The day before their graduation, the boys seemed to intuit that it was their last day with the Nursery herd. Instead of splintering off into a senior group, as was their usual routine, they decided to spend the day with the little boys in the herd, Taroha, Pardamat, Olomunyak and Shujaa. Mukutan, Choka and Loldaiga played wrestling, pushing, and sizing-up games with the small quartet, being gentle and patient. It was their way of saying goodbye to the youngsters.

The next day, in the early hours of 11th January, we shepherded Mukutan, Choka, and Loldaiga into their translocation truck. The three bulls boarded without complaint, their minds on the milk bottles inside their compartments. As always, it was bittersweet to say goodbye, but we know they are ready for the expanded horizons that our Ithumba Reintegration Unit affords. When the remaining Nursery herd emerged from their bedrooms in the morning, the big boys’ neighbours — Kerrio, Mageno and Kitich — walked or stretched trunks into their friends’ rooms but then set off for the forest as normal. 

The graduation of our three senior bulls led to an inevitable shakeup in Nursery dynamics. Mageno and Kitich were elevated to Nursery big boys — a position they took on with great enthusiasm! Now, they spend their days playing pushing games with a newfound swagger. 

In terms of seniority, Shujaa trails several months behind Kitich and Mageno, but he seems to have his sights set on ‘big boy’ status. Following the graduation, he has become increasingly assertive, even daring to flout the rules in front of matriarchs Kerrio and Sileita. He still has some growing to do before he is taken seriously by his elders, but we admire his confidence!

Muwingu, our resident tomboy, has little patience with Shujaa’s newfound dominance. One day, Kerrio was dusting herself on the ground as Shujaa slid down her belly like a great slide. The game continued until Muwingu trundled over. Shujaa — who possibly thinks he is stronger than he really is — stood his ground and began fighting the elder girl. Kerrio, meanwhile, made a hasty exit. The responsible matriarch always intervenes when things get too serious (like when Pardamat and Olomunyak started clashing heads one morning) but she clearly felt this squabbling pair were best left to sort it out amongst themselves. 

Our junior girls, Nyambeni and Mzinga, are too young to be mini matriarchs—but they certainly do their best impression of one. One day, little Wamata toddled over to the mud bath, hoping to paddle in after her older friends. However, she found her path blocked by two bodyguards: Mzinga and Nyambeni refused to let her put even one foot in the water! They knew she wasn’t big or strong enough to join such a large group of elephants. A Keeper came to Wamata’s rescue, helpfully shoveling mud along her back instead.

Just as surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, we can rely on Weka’s mischief. One afternoon, she was at her most wayward. Climbing out of the muddy pool, she ran at the rope cordon, giving that days public visitors quite a surprise. After we shepherded her sternly away, she knocked over the water buckets and kicked them around, refusing to stop even when we gave a warning whistle. Weka is secure in her position as the naughtiest girl in the Nursery — especially in the presence of noisy strangers!

Sileita is such a competent matriarch, diffusing tricky situations with her signature calm. One morning, perhaps fed up with Weka’s mischievous ways, Muwingo planted her round body at the naughty girl’s bedroom, acting as a very solid doorstop. Weka trumpeted, pushed, and protested, but Muwingu refused to budge. Hearing the shouts, Sileita ran back from the bush, laid her trunk reassuringly along Weka’s back, and chased Muwingu away. We were impressed to see our mini matriarch take charge of the altercation, even though it involved two females who are only a few months younger than her.

Kamili always keeps us guessing. We think we know her character — a bit of a loner with a short fuse for nonsense — but then she does something unexpected! Kamili is not one of our most frequent swimmers, so we were pleasantly surprised one afternoon when she plunged into the water after Taroha and Olomunyak. The three wallowed together, rubbing bodies and slapping trunks. After their game, they floated quietly in the middle of the pool. 

Latika remains besotted with Wamata. She is in the second feeding group, while Wamata is in the first, but she usually doesn’t mind an hour’s separation. One day, however, she was not in the mood to be apart. Immediately after drinking her bottle, she pushed two Keepers out of the way and sped from the scene, off to find her beloved baby! We let her have her way and found her happily browsing with Wamata, Olomunyak, and Taroha.

Like Muwingu, Muridjo is a tough girl with a nurturing streak. Nowadays, she can often be found looking after the young babies and ensuring that no one pesters them. One morning, naughty Pardamat headbutted Olomunyak, knocking the younger bull over. Muridjo responded immediately. She ran over, guarded Olomunyak as he stood up, and then trunk touched the little boy while we gave Pardamat a deserved time-out in the bushes.

Elephants can be quite flighty, even when there is no real threat. One morning, several impalas ran through the herd. The younger orphans ran towards their Keepers while Mushuru took charge of security. Tumpeting loudly and flaring her ears, she hurtled in the general direction of the antelope. She was supported by wingman Kitich and wingwoman Kamili, who ran along in her wake. As always, the impalas sidestepped the elephants every time they came close and went back to grazing. The chase was brought to an end by Olomunyak. When he trumpeted in alarm for his big sister, Mushuru ground to a halt, about turned and ran back to her precious boy.

Perhaps inspired by Mushuru’s bravery, Olomunyak felt bold enough to take charge of his own security detail. One morning, several warthogs began grazing next to the elephants, as is their custom. Olomunyak gave chase, doing his very best imitation of a mock charge — sprinting towards pigs with legs flailing and ears flapping. Much to his disappointment, the warthogs did not move out of his way, so stout Olomunyak ground to a halt and returned to the herd.

Taroha and Olomunyak sleep in neighbouring stables and have become close friends. Most days, we find them together in the forest and at the mud bath. One morning, they padded down to the mud bath, gulped their milk, and began a sizing-up game. Olomunyak is smaller than Taroha, but his determination led to a victory! Noble in his defeat, Taroha lay down and allowed Olomunyak to rest his forelegs on his belly.

Our other young neighbours, Talek and Pardamat, remain friends and rivals. One night, Pardamat was kicking up a fuss about nothing. Neighbour Talek tried to calm him down, but when her rumbles were unsuccessful, she took advantage of the situation. As Pardamat yelled and pushed his door, urging the Keepers to hurry up with the milk bottles, she quietly stretched her trunk through their partition to pinch some lucerne. Clever little Talek is more than a match for naughty Pardamat. 

Nothing makes us happier than seeing a shy orphan begin to let down their barriers. Many elephants come to us with traumatic rescue stories, so we understand and respect their boundaries. Sholumai was rescued at a slightly older age and was initially mistaken for dead. She has always been very reserved, so we were delighted when, one day, she went out of her way to greet a Keeper. She stretched out her trunk, allowing him to touch her in return — a small but special moment.

The orphaned rhinos:

Raha, our intrepid little black rhino, is doing well. While her journey remains a unique and unprecedented one, we are happy with her progress. Since her surgery, she has been more energetic and growing in strength, with no signs of another possible prolapse of her rectum. She is eating well, although still reluctant to eat the roughage that makes up a typical black rhino’s diet. We continue to take things day by day, but at present, all is good in Raha’s world!

One morning, as Raha plodded out to the forest, Mzinga spotted her from a distance and ran over to greet her. Seeing Mzinga wandering away, her browsing companions — Nyambeni and Taroha — decided to follow. The three elephants greeted the rhino with rumbles, Raha tolerated their presence, and they stood next to her for a few minutes before we shepherded them back to the herd. We don’t usually encourage friendships between orphaned rhinos and elephants, as they do not interact in the wild, but Mzinga is determined to visit Raha periodically.

Maxwell is also in good shape. We can often find him grazing on lucerne pellets in the company of his warthog friends, who invite themselves in and out of his large boma. The big rhino crunches up mouthfuls of pellets, while the small pigs kneel to nibble on them one by one. Feeling particularly generous one day, Max even allowed one small pig to scratch herself against his under belly!

Max also has a special friendship with the orphaned elephants. Because he is blind and has a forever home with us, he is acclimated to elephants. Despite his lack of sight, he is acutely attuned to the comings and goings of the Nursery herd. When the orphans head out in the morning, he often stands by one of his gates, so he can say hello to the passerbyers. At the moment, Mzinga, Nyambeni, Taroha, and Olomunyak spend the most time with him.