On Sunday, 11th February, the proud mother trotted up to Kaluku with a trio of mini Sprites in tow. She has given birth to three perfect piglets — two girls and a boy. Sprite’s babies are about two months old. We’ve caught glimpses of them, but this is the first time for a proper introduction. Sprite is a cautious mother — which is a good thing — but she felt comfortable bringing her piglets over to Peter, the Keeper who raised her. Sprite’s boyfriend is a handsome wild boar who frequents the orphaned elephants’ mud bath. 

Chamboi the orphaned rhino: 

We rescued Chamboi as a newborn — in fact, he was likely born premature. Over the past five months, we have been eagerly monitoring his teething process. When teeth come in, baby rhinos can start to eat greens, which settles their tummies and helps them put on weight. As we happily reported last month, Chamboi started the year with four brand new molars. Fortunately, teething is not as fraught a process for infant rhinos as it is for elephants. He was constantly masticating, as though mentally preparing for a diet beyond milk. 

This month, armed with his growing set of teeth, Chamboi finally started to eat greens. With his newly expanded diet, he has even more energy and has become very playful. Two Keepers named Fred work at Kaluku, and these men seem to be Chamboi’s favourite companions — but truth be told, he loves everyone. In fact, he is not too shy to wander into the staff canteen, much to the amusement of everyone having a meal!

The orphaned elephants: 

On 21st February 2024, Rokka and Manda graduated to our Voi Reintegration Unit, where they will continue their journey back to the wild. This move has been on our minds for quite some time. Rokka, the sole female in our little Kaluku herd, has blossomed into an excellent mini matriarch. As she grew older, however, it became increasingly clear that she was outgrowing Kaluku. She had started to pace in her nighttime stockade, despite a number of rooming rearrangements. Rokka has always been the nurturer, and we suspected it was time for a role reversal. At Voi, she would be under the wing of older females, in a bigger environment. 

Manda, Kaluku’s resident ‘big boy’, also craved broader horizons. He had sprouted into the largest bull at the unit, despite being more than a year younger than Vaarti and Mayan. As Manda's size increased, so did his ego. He was constantly pushing his weight around, much to the dismay of his peace-loving Kaluku counterparts. We knew Manda would benefit from bigger, older friends who would keep him stimulated… and keep his behaviour in check!

We are happy to report that the move went very well. Mayan and Vaarti escorted the graduates down to the airstrip to see them off. After an uneventful journey across Tsavo, Manda and Rokka safely arrived in Voi. They are thriving in their new home and have settled in beautifully. Read more about the graduation.

There is usually a brief adjustment period that follows any graduation. In this case, we are happy to report that it was barely a blip. Rokka and Manda were beloved by their herd-mates, but perhaps everyone recognised that they were ready to move on and broaden their horizons. The remaining Kaluku herd quickly adjusted to the new dynamics.

Vaarti is our bull with a heart of gold. He loves to make new friends and goes out of his way to introduce himself to any new faces who pass through Kaluku. While many bulls become unruly as they grow older, Vaarti always treats his Keepers with deference and respect. His favourite friend is Mayan, probably because they have been together from the very beginning and share similar temperaments. Vaarti is very gentle with Natibu and Mwinzi, but from time to time he and Mayan cannot resist playfully bullying them by climbing atop them — just to keep them down to size!

Mayan makes no secret that the 11 o’clock mud bath is his favourite time of day. While he and Vaarti are more or less the same size, Mayan’s tusks are slightly smaller and he is growing rather slowly. This is no doubt due to the litany of health struggles Mayan suffered as a baby. Despite this difficult start to life, he is slowly but surely blossoming into a big bull. He is highly respected within our Kaluku herd, thanks to his soft temperament.

Natibu has sort of adopted Mayan as his father. We often witness Natibu following the older bull like a shadow, sometimes even wrapping his trunk around his hind legs. Natibu has always been a bit naughty, but since the departure of Rokka and Manda, he has become even more mischievous. One of his favourite activities is mock-charging visitors — a true protégé of Rokka!

Mwinzi is our independent boy. While he is universally adored, by his fellow orphans and Keepers alike, he often keeps to himself. He can often be seen off to the side, happily doing his own thing. We think of Mwinzi as a very chill elephant, but he is quite demanding when it comes to his stable: If it is not full to the brim with greens when he arrives home in the evening, he stages a very vocal protest. By morning, it is guaranteed that there will be nary a leaf left inside his stable. Mwinzi has a prodigious appetite and a fittingly round belly!

Twiggy the orphaned giraffe:

This was a sad month for Twiggy. Her favourite companion, Nini the gazelle, passed away suddenly after a tragic fall. Despite being chalk and cheese — Twiggy is a towering giraffe, Nini was a tiny antelope — they were very close friends. For several days after Nini’s death, Twiggy was visibly upset. We could see that she was looking everywhere for her friend.

The Keepers went out of their way to give Twiggy extra attention, ensuring she felt supported during this fraught time. However, our gentle giraffe found solace in the smallest of places: She has become very good friends with Gunther, a diminutive orphaned dik dik who was rescued back in January. The little dik dik is often under her feet, but Twiggy is extremely gentle and careful around him. She loves her antelope companions!

Apollo the orphaned rhino:

As we shared last month, Apollo has really embraced his independence. He is becoming more obstinate by the day. At night, only retreats to his stockade when he feels like it. With that said, however, he started showing a bit more consideration to his human team this month. Instead of remaining in his roaming grounds until the wee hours (which is no problem, but does require a ‘night guard’ of KWS rangers to keep tabs on him), he is usually back home by 19:30 in the evening.

Apollo loves his sugarcane treats. If he is feeling particularly obstinate, the promise of this tasty delicacy can help him see reason. While Apollo is increasingly surly towards any visitors, he still loves his original Keeper, Justus. Apollo generally responds very well to commands from Justus, but only if he is at a distance. If his trusted Keeper moves closer and crosses a certain point, the stubbornness of the male black rhino manifests and talking to him no longer has any effect.

* Apollo is now at Rhino Base, in Tsavo East National Park