It must be said that Kapei is turning into a very spoiled boy. The Keepers have noticed that he enjoys testing Sonje and Quanza’s affections. Oftentimes, he rumbles for no reason at all, just to see if they will check on him. He likes to feel special!
Jasiri and Faraja came back to the stockades early this morning. The orphans were already waiting at the gate for the Keepers to open it. Sonje was very happy to see them, she gave the two boys a very warm welcome. Later, once the excitement had died down, Murera came to say hello too. The boys gave Murera a friendly greeting, then moved on to Enkesha and Maktao who were browsing in the shrubs. Kiombo followed them, hoping to start his games with Maktao. Ngasha was the only one who was not pleased about Jasiri and Faraja being around. Jasiri and Faraja chased him, and they disappeared into forests. The Keepers could hear their tusks colliding as they fought.
The fight seemed to be over by the time they arrived at the midday bottle feeding point. Ngasha arrived first with a small wound on his back. Then Jasiri arrived, and Nagsha quickly moved away. Lima Lima felt sorry for Ngasha, so she walked to him, to give him company and comfort, but Faraja blocked her, explaining that Ngasha needs the discipline.
It ended up being a very long hard day for Ngasha. He had been chased and pushed around all day. He disappeared and did not come back in the evening. Murera and Sonje were happy enjoying the peaceful environment without Ngasha.
Kapei was rumbling away as he drank his milk bottle. Sonje quickly moved over to him, worried that something was wrong. Nothing was wrong but the Keepers have noticed that Kapei likes to check that Sonje and Quanza will respond to him, he likes to know that they are near him. Kapei takes advantage of how much the older girls love him; he likes to feel special. Amali does not get the same reaction from the older girls when she rumbles. Maktao and Mwashoti are the ones that rush to Amali’s side.
It started raining and the orphan herd enjoyed rolling around in the mud on the hills. They all got very muddy and they turned red from the soil.
The orphan herd later moved over the Umani Hills. They walked in a tight formation, keeping the babies at the front for security. Two male buffaloes appeared from the bushes curious about the orphan herd, but they were quickly warned off by Quanza and Enkesha’s trumpets. The buffalos got the message and moved away into the thicker bush. Unfortunately, Ngasha was coming from the opposite direction and walked straight into the buffaloes. Ngasha chased the buffaloes further away from the orphan herd, leaving them to browse in peace.
Kiombo pushed Kapei out of the way so that he could be in front. This proved to be a big mistake for Kiombo. Sonje and Quanza herd Kapei’s complaints and rushed over to him, chasing Kiombo away.
Murera also heard Kapei’s protests and came over, but by the time she got there the issue was resolved. Kapei was happily browsing on branches that Quanza was pulling down for him. Little Amali came along trying to join Kapei but Kapei pushed her away, not wanting to share. Luckily Mwashoti was close by. He rescued Amali, shielding her from Kapei and finding her some branches to eat.
Zongoloni, Alamaya and Jasiri joined the herd from the Chyulu area. The other nightclubbers had already joined the herd form other corners. Lima Lima and Mwashoti were happily welcoming them all into the herd. Only Ziwa was missing.
We had a very upsetting incident today. Shaka, one of our new drought rescues, bolted when she was let out of her stockade today. She has always been flighty, but had calmed down sufficiently in recent weeks. However, something spooked her and she bolted into the bush. The Keepers spent hours and hours searching, and even the orphans appeared to be looking for her, but our search turned up empty. We will continue tomorrow.
There was a surprise waiting for the orphans and the Keepers when they woke up. There was a wild junior bull waiting outside the stockades. He mingled with the herd when they were let out, but he was very focused on Sonje. He wasn’t interested in the lucerne pellets but instead went directly to Sonje and followed her around. The wild bull even started trying to mount her. Kapei started to scream, worried that Sonje would leave him. His screaming brought Quanza and Lima Lima over, who ried to calm him and reassure him that Sonje would be back soon. The wild bull decided to stay with the orphan herd until they returned to the stockades in the evening. He tried to join the others in the stockades, but the Keepers blocked him. Eventually the wild bull left, visibly upset by the Keepers’ decision to close him out.
Unfortunately, we did not locate Shaka today. She clearly does not want to be found. Fortunately, at nearly three years old, she is big enough to survive off vegetation. The sheltered Kibwezi Forest has plenty of food and is protected. However, we will continue searching and hope that she reappears soon.
Kapei was playing hide and seek with the Keepers today; he did not want his photo taken. He kept hiding his face under Sonje’s tummy, or behind Quanza. Kiasa was also helping Kapei hide by picking up branches and blocking the Keepers’ view.
Sonje was pulling down branches so that Kapei could browse more easily. Amali browsed with Lima Lima and Mwashoti. It appears that the older females love the little boys more, and Kapei loves having the attention of the older girls, while the older boys seem to prefer Amali.
All the babies were very excited to go for their mud bath today. Kiombo got in first, closely followed by Kapei, then the older orphans joined in. Sonje and Murera excused themselves and moved away not wanting to be involved in the commotion. Ngasha walked over to where Sonje and Murera were having a head girls’ meeting. They were not happy about Ngasha’s intrusion. Murera and Sonje moved away, leaving Nagasha alone. Ngasha moved back to the mud bath, but as he arrived, all the orphans got out and abandoned Ngasha; they didn’t want to get pushed around by him.
As soon as Amali was let out of her stockade, she went straight over to the scratching rock. She had a very nice scratching session. Kiasa came over to join her but the rock was not tall enough for Kiasa so she moved over to the loading ramp, where she used that rocky wall to scratch her back properly. Sonje decided it was her turn next and she gently pushed Kiasa out of the way. After the scratching sessions were over, Lima Lima led the orphan herd towards the Umani hills area. Sonje followed along at the back.
As the orphan herd came back to the Umani springs area for their midday milk bottles, two crane brids flew down and passed over the orphan heads. The new babies were not used to the noise the crane birds make and they got a fright. The babies ran back into the bushes for cover, they were trumpeting and making a whole lot of noise. The crane birds left but the babies still looked very on edge.
Kapei and Amali came to us as drought victims, suffering from a lack of food and water like many animals in the area. The Keepers are very proud to see them now; you would never know that they had been so skinny and struggled so much. They have settled in very well; they are now happy and healthy. They are finding life at the Umani Springs very easy with all the food, water, and friends.
Kapei as usual spends his day with the older girls, while Amali and Mwashoti are really bonding. Mwashoti comes back from his nights out to take care of her, and Amali really loves the calm, gentle bulll. Today, Kiombo was walking past Amali, who was calmly browsing. Mwashoti followed her closely making sure Kiombo did not push her.
Before they reached the Kibwezi Forest, Zongoloni, Jasiri and Faraja came out form the very thick bush to join them. When Ngasha spotted Jasiri he rushed off and disappeared into the bush, not wanting to get into a fight.
The Keepers thought that the disagreement between Ngasha, Faraja and Jasiri was sorted out by the last big fight. After a long day of fighting, it appeared that Ngasha had accepted Jasiri as the dominant bull. Then today they started fighting again, so the other orphans moved away from the fighting boys. Ngasha had to be pushed away from the herd because he cannot stay in the herd peacefully without causing trouble. He even began being rough with Kapei and Amali, which the others decided was unacceptable. When Jasiri are Faraja are around, the orphans are happy and relaxed, especially Murera, and Sonje.
The two resident crane birds arrived at the waterhole. They love the grassy area around the waterhole, they always find lots of grasshoppers and insects to eat. Alamaya was not pleased to see the crane birds. He called Mwashoti over to back him up, and they chased the birds away. Kiasa and Kiombo thought this looked like a fun game, and they joined in. The crane birds took off but they flew a small distance away and landed just behind where the orphans were now browsing on acacia branches.
Sonje and Quanza took off towards the Umani Springs, with the orphan herd in tow. They happily browsed around the Umani Springs. Lima Lima appeared from the bush and joined the orphan herd. They were very happy about her surprise appearance, especially Kapei who rushed over to greet her. Kapei stayed with her, resting in the shade under her belly. This attention made Lima Lima feel incredibly happy. Sonje was worried that Lima Lima would want to take Kapei away with her, but after consulting with Lima Lima they agreed to stay with the herd and keep Amali and Kapei together. Amali was browsing with Mwashoti a few meters away.
Alamaya and Ngasha tried to join the herd a little later in the day, but the older girls did not want their company. Murera saw Ngasha was trying to get closer to Sonje and the babies, so she rumbled a warning that Sonje should change direction. Luckily Jasiri showed up to protect the babies. As soon as Ngasha saw him he rushed off to the bush.
Kiasa, Enkesha and Kiombo found a waterhole to play in, and cool off. The hot day made the waterhole too inviting, and the other orphans had to join in. Kapei and Amali had the best time wallowing. The big girls stood at the side of the waterhole letting the babies play and enjoy their mud bath without being pushed around.
As the orphans started heading towards the Umani Springs for their midday milk bottles, they were joined by a wild bull. The Keepers were worried at first, luckily the bull was very gentle and friendly. He didn’t charge the Keepers at all; he was only interested in greeting Sonje and Lima Lima. Kapei went to greet him, thinking he was an old friend, but the bull was confused by Kapei’s friendliness and gave him a warming kick. The wild bull then refocused his attention on Sonje. It appears that Lima Lima and the bull are old friends; she must have met him on her adventures away from the orphan herd.
Kiombo and Enkesha started to play, which made Maktao jealous, and he tried to separate them. Maktao wanted Kiombo to play their usual pushing match. Kiombo obliged, while Enkesha went back to browsing.
Today Mwashoti and Alamaya got into a fight. For the longest time, these two boys have gotten on very well, existing peacefully within the herd, but today Alamaya stole a branch from Mwashoti. Mwashoti felt wronged so he pushed Alamaya in anger. Alamaya turned round and pushed back. Murera, who is very close friends with Mwashoti, was forced to intervene. Sonje also got involved, moving over to consult with Murera. Alamaya saw the matriarchs discussing and moved away in fear of being punished.
Being so small, Kapei landed in a bit of trouble this afternoon. Some of the orphans were running away from Ngasha, trying to get away before he pushed them. In the commotion, Kapei got knocked over by Kiombo. The Keepers are not sure if it was by accident or if Kiombo pushed Kapei out of jealousy; Kapei is now Sonje’s favourite, much to Kiombo’s chagrin.
In the middle of the night a thunderstorm began. There was very heavy rain and lots of thunder, which meant the orphans and the Keepers had a sleepless night. Amali started trumpeting, which then set Kapei off too. Kapei’s screaming got the older girls all worried. Quanza was charging at the dividers, trying to get into the same stockade as Kapei to comfort him. The Keepers feared Quanza would break down the fence that was between them, they decided it would be best to let Kapei and Quanza out so they could be together. The rain stopped briefly but then it started again when the orphans were having their morning milk feed. The orphans didn’t seem to mind the rain; they were happy wallowing in the mud. Amali and Kapei turned red as they covered themselves in the red mud.
Little Amali got herself into trouble with Kapei. Amali was relaxing with Sonje, with her head under Sonje’s belly, which is Kapei’s favourite spot. When Kapei saw this bonding between Sonje and Amali he got jealous and pushed Amali away. The Keepers interfered, calming Kapei so that he would stop pushing Amali. Amali them moved off not wanting to fight with Kapei.
This morning the Keepers got some incredibly good news: Runaway baby Shaka was spotted sneaking back into the shrubs along the road to the Umani Hills. The Keepers gathered to track her down. They could hear her running through the bush, but because it was so thick, they struggled to see her. After many hours of searching, they decided to stop looking for the day.
Then later in the afternoon there was another report of Shaka. This time, the Keepers saw her running into the bushes and followed her very quickly so they wouldn’t lose sight of her. The way that Shaka ran away and continued to hide shows how terrified she is of humans; she must have very serious trauma from before she was rescued. The Keepers equipped themselves with a bucket full of milk and some lucerne pellets, but she was still too scared to come close. It seems Shaka is doing well on her own and does not want to be part of the orphan herd. The Keepers will continue to keep an eye on her and try to help her.
Ziwa and his wild herd arrived from the Chyulu area. Ziwa came into the orphan herd to greet his old friends. A little while later Faraja arrived from the same direction; he had followed Ziwa from the Chyulu area back to the Umani orphans. Ziwa was not given very long by his wild family; they let him greet his friends and make a fuss over the new babies, then they called away. The orphan herd begged him to stay longer but he didn’t want to be left by his adopted family, so he ran off to join them.
Faraja spent time with the orphan herd. He got on very well with Mwashoti and Murera, he decided to browse with them all day, enjoying how peaceful these two elephants are. Although he did have some fun playing pushing games with Mwashoti and Alamaya, they all had a fun time, not like when Ngasha starts his pushing. Little Kapei tried to join in but he got told to stay away and go back to where Sonje and Kiasa were browsing. Kapei trumpeted in protest, which attracted the attention of all the big girls, who went to his rescue.
It was raining again this morning. Amali didn’t want to walk out with the others, hoping to remain under the shelter of the stockade. She found herself left behind as the others didn’t mind the rain; even Kapei wasn’t bothered about getting wet. Eventually, Amali was forced to go out into the rain as she didn’t want to be left behind. Kapei showed her the wallowing game so that she would not feel so bad about the rain but instead learn to love the mud. The big girls joined them, rubbing their bottoms in the mud. Quanza brought Kiombo and Kiasa to join in on the fun. It rained for a few hours, so Amali got used to the rain.
The rain did make it a bit slippery and Murera struggled to walk normally and keep up with the others as she had to be careful not to slip and fall.
The orphans were playing in the mud again, later in the day. Ngasha decided to join in. He tried to climb on Lima Lima, but she played a trick on him. She stood still and strong, allowing him to climb up on her, then suddenly she moved and Ngasha fell over. The Keepers laughed, happy that Ngasha was getting a bit of his own medicine.
Kapei plays with the older orphans more than he plays with his agemate, Amali. Amali is a shy, quiet girl, while Kapei is more confidant. Kapei went in search of Maktao, thinking that Maktao would be fun to play with. Maktao did not welcome this idea. Instead, he chased Kapei forcing him to run back to Quanza and Sonje for protection. When Amali saw that Kapei didn’t want to play with her, she went to Mwashoti for company. Mwashoti remained happy to look after Amali and play gentle games. Kapei gave up trying to play with Maktao and instead went back to being doted on by the older girls.
Quanza and Sonje led all the babies to the Umani Hills. Sonje spotted a small hill that was good for bottom scratching, and for getting the ticks off. After their scratching session, they all started playing in the mud, and climbing on top of each other. Lima Lima saw how much fun the babies were having so she joined in. Kapei and Kiombo were climbing on Sonje and Kiasa. Kiasa could not hold the weight of them and she fell over.
Murera was taking time for herself, separate from the rest of the orphan herd. She just needed her own space to relax. Mwashoti made his way over to join Murera under the shade of an acacia tree, unaware that Murera was moody and wanted to be alone. They had a conversation that appeared to anger Murera, and she chased Mwashoti away from her. This was unusual behaviour for Murera to show towards her great friend. The Keepers could hear Mwashoti trumpeting and crashing through the bushes. Alamaya went to reassure Mwashoti and calm him. After the commotion, Sonje and Quanza led the orphans away, and told them to leave Murera alone.
Kapei is the happiest little boy with the biggest appetite. He is very good at eating, and he always has a full belly at the end of the day.
Kapei always has Quanza, Sonje, Kiasa, and Enkesha as his escorts. None of the other orphans can boast to having so many bodyguards. The newest orphan to the Umani herd, Amali is still a little aggressive to the Keepers, and she only really loves Mwashoti. Mwashoti is very wise. He realised there were some strange smells in the bushes, he stuck his trunk up to smell better and discovered there were buffaloes hiding in the bushes. Luckily Mwashoti walked in front of Amali and blocked her from walking straight into a sticky situation.
Kiasa started trumpeting. Little Kapei, who was browsing with Quanza and Sonje, heard Kiasa shouting and he knew Kiasa was calling for him. So Enkesha escorted him to where Kiasa was rubbing her bottom and having a good scratch.
A big wild bull visited the orphan herd at the midday mud bath. The orphans were all getting ready to cool off after their milk feed when Amali and Kapei alerted the herd about the surprise visitor. The bull was only interested in greeting Sonje. He was not friendly and made it clear he did not want to greet anyone else. This scared Amali, who kept her distance. Kapei also flared his tiny ears, looking scared and ran over to join Amali. The bull was too big and strong that Sonje did not want the orphan herd to be close to him, so she called the herd to come back from hiding in the bushes, and she led the herd away from the bull. The orphans happily followed her. Quanza was good at giving Sonje support, while Murera disappeared into the thickest bushes, terrified of the wild bull. Luckily Mwashoti was with her, and they re-joined the herd later.
The Keepers were extra vigilant for the rest of the day. They kept their eye out looking for the wild bull and making sure he wasn’t following them. They kept little Amali and Kapei close to make sure they were safe. Alamaya and Zongoloni appeared from nowhere trying to calm the orphans, wondering why they were leaving the waterhole in such a rush, then they saw the big bull. Zongoloni went over to plead with him to leave the orphan herd alone.
The rain started just after orphans got to the Chyulu area. Little Amali was trying to hide from the rain, she was putting her head under the tummies of the older females, but they were not that welcoming. Mwashoti came to her rescue. He rumbled to Amali, who ran over to him and found some shelter from the rain. Kapei already had his head under Quanza’s tummy.
Later in the day the orphans moved towards the Kibwezi Forest to browse. Then two resident crane birds landed on the tree that Kapei was resting under. The sound above scared Kapei, who then screamed. Sonje, Quanza and Enkesha came rushing over, looking around for what had scared him, but they could not see the crane birds at the top of the trees. Sonje then decided it was not safe and moved the whole herd to another shaded area to rest.
Kapei knows he is the favourite, and he thinks that he can get away with being naughty. He started pushing Amali around during the milk feed. This upset the Keepers. They gave Kapei a warning not to intimidate Amali. Amali was still drinking her milk and Kapei had the idea that if he pushed her, she would run away and he would get her bottle, but the Keepers denied him the chance.
Ngasha has not been with the herd in a couple of days, after he went off with Alamaya. It has been so peaceful, especially for Sonje and Murera. The whole orphan herd and the Keepers are happy, they are enjoying the peace, and none of them have to be on high alert ensuring that Ngasha is not bullying anyone.
The waterhole was very entertaining today. Everyone enjoyed watching Amali rush into the mud bath and open the wallowing session for the other orphans. Amali loves the mud bath and is a very good swimmer. She is usually the first one in and the last one out. Interestingly, she doesn’t seem to enjoy having a dust bath after playing in the mud.
The wild elephants are now beginning to come back through the Umani area. After the rains started the wild elephants disappeared for a little while, but now they are slowly trickling back through. Today, a big wild bull appeared after the orphans had finished their midday milk feed. The orphans were still hanging around in the open with the Keepers, when they saw the bushes moving, then an old giant bull came walking towards the babies. Quanza whispered something to Murera, who then fled with Mwashoti. They obviously recognised this bull and didn’t like him very much. The Keepers noticed this and tried to get out of the way. Surprisingly, he passed through without any incidence.
In the afternoon the babies were thirsty and hot, Amali decided she was going to the water hole to cool off. Enkesha followed as her babysitter. The others soon followed Amali to the waterhole, agreeing that it was very hot. Enkesha could not believe how Amali was lying flat in the waterhole, only her little head was out of the water. Enkesha joined Amali, which scared a big buffalo that was lying in the mud on the other side of the waterhole. The buffalo left and Amali continued swimming joyfully.
Kiombo and Maktao opened the day with their usual pushing match. Kiombo pushed Maktao from behind, which angered Maktao, who them pushed back hard. Maktao had the better pushing position today and he manged to push Kiombo down. Kiombo, a little embarrassed, rushed into the bushes to hide. Luckily Sonje stopped Maktao from following Kiombo, and the game was over.
The orphan herd was browsing in the cool of the Kibwezi forest. They were feeling very happy and playful, charging around and trumpeting. Then a hyrax dropped down next to Amali and ran past her, giving her a big fright. The Keepers knew that Amali is still very nervous and worried she would run away and not come back. Luckily, her friend Mwashoti brought her back to the orphan herd once she had calmed down.
Some crocodiles invaded the orphans’ favourite waterhole. This afternoon the babies were very hot and they persuaded Sonje and Quanza to take them to the waterhole. Before Kapei rushed into the water, he felt the temperature with his trunk. While he was testing the water, a crocodile that was on the opposite bank slipped into the water. Kapei and Amali saw this and quickly ran away. Kapei rumbled to Quanza, who rushed over to calm him down. Quanza and Enkesha made sure the crocodile was not going to come out of the water, while Lima Lima relocated the orphan herd to a safer waterhole where they could peacefully enjoy their mud bath.
After the orphans had enjoyed their swimming and mud bath time, Mwashoti came to get his favourite little Amali from the herd. Mwashoti had been keeping Murera company, but Murera did not come to the mud bath today, preferring her space. She only really wanted to be with Mwashoti, which made it difficult for Sonje to know what Murera was thinking or ask her opinion on where to browse.
When it was time to head back to the stockades, Sonje let Kapei lead the way, with the help of Enkesha. It is good that Kapei learns his way home, then he cannot get lost.
This Christmas morning, Lima Lima and Mwashoti reported back to the stockades very early. They enjoyed time with the rest of the orphan herd at the lucerne pellet corner. Zongoloni, Faraja, and Jasiri had been away for a long time, even Alamaya and Ngasha had not been back for a few days. The Keepers were hoping they would appear but only Lima Lima and Mwashoti were around today. Now that the rains have come there is a lot of nice green vegetation and water, the nightclubbers do not need to come back to the stockades for supplementary lucerne pellets or water, so they are staying away for longer periods.
As orphans were browsing along the Kibwezi Forest, a herd of wild friends approached the orphans to greet them. When they saw the Keepers, they got scared and ran away, disappearing into the thick bush. Amali got confused, unsure of which direction to go. She started following the wild herd, scared that she was being left behind. The Keepers had to go running after her, and luckily, they got her back quickly.
On Boxing Day, Kiombo decided it would be the perfect day to start a boxing match with his friend Maktao. Maktao was not interested at first, but Kiombo kept insisting, which angered Maktao, resulting in a big fight. Enkesha and Kiasa tried to separate them, but the boys would not listen. Maktao was overwhelmed by Kiombo; he was pushed onto his bottom and struggled to get up. Kiombo took advantage of Maktao being down, as he knew that Maktao could win the fight if he was able to get up. Murera and other girls watched on from the sidelines, enjoying the entertainment. Sonje found it difficult to watch Kiombo pinning Maktao to the ground, so she eventually separated them. Kiombo fled to the bushes, giving Maktao some space to get up.
Alamaya and Ngasha had gone to the Chyulu area looking for Zongoloni and Ziwa, so that they could be together. They had not come back to the stockades for some time. Sonje, Murera and the Keepers were happy that Ngasha had taken a safari, as it was very peaceful in his absence. However, this morning they found Ngasha waiting for them at the lucerne pellet corner. As soon as Murera saw Ngasha, she changed direction and walked away, not welcoming him home. Mwashoti followed Murera, understanding her better than any of the other orphans. They browsed together peacefully and away from Ngasha. Amali joined Mwashoti and Murera, while Kapei went off with Enkesha and Quanza.
Since Ngasha re-joined the herd, he stays away from the girls and only socializes with Mwashoti. Lima Lima even tried to talk to Ngasha, but he ignored her and made sure she did not get too close.
Later in the day, Alamaya re-joined the herd as well. Alamaya first greeted Mwashoti, asking him to welcome him and inform the others. Gently, kind Mwashoti welcomed Alamaya then took him over to Sonje and Quanza, so that they could fill him in on what he missed, and also to hear his stories.
Little Kapei got scared of a monkey that dropped down from a tree near him. Kapei rushed over to Quanza and Kiasa. They put their trunks over him, trying to find out what scared Kapei, but he found it hard to tell them, as he didn’t know what it was himself. Enkesha tried to persuade Kapei to follow her but in the end, Sonje had to come and get Kapei so that the orphan herd could move towards the Chyulu hills, without leaving Kapei behind.
Kiombo and Maktao had another pushing match today — although today, it was Maktao who started the fight. He pulled Kiombo’s tail, knowing this would get Kiombo riled up. Kiombo spun round, ready to fight Maktao, but he found that Maktao had cleverly positioned himself on higher ground where he had an advantage. Kiombo decided that this was not a fair fight and he did not engage, instead he walked away stopping the pushing match before it started.
A herd of wild elephnats with tiny babies approached the orphan herd fom behind. They bumped into Murera first, as she was walking slowly and browsing behind the rest of the orphan herd. Mwashoti was with Murera. He noticed that there were wild bulls as well and warned Murera, so she could rush over to the Keepers for safety.
Amali has really started to settle into the orphan herd. She is more comfortable being around the other orphans, and even the Keepers. Although she is still not loved by the older girls, and her agemate Kapei is more of a jealous rival than a friend, Amali is finding friends within the herd. Mwashoti is her best friend and looks after her so well. He listens to her stories and rescues her when she is in trouble.
Kapei led the herd in for their milk feed. They all lined up enjoying their bottles. Kapei loves his milk and is very possessive of it. He also always demands more milk. Ngasha stayed away from the mud bath, as he knew that the Keepers would not allow him to have a mud bath with the other orphans because of his notoriously poor manners.
Some big bulls appeared walking towards the mud bath. Ngasha was already there having a good scratch. The Keepers keenly observed how Ngasha would behave around these wild bulls. Ngasha did not panic or look scared; instead, he calmly moved away to give the wild bulls some space and started digging minerals from the soil nearby. One wild bull followed him, and the Keepers were shocked at how small Ngasha looked compared to the wild bull, who was huge! Sonje, Quanza and the babies decided not to join the wild bulls, leaving them with Ngasha at the dust bath.
Kapei was so focused on the branch he was trying to pull down he didn’t realize there was a klipspringer in his midst. Kapei heard the klipspringer run behind him, which gave him a fright. As usual, all the older girls came to check on him and make sure he was alright.