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Stout little Losoito is Lemeki’s protégé, and Thamana is Lemeki’s first and favourite little brother. Thus, it’s only natural that the two youngsters would intersect, too! We have noticed that Thamana is also taking Losoito under his wing. One afternoon, he invited the young girl for a special sparring match. He took special care to play gently with her, making her happy by not using all his strength.

6th December was a very sad day. In the early morning, a group of ex-orphans was waiting outside the stockades. We immediately realized that Mudanda’s baby, Miale, was missing — and that the ex-orphans were probably there to report the loss. They spent only a few minutes in front of the stockades before heading back into the wilderness.

Several Keepers followed the ex-orphans in a vehicle, staying with them for hours in the hope that they might lead us to little Miale. Despite an extensive search, she was nowhere to be found. We had to accept that Mudanda had lost her happy, healthy baby. Poor Mudanda didn’t seem outwardly upset — as wild animals accustomed to loss, elephants are good at ‘turning the page’ and focusing on the present — but we mourned the passing of her precious little girl.

The next day, Mweya and Mudanda’s ex-orphan herd arrived at dawn. Although Miale was still missing, Mweya’s baby, Mwangaza, was present and healthy. She was sandwiched between Mweya and Mudanda, both of whom stood so close that we could hardly see the baby. They were clearly taking no chances.

For the beginning of the month, big bulls Ndotto, Murit, and Lasayen decided to join the ex-orphans, further experimenting with their wild lives. But as we are constantly reminded, reintegration is a gradual journey — not a direct path! After nearly two weeks living wild, Ndotto decided he was ready for a break. He remained with the herd as they wandered back home in the evening and spent the night in the stockades.

Just like humans, elephants can feel under the weather for all manner of minor aches and pains. We are constantly on the lookout for any changes in the orphans’ behaviour and condition, so we can take action if need be.

One afternoon, Mbegu lay down on her way back from the mud wallow. She seemed to have a stomachache. We encouraged her to stand and walked her slowly back to the stockades. Our vet arrived to treat the matriarch of the herd.

The following morning, Mbegu was still not herself. Sensing that she was not well, Busara, her adopted baby, insisted on standing under her head to console her. As the hub of the herd, matriarch Mbegu is loved by all the orphans and Keepers, and many elephants were worried about her. The vet returned to treat her again, and by evening, Mbegu was back to her usual self. Busara kept trunk-touching her at the water trough, checking that her adopted mother was feeling better.

Ngilai cannot resist pushing the envelope. On an otherwise peaceful morning, he made the crucial error of approaching young Baraka and attempting to mount her. Godoma, her adopted mother, would not stand for this — she pushed her peer away and ushered the little girl away. We were all very disappointed in Ngilai’s poor manners.

The Voi Kids — Akina, Ashanti, Baraka, Busara, Dabida, Epiya, Hildana, Itinyi, Juni, Kenderi, Kilulu, Losoito, Manda, Rokka, Seri, and Ushindi — are generally an active, fun-loving group. But some days bring different energy levels. One afternoon, Itinyi kept pestering best friend Kenderi to play with him, but Kenderi was determined to keep browsing and so refused every invitation. Ngilai, meanwhile, was bothering Thamana, trying to persuade him to a wrestling match. When Thamana ignored him, Ngilai punched his backside with his long tusks. Turning around in anger, Thamana head-butted the older bull, saying that he wanted to browse on his own. No one was on the same wavelength.

Later in the month, we had a spot of tusk drama. After filling their bellies, Kilulu and Dabida began a sparring match. When Dabida gained the upper hand, Kilulu became angry and rammed his head into Dabida, knocking her over and, more seriously, breaking her left tusk at the root. Knowing he was in the wrong, Kilulu made a speedy exit while Dabida screamed for reinforcements. Two Keepers calmed her down and checked her broken tusk, which we cleaned and treated.

With that said, sparring is a normal part of young elephant society. The orphans soon headed out to browse over the southern side of Msinga Hill before returning to the stockades in the afternoon. After a group mud bath, Kilulu challenged Kenderi to a sparring match. When Kilulu grabbed Kenderi’s trunk, Kenderi backed down, allowing Kilulu the victory. Although the incident yesterday with Dabida was unexpected, contests between up-and-coming bulls are normal as they compete for supremacy in the herd.

2024 ended with indecision. After breakfast, current and former orphans headed out to browse in two groups on Msinga Hill. Ndotto and Ngilai kept moving back and forth from one group to the other, unsure whether to stay with the ex-orphans or the dependent herd. When our elephants climbed to the top of the hill, Ndotto stayed back with Mweya’s herd. Later in the day, however, he returned to the stockades and to best friend Ngilai. We wonder if 2025 will be the year that Ndotto finally decides to go wild!