The month began with some delightful visitors — in the form of several of our ex-orphans! After heralding their arrival with lots of crashing and breaking branches, Faraja, Jasiri, and Zongoloni emerged from the forest. It had been several days since their last visit, so the Keepers were very happy to see them.
When they were let out of the stockades, the orphans went straight to the lucerne pellet corner and had a competition of who could eat the most pellets. Kapei started making a lot of noise and protesting as Mwashoti and Alamaya were much faster at hoovering up the pellets. Kapei started shouting to the older girls, knowing they would chase the older boys away. Sonje and the other girls came over but Mwashoti, Alamaya and Ngasha had already moved away, not wanting to get into trouble.
The orphan herd moved off towards the Kenzili area. Murera did not want to follow the herd today; she decided the Kenzili area was too far to walk. Mwashoti and Murera watched the herd walk away then they started off on their own path towards the Umani hill. The keepers were divided, some stayed with Murera, the others went with the rest of the herd. They found lots of nice fresh vegetation in the Kenzili area. Quanza and Lima Lima pulled down branches for the Kapei and Amali to feed on.
The orphan herd did not make it back to the mud bath for their 11am feed, so the car was sent out to the Kenzili area with the milk bottles.
The Keepers heard lots of noise, crashing and breaking branches, then from the thick bush Faraja, Jasiri and Zongoloni appeared. The Keepers were happy to see them join the herd, as they had been away for several days.
Ngasha was the only one not celebrating the arrival of the older boys. Ngasha enjoys being with the herd, but when Jasiri is around, he gets forced out. Ngasha knew what was coming, so he left the herd before Jasiri got a chance to chase him. When he saw Jasiri happily wallowing, he walked off in the opposite direction.
The nightclubbers were waiting outside the stockade gates early this morning. A wild bull accompanied them. The wild bull was cautious of the Keepers and moved away when they walked out with Sonje and Murera. The wild bull watched curiously as the orphans milled around the pellet corner, but he kept his distance. Lima Lima went over to tell him that he was safe, and the Keepers were their friends. He was not convinced and decided not to join the orphans. He moved away to the Umani springs area; Lima Lima was sad to see him leave, but she stayed with the orphan herd.
Sonje led Kapei and Kiombo towards the Umani hills, while Kiasa, Quanza and Alamaya followed Lima Lima in the same direction. Amali followed Mwashoti over to where Murera and Enkesha were browsing. Enkesha joined the other heading up to browse on the top of the Umani hill while Mwashoti, Amali and Murera remained browsing around the base.
The day had become extremely hot by midday, so the babies were all very ready to go to the mud bath. Enkesha even started looking for water along the way home, checking the pipeline for leakages. Sonje led the herd to a different waterhole that was on the way home. The mud bath was big enough to hold all the orphans at the same time. They all got in and were happy wallowing.
In the middle of the night, Zongoloni accompanied some wild friends to drink from the water trough outside the stockade. The Keepers came out to see what was going on, but they startled the wild elephants, who ran back into the bush. Zongoloni remained with the Keepers for a little while. Then the wild elephants came back to get her, and she left with them towards the Umani springs.
Lima Lima arrived as Zongoloni was leaving with her wild friends. Instead of joining them, she waited until the morning for Kapei to be let out of the stockades.
Quanza and Lima Lima were leading the herd today. After the midday milk feed, Quanza and Lima Lima started leading the orphans back the stockades, Sonje and Murera had to step in and change their direction, as it was still too early to go back. They went browsing along the Kibwezi Forest until it was time to go home. Jasiri and Faraja joined the herd in the late afternoon, just before they started heading to the stockades.
After their midday bottles the orphan herd went to the dust bath. Amali decided she wated to do something different and she started walking off on her own. She turned round to find that no one was following her, so she trumpeted loudly to get everyone’s attention. The orphans spun round to see what Amali was doing. Mwashoti went to get Amali and Murera rumbled for them to come back to her. Murera was happy to see Mwashoti bringing Amali back to her.
Kiasa, Enkesha and Quanza took over control of the orphan herd. They were browsing in the bush when a group of wild elephants came along. Faraja and Ngasha appeared with the wild herd and joined the orphans. Then a huge wild bull approached Faraja, Faraja got worried and quickly moved off persuading Lima Lima to leave with him. Ngasha, Mwashoti and Alamaya stayed with the Orphan herd, peacefully browsing, not drawing attention from the wild bull.
It was getting hot, so the head girls led the babies to the mud bath. All the orphans got in to cool off, they had lots of fun playing in the mud. Kapei with Amali emerged as the swimming stars.
There was a herd of buffaloes hiding in the long grass. Amali was leading the herd today; she did not see the buffaloes until she was almost on top of them. Amali screamed and ran back to the older girls for help, and Lima Lima and Quanza rushed forward to save her. Kapei did not seem bothered by the commotion, as he was safely tucked under Sonje’s belly, with Kiasa next to him. Unhappy about the intrusion, the buffaloes got up and left, the area was now free to browse safely. The orphan herd moved towards the Chyulu area.
When the orphans started to head back towards home, Quanza took little Kapei and Maktao off with her, separate to the orphan herd. The Keepers did not know where she was heading. Luckily, Lima Lima and Zongoloni appeared from the bushes a little while later, with Maktao and Kapei in tow.
The orphan herd did not stop at the pellet eating corner this morning; instead, they marched straight out into the bush. Amali and Enkesha were in a rush to get out. Kapei wanted to stop, but he was outnumbered by all the other orphans who decided to follow Amali and Enkesha. Sonje pleaded with Amali to slow down, but she would not, so Kapei and Sonje were forced to follow, Kapei rumbling his discontent all the while. Lima Lima tried to get the others to stop and wait for Kapei, but Quanza and Kiasa were on Amali’s team and kept moving.
Kiasa walked ahead and suddenly found herself alone on the opposite side of the Umani Springs. She felt unsafe without the older girls, so she backtracked to be with them. Alamaya, Mwashoti and Murera peacefully made their way around the Umani springs. Then Ngasha’s arrival changed everything. Murera turned around immediately and started walking in the opposite direction. This left Mwashoti in the middle. He took a minute then decided to catch up with Murera. Ngasha went to join the young boys Kiombo and Maktao, but they also abandoned him, not interested in his rough games.
Sonje was having a good scratch on a big rock by the stockades. She scratched her bottom then lay on the ground rolling around. Kiombo came to play with her, but she chased him away. The Keepers were surprised to see Sonje behaving like this, and they wondered why she was in such a bad mood. Then a little while later Kiombo came back to Sonje. She invited him to play, feeling bad about chasing him away.
Kiasa and Enkesha took over leading the babies this morning, giving Sonje a break from her duties. Enkesha led the herd towards the Kibwezi Forest to browse. Murera being a very smart girl stayed away from Sonje, she could tell her friend was in an unpredictable mood and she did not want to get chased or pushed.
Sonje was in a happy mood today, unlike yesterday. She was being very playful, showing some unique moves with her friends. Kapei went to join Sonje, but she was preoccupied with her other friends. Lucky for Kapei, Enkesha and Kiasa were happy to take him in and give him the attention he was looking for.
While the orphan herd was browsing out in the forest, a giant wild bull appeared and went straight over to Sonje, ignoring all the other orphans. The Keepers think Sonje might be in season. The wild bull and Sonje had a conversation, then they walked off together. Later in the day the wild bull re-joined the orphan herd, but he was aggressive towards the males. The boys in the orphan herd, especially Ngasha, Alamaya, and Mwashoti, stayed far away from the wild bull and Sonje for the rest of the day.
Sonje’s boyfriend from yesterday was still hanging around, and today, four other wild bulls joined him. They were all competing for Sonje’s attention and a big fight broke out. The original bull was fighting to keep his place, as he got to Sonje first, but he got outnumbered and moved off.
The Keepers watched all the commotion a safe distance from the wild bulls. Sonje was in the middle of all the action, but enjoying the attention. Enkesha, Kiasa, Kiombo and Maktao watched the entertainment from a distance. They were intrigued by the scene but equally glad they were not in the middle of it.
Sonje was leading the orphans out this morning, although the babies were cautious to follow her after yesterday’s events. They were worried that the wild bulls would be back but today was quiet, there were no bulls and Sonje was focused on leading the orphan herd.
Alamaya, Mwashoti and Lima Lima walked to the Kenzili area, leaving Murera far behind them. Murera was walking very slowly today, she is very private, none of the Keepers or the orphans know how she is felling, she only confides in Mwashoti. Today was different, Mwashoti was keeping his distance from her. When Mwashoti reached the Umnai springs he joined Quanza, Kiasa, and Maktao instead of waiting for Murera.
This evening when the orphans were back in the stockades, Sonje appeared very tired. She went straight to sleep, and she slept for a long time. The last couple of days have been exhausting for her, with all the excitement from the wild bulls.
The orphans were happy this morning, ready for the day ahead. The orphans were let out of the stockades, where they found the nightclubbers waiting for them at the pellet corner. They warmly greeted each other; Sonje was especially happy to see Lima Lima.
Overnight, Sonje keeps an eye on all the babies, especially Kapei and Amali. Amali is very attached to Mwashoti, but in the evenings when he leaves the herd to join the nightclubbers, Sonje takes over the duty of looking after her. Sonje guides all the babies home, making sure everyone is safe and happy. Then in the morning Mwashoti is always there waiting to collect Amali.
The orphan herd made their way to the mud bath for their midday milk feed, then they rushed to the water to cool off. Amali and Kapei were the first in the mud bath. As usual Amali was the star of the show. The Keepers enjoyed watching her splashing around and trying to spray water with her tiny trunk. All the other orphans joined in; everyone was enjoying the mud bath until Ngasha arrived.
But the biggest event of the day unfolded around 3 o’clock. Murera let out a short trumpet and then disappeared into the bushes. A few minutes later, all the orphans started calling to the Keepers. They quickly realised the cause for celebration: Murera had given birth to a little girl! Murera invited the Keepers over to meet her baby, and Lima Lima also converged on the scene. Once she got over to Murera’s side, she put her trunk over her, as if congratulating her older friend. The Keepers were overjoyed and so incredibly proud of Murera. We named her daughter Mwana.
Murera did not move last night, instead remaining where she had given birth. The Keepers brought milk bottles, lucerne, and fresh vegetation to her. Lima Lima stayed by her side all night.
Lima Lima, Quanza, and Enkesha have been appointed as her nannies, helping Murera clean Mwana and fussing over her. All the orphans were so happy and wanted to get close to the new baby. Little Amali was especially curious.
Ngasha, Jasiri, and Faraja joined the herd later in the day. They were getting along, not fighting like usual. They all watched the tiny baby with curiosity as she slowly stood up. At first, Ngasha feared the new-born, as he did not know what it was.
The Keepers have been so amazed by Murera. They are reminded of how far she has come since her rescue. Although we knew that this moment was on the horizon, her pregnancy came as a very big surprise. The Keepers worried it would be impossible for her to mate or to carry a baby due to her hip injury. Murera has always kept her distance from big bulls in fear of being hurt, but now here she is with a healthy baby.
Today, Murera assessed Mwana to see if she could walk a small distance. Mwana walked strongly, which made Murera and the Keepers incredibly happy. Murera walked Mwana slowly back to the stockades with all the other orphans acting as her bodyguards. There was a big wild bull that had been hanging around for the last couple of days, and he followed the herd back to the stockades, but keeping his distance. The Keepers speculate that he is the father. Murera and her healthy baby were safely in the stockades for the night.
Murera and her little girl had a good night. Murera, being a first-time mother, lacks experience and she kept moving around when Mwana was trying to feed. The Keepers are sure Murera will settle into her new role, and she has lots of help from all the other orphans. However, the Keepers kept a close eye on Mwana to make sure she was getting enough milk.
Perhaps because of Murera’s injury, she finds it difficult to stand still and in the correct position for Mwana to suckle, so the Keepers had to step in. They milked Murera, then bottle fed Mwana to make sure she did not miss the critical first few days of milk and colostrum. Murera was very understanding of the situation. She allowed the Keepers to milk her while she was happily tucked into lucerne pellets and sugar cane. After her feed, Mwana had a nap. Murera and Lima Lima stood guard, watching the new baby sleep. Lima Lima was very insistent on being with Mwana; she would not leave her side.
This morning Lima Lima was escorted back to the stockades by a couple of wild bulls. One of the bulls was much larger and older. Lima Lima preferred his company, leading us to believe that perhaps this is her new boyfriend.
Once the orphan herd was out of the stockades, Lima Lima separated herself from the wild bulls to check on Murera and the baby. The Keepers feel that Lima Lima is a little jealous of Murera, as she wants her own baby.
Today, Murera was very protective of Mwana. Mwashoti tried to get close, but she did not welcome her best friend as usual, and instead warned him to keep his distance.
Ngasha and Faraja found themselves in a tricky position. They ran into Lima Lima’s boyfriend, who was hiding in some thick bush. The bull was not happy to see other bulls around Lima Lima and chased them away, not knowing they were part of the orphan herd.
Mwana is the first baby born to an orphan from the Umani Springs Reintegration Unit. The Keepers thought Sonje would be the first to have a baby, as she has had many boyfriends over the last couple of years, but instead Murera surprised everyone. The Keepers were worried about her being a mother due to her past injury, but she has proved to be a strong and capable mother.
Sonje, Lima Lima, Enkesha and Kiasa have not left Murera’s side. They are a good support system for her and take their nannying jobs very seriously. They are very calm and caring, but the Keepers can see how excited they are to have a new-born baby in the herd.
The boys, Alamaya, Mwashoti, Ngasha, Maktao, and Kiombo are keeping their distance. They are not quite sure what to do with the new arrival.
Lima Lima made sure Murera and the baby were in a peaceful state before sneaking away to meet up with her boyfriend. The Keepers think Lima Lima is now trying to get a baby of her own. She spent a long time with this wild bull, then three more wild bulls appeared. The bulls started chasing each other, fighting for Lima Lima’s attention. The huge bull that was with Lima Lima all day won the competition and chased the other bulls away.
Since Mwana’s arrival, she has been the centre of attention. Everybody wants to touch her, or just be close to her. Lima Lima has the much sought after position of head babysitter; Murera trusts her implicitly.
Mwana spent some time under Sonje’s care, giving Murera and Lima Lima a much-deserved little break. Mwana tried to suckle from Sonje. Sonje very patiently stood still, but she had no milk to offer. Mwana then decided it was time to go back to her mother.
Mwana found it difficult to walk in the long grass, because her tiny legs kept getting tangled. She screamed, making her distress known. The Keepers saw lots of movement and dust clouds as all the orphans ran to her rescue. The herd turned back and walked out of the tall grass. Once in the clear, they stopped for Mwana to have a rest and a milk feed in hopes it would cheer her up.
Faraja and Ngasha brought along some wild friends. One of the wild elephants was a young bull that was interested in Lima Lima, but she did not reciprocate. Lima Lima was interested in the much bigger, older bull that had been to visit just a few days ago.
Lima Lima stood with Murera in the thickest bush as Mwana slept peacefully between them. Kiasa and Enkesha are also taking their nanny roles very seriously. Kiasa came over to get Mwana when she woke up, then persuaded the tiny baby to follow her. Mwana followed Kiasa a short distance before rumbling to Murera, who then came running over.
This morning, Lima Lima was at the gate waiting for Mwana to finish feeding. The other orphans had gone out to browse ahead of Murera. The Keepers kept her separate today, so that she and Mwana did not have to walk long distances to keep up with the rest of the herd. Sonje and the other girls were reluctant to leave, but Kiombo and Maktao were happy to walk out without the baby. They miss their long walks to the Umani Hills and the Kibwezi Forest.
The Keepers had a bit of a hard time at the mud bath today. The older orphans were having lots of fun wallowing and playing. When Murera re-joined the herd Mwana really wanted to get in the mud bath, but the Keepers did not think this was a clever idea. They tried to keep her out until the others had finished but Mwana was very insistent. One of the Keepers got his boots full of mud trying to stop Mwana form getting into the mud bath — in fact, they were so muddy that he had to change his shoes! Eventually the Keepers got shovels to splash her with water, and the headstrong little girl was satisfied with this.
The Keepers have been milking Murera, then feeding Mwana with a bottle as she was not getting enough milk. Today, at last, Murera got the hang of feeding Mwana.
Mwana has been trying to suckle from Sonje. While she doesn’t have milk, Sonje does understand to stand with her front legs wide to give Mwana ample space to stand under her chest. Murera finally learned to stand the same way, giving her baby space to properly nurse.
All the young girls dote on Mwana, while the boys are less interested. They are carrying on with their usual games. Maktao and Kiombo have their usual pushing matches, Mwashoti is still focused on Amali, and he has grown closer to Alamaya now that Murera is preoccupied. Kapei is not happy about having to share Sonje’s attention with Mwana.
Quanza and Lima Lima were waiting at the stockade gate this morning, eager to see Mwana.
Kapei, however, is bored of the new baby in the herd. Kapei likes the attention being on him, so he gets very jealous of Mwana. Amali does not mind the diverted attention; in fact, she seems happy to have a new baby girl to play with.
Mwana walked over to Kapei, but he was not friendly. The Keepers ran to her defence, worried that he would push her. Kapei ran to Sonje for comfort, but she was not happy with his behaviour either. Kiasa and Enkesha were confused by Kapei’s behaviour; they love Mwana so much and cannot understand why Kapei doesn’t.
Ziwa was waiting outside the stockade gates this morning. His wild family kept their distance, browsing in the thick bush nearby. Ziwa was happy to see his friends. He greeted them, but quickly moved his attention to Murera and Mwana. The news of Murera’s beautiful baby must have spread to Ziwa, and he had come to see the miracle with his own eyes.
All the orphans were gathered around the pellet corner. Mwana was trying to copy them by picking up pellets, but she has not mastered control of her trunk, as she doesn’t have any teeth to chew the pellets yet. Ziwa was struggling to get close to Mwana; all her dedicated nannies were making a barrier around her.
Mwana is getting stronger and more playful with each passing day, although she still gets hungry and tired often, like any newborn. Murera must stop to feed her then wait for her to have a nap. Lima Lima, Quanza, Enkesha and Kiasa are all happy to hang around Murera and wait for Mwana to wake up.
Sonje stays in charge of the other orphans, moving them slowly around for browsing sessions. Lima Lima seems to have taken it personally that Murera will not let her take full custody of Mwana, so she seems to be shifting her affection back to Kapei. Naturally, he is happy to have the attention.
Alamaya and his friend Mwashoti had been away for a couple of days, after wandering to the Chyulu Hills with some wild friends. Today they arrived back at the stockades, but only after the orphan herd had already left. The boys were sad to find that all the pellets had been finished.
Little Kapei and Amali are now starting to look much healthier and rounder. The Keepers remember how weak and thin both were when they first arrived at Umani Springs. The milk feeds, lucerne pellets, and the constant access to vegetation have brought them back to health.
Kapei was moping around today, making his discontent about not being the centre of attention known. Sonje noticed Kapei’s efforts to get attention and went to fuss over him.
At the waterhole, Mwana wanted to go in with the others. Again, when the Keepers would not let her in, she rumbled in protest. Murera, and Sonje ran to her side. The mud bath was very busy with all the orphans playing and pushing each other, creating an environment that was much too rough for little Mwana. Instead, the Keepers got out their spades and threw mud over Mwana to cool her down. Even for her tiny size, she is incredibly determined and gives the Keepers quite the task trying to stop her.
Maktao and his good friend Kiombo started the day with their usual pushing match. The other orphans were too busy at the pellet corner to notice the two boys playing. There were some brave baboons trying to steal some of the lucerne pellets. Kapei, Kiasa and Amali decided it was their job to defend the pellets. They stood their ground, charging the baboons and trumpeting. The baboons waited at the treetops for the orphan herd to move out for the day, then came down to ‘clear the table’ and eat all the scraps.
Kiasa wanted Mwana to be with her, but Mwana went to follow a Keeper instead. In the beginning, when Murera was struggling to feed her baby the Keepers were bottle feeding Mwana, so she still associates the Keepers with food. Kiasa got jealous and mock charged the Keeper, but he escaped unscathed. Kiasa was chastised for her behaviour and went off to browse on her own, feeling sorry for herself.
Kiasa is becoming possessive of Mwana. She pushes anyone who gets close to her, although she gets pushed aside by the bigger girls, mainly Quanza and Lima Lima. Everywhere Mwana goes, there are trunks reaching out for her. She even finds It hard to walk without bumping into an elephant wanting to love her. Sonje appears to have taken a step back from Mwana, knowing that the rest of the orphan herd needs her leadership and nurturing.
Mwana loves the mud bath so much. Today, after days of trying to dodge the Keepers, she finally got in for a proper wallow. The water was deeper than expected and almost came up over her head. The Keepers moved her to a shallower part of the mud bath, but Mwana was not fazed. She was so happy being in the mud bath and the Keepers had a tough time getting her out when it was time to leave.
Lima Lima arrived, trumpeting loudly. Shegave the orphan herd and the Keepers a fright, but no one knows why she was trumpeting so loudly. She rushed over to be with Mwana. Then the whole herd moved over to the dust pile to have a dust bath. All the babies had lots of fun rolling around, while Lima Lima and Quanza threw up big clouds of dust.
This morning, the nightclubbers were waiting outside the stockade gates, including Mwashoti and Alamaya. Quanza and Lima Lima were eagerly awaiting Murera to finish feeding her baby and come out, but Kiasa swooped in and persuaded Mwana to follow her to the pellet corner. Murera rushed over to stop Kiasa from running away with her baby. Mwashoti, who is still a very loyal friend to Murera, blocked Kiasa’s path so Murera could get her baby back.
Jasiri and Faraja came back to check on the orphan herd and get caught up on all the stories. As the two boys were standing, having a long conversation with Murera, Mwana walked under Jasiri’s belly. Jasiri, who is not used to tiny babies, was really scared by this behaviour. He moved a few steps away and just watched Mwana interacting with the other orphans.
The mud bath was full of activity again today. The orphans were all wallowing and swimming, not leaving any space for Mwana to get in. Mwana, as usual, insisted on being a part of all the fun. The Keepers and her nannies all tried to stop her from getting in, but she was determined. Enkesha blocked her path, making Mwana trumpet, which brought Kiasa over. Kiasa tried to comfort Mwana, but she was not in the mood to be comforted; she just wanted to play in the water.
Eventually, once Maktao, Kiombo and the others had gotten out, Mwana found a quiet corner to get into the mud bath. When she was tired, she followed her mother over to the shade to have a milk feed. Afterwards, Mwana took a nap in the shade next to Enkesha and Kiasa. Kiombo and Maktao were in the background pushing each other like they always do, while the girls rested peacefully, creating a barrier around sleeping Mwana.
The nightclubbers were waiting at the gate again this morning. There was the usual fight over who got to be with Mwana. Kiasa was being cunning, trying to get Mwana before Quanza and Lima Lima took over. She managed to block Lima Lima, but then Murera intervened and took her own baby away with her.
A wild bull tried to join the orphan herd just as they left the stockades. The Keepers were worried about this and shepherded Murera and Mwana away from the bull. Eventually, the bull left the herd in peace. The orphans walked towards the Umani Hills, with Sonje leading followed by Kapei, Kiombo, and Maktao following. Amali followed Mwashoti and Alamaya. Finally, Murera, Mwana and her nannies Kiasa, Enkesha, and Quanza brought up the rear.