Kamili
Kamili has bounced back since receiving treatment and is now much more active and playful. She has, however, been avoiding the waterhole and has not been taking mud baths. This is not a big deal, as the cold season is beginning and even people tend to avoid bathing in cold weather. Kamili was simply choosing what she felt comfortable doing in the company of her friends.
Kerrio, Latika, and Mwana remained very loyal during mud bath time and kept encouraging little Lenny and his friends to join them in the mud. Lenny enjoyed the opportunity to climb onto the backs of his older brothers and sisters. Amali, Kiasa, and Enkesha all seemed to enjoy carrying the little ones on their backs and playing with them.
After the Keepers called Murera and Lima Lima, all the babies ran out towards the dust pile. Amali was first to arrive, followed closely by Lenny. The two claimed the top of the hill, becoming the king and queen of the dust pile as they watched Kapei and Maktao dusting themselves on the slopes below.
Sonje then set off with her baby Sulwe, walking slowly towards the fresh water trough for a drink. Zongoloni and the others followed her, and before long the whole herd had moved in the same direction. Only Murera and Mwana remained behind, watching where Sonje was taking everyone. Murera appeared confident that the group would eventually return to her, and she was right.
After Sonje and the others had finished drinking, she led them back to where Murera was waiting. The Keepers then called the herd together, and with the help of Sonje, Murera led all the babies towards the Chyulu side for more browsing once the heat of the day had eased and the temperatures had become more comfortable.
The orphans had a good morning with a very happy start to the day when both Lima Lima and her team arrived on time. Murera and her team came out from the stockades and found Lima Lima already waiting for them by the fence line, as Keepers distributed pellets from wheelbarrows for all the babies. But Murera became too greedy for the pellets. She walked along the wheelbarrow as the Keeper continued with the distribution of pellets, thinking she would get the first drops for herself before the others.
When all the elephants were done with the pellets, Zongoloni took off with Zigi and was followed closely by Kiasa and Amali, who wanted to keep Zigi happy and joyful. Enkesha got a stick and wanted to share it with little Zigi, but Amali blocked Enkesha from reaching Zigi too quickly. Enkesha then dropped the stick so that Zigi could pick it up, but Amali picked it up immediately after it was dropped. Enkesha was not happy when she realised that Amali had picked up what she was giving to Zigi.
Sonje and her baby Sulwe got to a tree that had good shade, and Sulwe fell asleep and lay down waiting for her mother Sonje to join her. But Lenny joined Sulwe instead, while Sonje continued browsing as she watched over her baby Sulwe.
The babies had a nice morning together. Latika went to have some good morning stories with Amali and Kiasa, but Kiasa decided to ignore her because Kiasa felt jealous of Latika due to nanny competition. Zigi has been Kiasa's darling since the very beginning and she did not want Latika to be around him. Latika, who is a peaceful and abiding girl, instead walked back to be with Kerrio. Enkesha and Kapei followed them to the place and both orphans got the best food they needed. Murera and Sonje stepped back and let the young girls show their leadership capabilities.
When it was time and they felt the heat of the day, Zongoloni and Lima Lima teamed up with Mwashoti and Maktao for a mud bath so that they could cool off. They wanted to make sure that their little babies stayed cool, too.
All the babies started the day in very good moods. Murera chose to go her own way with Mwana, leaving Lima Lima and her friends at the pellets-feeding area with Sonje. Once again, the two leaders chose different directions, with Sonje and Lima Lima heading far from where Murera had decided to browse.
Amali left Murera's team and chose to join Zigi, who was with Zongoloni and Lima Lima as they enjoyed the pellets. Later, they moved through the bushes looking for Murera and her team, but Murera kept avoiding them. Only Kerrio and Latika walked back to be with Sonje and Sulwe, whom they found taking turns scratching their bottoms against a small rock.
Sulwe charged at Lenny and Lenny responded by charging back. The two youngsters defended themselves in their own ways until Enkesha and Kiasa intervened to restore peace between the two age mates.
At the mud bath, Kerrio and Latika jumped into the waterhole ready for a swim. Their enthusiasm encouraged little Lenny, Sulwe, and Zigi to join with Mwana and Amali. Zigi had fun climbing on Amali and rubbing his belly against her. Sulwe soon joined Zigi and shared Amali's back. With the two babies climbing all over her, Amali became overwhelmed by the extra weight and got up, leaving them stranded on the dust pile.
Kiasa and Enkesha came running when they heard the babies rumbling and went to investigate what Zigi and his friends were complaining about at the dust hill.
Later, Sonje led Sulwe into the bushes so that her baby could rest in the shade as the day became hotter. Mwashoti and some of the others followed Sonje's lead, and Murera eventually joined them. On the way, Murera came across a buffalo. She stopped and trumpeted loudly, frightening the buffalo and sending it into hiding, allowing Murera and Mwana to pass safely.
This afternoon many of the Umani orphans came together in a show of solidarity with the ex-orphans, who had arrived with their wild friends, the majority of whom were males, along with a few older females and their small babies. Amali and even Sulwe admired the little babies and wanted to walk around with them. As soon as their mothers realised this, they became protective, chasing Amali away along with Sulwe. Sonje rushed over with Enkesha to bring little Sulwe back to where Murera and the other babies were still enjoying browsing in the shade, while tiny Zigi and Mwana played around waiting for their mothers to return and allow them to nurse before everyone headed back into the bushes to browse for the remainder of the day.
Mwashoti and Maktao had a disagreement after Maktao tried to touch Mwashoti's tail, offending him. Mwashoti then left to join Kapei, who was only a few metres away.
Zongoloni and her baby Zigi were joined by Kiasa, while Quanza and Sonje stopped by the fence line waiting for pellets and their evening bottles. Kerrio and Murera then led the milk-dependent babies back to their rooms for the night after a long day out, leaving the nightclubbers to chart their own course for the evening.
It is now beginning to be the cold season within Kibwezi Forest and this is now affecting mud bath time, which the elephants enjoyed during the hotter days. Today at the waterhole, none of the elephants went into the mud bath. Sulwe and Kiasa tried to, but after testing the water with their trunks and finding it too cold to wallow, Kiasa simply left and returned to the herd.
Sonje then moved away with Sulwe to the dust pile, which everyone decided to join. They blew clouds of dust into the air, encouraging Zigi, Lenny, and Mwana to join the dust bath together with Amali and Enkesha, who was trying to look after Sulwe. However, Sonje edged Enkesha away from her baby.
Many wild bulls surrounded the Umani stockade fence line this morning, causing concern among the Keepers as they carried out their morning activities and bottle-fed the dependents before opening the gates.
Murera did not feel safe after seeing the large bulls outside. The Keepers decided to bring pellets to Murera inside the stockade compound while allowing Kerrio, Kamili, Latika, and Amali to go out and join Sonje and her team, who were already with the wild bulls.
Mwana wanted to go out and play with some of the wild youngsters, but their mothers would not allow it. Even Amali was chased away before she could get too close.
The wild bulls left as soon as Lima Lima and Sonje moved away. Both the wild and orphaned elephants headed toward the hills together. Murera, Enkesha, and Quanza followed slowly behind while the Keepers led the younger elephants toward the top of the Umani Hills.
Along the way, Kamili and Latika argued over a stick that Latika had picked up from the ground while walking behind Mwashoti. Kamili wanted the stick for herself, but Latika held on firmly. Realizing Latika was not prepared to give it up, Kamili left it for the sake of peace.
Two more bulls later joined the others in trying their luck with Lima Lima. She showed no interest in them, and eventually all the bulls returned toward the Chyulu Hills to continue browsing. None of the nightclubbers accompanied them.
Sonje had something to share with her oldest and closest friend, Murera, but today she was not lucky. She found Murera in a bad mood this midday. Murera did not stop to listen to what Sonje wanted to share with her. Sonje has always believed in and trusted Murera, but since Murera is now getting closer to giving birth, her moods have become more unpredictable. Instead, Murera chose to return to Mwana, who was playing with Amali and Latika. When Murera rumbled to call her, Mwana rushed over to her mother.
Enkesha arrived with Kamili and Kapei, but Amali and Mwana wanted to have a girls-only gathering. When they saw Kapei joining them, Enkesha was not happy to see him around. The two girls pushed Kapei back towards Maktao and Mwashoti so that the boys stayed on their own side.
The Keepers relocated the elephants to another area with plenty of food. With the help of Lima Lima and Zongoloni, they crossed safely to the Chyulu side, where they came across a bushbuck grazing nearby. Faraja then emerged from the bushes with a wild bull. Faraja appeared to be introducing him to his original orphan family and his human family, the Keepers. The bushbuck did not stop to look at the Keepers, however. As soon as it spotted the Keepers in their green jackets, it sped away.
The wild bull that was with Faraja stopped to smell the air, seemingly suspicious of why Faraja had brought him so close to the humans. Although cautious of the people among the elephants, he remained calm, while Faraja and the other orphans were completely comfortable in the Keepers' presence.
Faraja has continued spending much of his time with the orphan herd, staying close to the nightclubbers as they move through the forest and rejoining Murera and her group. The Keepers have been monitoring his movements and have noticed that he often disappears for long periods before returning to the herd.
Today, Faraja arrived at the pellet-feeding area with Lenny and Lima Lima. Mwashoti arrived soon afterward, followed by Maktao. Before Sonje and Zongoloni reached the group, Faraja suddenly began chasing Lima Lima away. Lenny had a difficult time watching his mother being chased, not understanding why Faraja was behaving that way.
Enkesha and Quanza stayed behind to comfort Lenny. He tried to run after his mother but could not keep up with her speed. A strange wild bull also appeared nearby, seemingly waiting for Faraja to lead Lima Lima toward him. Quanza and Enkesha guided Lenny back to the nannies for comfort, although he remained unhappy without his mother. When Sulwe approached to keep him company, Lenny pushed her gently back toward Sonje, choosing instead to stay with Quanza, Enkesha, and Amali until he had calmed down.
A few minutes later, Lima Lima was spotted running back to where Murera and the herd were browsing in the Kenzili area. She slowly rejoined them as they made their way toward the midday bottle feeding.
The waterhole was quiet today, as none of the elephants went for a mud bath because the water was too cold. The cold season has now settled over Umani. Kerrio and Latika tested the water with their trunks, found it too chilly, and quickly walked away. The orphans then returned to the Kibwezi Forest to continue browsing for the rest of the day.
Lenny and Zigi are now developing fiery tempers whenever they meet. Today, while Lenny was quietly passing by his mother Lima Lima and Amali, Zigi jumped onto him and grabbed his tail before accidentally bumping him from behind. Lenny responded firmly, making it clear that, as the older calf by three months, he expected some respect. Kiasa and Quanza quickly came to Zigi's aid after hearing him scream, as every nanny recognizes the babies' calls. Lima Lima did not go to investigate, seemingly believing Lenny had simply given Zigi what he had asked for.
Quanza returned to Kerrio and pulled down some branches to share with the others. Mwana, Enkesha, and Amali joined in, but Kiasa soon became greedy and pulled the entire branch to her own side, leaving the others with nothing. Enkesha rumbled to signal Kerrio and the others to leave, and they did, leaving Kiasa alone with Zigi and Zongoloni. Sulwe, Latika, and Sonje were elsewhere.
It was then time for the midday bottle feed and wallowing session. As the Keepers approached, they spotted two giant bulls already waiting at the mud bath. Murera was immediately aware of their presence and changed direction, choosing not to approach for either the mud bath or bottle feeding. She called Mwana back and warned her not to go. The Keepers realised the bulls were again searching for Lima Lima, who continued avoiding males she had no interest in. For everyone's safety, the Keepers called Kerrio and Sonje to follow the milk truck, avoiding direct contact with the bulls. One bull was particularly aggressive, and, like Murera, the Keepers wisely chose to give him plenty of space.
Ziwa arrived with his adopted herd. The old female with babies did not show up, but Ziwa was accompanied by two older bulls and one middle-aged female who had been given the responsibility of bringing Ziwa into his orphan herd. Those who escorted him left after ensuring he had arrived safely. Ziwa did not receive a very warm reception from the orphans. Sonje supported his arrival and was not surprised to see him joining the herd, but she simply kept browsing around Latika and Kerrio. When Murera spotted him, she raised her ears and moved away with Mwana and Enkesha, both avoiding Ziwa. He was welcomed instead by Faraja and Mwashoti, but the reception was still not very warm. Ziwa eventually left and walked back toward the Chyulu Hills.
Zongoloni and her baby Zigi, together with Kiasa, were missing in action, but Kapei, who had wandered into the deepest part of the bush, later returned with Zongoloni and Kiasa walking behind Zigi, as Kiasa is always happy to see little Zigi in front of her. At the big trees, Zongoloni stopped and the babies rested under the shade, while Murera was away. Mwana remained with the other little babies — Lenny, Sulwe, and Enkesha.
Mwana became thirsty for her mother's milk and moved to Murera, but found her mother was not in a good mood and denied her the chance to nurse. Mwana screamed so loudly that the Keepers became suspicious and went to investigate, wondering if something serious had happened. Instead, they found Mwana simply making a great deal of noise after being denied the chance to nurse. Murera made it clear that Mwana was now a big girl and should not be demanding more milk than she was willing to give.
A wild herd visited early in the morning, arriving at the lucerne feeding area while waiting for the orphans to come out. By the time the orphans emerged, however, the wild herd had already left. This encouraged Kerrio and Latika to follow the fresh dung left behind, tracking the path the wild elephants had taken.
Enkesha and Kapei followed behind them, determined to bring Kerrio and Latika back before they wandered too far. Had they continued following the scent trail, they might easily have become separated from the herd. Enkesha and Kapei successfully guided them back while Lima Lima and the others were still waiting before heading out.
Meanwhile, Mwana and Amali amused themselves by chasing butterflies through the bushes. Amali pursued them enthusiastically until Mwana stumbled over a rock and fell onto her knees. At first, Amali assumed Mwana would simply get up and continue the chase, but when she realised Mwana was no longer following, she returned in search of her. Trumpeting and kicking at the surrounding shrubs, Amali retraced her steps until she came across Zigi and Zongoloni playing together.
Later, Amali joined Sonje and her group as they walked towards Umani Springs, where they found crocodiles basking on the dry riverbank. As soon as the crocodiles sensed movement behind them, they slipped quickly back into the water, startling both Amali and Sonje, who had not realised what had rushed into the river.
In the afternoon, many of the Umani orphans gathered to feed from an acacia tree that had been pulled down. Later, Alamaya arrived with a wild bull companion. As soon as Murera and Kamili spotted the unfamiliar bull accompanying Alamaya, Murera decided to move away with Mwana. Mwana, however, remained close to Latika and Kerrio as the herd continued browsing.
This courtship has unfolded rather differently for Lima Lima. It first began last month, and today the bulls returned once again, making life increasingly difficult for little Lenny as he tried to keep up with his mother.
Faraja arrived first and immediately made his way to Lima Lima, carefully scenting her all over with his trunk. Lenny watched in disbelief as Faraja examined his mother. Soon afterwards, two enormous wild bulls with long tusks appeared, and the rivals began fighting among themselves, each trying to win Lima Lima's favour.
Unable to choose between them, Lima Lima broke into a run through the bushes, with the bulls in pursuit. She trumpeted loudly as they chased her. Lenny did not follow. Instead, Quanza and Enkesha stayed with him, keeping him calm and preventing him from running after his mother and the pursuing bulls.
The bulls did not give up. More continued to arrive until Lima Lima found herself surrounded by eight wild bulls. The Keepers watched with interest, wondering which bull, if any, would ultimately win her favour.
Meanwhile, Murera walked away with Sonje and Sulwe. When Lenny tried to follow them, Sulwe turned around and blocked his path, unwilling to let him follow her mother. Lenny dodged around her, after which Enkesha, together with Amali and Kerrio, took charge of him. With Lima Lima still occupied by the bulls, the nannies rallied around Lenny, who was clearly becoming exhausted from the day's excitement.
At midday bottle-feeding time, the presence of the bulls made it impossible for the Keepers to leave the vehicle safely. They instead called Lima Lima over first. Once she had received her bottle, she moved away, drawing the bulls with her and creating enough space for the Keepers to safely feed the rest of the herd.
The orphans and several wild bulls came together as the bulls continued pursuing Lima Lima, who seemed to be signalling that she would need them for their services any time soon.
Lenny stayed beside his mother, looking stranded as he watched the big bulls standing next to her, none of whom he recognised. He moved away, seemingly giving the older bulls room to listen to what Lima Lima had invited them for. Amali walked over to listen to what Lenny was trying to tell her, but Lenny soon walked back to Murera, as if trying to consult her about what had brought the bulls. Finding no answer there, he returned to Lima Lima.
Suddenly, one of the bulls startled Lima Lima and another chase began. Lenny refused to leave his mother's side but became tired along the way. Quanza and Enkesha decided it would be best to take him back from Lima Lima and the pursuing bulls. They safely brought Lenny back to the herd, where they waited for Lima Lima to return later and nurse him. Mwana and Kerrio also came over to comfort Lenny, encouraging him not to keep following his mother while she was busy with the bulls.
At the waterhole, Kerrio and Latika led the younger girls and the little babies — Lenny, Sulwe and Zigi — into the water, and the swimming competition was soon officially underway. Almost the entire herd joined in, with only Murera staying away from the mud bath, watching the babies enjoy the water from a distance.
Later, Faraja and Mwashoti moved towards Murera, prompting her to leave for a separate waterhole. There, with only Mwana and Kamili beside her, Murera enjoyed a quiet mud bath away from the others. Afterwards, they left for the stockade to rest after another long day in Kibwezi Forest.