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Lima Lima and the team of new mothers slowly walked along the road heading to the stockades with their tiny babies. In front of the mothers, Sulwe was trying to charge at the baboons that were in their path, but the baboons remained unperturbed. They saw Sulwe as too tiny to be a threat. Kiasa and Quanza jumped in front, attempting to shield the babies from any potential danger, but they needn’t worry. Before Kiasa could reach the baboons, Amali, Enkesha, and the other older nannies swiftly moved in and stopped any potential danger the baboons might have posed to the little ones. Sonje, Murera, and Zongoloni then decided to lead the babies in another diection where they believed there would be more food for the little ones and the entire herd.

Kapei and Maktao found themselves in trouble after they interrupted Sulwe and little Amali while they were playing. Sulwe complained to her mother, Sonje, prompting the herd to keep the boys away from the little girls. Mwashoti was also included in this warning and was told to leave the girls' affairs alone. He took his group of young boys and walked away, continuing their lessons on survival tactics in the wild.

Kapei followed Mwashoti but soon started pushing Maktao from behind. Though Maktao was older, Kapei persisted until Maktao turned around and mounted him to remind him who was boss and put a stop to his antics.

Sonje and Lima Lima, in the company of Quanza and the only boy among the girls, Mwashoti, all reported this morning with the little babies. They looked tiny inside the tall grass, with only their little ears visible as they moved under their mothers. Sulwe spotted a Keeper and tried to prove herself as a true elephant by charging at him while he was attempting to take pictures. The Keeper almost fell backward, but Quanza and the other babies moved aside to give him space and prevent him from getting hurt.

Lima Lima and Enkesha soon walked out to the forest. Everyone followed Enkesha, and then Amali joined her to help lead Sulwe and Lenny; Mwana is still stuck to her mother’s side. Later, Mwana crossed over to join Amali, who was now leading the group toward the Kanzili area. However, some buffalo blocked the road, preventing them from moving forward.

The older females contacted their male friends to help them find another route. Mwashoti chased away the buffalo blocking the road, joined by Quanza and Maktao, who helped drive the buffalo far away from the herd, ensuring they wouldn’t return. Kapei kept trumpeting and charged into the bushes to make sure the buffalo were no longer close by, allowing the Keepers to walk safely by too.

It's the second day Alamaya and Ziwa have been back with the herd, but today a wild bull followed them and tried to disrupt the peaceful morning. All new mothers and nannies assembled the little babies, though we could not see Quanza. Then, after some time, Quanza came along, and behind her was Ziwa with a wild bull who had long tusks. The moment he moved to where Murera was, Mwana ran next to her mother. 

Murera decided to walk away with Mwana, recalling how last week had been a very hard time with bulls pursuing her for about five days. Today, Murera excused herself to the stockades to be safe. The Keepers opened the gate for her, and both Murera and Mwana walked back into their room to give space for the wild bull to move away, but he did not leave immediately. Only when the Keepers called out to Ziwa did he leave with him. 

Ziwa returned to the orphans after sending his friend away. Then Mwana and her mother Murera walked out freely after finishing some delicious pellets. Lenny was back with Sulwe, fighting over a stick that Lenny was using to rub around his gum because he is now teething and needs to rub his mouth on something. Sulwe was demanding the same stick, but neither was ready to give it up. Amali tried to stop the fighting babies, but Sulwe was becoming too much to handle until her mother came to stop her. Lenny was taken back to his mother by Enkesha and Kiasa.

This afternoon, Quanza, Amali, Enkesha, and Kiasa took off to look for Sonje, who did not come for the mud bath time and skipped her midday bottles. The girls were not very happy staying with the herd without Sulwe and Sonje. This showed the Keepers how loving the little nannies — Kiasa, Amali, and Enkesha — are, and how much they care for Sulwe. Sulwe is clearly their favourite, and they cannot bear for her to be away without knowing why.

They rushed to the hills after tracing their smell, where they found Sonje and her baby coming down. Amali began to trumpet loudly as a way of welcoming little Sulwe and Sonje, and Sonje replied with a loud snort of her own. They all walked back to where the other babies were still at the waterhole with Murera and her swimming partners. Murera turned to the other side to welcome Sonje, along with Mwana.

Mwashoti chased Quanza away from the scratching post he was using to scratch his bottom against; he did not want to share it! He stood firmly and told Quanza, "This is not for you — find another way."

Today the mud bath was full of fun, with the little babies trying to show the older orphans how clever they are when it comes to swimming styles. After getting some swimming tips from Mwana, Amali, and Kiasa, Sulwe jumped on top of Amali, then Lenny copied the same. Their mothers also joined them to keep them company and to make sure none of their games got out of hand!

When it came to nursing, Zongoloni was ready to feed whichever baby came her way. It is remarkable how this nanny has managed to step up in this capacity! Cheeky Kapei was blocking the way for Amali to get past him, until Maktao came over and gently nudged him aside to pave the way for the little girl to get past, who was leading the babies to the dust pile so they could dry off after wallowing. Some of the babies found the red soil was too hot to put on their backs, so they stopped and walked away.

When Kiasa saw Sulwe already departing with Mwana, she followed them, but Mwana soon returned to her mother Murera, who rumbled to her to come back and not wander too far. 

Mwashoti stopped, not ready to walk away with the first group. He joined Murera and Sonje, as well as Quanza, splitting the herd into two groups — one led by Murera and another taken over by Kiasa and Enkesha, the little nannies. 

The orphans had their food in the morning as they always do. Lima Lima and her friends, who spent the night away from the stockades, reported early in the morning, waiting for the Keepers to open the gates and allow their friends who were still inside the stockades to come outside and join them.

Lenny rushed over to Amali, and then Enkesha joined the two little babies, but Kiasa came and took off with Lenny. After whispering something to Lenny, we just saw Lenny walking away with Kiasa, and both joined the new mothers inside the shrubs to browse. Sulwe put a small stick in her mouth but was struggling to chew it after seeing Lenny and Kiombo with sticks in their mouths. Nevertheless she wasn’t ready to part with her stick and she kept holding onto it until she wanted to browse, at which point she dropped it.

Murera rumbled for Mwana to return to her after she saw mischievous Kapei trying to mount on Mwana. She was not happy to see Kapei do such a thing as he is far too big and might hurt little Mwana. Murera needn’t have worried too much however as when Maktao saw Kapei preparing himself to climb on Mwana, he went to save the little girl and chased Kapei away. Kapei doesn’t always know his own size compared to the younger babies!

Today Enkesha was given a test to prove her ability to take care of little babies, Lenny and Sulwe. Both youngsters are very happy in her company, but she had to separate them when they started fighting over her. Lima Lima glanced over to see if her baby Lenny was okay, but she was satisfied with what she saw Enkesha doing with Lenny.

Sulwe also tried to push Lenny away from Enkesha, but Enkesha stopped her. Fortunately for Sulwe, she was soon able to spend some quality time with Enkesha when Lenny left to be by his mother. Sulwe enjoyed more time playing around Enkesha, then both felt the day was becoming too hot and they needed a place to cool off in the waterhole. Sulwe got down to drink water from her mouth because both she and Lenny still don’t know how to use their tiny trunks. Instead, they bend down to reach the water using their mouths.

After drinking and finishing with their mud bath, the elephants moved to the mound of loose soil to dry themselves. Then, all the babies and their mothers walked out to the forest to find shade, with the babies heading under the trees to relax as the day was too hot for them. Mwana and Murera did not join the shade where Lenny and Sulwe were with the other nannies. Instead, they found another tree to rest under close by, leaving Sonje with the rest of the herd. Mwashoti joined Murera and Mwana.

The orphans had a good head start to their new day. Murera took off to leading the babies towards the hills. Although some of the girls were not in support of the direction she chose, Murera did not turn back. Sonje and Lima Lima were in support, while Amali and Enkesha were torn when they saw Sonje and Kiasa leading Sulwe in a different direction. In the end, they all joined Murera. Mwana was also playing around with Maktao.

Mwashoti warned Maktao and Kapei, who were play-pushing in the bushes. Mwashoti thought they were fighting, but when he got closer, he saw they were just playing and decided to leave them alone. He then moved over to where Mwana and Murera were browsing. Quanza later joined them, but since Mwashoti and Quanza are not very good friends, Quanza soon moved away, leaving her rival behind. She later teamed up with Zongoloni, who was alone, but is always a good friend to her. Enkesha later joined them with Kapei and Amali. 

Later some buffaloes came down from the hills and found Kapei playing in some loose soil. When Kapei spotted two male buffaloes watching him, he got scared and started screaming as he ran into the bushes to join the other babies. Mwashoti, Ziwa, and Kiasa teamed up and moved to where Kapei had been. They searched the area and chased the buffaloes away by trumpeting and charging. 

Alamaya came this morning somewhat late, so he found the orphans just about to move after their morning pellets. When he joined the herd, Kapei was steadfast in welcoming him, while Mwashoti and Maktao tried to avoid him. The Keepers were telling a story about Alamaya — that whenever he visits, like today, there must be wild friends around, and they would likely be seen.

Four hours later, the story proved true when a wild bull, over thirty years old, emerged from the bush and stopped at the mud bath, playing with soil and chasing away the buffalos. The bull did not leave but kept hanging around until another bull joined him. The second bull was even older than the first, and both lingered until it was time for the midday bottle feeding.

Mwashoti went straight to the bulls with Alamaya, and both had some interactions with the big bulls. Mwashoti then tried to convince Murera and Mwana to go and greet them, but the message was not well received. Murera wasn’t happy and chased Mwashoti away, making it clear she did not want anything to do with the wild bulls.

When the Keepers arrived with the bottles, the orphans drank quickly. The Keepers then called their babies to move them away from the wild bulls. As we moved back, another bull was also approaching where Kiombo and Amali were swimming. Lenny, Sulwe, and the nannies — Kiasa, Enkesha, Amali, and Quanza — quickly moved away from the big giants, leaving the boys alone. This also made Murera decide to leave them on their own.

Last night, leopards made the baboons chatter the whole night. For safety, the troop of baboons then relocated their "baboon apartments" near the stockade, and their noises didn’t allow the elephants to relax. Instead it made all the orphans inside the stockades restless and uneasy.

Amali and Kapei both tried to stay quiet, but it wasn’t easy because the baboons kept shouting loudly. Mwana moved to Murera, and both joined the other babies in trying to push at their gates. The Keepers came out and urged Murera and Enkesha, who are neighbours, to try and remain calm. The Keepers also did not return to their tent to sleep and instead remained out with the orphans. The orphans were happy to see the Keepers outside watching over them. This reassured the them and made them feel safe despite all the unsettling noises.

When the milk was ready to be given to the elephants, Amali and Kapei got excited. After drinking her bottles, Amali came out running out of her bedroom but remained very attentive, thinking the baboons and leopards were still around.

Later, when all was well, the babies moved together, staying very close to one another — no one wanted to be even a few meters away from their friends. They were now acting as if everyone was a Keeper.

As the orphans approached the Chyulu Hills, they encountered a bull walking by the road. Murera suddenly stopped and was unwilling to continue walking as she had been before. Mwashoti then stepped in and saved the situation. Sensing that the bull could be dangerous to the Keepers, and noticing Murera’s hesitation, Mwashoti moved forward and "sweet-talked" the bull. This allowed all the orphans to pass by safely. Once he was sure that the Keepers and Murera had also passed, Mwashoti left the bull behind, confident that everyone was now safe.

Shortly after the orphans reached the Kibwezi Forest, a group of male buffaloes surrounded them. Tiny Sulwe and Mwana took off, trying to charge at them. The Keepers were shocked to see little Sulwe, Mwana, and Amali trying to go for the buffaloes. This was not a good idea as they are very small. Enkesha, Kiasa, and Quanza were forced to go in front of them to block them from reaching the buffaloes because they are very tiny and could get hurt. Lima Lima, after escorting baby Lenny to the big group of orphans, returned only once she was sure the buffaloes had left the place.

Sulwe walked over to Murera and asked to be allowed to nurse. She was allowed because Mwana was not hungry at that moment. Later, Mwana joined Amali to walk the little babies to some shade as it was very hot. The little babies could not stay in the sun, which is too harsh for their delicate skin.

Kapei took Maktao away for pushing games, but Mwashoti, the referee, stopped them from playing too roughly. They all stopped and followed Mwashoti to the thickest bushes, where they relaxed and browsed. Little Sulwe and Lenny again disagreed over a stick that Lenny was using, and Sulwe also tried to use it in her mouth, which was itching from growing teeth. Lenny lost, and Sulwe won, taking off with the stick in her mouth.

The morning sunshine shone beautifully as the Umani orphans began their long day out in the Umani Hills. As it got brighter, Sonje and Lima Lima were heard in the background of the hills, making loud trumpeting sounds. Murera, Amali and the other orphans heard the loud trumpeting from deep within the hills and rushed in that direction, where they found the new mothers, Lima Lima and Sonje with their babies. Lenny and Sulwe ran to welcome them into the herd, while Mwana stood watching the interactions unfold.

Lenny went straight to his aunt, Murera, trying to get some milk. Murera stood firmly, allowing Lenny to suckle nicely. However, Lenny soon turned greedy and selfish, refusing to let Sulwe also enjoy the sweet milk from Murera. A fight broke out between them as they could not agree to share.

Later on a wild elephant herd visited the orphans. To everyone's amazement, Lima Lima, the middle-aged leader, stepped forward and rumbled deeply. She stretched out her trunk and touched a wild female elephant. It turned out to be her old friend, the one who had walked with her during her pregnancy, teaching her tactics of motherhood while she was still a young girl.

After a moment, Lima Lima stood still, glancing at her human Keepers. She then turned and walked back toward them, where Kiasa, Enkesha, and Amali were playing games with the little babies, who were also taking a daytime nap. Lima Lima did not go with her former wild friend but instead moved back to keep an eye on both babies. She knew that if she stayed, she would get her evening bottle of milk, but if she left with the wild friend, she would miss it — something Sonje would surely enjoy instead.

The orphans had a very good beginning of the day today. Lima Lima and her friends reported very early and stopped by the gate, waiting for the orphans who were still inside their stockades to come out. Amali was the first out and joined Sulwe. Lenny became jealous of Sulwe, wondering why Amali just left him and went to Sulwe, leaving him alone by the scratching rock. Enkesha and Kiasa spotted Lenny being unhappy and moved to his side to keep him company. 

When Lenny joined Enkesha and Kiasa he felt happy and walked under Kiasa to try and suckle from her. Kiasa is a doting nanny and move to the appropriate stance to try and please Lenny. But after pulling at Kiasa’s teat and realizing Kiasa has no milk to provide, he left and moved to Murera, who allowed him to suckle shortly while Mwana watched on peacefully. She knows she is a big baby but Lenny is still very small and needs a lot of milk to sustain him. 

Lenny and his critic, Sulwe, both found themselves under Sonje. Sonje was trying to nurse Sulwe, but Lenny snuck in unnoticed by Sulwe. When Sulwe found him trying to suckle, she wasn’t happy. At first she hadn’t been sure which baby was nursing from her, she thought it was her own baby, but she soon realized when Sulwe complained about Lenny, and Sonje pushed Lenny gently aside. 

Lenny was later picked up by Lima Lima and Zongoloni, with Amali also coming to take him back to where Mwana was with Murera. Sulwe was then left with her mother alone to enjoy her breastfeeding moment. 

Quanza, Enkesha, and Kapei walked to the waterhole and got in the water, swimming very seriously after feeling the heat of the day. Murera and Mwana came to drink some water before heading to a smaller, different waterhole together.

When Kapei came out of the mud bath, he walked to Amali’s side. However Amali wasn’t prepared to play with Kapei. Kapei then decided to mount Amali, a move which displeased not only Amali but the other older girls too, who chased Kapei away so Amali could finish her time at the waterhole in peace. She walked away only when she was satisfied, without Kapei harassing her while in the swimming pool.

This morning, Amali, Lenny, and Sulwe had very good interactions among themselves without their mothers' help or support. Sulwe moved to where Lenny and Amali were, then Sulwe singled out Lenny and pushed him while Lenny wasn’t aware or ready. Lenny firmly stood his ground and showed Sulwe that he was a strong boy — even if he had a small body, he is energetic, and no girl could bother him. 

Amali moved in, trying to stand between them, but Sulwe was also annoyed now. Eventually Kapei intervened and separated the youngsters. Then Kiasa and Enkesha moved in and stopped them from any further encounter, encouraging them instead to stop and play like brother and sister. Amali looked concerned about the two little babies fighting, though it was just a playful fight that ended in a draw without a winner.

Mwana and her mother, Murera, stood watching as little Lenny pushed against Murera’s front leg so she would make space for him to breastfeed. Mwana was watching keenly, knowing she was now a big girl who needed to behave like a nanny and not like the little babies. Mwana has graduated from being the firstborn girl to a level of nanny stature, and she is proving to be a very good nanny.

Amali and Enkesha gathered at the pellet eating place. Lima Lima and her group had not yet arrived to join the orphans this morning. We soon heard some elephants yelling and trumpeting in the hills. The Keepers saw Amali raising her trunk, trying to locate the direction of the noise. She made a quick move, running towards the side where the sound was coming from. It was amazing to see and made us wonder how Amali immediately realised that the trumpeting elephants were Sonje and Lima Lima’s group. It makes us believe even more that elephants have distinct voices that they can each understand, especially amongst herd member or friends in other herds. Indeed, it wasn’t long after running out of the compound that Amali returned with the mothers and their babies. 

Lenny was leading, running and blocking the others from going ahead of him. Sulwe crossed Lenny’s line, but Lenny fought back, forcing Sulwe to run to Kiasa for help. Kiasa and Quanza walked her back to her mother, Sonje. 

Kapei went to his older friend Maktao and joined him at the soil pile. Maktao soon started to climb on Kapei’s back however, but Mwashoti, the peacemaker, pulled Maktao by his tail to stop him from mounting little Kapei, who was looking for help.

Alamaya later joined the herd with Faraja and Jasiri. A few minutes later, two wild bulls arrived, but retreated into the forest after realising the Keepers were there with the orphans. When Alamaya saw his wild friends walk back into the forest, he decided to go with them, leaving the orphans behind. He had wanted his wild friends to greet and be part of the orphan herd today, but when his friends feared joining in, Alamaya saw no need to stay and left with them to return to the Kanziku area where they had been browsing.