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One morning, Hildana gulped down his milk and tried to grab Epiya’s bottle. The Keepers swiftly ordered him away so that Epiya could enjoy her bottle in peace. A few days later, Hildana was at it again — this time, targeting Kenderi. However, Kenderi is not the type to give up easily and fought back, forcing Hildana to go try his luck with Baraka instead.

Ashanti is even more devious. She has started planting herself in front of the stockade gate as soon as she wakes up, so she can be the first to exit and thus the first to get her bottle. Roommates Epiya, Baraka, Busara, and Losoito find this to be most unsportsmanlike behaviour — they follow Ashanti in hot pursuit to the feeding area, full of indignant rumbles. 

But woe be upon anyone who attempts to steal from Ashanti! Little Baraka found this out the hard way one morning: She tried to pinch the older girl’s bottle and was promptly pushed over for her troubles.

Ndotto and Ngilai continued exploring their independence this month. Most nights, they joined the dependent herd for breakfast after spending the night on Msinga Hill with Mweya’s group of ex-orphans. They still enjoy spending the day with their human-orphan family. In fact, they seem fixated on making themselves the centre of attention! One afternoon, Ndotto — who is known for his general dislike of wallowing — was the star of the mud bath, having such an infectiously good time that Losoito and Emoli had to join him.

Ever since she mated with a wild bull last month, Tagwa has also been experimenting with occasional nights out with the ex-orphans. She seems torn between the comforts of the stockade and the excitement of the wild — so for the time being, she is enjoying the best of both worlds, sometimes staying out, sometimes returning to her old bedroom. Her best friend, Tamiyoi, doesn’t yet show any interest in joining the wild side.

We had a lovely morning with Mudanda this month. The older girl split away from Mweya and the other ex-orphans to spend several hours browsing with the dependent orphans on Msinga Hill. Hang time over, she then returned to her wild-living friends. We are heartened to see Mudanda being her usual social self after the mysterious loss of her baby, Miale, back in December, and we hope that she will become a mother again in the not-too-distant future.

Although she is no longer the clinging vine she once was, Lemeki still likes to dawdle with her Keepers for as long as possible after the afternoon milk feed. As a result, she is usually the last to arrive at the mud bath. Her adopted little sister, Losoito, often hangs back to wait for her, so big and little can walk down together. 

On 13th February, we welcomed a surprising new addition to our Voi herd: A juvenile bull was spotted with a spear wound on the lower joint of his left foreleg in the Galana area. The SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit treated his injuries, but his heavily impaired mobility made him vulnerable to a lion attack. He was brought to the Voi stockades to heal and thus far, is recovering well.

As it turned out, it was a week of arrivals. The following day, 26-year-old Laikipia turned up at the stockades after an absence of many months. Lemeki welcomed him with a trunk touch and a flirtatious wiggle. Laikipia politely greeted her, hung around for an hour or so, and then wandered back to the bush as soon as it was dark.

We also welcomed some wild visitors this month. One afternoon, a mature bull and a teenager joined the orphans at the mud bath. Godoma and Manda clambered out of the water, greeted the teenage bull, and played a sparring game with him. When his older companion strode into the wallow, an excited Itinyi paddled next to him. 

This is one among many examples of Itinyi coming out of his shell. The circumstances of his rescue left him severely traumatised — his mother was killed before his eyes — but with time, he is healing. One afternoon, he was intent upon proving that he was the strongest bull in the herd (which he’s not!). He started wrestling with his peers, Hildana and then Kilulu, before ambitiously moving on to challenge older bull Emoli. Emoli was a graceful competitor but did not let Itinyi win. 

The Voi Kids — Akina, Ashanti, Baraka, Busara, Dabida, Epiya, Hildana, Itinyi, Juni, Kenderi, Kilulu, Losoito, Manda, Rokka, Seri, and Ushindi — are always in a collective convivial mood, but if it is chilly or overcast, their energy levels take a marked dip. One day, however, not even the weather could keep them down. For no apparent reason, the younger ones were particularly excited and sprinted towards their Keepers. Unable to keep up with her group, stout Losoito trumpeted loudly, warning the others not to touch her milk bottle!

We can always count on Godoma to be in high spirits, even when the rest of the herd is not in a playful mood. On one such day, she made a dramatic scene, laying on the soil and waving her legs in the air. Seri, Losoito, Busara, Baraka, and Epiya stood quietly nearby, unmoved by Godoma’s energy. 

Mbegu is a matriarch to everyone, but Busara is her special favourite. In recent weeks, little Busara and Rokka have become inseparable — more like sisters than friends. Mbegu dotes on them both with great diligence.

We didn’t have any visits from Murit and Lasayen this month — they must be enjoying the company of their new, wild friends! By contrast, ex-orphans Mweya, daughters Mwitu and Mwangaza, Panda, Mbirikani, Kihari, Pika Pika, Arruba, Rorogoi, Sagala, Mudanda, Naipoki, and Ndii were familiar faces throughout February.