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Enkesha’s pregnancy is now becoming more apparent, and the Keepers have begun to notice clear physical and behavioural changes. Her body is changing, with her breasts becoming more pronounced, and she is showing occasional mood swings, at times appearing subdued but remaining in good health. The Keepers are encouraged to see her progressing well and are counting down the months ahead, knowing that Murera is expected to give birth first this year, followed by Enkesha next year. They continue to hope both will remain healthy and safe throughout their pregnancies.

Enkesha later appeared to approach the Keepers but changed direction and went to join Mwana, who was playing around some shrubs and chasing butterflies. Nearby, Mwashoti approached Maktao from the side. Maktao, unaware of who it was, initially thought it was a buffalo and attempted to run away, only stopping when he realised it was Mwashoti.

This morning, Lima Lima and her team of night clubbers arrived very early and stopped at the gate, waiting for Murera and Kerrio’s team to come out after their morning bottles so they could go out together. Amali stepped out and directed her eyes to where little Zigi and Sulwe were playing on the dust pile. She moved to join them, as she is always good friends with Zigi, while Sulwe remains a very private little girl who is always close to her mother Sonje.

Amali was able to convince both Zigi and Sulwe to go with her, but later Sulwe felt she was too far from her mother and abandoned Amali to return to Sonje. Enkesha looked like she would escort her, but Sulwe was very determined to go to her mother alone and breastfeed. Enkesha then left her, as her mood was not good and Sulwe only wanted to be with Sonje.

Alamaya came from behind, looking for a way to join the herd. Mwashoti walked back and welcomed him. However, today Alamaya was not the calm and friendly boy we know. He was seen charging and pushing Lima Lima and Quanza, something we had not seen before. This seemed to show a change in his behaviour, which the Keepers thought may have come from the wild friends he has been spending time with.

At the time, both orphans were busy browsing within the Kibwezi forest when some baboons started making strong noise as they fought among themselves. The noise was terrifying, while the orphans were busy and none expected such a big noise coming from the bushes.

Kamili and Enkesha became suspicious and returned to the older females so that they could get some help from Zongoloni, Lima Lima, and Sonje. When they arrived, they found Sonje was also scared of the noise coming from the forest. Kamili then lost confidence after seeing Sonje raising her ears, ready to run away.

Lima Lima then came to join them and took them away, because everyone trusted her warnings. They knew when Lima Lima arrived it was time to move out from the bushes, and they headed to where Murera was, who was not aware and was still pulling branches. Murera then had to stop and leave the place with Mwana.

Even the big boys, who we thought were courageous enough to take care of the girls, were fearful and took off, with Mwashoti and Jasiri leading. The little babies were screaming as everyone looked for space to hide. The Keepers followed the elephants while calling them by name, but Kerrio was the most called, because Kerrio and Murera remained loyal to the Keepers since Lima Lima and her team left the herd under Murera and Kerrio.

When the sunshine cooled down and it was time for everyone to walk back home, the orphans began forming a line, but Kapei and his friends did not follow. Mwana and Latika stepped forward and led the team all the way to the stockades, while Murera, whose mood did not allow her to lead, chose to stay at the back.

Today Murera and her team woke up and came out of the gates, getting ready for the new day. Kerrio and Amali moved towards Mwana, and the three girls agreed to stay together and go in one direction rather than splitting up. They went against Murera, who did not want to follow them and rumbled, trying to call Mwana back.

As Mwana began to turn back, Lima Lima and her team joined them. With Amali nearby, Mwana became distracted and forgot her mother’s call, choosing instead to follow Lima Lima and Lenny. Mwana appeared relaxed and welcomed Lenny as they moved towards the hills for browsing.

Kerrio, with Latika and Kamili, moved away as the Nairobi girls followed her direction closely. Kerrio continued to guide them firmly, ensuring they did not go separate ways. This has seen her take on a leadership role, especially as Lima Lima now spends more time away. With support from Enkesha and Kiasa, Kerrio is growing in influence within the Umani herd.

At midday bottle time, Latika came running behind Kapei and the others. Sulwe and Lenny also arrived running, as if eager for bottles. Lenny demanded a bottle from the Keeper and pulled at it until he was given one, after which he relaxed. Sulwe was also allowed to taste, and both little babies then left for the waterhole to play around the mud bath.

Alamaya joined the orphans at the waterhole, but Mwashoti tried to prevent him from entering the mud bath. Alamaya, remaining calm, approached Mwashoti and appeared to communicate quietly with him. Shortly afterwards, the Keepers observed Mwashoti step away into the bushes, allowing Alamaya time at the mud bath.

This afternoon, a young wild bull of Jasiri and Ziwa’s age came into the herd before the Keepers noticed. Kerrio and Latika went towards him, and Mwana followed. Mwana suddenly trumpeted loudly and ran back, charging trees and shrubs.

Her trumpeting attracted Amali and Enkesha, who came to support her. When the Keepers looked up, they saw the wild bull trying to chase Mwana. Mwana kept trumpeting, alerting Murera to keep away.

Lenny and Sulwe were nearby, raising their trunks and trumpeting as they ran towards Murera. As the forest became tense and the Keepers called out, the wild bull chose to run away. Kapei briefly followed him before he disappeared into the bushes.

The Keepers then gathered the orphans and moved them towards the Chyulu Hills to change browsing area away from where the bull had been.

Quanza and Kiasa returned to the herd and took hold of little Zigi, while Zongoloni was not aware. This caused some confusion, with Latika and Kerrio also trying to guide Zigi. In the end, Zigi stayed with Kiasa, whom he trusts more than anyone else.

Rain during the night made the morning cool and wet. The orphans did not want to walk through the wet grass, as they did not want their feet to get too wet. Kapei and Maktao avoided the wet grass, and Murera and Mwana did the same.

A bushbuck stopped and watched as the elephants approached. Shortly after, a baboon came down from a tree and faced Kapei. Kapei, Amali, and Enkesha did not fear it. Instead, the baboon got confused as Kiasa and Enkesha blocked its way. The only option left was for it to jump through the trees as it tried to escape.

As the baboon ran away, the orphans charged and trumpeted loudly in the bushes. The Keepers called the babies to come out and follow them. Murera, with Mwana, was reluctant to move towards the Keepers, as she was in a bad mood. The Keepers left her to follow at her own pace, and she later joined the herd at the waterhole.

At the waterhole, elephants and some buffaloes were having a mud bath. Mwana and Amali joined Kapei and Maktao in the water. Murera waited for the young ones to finish before she went in, as she did not want to share the waterhole with them.

Later, Kapei picked up a stick, and Maktao wanted it. When Maktao tried to take it, Kapei refused to drop it. It turned into a tug-of-war, with neither wanting to let go.

In the early morning today, Ziwa was the first big boy to be seen waiting by the gate for Murera and the other milk dependents to come out after a long night in the stockades. Lima Lima and her team were nowhere to be seen at these early hours. The Keepers first thought it was Mwashoti, but it was Ziwa, waiting for his orphan friends. His long wait was not welcomed by Murera, who had not liked him since he arrived with his wild friends.

Murera’s moods this week have not been friendly to the other babies. She only welcomes Mwana, and at times Amali, because Amali is good to Mwana and looks after her when Enkesha, Kiasa, and the little babies are not around.

Browsing time was decided by Amali, Latika, and Kerrio, and they headed towards the Chyulu Hills to try and search the bushes for Lima Lima, Sonje, Zongoloni, Quanza, and their friends. They only found fresh dung from wild elephants around Chyulu and did not find Lima Lima and her team.

From the far side of the Chyulu hills, Ziwa was later spotted with Alamaya and Mwashoti. Only Mwashoti was accepted into the herd by Murera, who as matriarch decided who to welcome and who not to accept. Ziwa was not welcomed. He tried different ways to make Murera change her mind, but she remained firm in her decision because of his behaviour towards Mwana. He had tried to mount Mwana earlier, which made her scream for help, and this left Murera unhappy with him.

Zigi found himself in a disagreement with his rival friend Lenny. Zigi remains a fearless little boy who, when touched in any way by Lenny, will always push back to defend himself. This time, however, he found Lenny ready for him. When Zigi tried to grab Lenny’s tail, he found Lenny standing firm next to Amali. Zigi stopped what he was planning after seeing the tough stance Lenny showed him and instead went for help from Kiasa. He found Kiasa with Amali, and the two nannies led him away into the bushes, leaving Lenny to continue browsing.

Mwana was given some discipline by Kerrio and Enkesha when she tried to cross in front of Kerrio and grab branches that Kerrio and Enkesha were reaching for. This led to Mwana being corrected by the two nannies. She went to report them to her mother Murera, but Murera handled the situation silently and did not take any action. The Keepers later saw Mwana being allowed some time to feed so that she settled down.

Kerrio and Enkesha later walked away to be with Amali, leaving Mwana after her behaviour. Mwana often feels more privileged than the other babies because of her mother, but Murera seems to understand her behaviour and handles it in her own way.

Mwashoti returned this afternoon after being away for some days with Alamaya. He came back with marks on his face, showing that he had likely been involved in fights with other bulls during his time away. It appeared he had been fighting to hold his space, as young bulls often do while growing and establishing themselves away from the big girls.

Zongoloni arrived in style with her baby boy Zigi right next to her, not giving him even a little space. This made Kiasa, who is always his nanny, keep some distance today, as Zigi decided to stay very close to his mother. It was not something Zongoloni had planned, but Zigi chose to be without his nanny for a while.

Zigi acted as if he was not concerned with Kiasa today, although he is very fond of her. His assumption did not last long, and after some time he returned to his good friend Kiasa. Kiasa gave him some time to be with his mother, knowing he would come back. Amali walked over to be with him, but he ignored her, and she moved away to join Sulwe and Lenny at the waterhole, where most of the babies were enjoying themselves.

Lenny was inside the waterhole and was completely covered in mud, making it difficult to recognise him. Kapei went back and found his friend Maktao still wallowing. He climbed onto Maktao’s back when Maktao was not ready, and both of them fell into the water. Maktao quickly turned back to chase Kapei, who ran away knowing Maktao would retaliate.

Lima Lima later returned with Lenny, while Amali was still playing with him. Lenny chose to follow his mother instead of staying behind. Amali is fond of all three little babies, but with Zigi staying close to his mother, she chose to spend more time with Lenny. Mwana followed with Sulwe.

Enkesha later moved to have a conversation with Kerrio, who seemed to have something to share. Latika joined them, but Enkesha and Kerrio moved away, leaving her behind, as they wanted to talk privately. Latika then went to join Kamili so she could have some company.