While our Umani herd continues to be a tight-knit family, three distinct groups are solidifying: the nightclubber mothers, nannies, and babies, led by Sonje and Lima Lima; the slower-moving dependent herd, which is under Murera's care; and the older boys, who spend time with wild friends. Everyone still spends a good part of the day together, but they are increasingly doing things more independently.
Murera and her team came out this morning. Amali was full of hope, looking for little babies Zigi, Lenny, and Sulwe. Murera headed into the bush with Mwana as Amali was seen waiting, and her hopes faded away when she saw Murera leaving. Latika again took off with Kamili and Kerrio making a quick move away from the place, as Amali kept on looking and sniffing around the area. She was not very comfortable not seeing Zigi and the other babies.
The Keepers called Murera to keep the orphans in one group so that they stayed together, but a wild bull elephant passed by Amali. The Keepers saw Amali following him into the forest and she failed to come back even when called. Later we realised Amali had picked up the scent of Lima Lima and her team in the direction the elephant was heading, so the bull helped Amali find her friends. She had outsmarted the Keepers.
After finding her friends, Amali brought everyone back to Murera and the Keepers at the bottle feeding point. The orphans had their midday bottles and then left. Lenny grabbed a milk bottle from the Keeper’s hands and was given a little milk with added water to please him. Greedy as ever, he kept walking following the Keeper and the milk truck for more, though he was not given any more.
At the waterhole, a few of the orphans could swim while a larger number failed to go swimming today after finding the water too cold. Murera led the babies as an example to show them it was good to take a mud bath. Mwana, Kiasa, Kerrio and Lima Lima followed her while the rest walked back and left Murera. Kerrio moved to a scratching post and Latika could not stay away from what Kerrio was doing and joined her to enjoy the scratch.
The Umani orphans are now showing that distinct groupings are emerging slowly, with elephants separating themselves from certain friends while others are not ready to associate across groups. This has been taking centre stage since last month, and the Keepers initially thought it would not continue. However, it is now clear that Lima Lima and her team are increasingly moving away from Murera and her smaller group, each doing things more independently.
Over the past few weeks, Lima Lima and her team have often delayed reporting in the morning and uniting with Murera and her team. When Murera comes out, she is usually at the pellets feeding area hoping to see Sonje and her team, and when Sonje, Lima Lima, and their group arrive, they often choose to remain slightly apart, allowing Murera, Kerrio, and Mwana to move off first. Amali sometimes joins Lima Lima’s group because of Zigi.
Before mud bath time, Lima Lima will often appear from a different direction away from Murera’s side, and Murera will also arrive separately. At midday bottle feeding time, both teams tend to arrive from different directions but still reunite at the mud bath before spending the rest of the day together.
It is now becoming clear that the Umani orphans have effectively formed three main groupings: one led by Sonje and Lima Lima, which is the largest group; another under Murera’s care; and a third group of the boys who spend time with wild friends.
The Sonje and Lima Lima group, compared to Murera and her team, tends to move faster due to the presence of small babies. Murera prefers a slower, more steady pace with her own group. This difference in movement speed appears to be one of the main reasons Murera often keeps a distance from the larger, faster-moving group, even though she remains strongly bonded to all the babies.
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.
Mwashoti was escorted back home by Alamaya very early. They had been with Alamaya’s wild friends — we believe that Mwashoti was not comfortable with the company and made Alamaya bring him to the stockades. He then waited for Murera and the other babies to come out and join him at the pellets point.
The Keepers led Murera and Mwashoti to the Kenzili Hills today, where they found some wild elephant dung dropped on the pathways. The Keepers saw Mwashoti smelling the dung and then Murera did the same, leaving Keepers wondering what both older elephants were trying to determine from the dunt. After smelling, Murera and Mwashoti took another direction, going to the top of the Umani Hills
The orphans knew what they were doing. The smell helped Mwashoti and Murera determine which direction they would find Lima Lima. Sure enough, the Keepers soon spotted Lima Lima and her team on the slopes of the hill. Mwashoti and Murera had smelled the dung to locate the other orphans. They followed their pathways by smell, which led them to Lima Lima, Zongoloni, Sonje, and the little babies.
A bull elephant walked along the fence line in the morning, following Quanza and friends, who were already at the stockade water trough waiting to join the other babies in readiness for the long day ahead. This wild elephant did not know he was heading towards the Keepers. On realising a human smell was close to him, he stopped and watched Quanza, but Quanza continued to her Keepers. The bull blew a loud trumpet and disappeared into the bushes. Little boys Kapei and Maktao tried to run behind the giant bull, but Keepers called them back to their herd. Together, everyone went another direction, which Zongoloni and Sonje had deemed safe.
A bushbuck crossed in front of Amali and Lenny. Amali gave chase but could not catch the bushbuck. Sulwe returned to the herd, charging at shrubs and blowing her little trumpet, making the other nannies come to help her. Only Mwana stayed with her mother, because she was hoping to nurse. Murera was not in the mood and even kicked her head lightly, but Mwana would not stop trying to breastfeed.
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.
Another courtship period has begun for the Umani orphans. This time, Lima Lima brought along a very large entourage of male admirers, leaving both the Keepers and the other elephants wondering what was unfolding within the Umani herd. Murera and her baby Mwana kept well away after sensing many males running and charging through the bushes behind Lima Lima. Lenny could hardly believe his eyes and seemed puzzled by all the huge male visitors following his mother, making the situation feel chaotic for the innocent elephants who had no part in the excitement.
Zongoloni had experienced a similar situation a few months ago, when Zigi appeared distressed but was comforted by Kiasa and Quanza, who looked after him while Zongoloni spent time with her chosen mate. Their courtship lasted around two weeks before she returned to the herd.
With Lima Lima, however, the courtship is only just beginning. Many wild bulls continued to follow her, and everyone admired her as one of the Umani herd's most beautiful and charismatic females. We hope her courtship is successful and wish Lima Lima well as she continues to entertain her many admirers.
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.
Kiasa and Quanza spent much of today looking after Zigi. Zongoloni trusted them with her baby while she was occupied elsewhere. Zigi was also happy to have Kiasa nearby.
At one point, Zigi tried to jump onto Kiasa's back while she was lying on the ground. He did not manage the jump successfully, and one leg slipped, causing him to fall. He let out a loud scream, prompting Zongoloni to rush over immediately to see what had happened. She arrived ready to confront whoever had upset her baby, but found that nothing was wrong. Reassured, she led Zigi away, leaving Kiasa, Quanza, and the others behind.
Kerrio and Kamili raced to the bottle-feeding point, with Kerrio arriving first and Kamili second. When the second group reached the waterhole after their midday bottles, Sulwe and Zigi tested the water with their trunks. Sulwe was the first to enter the water, followed closely by Zigi, who held onto her tail. Their nannies soon followed, and before long it had turned into a swimming session for all the babies. Only Murera stayed on dry land, watching the younger elephants enjoy themselves rather than joining them in the pool.
This afternoon, the orphans walked deep into the Kibwezi Forest to relax under the shade after the day began to grow hot. Murera and her baby, Mwana, were in no hurry. Then a buffalo approached from behind, startling Murera. She hurried to rejoin the rest of the herd beneath the trees.
The Keepers called out the elephants' names, trying to determine where Lima Lima and Sonje had taken the rest of the babies so Murera would know which direction to follow. Sonje responded with a loud trumpet, making Murera aware of their location. She followed the sound and found Sonje, Lima Lima, and the rest of the herd relaxing under the shade.
The little babies — Lenny, Mwana, Sulwe, and Zigi — formed their own group to play away from the older elephants, with only their nannies attending them. Amali, Kiasa, and Quanza stayed close to supervise them. Amali and Kiasa were interested only in Zigi, not Lenny or Sulwe.
When playtime was underway, Zigi and Lenny disagreed over the rules of their game. Zigi thought Lenny was wrong and pushed him from behind. Lenny pushed back, and the disagreement quickly escalated until the nannies stepped in to restore peace. Mwana also joined them, while Kiasa and Quanza separated Zigi from Lenny. Lenny accepted the situation and stopped fighting. Instead, he followed Mwana, who led him back to his mother, Lima Lima, who was nearby with two bulls as another round of courtship began after the first had failed. The previous courtship had ended unsuccessfully when Lima Lima and the bulls could not agree.
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.
Lima Lima has been behaving quite differently with the bulls during this latest period of courtship. The first time she was looking to become pregnant, she appeared much more serious about the bulls pursuing her. This time, however, the Keepers have noticed a change.
At the beginning of the month, several bulls began arriving to court her. Their plans seemed promising at first, but after only one day the courtship came to an end. None of the bulls returned the following day. It was impossible to know whether Lima Lima had rejected them or simply lost interest, but the bulls eventually moved on.
Zongoloni's experience had been very different. She found the bulls she was interested in, the bulls accepted her, and they disappeared together for about a week before eventually returning.
Lima Lima, by contrast, has continued teasing the bulls without showing much interest in mating. Four bulls closely followed her until this evening, but nothing developed. Normally, elephant courtships continue for more than a week, but this time Lima Lima still appeared uninterested. Faraja brought several bulls to her, but she continued to show little interest in any of them.
Meanwhile, Latika, Kamili, and Amali enjoyed playing together until two warthogs suddenly appeared and ran across the open ground. The sight startled Latika, while Kamili and Amali responded by trumpeting and charging after the warthogs, chasing them out of the area.
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.
The orphans had a very good start to the day, with the nightclubbers returning early to wait for the morning pellets by the gate. Mwashoti and Quanza were spotted outside by the Keepers, but it was still too early for the gates to be opened, so they had to wait until it was time for everyone to come out.
Murera, Amali, and Kerrio emerged immediately after their morning bottles, and the Keepers opened the gate so Mwashoti and Quanza could join them at the pellet-feeding area.
Murera then walked away with Mwana after spotting Faraja and another wild bull trying to approach the herd while the orphans were enjoying their pellets. When Murera saw Faraja apparently inviting the wild bull closer, she no longer felt safe and decided to leave with Mwana.
Lima Lima and her baby, Lenny, arrived late and found that both orphan groups had already left for the forest. She followed their trail, carefully smelling the ground to locate them. Her tracking skills led her directly to Sonje and Kiasa, who were browsing on branches that wild elephants had pulled down during the night. As soon as Lima Lima found the other babies gathered there, she ended her search and joined them.
Meanwhile, some buffaloes were trying to make their way into the grazing area. One buffalo wandered away from the route the others had taken and found itself confronted by the elephants. Mwashoti, Kapei, and Maktao, who had been play-fighting and testing each other's strength, immediately turned their attention to the buffalo. Kapei became especially determined when he spotted it, bringing their game to an end. Together, the three boys charged at the buffaloes and made sure they did not enter the area. The buffaloes quickly retreated before the rest of the herd arrived, while in the distance Lima Lima continued making her way toward Mwashoti and the others.
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.
Kerrio, Latika, and Kamili demonstrated their close friendship and unity, each looking out for the others. When Amali came to join them, Kerrio simply walked away and rumbled, signaling to Kamili and Latika to do the same. Kerrio and Latika were not ready to befriend Amali. Amali seemed to seek their company only when Lima Lima and her team were absent.
Amali then returned to the bush in search of the nightclubbers. She repeatedly raised her trunk above her head, trying to locate their scent, but failed to pick up their trail. She eventually returned and joined Mwana and Murera, who were enjoying an acacia branch that wild elephants had pulled down the previous night. Kerrio soon noticed the branch and brought Latika and Kamili over to enjoy it as well. While they were still feeding, loud noises echoed from the forest, and the Keepers initially believed wild elephants were approaching. The orphan herd and their human family moved away for safety. A short while later, they realised the trumpeting and charging had come from Limalima and her team returning to the herd.
At the waterhole, two crane birds arrived, searching for grasshoppers. Immediately, Kapei and Maktao, with the help of Mwana, decided to chase the birds away from the waterhole where the babies were preparing to wallow. The cranes flew up above the elephants, leaving Mwana and her friends unable to catch them, and their mission failed. Mwana and Sulwe then walked into the mud bath, enjoying a wallowing session that soon attracted all the babies to join them. Murera stood to one side, waiting for the little ones to finish before joining them herself. Everyone splashed water with their feet.
When Faraja arrived with Mwashoti, the female orphans immediately left the waterhole, leaving it to the boys. They took the little babies to the dust pile, where Amali and Zigi climbed to the top of the hill, proudly standing where everyone could see them. Murera also left quickly when Faraja entered the water to swim, deciding to skip the mud bath altogether. The Keepers distributed the midday bottles to all the babies, including Murera and Sonje, before walking back under a tree for their lunch. Later, Kapei tried to persuade Faraja to come out of the water, but was unsuccessful. Mwashoti encouraged Kapei to leave Faraja alone and return to his friend Maktao.
In the afternoon, the Chyulu Hills were full of wild elephants wherever the orphans browsed. Many wild herds with little babies appeared, distracting Kiasa and Amali, who adore young calves. They forgot about Zigi, Sulwe, and Lenny, and instead focused on the wild babies. Their mothers strongly warned Kiasa and Amali to stop following them. Kiasa ignored the warning, and one wild female lifted her with her tusks from underneath, causing Kiasa to scream loudly. No one could help her, and she ran back with Amali to the orphan herd, leaving the wild babies with their mothers.
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.
Buffaloes were spotted patrolling towards the Umani Hills, the same area the elephants also planned to visit this morning. Sonje was on the lead as other nannies were taking care to ensure the little babies were safe, keeping them in the middle of the herd for protection. Mwana was behind with Amali, but after a few minutes Amali left Mwana to join Zigi and Kiasa. Loud trumpets were heard on the hills as elephants screamed and charged through the bushes, making the Kibwezi forest tense, while Keepers remained quiet in fear. When Keepers stepped back and listened carefully, wild elephants were coming down the hills to meet the orphans.
Kapei and Mwashoti teamed up with Lima Lima and Sonje to receive them into the herd, as Lima Lima and Mwashoti were friendly and familiar to them. Immediately they saw Lima Lima, all the wild bulls were happy to meet her. Mwashoti also appeared familiar to them, and they became more relaxed, while Kerrio and Murera did not trust them. This made Murera move backwards to observe the situation and better understand their intentions. Latika moved towards them but was chased back, which caused Murera and Kerrio to also withdraw.
The wild elephants then joined the orphans on the hills before mud bath time. At midday bottle feeding time, Keepers called the orphans to follow them, and we saw the wild herd leaving one after another. It was unclear how they knew the Keepers were preparing to call the orphans, but they moved away in advance. Kapei walked back to where Quanza was, then rejoined his age mate among the wild friends, and the mother of the wild boy, who was of a similar age to Kapei, spotted the Keepers with her baby. Kapei was then removed from the wild herd so he could rejoin his orphan herd, who were now following the Keepers for mud bath and midday bottles.
Amali challenged Kerrio when she saw Kerrio trying to block her way to the waterhole. She pushed Kerrio aside to find space for her mud bath, thinking Kerrio did not want her to wallow, which was not Kerrio’s intention. Amali did not understand Kerrio’s behaviour properly.
Quanza kept guessing on Zigi, and Zongoloni was again busy playing around with Zigi as nannies were readily waiting for him. Zongoloni was also busy giving some parental guidance to little Zigi. When Zongoloni was done with Zigi, she gave him the go ahead to play around with his loving nannies who had been waiting for a long time. Quanza then grabbed Zigi, but Kiasa and Amali moved quickly and took him away from Quanza, leaving Quanza to go for either Lenny or Sulwe.
Warthogs came out of the hole, first looking to see if the field was free of anyone. The little warthogs spotted Mwana and Kapei, and this prompted Kapei to make a chase after them. Keepers were left laughing as only the warthogs’ tails could be seen as they ran away, while the elephants charged and trumpeted after them. Later, after the chase, the forest became chaotic with elephants trumpeting and charging in all directions at anything they could see. Shrubs were knocked down as if they were clearing the bushes to expose the warthogs’ hiding places.
At the dust bath, many wild bulls appeared looking for space to play in the dust. They found the Keepers observing them while Murera stepped back slowly away from them. One bull caught the scent of humans and raised his trunk, trying to locate where the human smell was coming from. Before he could locate the Keepers, Lima Lima and some of her friends came and shielded them from being seen by the wild bull, who appeared ready to charge. Luckily, Lima Lima provided full protection to the Keepers, and they vacated the place immediately, taking advantage of her cover before the bull could spot them.
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.
The day began well, with every baby ready for a new day. However, the nightclubbers, who had last been seen the previous evening, failed to report on time. Amali and Kerrio became concerned and wondered where they might be.
Amali searched around the stockade area, hoping to find Kiasa and Zigi. After returning empty-handed, she heard elephants trumpeting near the springs and hurried over, thinking it might be Zigi and the others. Instead, she found only a wild herd drinking and enjoying the mud around Umani Springs. She returned before the Keepers and Murera moved on.
On her way back to Murera's group, a buffalo blocked Amali's path. She immediately called for help. Kerrio responded first, followed by Mwana, who left Murera's side to assist. Their quick response gave Amali the confidence to move past the buffalo, and together they returned to Murera, who was peacefully browsing nearby while waiting for the second group to arrive.
Lima Lima and her team took much longer than usual to appear and only arrived after Murera and her group had already moved on.
Murera appeared to be in an unusually good mood throughout the day. She was gentle with many of the youngsters she would normally push away. Kamili and Mwana stood close beside her, and Murera even rested her trunk across Kamili's back — a rare display of affection towards an orphan that was not her own calf. The Keepers were delighted to witness such an unusual moment.
Later, Mwashoti, Sonje and Quanza joined Murera's group. Amali was overjoyed and ran into the bushes, finally returning with Zongoloni and Zigi, whom she had spent much of the day searching for. With Zigi finally by her side, Amali ended the day happy.
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.
Quanza stood her ground today when Mwashoti attempted to chase her away. Rather than retreating as she usually would, she faced him confidently. Her unexpected determination surprised Mwashoti, who eventually stopped advancing and kept his distance.
Later, a wild elephant family joined the orphans while they browsed in Kibwezi Forest. Kerrio and Kamili approached the group, where one wild female had a young calf. Kamili tried to interact with the youngster, but its mother quickly warned her to stay away. Kamili accepted the warning and returned to her orphan companions, leaving the wild family in peace.
Later still, Ziwa arrived with his wild companions and found the orphans feeding on hay. The wild herd accompanying him behaved aggressively, driving the orphans away from the hay. Murera, aware that she was vulnerable, chose not to challenge them. Instead, she quietly withdrew, and the Keepers called for her and Mwana to follow them away from the commotion.
Latika and Kapei were also chased away, leaving Ziwa and the wild herd to enjoy the hay on their own.
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.