Kim Kim was rescued from a bushfire. By the time we found her, the flames had burned off her hooves, leaving her unable to walk. The ordeal left her terrified, and for many months, she sheltered in the back corner of her stable. But January saw real progress for Kim Kim, physically and emotionally. Her hooves are healing and she is able to stand and walk comfortably. Equally important, she is far less frightened than she used to be. She loves her Keeper, Peter, who patiently applied ointment to her injured feet and earned her trust these past months. 

Bam and Boozle spend much of their day camped outside the canteen, observing the goings-on and waiting for any handouts that might come their way. Come nighttime, we shepherd them back into their stable. Often, Mr Bean appoints himself their personal concierge, herding the birds into their room with his tail held aloft.

For a long time, Bam and Boozle’s genders remained a bit of a mystery — it’s very difficult to tell with young chicks — but it’s recently become very clear that we have two females. (Male ostriches have black plumage, while females like Bam and Boozle are mostly brown.) 

The Orphaned Elephants

At last, Natibu is starting to grow tusks! He is taller (though not older) than the other boys in the herd, and for the longest time, his tusks resolutely refused to make an appearance. Now, two barely-there nubs of ivory can be seen. We might be imagining it, but Natibu seems to have an extra swagger in his step. Sometimes he forgets his manners and directs that extra swagger at trying to bully Korbessa, but she quickly sets him straight.

Mwinzi remains Kaluku’s coolest, calmest elephant. He is very affable and a friend to all, although he is equally happy doing his own thing. The only time he loses his cool is when one of the smaller orphans — usually Mr Bean — bothers him. That incites the full regalia of flared ears, waving trunk, and trumpeting. It’s all in good fun, but it’s very entertaining to watch. It must be said that Mr Bean is none too impressed by the sight of a corpulent young elephant mock-charging at him. He skips around in a leisurely manner before eventually speeding off!

Mwinzi and Natibu sleep in big boy stockades now, while Toto remains very attached to his stable. However, while he is growing, his bedroom isn’t getting any bigger, so the day will come when he will have to upgrade his accommodations. This month, we introduced the idea of a stockade — we have earmarked one behind Korbessa’s stable, where the friends will still be within an easy distance of each other. For now, we are just walking him inside, so he can become more comfortable with the space before retiring to his stable for the night. During the first such introduction, Toto hesitated outside the gate and refused to walk inside. (Meanwhile, Korbessa, who had invited herself on the excursion, showed herself in without a moment’s hesitation!) By the second time, however, he was willing to walk inside. We take things slowly with Toto, and a new bedroom will be no different — we won’t rush things.

As we mentioned last month, Korbessa runs the show at Kaluku, enjoying her privileged status as the youngest and the only female among three boys. No one makes a move without Korbessa. She really enjoys hay bales and likes to stand over one, rolling it beneath her belly. After an energetic play session, she lays down and rests her head on the bale, using it as a pillow.

One morning, she loitered by the milk mixing area, yelling at the top of her lungs. The Keepers immediately knew that she was demanding an extra treat of milk. With Korbessa, it’s all about picking your battles — and this was not a battle to pick! We whipped her up a small taste of milk, which she happily gulped down and then went on her way. Meanwhile, her shouts had sent Toto running back, concerned about his little sister. Side by side, the pair toddled into the bush to join Mwinzi and Natibu. 

Twiggy, the Orphaned Giraffe

Last month was marked by visits from wild dogs, this month brought about an even more formidable visitor: a large male lion. Kaluku sits in unbroken wilderness, adjoining Tsavo East National Park, so all wildlife are welcome to come and go as they please. But understandably, the newcomer left Twiggy feeling uneasy. 

In fact, Twiggy was the first to clock his presence: Before we had even seen the lion, Twiggy had taken up residence around the compound. This was unlike her — Twiggy is usually anywhere and everywhere, linking up with the orphans at various locations throughout the day — so we knew something was amiss. Sure enough, the lion was spotted shortly thereafter. We know he will soon go on his way, but in the meantime, it is good to know that Twiggy has such strong instincts.

At three years old, Twiggy is becoming more independent and a touch more obstinate. Some nights, she happily goes into her stockade; others, it takes a whole team of Keepers to even shepherd her in its general direction. When she’s feeling particularly spunky, she does the ‘Twiggy dance,’ hopping around and splaying her legs every which way. It’s a strangely elegant sight!  

Chamboi, the Orphaned Rhino

Like Toto, Chamboi is starting to outgrow his stable. Also like Toto, he is extremely attached to his setup! He is still quite small, so we will move him to a larger stable next, before ultimately graduating him to Apollo’s former stockade. We are currently making some repairs and upgrades to ensure the stable is fit for our little rhino king, but once that is done, we will begin to introduce Chamboi to the idea of his new bedroom. 

In the afternoon, Chamboi enjoys his mud bath first, followed by the orphaned elephants. Sometimes, however, the groups overlap for a few minutes. Chamboi tolerates the elephants, especially Korbessa, and even allows the occasional trunk tap. While he is not friends with the elephants — which is good, as the species would not interact in the wild — he is certainly comfortable in their presence. 

Chamboi is just 17 months old, but already he is showing glimmers of the impressive rhino he will one day become. His Keepers say that he is much more of a force than Apollo was at his age!

Apollo, the Orphaned Rhino

Apollo is a confident and increasingly independent young rhino. He is becoming more assertive and honing his natural instincts. True to rhino form, he is fiercely protective of his territory, which he marks through sprays of urination and dung piles. While any unfamiliar faces are treated with suspicion, Apollo is very inquisitive and can’t resist coming to investigate any comings and goings.

The landscape around Rhino Base is still green, and Apollo continues to take full advantage of the lush vegetation. He often disappears into the thick bush, particularly in the lugga that runs through the centre of his territory, where the dense foliage provides the perfect place to nap.

Apollo is also curious about the elephants who pass outside and often follows their tracks along his boundary fence. He is frequently seen in the company of the zebras who have taken up residence in his boma—if you need to find Apollo, you need only look for his striped friends. Another telltale sign of Apollo’s presence is the tick birds that keep his hide free of pests. As he moves through the bush, they flutter up, only to take residence on his back as soon as they see an opening.

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