana from Enkesha and blocked any attempts to take Mwana away from her. Murera watched on, keeping a close eye on her baby but enjoying the fuss the others were making. She knows that Mwana is safe and happy around the Umani orphans. Mwana started playing, running around, and charging at Kapei and the Keepers. Kapei was not amused and tried to push Mwana away, but got a strong warning from the Keepers. Kapei mostly avoids Mwana now; he does not want to get in trouble for pushing her. 

When it was time for their midday milk feed the orphans moved to the open glade, their usual midday spot. Kapei ran out in front, eager to get to the bottles first, with Enkesha and Kiasa running close behind. Mwana, confused about the rush, started running too. She is very quick — we all marvel at how strong she is already. Murera and Sonje were the last to reach the Keepers. As all the orphans were having their milk bottles, Mwana felt left out and eventually found Murera so she could feed too. After their milk feed, the orphan herd moved to the mud bath. 

Two beautiful zebras were grazing on the fresh green grass by the orphans’ mud bath. It is unusual to get zebras around the Umani Springs, but they must have come from the Chyulu area. They were taking advantage of the nice green grass. Amali and Kapei, who are not used to seeing zebras, got quite a fright. Amali scampered back into the bushes, with Kapei hot on her heels. Mwashoti saw how upset they were and decided to intervene. He persuaded Amali to follow him out of the bushes and reassured her she did not need to worry. The gentle bull escorted the youngsters to the mud bath, then he and the other older orphans trumpeted at the zebras, scaring them away. After having an enjoyable time at the mud bath, the orphans left, allowing the zebra to come back. 

Quanza, Kiasa and Enkesha were looking after Mwana, giving Murera a reprieve and allowing her to browse undisturbed. Mwana had fun playing with her nannies, but they then she got tired and found a soft patch of grass to fall asleep in. Kiasa and Enkesha stood over her as she slept, protecting her and shading her from the hot sun. 

The orphan herd walked towards the Chyulu Hills today. This was an unusual choice of direction, but Lima Lima and Zongoloni were waiting outside the stockades in the morning and influenced the day’s plan. Even Murera and Mwana were content to follow Zongoloni, with all Mwana’s nannies in tow. 

The trouble began when Zongoloni started walking quickly, and Murera struggled to keep pace. However, Kiasa and Enkesha were looking after Mwana, making her keep up with them. Murera got very angry at the younger girls, as she felt they were pushing her daughter to walk too fast. Murera forced everyone to slow down so that she and Mwana were not in such a rush. They stopped for Mwana to feed and rest, then the whole herd continued walking at a slower pace. 

Kapei, Kiombo and Maktao raced to the bottle-feeding point. Mwana tried to join in and Kiasa followed close behind her to make sure she was not pushed around. Mwana is fast, but Murera walks at her own pace, so Mwana still must wait for Murera to arrive before she can have her milk, just like the orphans. 

Mwana was very playful this morning. She has grown so much and is learning lots of new skills from the orphan herd. 

Sonje spent last night out with the nightclubbers. This morning, she returned to find Mwana with Kiasa and Enkesha. Mwana tried to go over to Sonje to greet her, but Kiasa and Enkesha blocked her path. This upset Sonje and she pushed Kiasa away, clearing the path for Mwana to reach her. Mwana tried to suckle from Sonje, but after realising there was no milk to be had, she rumbled for her mother. Murera rushed over, attending to her baby and letting her feed. 

A huge wild bull joined the herd this morning. Lima Lima and Mwashoti were the first to notice him. They put their trunks up, smelling the air, and minutes later the bull appeared from the bush. Kapei and Amali must have been feeling very brave, or they mistook him as part of the orphan herd, because they walked straight up to him. Kiasa and Enkesha were looking after Mwana — a role they take very seriously — and kept her at a safe distance from the wild elephant. The Keepers called Amali and Kapei back to them, as they were worried about how the wild bull might react.

At the midday milk feed, the orphans arrived to find more wild elephants enjoying the mud bath. One of the wild elephants realised that there were Keepers around and ran off. The others soon followed their friend into the bush, leaving the mud bath free for the orphan herd.

Mwana is one month old today. She has become very lively; she loves playing with her nannies and mock charging the Keepers. Quanza and Enkesha tried to join in on Mwana’s game, but Kiasa shielded Mwana from them. Kiasa was trying to teach her how to pick up sticks and break branches, but Mwana was getting frustrated. The baby trumpeted, producing a surprisingly ear-splitting sound. Quanza and Amali rushed over to help, but she was fine. Murera also rushed over thinking that someone was bothering her baby and took Mwana away with her.

Kapei and Amali are like oil and water; they simply don’t mix! At the midday milk feed, Kapei finished his bottle quickly and tried to steal Amali’s bottle. Luckily, Mwashoti came to Amali’s defense, shielding the younger girl until she had finished her bottles, then escorting her away. Gentle, shy Amali happily followed Mwashoti away from the commotion. Amali does not like being near Kapei, knowing that he always wants to pick fights. She does not like any confrontation.

It started raining when it was time for the midday milk feed. The Keepers decided to wait a few minutes to see if it would stop. Kapei and Amali had no such qualms about the rain and instead raced to the mud bath for their bottles, only to find that the Keepers were not ready. Kiombo and Maktao followed close behind, and they were also unhappy to be left waiting.

The Keepers decided to forge ahead in the rain. Kiasa and Enkesha were waiting under the protection of the trees with Mwana, but when they saw the bottles, they ran over. Mwana, who never likes to be left out, ran ahead of them. She started playing with an empty bottle, trying to copy the older elephants and pick it up, but it was too big for her. The Keepers were amused by her games.

The orphan herd moved over to the mud bath. Mwana was walking at the front and arrived at the water first, but she waited for her nannies to assess the water. Ngasha arrived and started his usual pushing, so Murera took all the babies away to browse near the Chyulu area. Ngasha was not allowed near Mwana, Amali or Kapei; he is not trusted around them, as he is not gentle or responsible.

All the Umani orphans were happy today, feeling healthy and full of energy. The herd was browsing on the fresh green vegetation that has come up since the rain. There was lots of trumpeting and charging games. Amali, Kapei, Maktao and Kiombo began trumpeting and charging at the bushes, then they got the older orphans to join in, too.

Only Kiasa and Murera stepped away to look after Mwana. Mwana was practicing using her trunk to hold branches and move them to her mouth. She watches the other orphans very carefully and tries to copy their actions.

Kiombo with Maktao started their daily pushing match. Unfortunately for them, they ended up pushing each other to where Mwana was resting. Sonje and Lima Lima, acting as her protectors, stood their ground and made sure the boys did not get too close to their little darling. Mwana tried to trumpet, but instead a funny noise came out. Kiasa, Enkesha and Quanza came over to find out what the noise was.

Sonje has been spending more nights out with the nightclubbers. Sometimes she does not even report back to the stockades in the morning and instead joins the orphan herd later in the day. Today, Sonje missed the morning lucerne pellets, but she found the herd browsing in the forest. Sonje immediately found Kiombo and Kapei to check in with them. Then she moved to Mwana, putting a gentle trunk on her back. The Keepers are surprised that Sonje has become so independent so quickly. She is not like Lima Lima and Quanza, who still spend most of their time with the orphan herd despite joining the nightclubbers a long time ago.

Ngasha, Mwashoti, Alamaya and a wild bull appeared from the bushes. The bull was sticking close to Alamaya and Mwashoti, so the Keepers could tell they were friends. However, he was not friends with Ngasha, and every time the wild bull turned to face Ngasha, he moved away, feeling threatened.

The afternoon got very hot and the babies moved to the mud bath to cool off. Mwashoti and Amali were in front, first to reach the mud bath. Then Kiombo and Maktao arrived. They were being very considerate to Mwana and guiding her to the shallowest part of the mud bath, where she would not get into any trouble. With Enkesha’s help, Mwana was brave enough to go swimming.

There was a lot of heavy rain last night, which made the paths around the stockades very muddy and slippery. Mwana was struggling to keep up, as she was sliding all over the place. Murera tried to help her by putting her trunk under her belly, and Kiasa and Enkesha also came over to help. They pulled and pushed Mwana across the muddy path, until they got her to the other side, where she found the grass easier to walk on.

A bull elephant followed Lima Lima and Sonje back to the orphan herd. Quanza and Murera raised their trunks in the air, smelling the wild bull before they could see him. Supported by Enkesha and Kiasa, they moved Mwana away from the scene, lest there be any boisterous antics.

The orphans were not in the mood for a mud bath today. It was cold and the pool was full of water.

Sonje, Quanza, and Lima Lima had their heads together in discussion this morning. Maktao tried to join them, but Sonje pushed him away. Maktao was upset about being kicked out. He walked over to Kiombo and vented his frustration on his friend. He pulled his tail, which caused Kiombo to spin round and fight back. This was not like their usual pushing matches; this was a serious fight. Lima Lima and Enkesha saw that it was escalating and stepped in to separate the boys.

Kapei was following Amali around, which made her uncomfortable. She was worried that Kapei was going to push her. Amali prudently decided to follow Mwashoti and Alamaya into the bushes, knowing that Mwashoti would protect her from mischievous Kapei.

This morning there was a battle for Mwana’s attention. Lima Lima, Quanza, Enkesha and Kiasa were trying to keep her to themselves, but Murera also wanted her baby. Mwana thought it was a game. She was running around, while her nannies tried to shield Murera away from her. Finally, Kiasa realised that Murera was getting angry and moved away, not wanting to get into trouble. The other noticed, too, and let Murera through to her baby. Mwana was hungry by this stage, so she was happy to be with her mother. Amali and Kapei watched all the commotion from the safety of the bushes.

Ngasha and Mwashoti were getting on very well today. They had a playful pushing game that did not turn into a serious fight. The Keepers were surprised to see them playing like this; it was nice to see Ngasha on his best behaviour. Alamaya was not invited to be a part of this game and instead watched from a short distance away.

The nightclubbers were waiting outside the gates this morning. They greeted the orphans as they were let out. Lima Lima and Quanza were present, but Sonje was late, as usual. The Keepers have noticed that Sonje reports back to the herd later in the day.

There is a herd of buffaloes that have been hanging around the Umani Springs area. When the orphan herd came across the buffaloes this morning, Ngasha became very territorial. He went to chase the buffaloes out of the orphans’ home grounds. Alamaya and Mwashoti came to act as backup for Ngasha, and together, the young bulls successfully chased the buffaloes away. Amali and Kapei were happy about this and ran around the open grass, trumpeting joyfully.

Enkesha and Maktao joined Kiombo, who was playing with a stick. Enkesha tried to take the stick away from Kiombo, but he managed to keep it and scampered away. Then, Maktao joined in on the game and chased Kiombo into the bushes. Maktao managed to get the stick, but then promptly dropped it. He was not interested in the spoils; he just wanted to be part of the game.

Amali remains best friends with Mwashoti. They are inseparable during the day. Amali follows Mwashoti everywhere. This is a good thing, as Mwashoti is particularly good at protecting Amali from Kapei, and Amali is still Kapei’s favourite pushing target. They only go their separate way in the evening, when Mwashoti leaves with the nightclubbers. Murera and Mwashoti are also still close friends, but they both have their little babies to look after.

A bushbuck and a troop of baboons crossed over the path to where Sonje and Kiombo were browsing. Kiasa saw the bushbuck first and flared her ears. Then, Enkesha joined in, trumpeting loudly to warn the other orphans. The bushbuck ran off and the baboons moved to the treetops. Mission accomplished!

Kiasa and Enkesha rushed over to the mud bath, desperate to cool off. When they got there, however, they saw a crocodile basking in the sunshine. Enkesha saw it first and warned Kiasa not to get in. They wisely decided to forgo swimming today. Since the rain, every pool and puddle is very full of water. The crocodiles seem to prefer this and have moved into the orphans’ usual waterhole.

Maktao with Kiombo started a pushing match, testing each other’s strength. Mwashoti saw them fighting and decided it was getting too rough. Ever the peacekeeper, he tried to separate them, but the two boys were focused on their game. Eventually, Kiombo listened to Mwashoti, but Maktao was still intent upon declaring his dominance. Mwashoti had to discipline Maktao and chase him away into the bushes.  

Quanza, Lima Lima and the other nannies buffered the fighting boys from little Mwana. The girls continued browsing peacefully towards the Chyulu area, while the boys expended their energy.