June began with Mwashoti back in the mix. He took Kiombo on a wild safari last month and has been away ever since. Kiombo is evidently still enjoying his time in the wild and making lots of new friends, because he did not return this month.
In fact, it was a month of reunions. After Mwashoti’s triumphant return, Alamaya decided to visit the orphans after a long recess. Jasiri and Faraja also reported several times, often first thing in the morning so they could join the whole team at the pellet feeding place. Ziwa and his wild herd paid us a few surprise visits this month, too.
Enkesha and Kiasa may be young, but they are such excellent nannies. One afternoon, Murera was leading the group towards the Umani Hills, which necessitated crossing the springs. When Lenny and Sulwe approached the water, Enkesha and Kiasa didn’t allow the babies to get into the springs, aware that crocodiles might be hiding in the water with their heads submerged. Lenny and Sulwe didn’t understand why they were being blocked, but Kiasa and Enkesha were very aware of the danger and showed excellent instincts.
Sulwe is such an imp. Her mother, Sonje, is very strict when it comes to nursing and will only allow her own baby to breastfeed from her. However, Sulwe doesn’t follow this rule when it comes to the other mothers. One day, we saw her trying to hide behind the other babies as she snuck over to Zongoloni to nurse. However, she was thwarted by Zigi, who reminded her that rules apply to everyone.
The Keepers are highly attuned to the orphans and their behaviour, as they know that they will tell them about any wild animals or dangers in the forest. Thus, one afternoon when Mwashoti and Kiasa seemed unusually curious, constantly looking into the forest around them, the Keepers went on high alert. Moments later, two zebras suddenly emerged from the thickets into an open space. With the moment of tension over, everyone — zebras, elephants, and even the Keepers — chose to part ways and clear the area. No one was in danger, but it illustrated how the orphans are always looking out for us.
As the matriarch of the Umani herd, Murera has earned the right to be a bit of a diva. One morning down at the waterhole, she surprised everyone by spraying mud in her periphery. This sent the others scattering and kept both elephants and visitors at a distance. After witnessing Murera’s determination to clear her space, the Keepers and guests had no choice but to retreat and go change into dry clothes!
Since Kiombo left to explore the wild, Maktao has become very good friends with Kapei. Maktao is eight years old to Kapei’s eight, but he is a gentle soul and seems to enjoy tutoring the younger boy in pushing games. One memorable afternoon, Kapei took on Maktao, pushing him into a corner. When Maktao sensed Kapei was about to defeat him — and knowing that would be an enormous embarrassment — he stood up on a rock, so Kapei would see him as very tall and powerful. This forced Kapei to stop pushing Maktao and flee into the bushes.
Enkesha held a lovely, impromptu ‘dinner party’ this month. She discovered some tasty branches to eat, but they were out of her reach. When Quanza saw Enkesha struggling to pull it down, the older girl went over to help. It wasn’t long before all the orphans gathered to share Enkesha’s big branch.
The Umani herd really operates like a family. We were reminded of this one afternoon, when the orphans were blocked by a group of unruly wild bulls. The situation unsettled Murera, so the others banded together to ease her anxieties: Sonje and Quanza helped clear a safe route while Kapei distracted the bull. Eventually, all the orphans arrived safely, though late, and Kapei stayed behind in the forest with the bulls.
Amali has proven to be remarkably clever at sensing where her friends are. One afternoon, she wandered deep into the forest and returned with Jasiri — a surprise visitor, as no one expected him to show up that day. Not long after, Faraja also rejoined the herd.
Lima Lima has a very interesting approach to mothering. Sometimes, the Keepers even joke about how she’s related to her baby, Lenny. She’s often seen walking far away from him, leaving his care to the nannies. While she stands when he wants to nurse, she’s quite content for others to look after him.
Unlike Murera, Sonje, and Zongoloni — who are always close to their babies — Lima Lima takes a more hands-off approach. Lenny, for his part, seems just as comfortable with the nannies as he is with his mother. Very often, Lima Lima wanders off while Lenny nurses from Murera, behaving more like her baby than Lima Lima’s. Murera’s actual baby, Mwana, doesn’t seem to mind at all — she acts like a big sister to Lenny and is happy to share her mum.
On 24th June, baby Zigi turned two months old. He marked the occasion by testing his energy against his favourite friend and rival, Lenny. Lenny was relaxing with a stick in his mouth — almost as if he were brushing his teeth, and clearly in no mood to drop it. Zigi tried to steal the stick, but couldn’t manage it. A playful tug-of-war broke out between the boys, and in the scuffle, the stick was lost. Zigi couldn’t see where it had gone after pushing Lenny, and Lenny couldn’t locate it either. In the end, both boys walked away as losers — no stick for either of them.
We had a lovely end to the month, as a herd of wild elephants visited the stockades in the evening with Jasiri. The Keepers were able to properly see and get to know Jasiri’s adopted wild herd — six females and one little baby, about the same age as Lenny and Sulwe. Although wild, they were not skittish and enjoyed sharing lucerne with the orphans.