December began on a wonderful note, with the arrival of many visitors — including two new grandbabies!
After an absence of many months, Edie and her large ex-orphan herd strode up to the stockades. She arrived with her kids, Eden, Ella, Eco, and Enzo, along with long-lost Panda and Kihari, who came to introduce their newborn babies, Panya and Kiki.
Sagala, Kenia, Arruba, Tahri, Ndoria, and Araba, who joined Mweya’s herd a week of so earlier, also padded up to the stockades. Close behind came Mweya with babies Mwitu and Mwangaza, Mbirikani and baby Mica, Naipoki and baby Nsimba, Ndii, Suswa, Arruba, Mbegu, Ndotto, Pika Pika, Ngilai, Tagwa, Tamiyoi, Murit, and Godoma.
This huge herd of 32 ex-orphans joined our herd of 22 dependent elephants, making the area in front of the stockades very crowded, with a total of 54 elephants. All except the wild-born babies were raised at our Voi Reintegration Unit.
After the afternoon milk feed, which took place outside the stockades, another long-lost ex-orphan arrived. Tundani, who had been absent for nearly four years, joined the herd and even went into his old stockade to meet Chapeyu. The two bulls stood next to each other for a short time before Tundani walked away to catch up with the other ex-orphans.
The 6th of December was a big day for Chapeyu. Since being rescued back in February, he had left his stockade just once. Every other day, he flatly refused to walk out of his room. That morning, we succeeded in persuading him to join the other elephants.
When Chapeyu walked out, the others chased each other around to welcome him. Lemeki stood by Chapeyu’s side and tried to prevent any roughhousing. Then Ndotto approached, greeting the younger bull and playing with him in a friendly manner.
After socialising with everyone for a bit, Chapeyu left the stockades and strode up to the top of Msinga Hill, where he browsed on his own and seemed to gather his composure. Later in the day, Ndotto and Lasayen joined him on the hill, and the three bulls stood quietly together.
Five days later, on a bright morning, ex-orphans Naipoki, baby Nsimba, Mbegu, Tagwa, Tamiyoi, Ngilai, Ndotto, Tundani, Mudanda, and Araba arrived early — with Chapeyu in tow. Looking well, he ambled up to the stockades for breakfast. We were pleased to see how seamlessly Chapeyu had integrated into the ex-orphans. He visited again later in the month, this time with Ndotto and Godoma.
Sileita, Sholumai, and Mushuru, who graduated to Voi in May, have settled in well. However, they still operate as a mini herd, with Sileita as matriarch. We were reminded of this one morning when Rokka was trunk-hugging Sileita, pushing her to lead the way out to the browsing fields. Sileita resisted because she could not see Mushuru and Sholumai, who were still feeding on lucerne. She did not move until her two friends had finished.
Sparring matches provided plenty of entertainment in December. One morning, six-year-olds Itinyi and Kilulu ambitiously teamed up in a wrestling match against 13-year-old Tundani. When they had had enough, Thamana took their place. Thamana and Tundani pushed heads and clinked tusks in a serious contest of strength.
At 11 years old, Ndotto is turning into an impressive bull — but that did not stop him from trying to sneak a sip of nostalgia. One day, he stood quietly behind the row of milk-feeding babies with his trunk lifted in request of a bottle. Being far too old for milk, he was shepherded onto the feeding trough instead.
Our Voi youngsters are doing well and growing more confident with each passing month. Ashanti, in particular, seems to be blossoming. She has a special pose when playing in the mud, rolling around with her legs aloft. This often attracts attention, and on one occasion cheeky Kilulu clambered onto her stomach and lay there with his trunk waving.
As Lemeki takes on the role of leader of the dependent herd, she is becoming more responsible for the other elephants and less affectionate toward humans. She is especially caring toward her adopted babies, Losoito and Rokka. There are also several capable mini matriarchs in the herd, including Juni, Akina, and Epiya. Between them, Baraka, Busara, and Ashanti are well looked after, while Sileita continues to shepherd Sholumai and Mushuru.
Thamana remains the oldest and strongest bull in the dependent herd, but Kilulu appears to have aspirations. On several occasions, he challenged Thamana to contests of strength. Given how much younger he is, Kilulu is unlikely to succeed for now — he would be better placed focusing on his age-mates, Itinyi and Hildana.
Milk-related drama made its usual appearance. During one afternoon feed, Ushindi decided that Dabida’s milk looked sweeter than her own and repeatedly pestered the Keeper feeding Dabida. Eventually, Dabida relinquished her bottle to Ushindi and accepted a replacement from another Keeper.
An update from the hospital wing: Serenget is well but remains in her stockade rather than walking out with the herd. Despite her young age, she refuses to drink milk. Neither bottle nor bucket has persuaded her so far. While she is getting adequate nutrition, we wish she would take milk and will keep trying.
Christmas Day brought a particularly large number of visitors. At dawn, Mweya and babies Mwitu and Mwangaza, Panda and baby Panya, Mbirikani and baby Mica, Naipoki and baby Nsimba, Kenia, Ndii, Mudanda, Arruba, Pika Pika, Ndotto, Ngilai, Murit, Mbegu, Tagwa, and Tundani all arrived at the stockades. Only Kihari and baby Kiki, Rorogoi, Tamiyoi, Araba, and Godoma did not appear. With over 40 elephants gathered, the area in front of the stockades was full to the brim.
On Boxing Day, another special visitor arrived after dark: Around 9:30 PM, Laikipia — who had been away for nearly a year — just popped by for a quick evening visit. The orphans were in bed, but they still recognised their old friend and rumbled greetings. Laikipia stayed for a long drink and then disappeared into the night.
On the last day of the month, tiny Panya was running the show. She charged head-on into Epiya, then began pushing Sileita and Mushuru, both of whom handled her gently. Panda kept watch but allowed her baby to interact freely.
New Year’s Eve brought a new addition to the stockades. An orphaned baby zebra was rescued after being found alone near Satao Camp, likely after her mother was killed by lions. The little girl arrived in poor condition, suggesting she had been without her mother for several days.