Keepers' Diaries, March 2005

Voi Reintegration Unit

Very evident in this month’s Voi Diary is the strong friendship and tremendous compassion displayed by the little Ugandan elephant, 4 year old Mweya, towards the weakling of the group, Mweiga, who has always been a particularly fragile member of the orphan unit. We read how Mweya helps Mweiga up the steep incline of a gulley, pushing her from behind with her forehead; how Mweya remains behind at the foot of Mazinga Hill with Mweiga, when the others ascend the hill; how she remains close to Mweiga’s side out in the feeding grounds, and instead of running ahead to the mudbath with the others, keeps pace with slow Mweiga, even holding onto the older elephant’s tail in a gesture of friendship. Nyiro, who has always shared Mweiga’s Stockade during the night, took to persistently trying to mount her during the night, prompting the Keepers to remove him from Mweiga’s Stockade and put him in with Natumi and her night-time colleagues. Since Nyiro’s big buddy happens to be Tsavo, who occupies Natumi’s Stockade at night, this could have been a deliberate ruse to initiate such a change! The fact that elephants reason is illustrated many times in the Diary – for instance when Mpala can’t reach a particular branch, and climbs onto a rock in order to do so, and when Burra can’t quite manage to mount Mpala, and takes advantage of a fallen log to gain height, ending up draped across the log as Mpala moves off!