January marked the first full month in Umani for our ‘Nairobi Girls.’ Kerrio, Kamili, and Latika graduated from the Nursery in mid-December and started settling into their new home.
Kerrio is already proving to the older girls that she is capable of filling any leadership role that should come her way. She was well-trained at the Nairobi Nursery, where she was the head girl, and now at Umani she continues to show that she is a leader to watch.
Kerrio has also become a very enthusiastic swimmer. Whenever she goes for her midday bottles, she insists on visiting the mud bath. She splashes mud along her sides, then goes into deeper water to swim, emerging fully coated in mud, which helps remove flies and ticks. Latika always waits for Kerrio to enter the waterhole first, then follows with Kamili, while Mwana usually joins them last.
Early January brought an unexpected development. When the herd was deep in the forest, browsing together as one team, some bulls appeared from nowhere and joined the orphans. The bulls approached — and they only had eyes for Enkesha. We were surprised, as Enkesha is young and as of yet has shown no interest in courtship, but nature always knows. She seemed very comfortable with the bulls and remained in their company for a long time. This is a ritual we have seen unfold many times before: Enkesha was coming into season, and her suitors were gathering to toss their proverbial hats into the ring.
Enkesha’s honeymoon period spanned two weeks, with various wild bulls singling her out and trying to spend time with her. Interestingly, it was Faraja who facilitated these various introductions. He clearly recognised that she was in season, but at 14 years old, knew that he was too young to be her chosen partner. Instead, he escorted her over to more suitable bulls so they could make her acquaintance. Alamaya was also in the mix, but realised that he too was not a contender.
On 17th January, the honeymoon finally came to a close. Enkesha arrived in the company of several giant bulls, including a very impressive tusker — and it is he who she chose as her mate. She chose the biggest and strongest male. With the deed done, Enkesha was finally left alone by the bulls and could rest after a torrid two weeks. In 22 months, we hope to welcome a new grandbaby!
Faraja’s fellow albino brother, Jasiri, also played a role in Enkesha’s honeymoon. After the bulls left to pursue their own paths following their “honeymoon,” Enkesha was left alone in the forest. Luckily, Jasiri came to her rescue and brought her back to the herd, where Lima Lima, Sonje, and Zongoloni welcomed her into their growing team. Enkesha decided that it was only appropriate that she stop sleeping in the stockades, and instead joined the nightclubbers out in the forest.
Despite this, Enkesha remains very attached to her stockade-dependent family. She has enjoyed getting back into her usual routines, such as milk feedings and morning greetings with her human-elephant family. Early one morning, we even found her waiting outside the gate by herself. Amali rumbled, and Mwana walked over and embraced Enkesha as they communicated in elephant language.
Even little Amali experimented with a night out in the forest this month. One afternoon, she linked up with Ziwa’s adopted wild family and started fussing over the littlest baby boy. The wild mother welcomed Amali, allowing her to help with nanny duties. When Keepers attempted to shepherd Amali home for the evening, she ran off with the baby into the herd, choosing to remain with them. As a result, Amali spent the night out with the wild elephants. This caused some concern for the Keepers, but we knew she was in safe hands. ‘Big brothers’ Jasiri and Ziwa would look after her.
Meanwhile, Kapei, who is usually Amali’s neighbour, spent the night without her. He didn’t exactly seem to be missing her — in fact, he took advantage of the situation by eating all the food left in her room! Unfortunately for him, Amali decided to resume her normal stockade routine the following night.
Sulwe is a serious little girl who knows how to handle our tiny rogue, Lenny. One day, after finding Amali too large to climb over, he set his sights on Sulwe. The two babies, a girl and a boy of similar age, had a brief fight to establish respect. The scuffle was resolved when Sonje intervened and called a truce. Pride wounded, Lenny ran back to his savior and surrogate mother, Murera. She wrapped him under her belly, blocking everyone from approaching him except for Mwana.
We witnessed a sweet moment with our herd’s gentle uncles, Mwashoti and Maktao. Latika found some sweet branches and tried to pull them down, but they were too strong for her short trunk. The boys bustled over to assist. They pulled the whole branch down, allowing everyone to enjoy it together.
Zongoloni is a very private mother and trusts Kiasa as her chief nanny. However, she is also a famously mercurial elephant. One morning, she had an issue with Kiasa and chased her far away, pushing her with her tusks to ensure she did not return. When Zigi saw his mother chasing his favourite nanny, he was unhappy. Eventually, Murera intervened and warned Zongoloni to stop harassing poor Kiasa. Kiasa quietly returned to Zigi’s side and Zongoloni made no protest. She understood that she had been censured for her behaviour.
January brought a notable addition to our Umani family: A completely wild junior bull decided to ‘adopt’ Lima Lima’s team! He was introduced by Jasiri and then befriended Mwashoti, who is his age-mate. At first, we thought he was just a casual visitor, but as the days and weeks passed, he continued to stay in the mix.
One afternoon, Lima Lima and her team arrived for the midday milk feed. When both groups of orphans lined up behind the Keepers, the bull formed his own line, staying with Mwashoti and Quanza at the back. He stopped when he saw the Keepers giving bottles to the orphans. Mwashoti walked back to keep him company, and the boys stood head to head. We felt Mwashoti was explaining the situation to him, because the bull relaxed and watched the feeding unfold.
The junior bull is very comfortable with the orphans, especially Mwashoti, Quanza, and Maktao. He even appears settled around the Keepers, although they maintain a safe and respectful distance. The only one who has no interest in associating with him is Murera. She chases him away whenever he approaches her.
Really, it is Murera’s world, and we all must abide by her rules! We were reminded of this one morning, when the Keepers attempted to shepherd the herd toward the Umani Hills. Murera refused to follow and instead chose her own direction. She made it clear that it was her decision, not the Keepers’, to determine where the orphans would go to browse. We all recognised her authority and duly followed her lead.