Bombi’s mother was killed by lions on Galana Ranch. KWS later discovered the foal, who had also been attacked but somehow managed to escape. They rescued her and contacted us. It has been quite awhile since we had a zebra at Kaluku, and Bombi’s arrival generated great interest amongst the other orphans — particularly Twiggy the giraffe and Mr Bean the warthog.

Fortunately, Bombi is healing well and is in good spirits. She is absolutely hooked on her Keepers, who wear a distinctive zebra striped coat when on Bombi duty. Zebras are visual creatures and foals imprint on their mother’s striped pattern. The uniform allows Bombi to imprint on her Keepers as nature intended, without becoming overly attached to any one individual.

Later in the month, our SWT/KWS Mount Kenya Mobile Vet Unit rescued an hours-old orphaned buffalo. It’s unclear why he was abandoned just after birth, but there were no other buffalos in the area. At such a young age, the little calf was highly vulnerable to predators and needed specialised care if he was to survive. And so, little Gruff — as we named him — was flown to Kaluku and settled right into his new home. He has a ‘big sister’ in Bibi, a fellow orphaned buffalo.

The Orphaned Elephants

Our little herd of orphaned elephants are doing well. Toto is growing up. He is still very gentle, but he’s learning a lot from both Mwinzi and Natibu. Toto is the kind of elephant who is confident enough to walk off and browse alone for a few hours — still within sight of the Keepers, of course — before returning to the herd. He is also very patient when it comes to feeding. Unlike Natibu, who races to every milk feed, Toto never rushes. He understands that his turn will come. 

Toto continues to dote upon Korbessa, whom he treats like a little sister. Korbessa looks out for him too. Natibu, on the other hand, is always trying to catch Toto off guard, but Toto is clever. He waits for the right moment to stand his ground — and when he does, he wins. For now, Natibu is like a small boy compared to him.

Korbessa is a very nice and smart girl. She is under the protection of the boys, and she knows it — she acts like the boss lady! She is the smallest elephant of the four, but she is the one who usually leads the others, whether they’re heading out into the bush or returning home. 

While some elephants settle down to sleep right away, Korbessa takes a long time to wind down. She loves to peek through the small window we’ve made in her and Toto’s shared stable wall — sometimes, just to see her friend, but usually to try to steal his food! She is always playful and full of tricks.

Mwinzi is a nice boy. He behaves like a much older elephant and always has measured reactions. He’s very friendly with everyone and is unfazed by anything happening around him. One interesting thing about Mwinzi is that he really loves Korbesa, probably because she’s the only girl. He always protects her from Natibu, who often tries to bully her. 

We always remark how brave Mwinzi is. He isn’t scared of wild elephants or any kind of drama. He is always playing the role of the big brother to everyone.

Natibu, meanwhile, is the herd’s pesky little brother. One day, he found Korbessa on her own, away from Toto and Mwinzi. He jumped on her, which caused Korbessa to cry out. Toto came running to rescue her, and a fight broke out between him and Natibu. The Keepers had to separate the boys — Toto was furious with Natibu and was not about to back down. 

The next morning, when Toto came out of the stable and saw Natibu, he remembered their fight from the day prior and decided he wasn’t ready to forgive and forget. He gave Natibu a big push and then continued pursuing him through the bush. Mwinzi saw them fighting but didn’t get involved; he was focused on staying with Korbesa.

Twiggy the Orphaned Giraffe

Whether she’s playing mother hen or just being downright nosey, Twiggy continues to take a keen interest in all the other orphans. She was first in line to greet little Gruff on his arrival, reaching her long neck down to meet the tiny buffalo at eye level.

Twiggy can usually be found in the company of the Bs: Bombi, Bibi, Bam, Boozle, Bean, and the rest of the crew. She particularly seems to really enjoy the company of the ostriches and can often be found browsing alongside them. She has all her regular routes mapped out and takes herself on little excursions, from the mud bath to the airstrip. 

We often joke that Twiggy likes to see who’s about — both human and animal — and then determines her social scene accordingly. Some days, she’s in the mood to hang out with the elephants or her little orphan friends; other days, she loiters outside the canteen or the aircraft hangar. It’s Twiggy’s world; we just live in it!

Chamboi the Orphaned Rhino

Chamboi is really growing at pace now, with a noticeable increase in size with each passing month. It won’t be long before he outgrows his baby stable, but we won’t move him until we absolutely have to — rhinos hate change!

For now, Chamboi remains calm and steady in his demeanour, always moving with a sense of deliberation. He loves to investigate anything new in his space — be it an interesting object or a new orphan rescue. Like Twiggy, he immediately clocked the arrival of Gruff and lumbered over to greet him. 

But despite his growing stature, Chamboi is still very much a baby at mud bath. He loves nothing more than to flop into a puddle of muddy water and leave all the hard work to his Keepers while he relaxes in the sun.

Apollo the Orphaned Rhino

Apollo is in magnificent condition. He almost looks like a painting — he is every inch the perfect rhino. He is also becoming increasingly volatile. This is a normal character trait for a black rhino and a sign that Apollo is growing up.

He is mischievous to the core and loves playing little tricks on us when we visit. The second the vehicle pulls into his wandering grounds, Apollo silently paces over — so quietly that one would struggle to hear him approach — and then bursts out of the undergrowth. Ever so casually, he circles the vehicle again and again, pretending to browse but really making his way to the other side, trying his utmost to reach the car. 

Apollo knows every inch of his 50-acre boma and can disappear in an instant. He carved out some favourite nooks and hideouts down by the luggas, where he spends hours napping in the shade. He also loves his evening stockade time, where he enjoys a smorgasbord of lucerne, pellets, range cubes, and fresh-cut greens.

We had some lovely storms this month — not as heavy as in other parts of Tsavo, but enough to green things up. The dramatic weather makes Apollo especially frisky.

Apollo is now at Rhino Base, in Tsavo East National Park.