Unsurprisingly, the month was dominated by Mwana. Murera’s newborn daughter — our Umani family’s first wild-born baby — has captured all our hearts. We are unabashedly biassed, but Mwana is an exceedingly clever young girl. Because she has observed her mother and the other Umani orphans eating lucerne pellets, she has decided to dip her toes into this delicacy, too. Never mind the fact that she is too young to eat solids; instead, she uses her trunk to play with the pellets, while the older elephants munch away.
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.
The orphans were waiting at the gates for the Keepers to let them out of the stockades. The nightclubbers Quanza and Lima Lima were already waiting outside, excited to see Mwana. When the orphans were let out, they followed Sonje, ready to begin the new day.
Faraja reported back to the herd, accompanied by a wild bull. Lima Lima and Mwashoti were the first to register the wild elephant and warn the Keepers and the other orphans. Murera kept Mwana close, cautious of the wild bull. He was huge, and he was not being very friendly. The Keepers decided to move the orphans, especially Murera and Mwana, away. The bull quickly lost interest in the orphan herd and disappeared into the bush on the Umani hill. The orphan herd was calm again and Mwana went back to playing her games in front of the herd.
As the elephants walked along by the springs, they disturbed some crocodiles that were sunbathing on the bank. The crocodiles disappeared into the water, hiding from the elephants.
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 nightclubbers were waiting outside the stockade gates this morning. Ngasha was very impatient this morning, urging the Keepers to bring out lucerne pellets. He pushed on the gate, trying to get them to hurry up, while Lima Lima, Faraja and Alamaya waited patiently in the bushes around the stockade. The fighting began when Jasiri arrived and witnessed Ngasha’s antics. Jasiri warned Ngasha to mind his manners, but the naughty bull did not listen. This angered Jasiri, and they started to fight. Faraja heard the commotion and came to back up his friend Jasiri. Ngasha saw the two bulls teaming up and wisely decided to flee into the bush.
Sonje and Quanza led the orphan herd to the Umani Hills to find more vegetation to browse on. The Keepers worried that Mwana would struggle with the hill, but she made her way up slowly, with all her nannies staying close beside her. Murera followed a short distance behind, pleased that Mwana was being looked after so diligently.
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.
Faraja was eating hay that the Keepers had put out when Ngasha walked over. Faraja walked away, giving Ngasha space to eat, but Ngasha was only interested in what Faraja had in his mouth. Being a gentle boy, Faraja did not want to start a fight, but Ngasha pushed things too far. Despite his best efforts at peace, an argument broke out.
Murera got nervous, as the two boys were pushing each other around and getting closer to her and Mwana. Mwana was oblivious, focusing only on nursing. Murera decided it was safer to move a few meters away. Lima Lima and her other nannies came and surrounded little Mwana for more protection. Once the fighting stopped, Kiasa persuaded Mwana to follow her. Kiasa moved to where Mwashoti and Amali were browsing.
Kapei was up to his usual antics again today. He is very jealous of all the attention Mwana receives and sometimes can’t resist getting his revenge. This morning, he flared his ears, trying to scare the little girl. His theatrics worked, sending Mwana hiding underneath Lima Lima. Unfortunately for Kapei, Mwana also trumpeted in fright, which caused all her nannies to rush to her rescue. They found Kapei, looking very guilty.
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.
After the orphans had finished their morning milk bottles, they headed out into the bush to browse. The herd started in a direction that the Keepers knew was full of buffaloes. The Keepers were worried about Murera and Mwana having a bad encounter with a buffalo, so they called the elephants back. Sonje seemed to understand their train of thought and led the herd in the direction that the Keepers wanted.
Ngasha and Jasiri are back to being rivals. Ngasha was browsing with the orphan herd when Jasiri arrived. Ngasha saw him approaching and left in the opposite direction.
While browsing on the Kenzili side of the Chyulu Hills, Sonje and Quanza got a fright from a herd of zebra. The two girls started trumpeting. Amali, who is still nervous of loud noises, got scared of the trumpeting and started running in the opposite direction. Kapei is a bit of a ‘bandwagon scaredy-cat” and followed her, not quite sure what they were frightened about. Sonje and Quanza tried to follow Kapei and Amali to comfort them, but the babies were confused and just kept running. They only stopped when they reached the Keepers.
While the orphan herd were waiting to be let out in the morning, Murera went to the lucerne store to ask for more pellets. The Keepers obliged, as breastfeeding takes a lot of energy. They allowed Murera to stay in the stockade compound, so she could eat in peace without the others trying to steal her pellets. As Murera ate, Mwana also fed.
After some time, Faraja was smart enough to realise that Murera had her own stash of pellets separate to the other orphans. He joined her in the stockades. Murera was not happy about this, and as he got closer, she left with Mwana. Luckily, Murera had eaten most of her pellets and Mwana had also finished feeding. Zongoloni saw an opportunity to look after Mwana and cheekily tried to take the baby with her. However, Mwana was not very comfortable around Zongoloni and quickly returned to her mother.
It started raining, so the Keepers tried to call the orphans back, so they could lead them to a sheltered area. However, the orphans had their own plan and instead shepherded Mwana beneath a tree. All her nannies surrounded her, protecting her from the rain.
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.
The orphan herd was peacefully browsing in the Kenzili area. The Keepers watched Mwana happily playing with Murera, then Kiasa and Lima Lima joined in on their game. Some zebras came down the Kenzili road. Quanza and Mwashoti saw them first and alerted the others. Amali, Kapei, Maktao and Kiombo got scared. They ran in the opposite direction to where Sonje was browsing. They thought she would protect them, but Sonje and Ngasha also started running away. The orphans eventually stopped running when they got to where the Keepers were standing.
The Keepers had to calm the orphans to stop them from running back home. The zebras caught sight of the Keepers, and realising there were people close by, they turned and ran in the opposite direction. Amali was so scared she kept running towards the stockades. She would not listen to the Keepers, so Mwashoti had to get her and calm her down. The orphan herd all moved to have a drink from the water trough, cleansing their palette after their encounter.
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.
Last night, the nightclubbers (Alamaya, Lima Lima, Sonje, and Quanza) moved off into the forest, as is their habit. Only Ngasha remained around the stockades. Later in the night, he moved across to the Umani Eco Lodge, where he was very disruptive, damaging the plants and knocking over flowerpots. The staff at the lodge had to call the Keepers to come and take Ngasha away.
Mwana was being very playful with the Keepers this morning. She was too busy having fun to worry about where Murera was. The Keepers were enjoying watching Mwana run around, amazed at how fast she was. Eventually, Mwana got tired and moved back to her mother to feed. When the Keepers came over to check on her, she flared her ears, displeased by the intrusion. Once she was full and rested, Mwana ran back over to the Keepers to resume their game. The Keepers are pleased with how strong Mwana is for her young age.
Mwana tripped over in the long grass and let out a little squeal. All her nannies rushed over immediately to find out what had happened. After checking that she was unharmed, her nannies walked Mwana back to her mother. Quanza, Lima Lima, and Kiasa waited for her to feed then took her to the mud bath for a swim.
There were wild elephants hanging around the stockades this morning. The Keepers moved out cautiously, looking around in the bushes for signs of them. They took lucerne to the pellet corner and the wild elephants did not seem to react to them. Then, the Keepers realised that Zongoloni and Jasiri were present, with two wild females. Zongoloni showed the females the tasty pellets and reassured them that the Keepers were her friends and could be trusted. The group remained peacefully eating the pellets.
When the orphan herd was let out of the stockades, they went to greet Zongoloni and Jasiri at the pellet corner. Kiombo, Maktao and Ngasha led the herd to the Umani Springs area, while Mwashoti, Amali and Alamaya brought up the rear.
Kapei and Amali are still not getting along very well. Kapei is notorious for pushing Amali around, especially at feeding time. Kapei finishes his milk bottles very quickly, while Amali drinks slowly. The peaceful girl tries to walk away from him, but he insists upon chasing her until she drops her bottle. The Keepers try to help Amali, and today Kiasa also joined in and sternly chastised Kapei. He went to hide in the bushes, feeling sorry for himself.
Lima Lima and Sonje were standing guard, protecting Mwana from the squabbling orphans. Mwana, oblivious to the chaos, was feeding from Murera. Once the baby was full and rested, Sonje, Lima Lima and Quanza persuaded Murera and Mwana to follow them off into the bush to browse.
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.
It rained again last night. This morning, once the rain had stopped, Maktao and Kiombo led the orphan herd to a muddy road near the stockades. They had a wonderful time playing, sliding around, and getting covered in mud. Mwana watched the orphans playing and joined in, copying them. She became the star and her nannies enjoyed watching her play.
Mwashoti, who was browsing with Murera, moved away when he saw Mwana approaching. He gave Murera her space to feed her baby and instead moved over to where Ngasha and Kiombo were resting in the shade. Ngasha chased Kiombo out, but Mwashoti stopped Ngasha’s bad behaviour. Mwashoti convinced Kiombo he would protect him from Ngasha.
The orphans were peacefully browsing in the Chyulu area when some buffaloes joined them. Kiombo and Maktao were charging at them, trying to play with the buffaloes, but Mwashoti started trumpeting, warning them not to get too close. The Keepers heard all the commotion and came over to work out what was happening. Mwana’s nannies also started trumpeting, trying to scare the buffaloes away.
The Keepers decided to relocate the orphan herd back towards the Kibwezi area, away from the buffaloes. Mwana was at the front, furthest away from the buffaloes, with her nannies as protection. A bushbuck crossed the path in front of Mwana. This gave her a fright and she stopped in her tracks. Then, Mwana copied the others, flaring her ears and trumpeting. The bushbuck disappeared into the bushes.
There has been lots of rain around the Umani area, which has made all the elephant paths very muddy. Mwana has been loving the mud. Her nannies join in her games — in fact, the whole orphan finds them very entertaining. Kiombo and Maktao could not decide on an arena to start their daily pushing match. They both chose separate locations and neither would compromise.
While Mwana was feeding, Kapei and Amali approached her. Mwana was not happy about this and charged at them. She was being very possessive of her mother!
The orphans did not go swimming after their midday milk bottles. The mud bath was cold and very full because of all the rain. None of the orphans — not even Amali, who usually cannot resist the water — had any interest in swimming. Kiombo with Sonje were the last to walk past the waterhole, forcing everyone to move in a hurry. The Keepers followed behind, and as they walked past the waterhole, they saw a crocodile. They realised that Sonje might have seen it first and decided it was not safe for her herd to go swimming. We are always amazed at how intuitive the orphans are.
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!
The nightclubbers were waiting at the stockade gates again this morning. As usual, Sonje was not present. She joined the herd later, when they were browsing on fresh greens up on the Umani Hills. She immediately went to find Quanza to fill her in on her night — we imagine she must have some good stories to tell!
The orphan herd arrived for their midday milk feed. Mwashoti was very sneaky — he no longer gets milk bottles, but today, he managed to grab one and run off with it. He had drunk half the bottle by the time the Keepers managed to retrieve it.
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.