June was a wonderful month that saw the arrival of not one, but two new grandbabies. On the morning of the 1st, Melia strolled up to the stockades after four months away. She returned home with a special mission — to introduce us to her baby girl! We named her Moon.
Melia was in the company of her old friend, Kitirua, and budding nanny Maramoja. Milo, her firstborn, was not present; Melia's friends had clearly taken over nannying duties while she focused on her newest addition. The proud mother showed her daughter around the place she once called home, even taking her into the stockade where she used to sleep. Mwinzi and Kinyei took the opportunity to interact with the new baby.
The month's new joys weren't over yet! Four days later, just before six o'clock in the evening, Tumaren showed up at the stockade compound with a new baby boy. We named him Tuck. She was accompanied by her firstborn, Tembo, along with fellow ex-orphans Chaimu, Ukame, Esampu, Mteto, Roho, Neshashi, Sana Sana, and four wild boys. The group stopped for a long drink, allowing us to admire Tuck, then headed east towards Kalovoto.
Tsavo is really starting to dry up, which has brought an influx of ex-orphans and wild elephants to the stockade water troughs. We were very pleased to see several of our original Ithumba boys, including Kenze, Zurura, Rapsu, and Tomboi, who are now in their twenties and turning into very impressive bulls. Kibo, whom we call the male Wendi — both are unpredictable, mischievous, and seem to enjoy causing chaos — turned up several times. One day, he and Wendi arrived in the same group. Everyone was on high alert that morning!
One evening, the stockade compound was crowded with about 120 elephant visitors. Perhaps feeling nostalgic, Roho and Enkikwe attempted to sneak into their old stockade by hiding among the orphans, but they were far too big to go unnoticed. When the Keepers blocked their way, the two boys didn't protest and rejoined their companions at the water trough.
Melia and Moon, Tumaren and Tembo, and many of our other ex-orphan mums and their offspring were regular visitors. Predictably, the dependent orphans were enchanted by the new babies and did their very best to introduce themselves — with limited success. Poor Toto tried repeatedly to befriend little Tuck, only to be blocked each time by protective big brother Tembo. Kinyei, Muwingu, and Weka were met with the same response from Milo when they attempted to familiarise themselves with Moon.
One afternoon, several wild dogs passed as the orphans were browsing. Mwinzi, Natibu, Shujaa, and Weka ran towards the Keepers, while Bondeni, Mukutan, Olorien, and Kindani trumpeted in an attempt to scare the interlopers away. The pack was unperturbed by the noisy elephants and continued on its hunting mission. While the orphans may not approve of their presence, we are always happy to see wild dogs in northern Tsavo — they are a highly endangered species, and it's increasingly rare to see such a large population.
Ithumba's new boys — Toto, Mwinzi, and Natibu — are doing very well. Mwinzi and Natibu are a team, while Toto has been fully adopted by Kindani and spends just about every waking minute with her. She has a lot of love to give, and he happily receives all of it.
Bondeni doesn't seem to mind being deposed as Kindani's favourite little brother; he is usually busy sparring with the likes of Mukutan, Vaarti, Mayan, Choka, Loldaiga, Mageno, and Esoit. That said, he still enjoys big sister protection: one afternoon, he and Esoit had a minor disagreement that devolved into a fight. It started when Esoit tried to overtake Bondeni, which caused the older bull to lash out, and an escalating pushing match ensued. Kinyei, who was following them closely, intervened by separating the two boys.
Overtaking seems to be a capital offence among our Ithumba boys. On the last day of the month, Loldaiga ran into trouble with Vaarti when he tried to get ahead of him. The usually mild-mannered Vaarti pushed Loldaiga aside, and the pair locked into a sparring match that lasted for quite some time. The fight only ended when Kindani caught up with the boys and stepped in between them.