Keepers' Diaries, December 2008
Voi Reintegration Unit
The month of December started well with good rains that promoted a green flush of new vegetation and filled natural waterholes, relieving the difficulty of a long and tough dry season. Many of the elephant herds had newborn calves with them as the Keepers intensified the search for Emily and Aitong, both of whom by now must also have been expecting their first-born babies.
01 December 2008
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02 December 2008
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03 December 2008
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04 December 2008
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05 December 2008
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06 December 2008
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07 December 2008
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08 December 2008
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09 December 2008
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10 December 2008
During a routine Ranger patrol following the November rains, the Keepers came across Emily, who had not been seen for the past 3 months. She was standing under a tree on the rocky knoll not far from the Voi Stockades, attended by 2 adult wild cows, as well as some of the orphans. The two wild cows resisted the Keepers closer approach, charging them aggressively, so they took the hint and kept well away, watching through binoculars until darkness set in.
11 December 2008
First thing in the morning, the Keepers returned to where Emily had been the previous day, and she was still there, under the same tree with the same two wild cows and the orphans, all of whom appeared very excited. Beneath the sea of legs and trunks was a tiny newborn calf, Emily’s first baby, probably born during the early hours of the morning. Again the two wild “midwives” resisted close intrusion, and after a while the herd crossed the road, so the Keepers could clearly see the calf, but were unable to make out is sex. All the orphans were being extremely attentive, fondling the baby, helping it along, caressing it with their trunks, while Emily herself seemed pretty relaxed, happy to entrust the baby to her army of little “Nannies”, all of whom were eager to play a caring role. Edie, in particular, seemed to have appointed herself as Head Nannie, and was being extremely protective of the newborn.
12 December 2008
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13 December 2008
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14 December 2008
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15 December 2008
At dawn Robert Carr Hartley left the Trust House on the Athi River boundary of the Park, bound for Voi to try and document this milestone event for all Emily’s foster-parents, and, indeed, all the orphans’ foster-parents who through their support are part of the Orphans’ Project. When he arrived, Joseph Sauni, the Head Keeper of the Voi Unit, phoned to say that Emily and her entourage were at the Stockades (minus the two unfriendly “midwives”) so Robert hurried there and found them all clustered around the new baby, with the Keepers standing beside them, clearly over-joyed and privileged to have been able to share in this happy event. Meanwhile, the orphans had drained the Stockade drinking pool of water, and as everyone was watching the antics of the infant, (who had been named “Eve”), it suddenly inadvertently fell in! All the elephants reacted instantly, clustering around, kneeling and reaching down with their trunks to try and lift the baby out, but clearly they needed a helping hand, so two Keepers jumped into the pool, and hauled the infant out. Overjoyed to have their precious baby back safely in the fold, after a while the group decided to leave, accompanied by their Keepers and Robert, all of whom simply walked in amongst them, as of old, with the baby running in and out of a sea of legs and playing beneath the large torsos of all its female Nannies and its mother. Robert was able to get close-up shots of the baby suckling Emily, and of the Nannies trying to rouse it, whenever it tried to take a nap! Emily was totally relaxed and laid back throughout, quite happy for the Keepers and Robert to be with her baby, confident that Edie and the others would keep a very close eye on it for her. Meanwhile the young bull orphans were not allowed a look in, but kept clear of all the fuss and excitement, off to one side. Laikipia, even seemed a bit scared of the new baby, hurriedly moving off whenever it approached him! Robert and the Keepers were able to spend two very moving hours with the group, immensely touched to have been trusted so implicitly and welcomed as part of the elephant family! What a wonderful and fitting Christmas gift from Emily, an orphan who was reared in the Nairobi Nursery from the age of just 1 month, and who grew up to become the main Matriarch of the Voi Unit, following the sad demise of Malaika, who died in childbirth 8 years ago, unable to give birth to a calf lying breach in the birth canal. Malaika was only l0 at the time.
16 December 2008
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17 December 2008
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18 December 2008
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19 December 2008
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20 December 2008
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21 December 2008
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22 December 2008
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23 December 2008
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24 December 2008
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25 December 2008
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26 December 2008
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27 December 2008
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28 December 2008
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29 December 2008
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30 December 2008
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31 December 2008
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