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The elephants entered Kibwezi Forest this morning before Lima Lima and Sonje arrived with Lenny and Sulwe, who had been away since last evening. These days, Sonje and Kiasa have become late arrivals, no longer coming as early as they used to. There was a time when they would all join Murera and her friends as early as six o’clock, ready for the morning pellets.

Now, three groups of orphans are forming. Murera remains the undisputed leader of the dependent orphans with her baby, Mwana, while Sonje, Kiasa, and Zongoloni have started making their own group, separate from Lima Lima, Enkesha, Amali, and Kapei. The split was largely caused by Sonje, as Lima Lima and her friends had often seen her kicking Lenny, only wanting to be with her own baby, Sulwe. Eventually, Zongoloni joined Sonje, leaving Lima Lima with Mwashoti and little Enkesha to stay close to Lenny.

Today, April 1st — April Fool’s Day — Amali and Mwashoti played a trick on the whole herd. While browsing in Kibwezi Forest, the two orphans suddenly came running out, screaming loudly as if they were being chased. This sent all the elephants into a panic, running, trumpeting, and charging everywhere. The Keepers grew concerned, thinking the forest had been invaded by wild elephants or buffalos. But in the end, it was nothing — Amali was just having fun fooling her friends for April Fool’s Day. The Keepers later realized that Amali and Mwashoti had been playing a prank on them.

The elephants made their way to the bushes this morning. Today, the new mothers didn’t came for the morning session — a change in the programme that has become more common since the babies have grown older and older each day. Now Sulwe and Lenny are becoming big babies and are no longer little ones. This has made Sonje and Lima Lima change their routine, now joining Murera and her friends during midday and evening sessions instead of the morning.

Amali and Enkesha were not happy about the change in the morning visits by Lima Lima and Sonje. Immediately after coming out, Amali ran to the bushes trying to locate them but could not find Sulwe or Lenny. After failing to find the babies she wanted to be part of — after a long night of missing them — Amali returned full of complaints and looking hopeless. Mwana and Enkesha calmed her down after her failed attempt.

At the top of the Umani Hills, some elephants were heard yelling while making their way downhill. This made the Keepers rise up from where they were sitting and begin calling names randomly before knowing which elephants they were hearing. But it turned out to be Lima Lima and Sonje coming to join Murera and her friends. Then it became a full house when all the orphans were finally together. Amali immediately stopped what she was doing and rushed to grab Lenny, then turned to Sulwe as a way of showing appreciation.

Sonje, Lima Lima, and their team failed to report today. The Keepers hoped they might show up at the midday bottle feeding, but they did not. Only Murera and the stockade-dependent orphans reported, and they enjoyed the advantage of extra bottles that had been prepared as treats for the new mothers.

Kapei was the first to take his usual bottle and then stepped back, thinking that was it. Murera was surprised when the Keepers called her for an additional bottle. At first, she didn’t come, just like Kapei. But when they saw Amali being given an extra bottle, greedy Kapei began demanding more. Murera, however, behaved well — like a big mother or an adult. She showed her appreciation with a very happy rumble, as Mwana followed her closely to drink some water from the waterhole. Mwana sipped more water than the rest, having felt thirstier than those who had milk bottles.

Amali moved to where Kapei was, but his usual antics were not welcomed. Amali and Mwana didn’t like it at all when he tried to climb on them, and Mwana ran off, leaving Kapei alone. Amali then joined Mwana to show their disapproval of Kapei’s behaviour. When Kapei saw that the little girls didn’t support him, he backed off in fear that Enkesha might also punish him. Instead, he went into hiding and sulked.

Today, Sonje, Lima Lima, and their group reported — all was back to normal!

Mwashoti and Maktao came along today very well and organised, but things changed the moment they got close to Kiombo. Maktao ambushed Kiombo from behind while he was enjoying himself digging and eating the roots of an acacia tree. Maktao was trying to take over the spot and get to eat the roots himself, but Kiombo wasn’t going to give it up easily. It forced Mwashoti to step in and help separate them. He pushed Maktao back, trying to give Kiombo a chance to enjoy the food he had worked hard to dig out.

It wasn’t easy for Mwashoti to move Maktao aside, as Maktao was determined to get the roots without putting in any effort. Mwashoti did his best and eventually managed to move Maktao, just as he had intended — leaving Kiombo alone to enjoy the reward of his efforts.

Meanwhile, Kiasa came along with Sulwe and headed to the waterhole. Amali and Mwana also walked with Lenny. It seemed like every nanny had her own companion today. Lenny was escorted by Amali, Mwana, and Enkesha. Sulwe stuck close to Quanza and Kiasa, while Zongoloni followed along quietly at the back. She is very pregnant now.

Murera led by example this morning, walking confidently at the front with Amali right beside her. Both orphans were focused, trying to identify where they might find the ex-orphans and their little babies. Amali wasn’t settled until she could see either Lenny or Sulwe, which is why she stuck so closely to Murera — almost bumper to bumper — as Murera provided the much-needed security and assurance of where the babies might be found.

Murera raised her trunk high above her head to catch any scent, and Amali and Enkesha followed suit. They all pointed in the same direction towards the hills. Just before the orphans could climb to the top of the Umani Hills, Enkesha caught a scent and suddenly changed direction. Amali quickly followed her lead. It turned out Enkesha had picked the right trail — this was the direction the night-clubbers had come from. Sure enough, they soon found Lima Lima, Sonje, and the babies.

When Sulwe saw Amali, she came running on her tiny legs, trumpeting with excitement. More rumbles followed from the other babies, a clear signal of a happy reunion with the rest of the orphan herd. Mwashoti then made his way to Murera, his long-time friend, to say hello — before walking off toward a pair of crested cranes nearby.

Amali moved to block Mwana from going to Lenny because she wanted to be the one playing with Lenny. Kiasa had already taken Sulwe for a morning walk and some yoga games, which Sulwe was trying to copy and put into practice with Kiasa. When they climbed to the top of the hills, Sulwe rolled over Kiasa’s belly as Kiasa tried to train her to keep playing on her belly. This left Amali and Enkesha with Lenny, but when Mwana was stopped by Amali, she walked over to her mother Murera as if protesting why Amali had excluded her from playing with Lenny.

Quanza, with Mwashoti and Sonje, then decided to relocate the orphans to another side of the Chyulu Hills for more browsing. Some elands came near the orphans, followed by a group of buffaloes who were trying to cross over, but they were soon blocked by Mwashoti and Lima Lima. The two became rowdy towards the buffaloes, making loud trumpets to keep them on their toes and away from the orphans’ browsing area. Sonje then boosted the security by joining Mwashoti, making sure all the buffaloes and elands left—and they succeeded.

Mwana and Lenny joined in, charging and blowing little trumpets as they copied what Sonje and the head girls were doing. Sulwe and Lenny showed their solidarity and proved that they, too, are elephants.

Some wild bulls continued to visit the herd, trying their luck with the Umani girls. However, they quickly discovered that none of the females were interested. A few of the bulls tried to pursue Quanza, but she made it clear she wasn’t ready to mate. Still enjoying her independence, Quanza remains happily single and not yet prepared for the responsibilities that come with motherhood.

With Lima Lima and Zongoloni having recently welcomed their little ones, Quanza found herself with a new role to embrace. She’s become an excellent nanny, stepping up to help care for the babies around Umani, and she’s been doing a wonderful job.

Meanwhile, Sonje gave Enkesha a bit of responsibility, assigning her to keep Sulwe company. But that didn’t sit well with Kiasa, who wasn’t happy seeing Enkesha getting close to ‘her’ little baby. Kiasa quickly came over to reassert her bond with Sulwe, making Enkesha step away and join Amali and Kapei as they browsed across the Chyulu Hills.

The peaceful browsing was eventually interrupted by a sudden rain shower. The babies, who had been quietly enjoying the green vegetation, rushed for shelter under the big trees. The boys, on the other hand, were thrilled. They went straight into play, pushing one another and rolling over anthills, making the most of the natural mud bath the rain had created.

Kapei, Kiombo, and Maktao found themselves in trouble today after failing to arrive for the midday bottles on time. By the time they got to the feeding point, their bottles had already been claimed by those who arrived punctually alongside Murera. As a result, Lima Lima, Sonje, and Murera were the lucky beneficiaries, receiving the extra bottles that had been set aside for the tardy boys.

Since Lima Lima, Sonje, and Murera are still nursing babies, the Keepers decided it was only fair to reward them with the extra milk. Little nannies Kiasa, Amali, and Enkesha watched as the mothers happily enjoyed the additional treats, celebrating their bonus bottles.

Sulwe and Lenny, curious as ever, noticed some milk dripping onto the ground. They tested it with their little trunks and discovered it was sweet, giving it a taste before wandering off to join their mothers at the water trough. Quanza and Sonje led the way to the clean water source, where everyone quenched their thirst.

Afterwards, the orphans took off into the bushes to continue browsing, leaving the Keepers with a quiet moment to enjoy their lunch.

This morning, the nightclubbers team did not show up, as all the orphans got up and ready for the new day. The girls came running out of their stockades eagerly, with Enkesha and Amali hoping to find the little babies and the new mothers already waiting outside the gate. When Murera emerged next with her baby, Mwana, both Amali and Enkesha started searching the nearby bushes, sniffing deeper into the forest to try to locate the nightclubbers.

Amali tried hard, but her efforts failed. She returned to Enkesha, and the two put their heads together, as if consulting on the next course of action — but they seemed a bit hopeless, as they could not catch the scent of the others. Usually, the nightclubbers can be found nearby, but today wasn’t their lucky day.

Murera soon took charge and directed the babies to follow her towards the Chyulu Hills for browsing. However, their journey was disrupted by midday rainfall before they reached their intended destination.

Kapei and Maktao found themselves in a muddy playfield near the anthills. As usual, the boys decided to prove their strength — Kapei poked Maktao hard on the bottom with his small tusks. Maktao was not pleased and felt quite bitter toward his younger friend. Just as he was preparing to retaliate, Kapei dashed off, leaving Maktao standing there, weighing his options on what to do next.

Enkesha and Amali are now taking full responsibility as they are being trained to become the new team of head girls. This follows the departure of Kiasa and the recent shift in leadership, as Sonje and Lima Lima became mothers in December last year, leaving a vacuum among the older girls.

Mwashoti and Kiombo have been staying close to the mothers, acting like bodyguards to their sisters and maintaining a watchful eye. Kiombo and his close friend Mwashoti are clearly determined to be part of the girls' leadership group, but at times they find themselves overpowered by the large number of girls taking control of things and strictly enforcing the rules and regulations they’ve put in place.

At the mud bath, Quanza did not take kindly to Kiombo after he touched her tail. This small act was enough to change her mood, and she firmly reminded Kiombo to show better manners, especially towards Mwana and the girls — who now carry the title of leaders. As a result, Kiombo was removed from the waterhole and sent away from the herd as a disciplinary measure.

Amali and Enkesha moved to the stockade water trough, cleaning their faces before embarking on the big daily business of browsing along Kenzili. They later changed direction behind the Chyulu Hills. However, Murera did not allow them to continue along that path, because she had picked up the smell of wild elephants from that side of the hills and did not want to risk an encounter.

However, Kapei and Maktao were defiant and did not listen to Murera’s advice. The boys went behind the hills and joined Ziwa’s wild herd, where they were swept away for the rest of the day.

At bedtime, the two boys still had not returned home. Instead, they spent the night outside. They found themselves in an awkward situation because they could not find their way back on their own without the girls — and this showed that the two boys still relied on the girls to lead them. Because they failed to listen to their matriarch, they didn’t get to sleep in their comfortable bedroom and didn’t have any bottles. Moving forward, they may remember that Murera always knows best.

Lima Lima and her team failed again to show up today, as they have taken a break away from home with all their tiny babies. Mwashoti and the Keepers had been going round Kibwezi Forest, hoping to locate them, but after many hours, we gave up our search. Enkesha and Amali, together with Mwana, are now the only girls keeping Murera happy while Sonje and her team remain away.

Later, before evening, we heard some elephants yelling from the top of the hills. These noisy elephants prompted us to once again move and cross-check Kibwezi Forest along the entire Chyulu Hills, where we had heard the sounds. But it was now Lima Lima or Sonje, just some wild elephants making noise. In the end, Murera led her team home before dark.

As we progressed on the way home, some wild mothers passed by our orphans, and Keepers thought we might find one of our babies among them. But it turned out to be a completely wild herd of mothers, with three wild-born babies older than little Lenny and Sulwe. Murera then took her own direction, giving everyone space. Amali and Enkesha moved slowly with Mwana, keeping pace with Murera to join them in the stockades.

The day began well, with only Murera and her group who had spent the night in the stockades together. Lima Lima and Sonje’s holiday continued — they had still not reported back by last evening. Keepers drove around but never saw them.

This morning, the whole team took a walk towards the sides of the powerlines. As Murera and her team progressively browsed along the way, they suddenly heard a little baby yelling, and Amali rumbled in response to the sound. Amali ran towards the noise, with Enkesha in close pursuit, followed by Maktao and Kapei. Only Murera and Mwana stayed behind. 

After a moment of silence deep in Kibwezi Forest, Amali — who is very intelligent — managed to locate the voice of Lenny and returned with the whole team back to Murera. A loud reception of trumpeting and joyful noises took place as Murera and Mwana tried to express their gratitude to Sonje and her team for returning home after their time away.

The team was now reunited and moved together towards Umani Hills. They all came for their midday milk bottles, and later, Sulwe, Lenny, and Mwana, in the company of Kiasa, trooped to the bigger waterhole for swimming. Mwashoti, Kiombo and Zongoloni also joined them and spent the better part of the day there.

Amali was the happiest nanny ever today. As the stockade gates were opened, the nightclubbers were already waiting by the gate. Amali’s good day started right there, as she was finally given some duties she had missed — an opportunity to act as a nanny again, looking after Lima Lima and Sonje’s babies. She happily played with Sulwe and Lenny.

Sulwe did not go right to Amali, but Lenny showed lots of love to his young nanny. Amali was supported by Enkesha, and the trio played together around the hills. When Kapei tried to join them, Amali blocked Lenny with her trunk to shield him from Kapei, as if honouring the mandate given to her by Lima Lima. Quanza and Mwashoti followed slowly behind them like security guards, making sure Kapei did not interfere with the little ones.

Sonje called Sulwe back as she was moving towards where Mwana and Murera were. But Mwana avoided Sonje, as sometimes Sonje kicks her to return to Murera. Murera never does this — she cares for all babies, even those of other mothers. Sonje, on the other hand, loves Sulwe above all.

Mwashoti later appeared again in the company of Ziwa, who is looking very large and impressive these days. When the babies ran in for their bottles, Ziwa also stepped forward and waited expectantly for a bottle. The Keepers gave him one filled with water, which he enjoyed enormously.

Zongoloni and her team came along with Quanza leading Lenny and Sulwe, after both babies had left their mothers to follow behind. They ran quickly with Quanza, and Kiasa was not left behind — she is always one of the most dependable nannies and a true team player when it comes to keeping an eye on the little ones. Kiasa remains the smartest girl Umani has had since becoming a nightclubber and nanny to the new babies. While Enkesha is a caring nanny, we note that she does not take as much care as Kiasa.

Sonje approached Mwashoti for a stick that he was trying to pick up. But Mwashoti decided to run away with it, trying to keep it to himself, especially since Sonje hadn't helped him uproot it from the ground. Mwashoti then looked like a worried boy after escaping with his stick — Sonje was upset by his actions and warned him not to come any closer or she would discipline him, and he knew she meant it.

Kiombo then started play-fighting with Kapei, who tried to prove his strength to Kiombo. But he was the lighter of the two, and soon turned to look for help from Maktao. Maktao stepped in and stood between the pair, trying to bring the play-fight to a stop. This, however, made Kapei even more aggressive, and he wasn’t ready to stop pushing Kiombo, who was now outnumbered and losing the battle.

This morning at 9 o’clock, the orphans gathered together for reasons known only to them, as the Keepers stood by and watched. A short distance away, Murera took off with Mwana, and the rest of the nightclubbers, led by Lima Lima and Sonje, moved closer to Zongoloni and slowly disappeared into the thickets. Zongoloni was walking slowly, and it seemed the group had resolved to escort her to a safer spot under shade to deliver. She had even brought her old friends, Faraja and Ziwa.

Moments later, loud trumpeting and screaming was heard from deep within the bushes. Wild bulls arrived with Faraja, so the Keepers kept their distance. When the orphans finally emerged, they brought with them big news — a tiny baby boy walking underneath them. After counting the babies, it was clear there were now three instead of two.

Zongoloni had given birth. A new dawn for her, as she officially joined the Mothers’ Union. She was warmly welcomed by Lima Lima, Sonje, and Murera during a celebratory reception. Little Lenny and Sulwe were both surprised by the appearance of the new baby, who had suddenly joined the herd. Lenny didn’t take it well— he didn’t understand who this newcomer was and felt uneasy when he met the baby under Zongoloni. Lenny had always thought it was just him and Sulwe, but today Zongoloni had brought in a new baby boy named Zigi.

Sulwe behaved well, sticking close to Mwana as usual, but Lenny wasn’t entirely happy with the newborn. The birth celebration took place at the open mud bath area, and Keepers ran to fetch more food and pellets to help Zongoloni celebrate her new arrival. Lenny, feeling territorial, became quite mean to little Zigi, not letting him move around freely. Amali and Enkesha had to intervene to stop Lenny from picking a fight with his new baby brother.

Later, Lima Lima was informed of how Lenny had behaved. She came over and took him away, allowing Kiasa and the other young nannies to take charge of caring for newborn Zigi.

Before midday bottle feeding time, the Umani herd was almost full. Even before Lima Lima and her team came out from the thickest part of the Kibwezi Forest, Amali began raising her trunk to smell around the bushes, then Enkesha joined her. After a short while, we saw bushes moving and tall grass shaking, then some minutes later the elephants and their little angels emerged from the tall grass. 

Lima Lima, who is very greedy for milk, took off running the moment she spotted her bottles on the ground — she forgot all about her baby, Lenny! Kiasa, who is equally greedy when it comes to milk, abandoned Zigi and also joined the race. Just for fun, Lenny and Sulwe were in a big competition to catch up with Lima Lima, who was leading to the bottle ground. The race was tough like a relay, but Sulwe and Lenny both won the race, leaving Zigi to settle on number three. Later, Murera and her baby Mwana arrived, but they were not in a hurry. Murera knew her bottle would be waiting; no running was necessary.

Zongoloni led Zigi to the shade, because she felt the heat was getting too much for him. She signalled to Kiasa the nanny that it was time to move to the trees. Then, after some time, Zongoloni handed Zigi to Kiasa, so that she could go and enjoy a swim. Kiasa took charge of the baby while Zongoloni took a bath.

Mwashoti, Kapei, Kiombo, and Maktao had a boys’ time today, swimming and scratching side by side. The scratching tree later became a battlefield for the two junior boys, Kiombo and Maktao. Kapei was egging them on, but Mwashoti, as the oldest brother, stepped in before the fight got too heated.

Sonje pulled her baby to her after seeing Faraja coming to join the herd from the Kibwezi Forest. When she spotted the big bull, she turned back with Sulwe all the way to where Lima Lima and Quanza were with Lenny. Kiasa was with Zigi behind Zongoloni, watching Faraja’s movements. Amali and Kapei then decided to walk to the place where Faraja and wild friends were standing, greeting them. Enkesha and Murera walked away, keeping their distance from the bulls.

A male bushbuck crossed in front of Sulwe and Lenny, making the little babies raise their big ears and charge in all directions. Lenny even blew out a little trumpet, proving he will be a bull to reckon with when he grows older. Meanwhile, Sulwe — who looked scared—stayed back where Sonje was. As Sulwe tried to play around in the dust, Quanza walked over and joined Sonje, who was busy digging up some dirt to throw onto Sulwe so her baby could have a dust bath. Quanza stood by, ready for any nanny duties.

Mwashoti walked into the herd, but before he got deep into the group, Kapei walked over and informed him to go block Faraja. Mwashoti then started to play with Faraja, who also pushed back and forth. But Mwashoti was very determined to fight hard and win. When Maktao saw that Mwashoti was being pushed strongly by Faraja, he joined Mwashoti for support — until Faraja was defeated and ran away.