The month began with a wonderful big sister, little brother reunion. Mid-morning, the orphans were joined by Kuishi, Sattao, and Larro. Esoit was very happy to see Kuishi, who he loves and looks up to. The pair browsed head-to-head, with a lot to catch up on.
It turned out to be a day bookended by reunions: That evening, ex-orphan Jotto joined the queue and escorted the orphans back to the stockades. The next morning, we found him standing outside, waiting to join them for their lucerne breakfast. He then led the herd out into the bush and remained with them until midday, when he left for his own adventures.
Later in the month, we had a front-row seat to another special homecoming. Mulika, Mwende, Moe, Mala, and Jotto arrived at the stockade compound early, before the orphans were let out. Shortly after, Yatta, Yoyo, Yogi, Yara, Kinna, Kama, Kaia, and Kito showed up. The air reverberated with rumbles, trumpets, and bellows of joy as Mulika, Yatta, and Kinna’s families reunited. Mulika, Yatta, and Kinna were the founding females of Ithumba — along with Nasalot, who also visited this month. Now that they are raising their own families in the wild, their travels take them in and out of each other's orbits, but they clearly still love each other deeply.
Shujaa always makes his own fun. One afternoon, he spotted two dik-diks playing ahead of him. Energised by a (harmless) foe to vanquish, he ran towards them, trumpeting with each step. Predictably, they were too quick for the trundling bull. Unwilling to admit defeat, Shujaa searched and searched for the small antelope, kicking and knocking bushes until he tired himself out.
Kitich is another bull who makes his own fun. One afternoon, he challenged Larro to a pushing game. The ex-orphan was not pleased to be challenged by a younger boy and used all her strength to try and defeat him, but Kitich held his ground. The game went on for quite some time and eventually ended in a draw.
Some orphans never miss an opportunity to wallow; others are much less keen. Vaarti falls firmly in the latter category. One warm afternoon, everyone was swimming except for Vaarti, who opted to stay on solid ground. However, he quickly got lonely and devised a plan to get everyone else out of the water. He strolled into the bushes, then suddenly dashed back to the mud bath and stood on the edge, ears raised. His behaviour had the intended effect and the others began climbing out of the water. Vaarti ran towards the bushes trumpeting, with the rest following. Just as suddenly as he had started, he stopped and resumed browsing, having succeeded in bringing the group back to the field.
Mid-April brought surprising and much-welcomed rains. When the babies awoke to discover it had rained in the night, they were very happy indeed — you could tell from how active they were from the early morning hours.
The true highlight of the month fell on 20th April, when Ithumba welcomed three new graduates. At eleven o'clock in the morning, Toto, Natibu, and Mwinzi arrived from Kaluku. We gathered their old friends Mayan and Vaarti to welcome the new babies — it had been two years since they had all been together, but they recognised each other right away. Vaarti was shy at first, but Mayan walked straight over to the boys. An overwhelmed Toto ran towards the Keepers, then changed his mind and went back to meet Mayan and Vaarti.
After a day in the bush, Toto, Natibu, and Mwinzi were shown to their new bedroom. We placed them in the stockade between Class One and Class Three, where they were surrounded by their new herd.
In the days that followed, the three boys got used to their new home at their own pace. In his typical calm, self-assured manner, Mwinzi seemed unfazed by any new elephant or experience. Natibu, who looks at life as a competition, was eager to size everyone up. Toto, who has always been a bit of a clinging vine, initially kept close to his Kaluku Keepers — but with each passing day he became more confident and curious. By the end of the month, had introduced himself to every new Keeper and member of the Ithumba herd.
The graduates have no shortage of friends. Kindani, Kinyei, and Olorien take turns spending time with them each day. They also have a very special roommate: The boys were initially quite restless at night, especially Natibu. Kinyei, who sleeps several stockades over, seemed very concerned about them and was communicating with gentle rumbles — so we decided to let her sleep in their room. Her presence had an instantaneous, calming effect. Now, all three lie down to sleep at her feet, with mama Kinyei watching over them.
The Ithumba team always looks forward to new graduates, but it was especially special to welcome Toto again. Four years ago, they were the people who initially took him in, after ex-orphans delivered him to the stockades. The tiny, newborn orphan they rescued all those years ago now has the rest of his life in Tsavo ahead of him — back where his story started.