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Kiombo came to visit his longtime close friend, Maktao, whom he had missed since graduating into the wild. It had been about three weeks since Kiombo joined the wild side, though he visits frequently. Today, Kiombo arrived again with his newfound family of six elephants, and he moved his eye directly to Maktao. Maktao had also been missing his longtime friend, and when he spotted Kiombo, he turned to him for a hug. But Kiombo did not respond to his hug and instead pushed his tusks onto Maktao. Maktao responded nicely to Kiombo, as he had a bigger advantage over Kiombo because he has big and longer tusks compared to Kiombo’s small tusks. 

A fight erupted between Kiombo and Maktao, forcing Mwashoti, the Umani peacemaker, to go and stop them by standing between them. This made Maktao sense that there would be no more fighting after seeing Mwashoti between them. Enkesha and Kiasa went to shield the babies because they were the ones given the duty to care for them.

When the elephants came for their midday bottles, they all moved to the clean water trough for a drink. Later, they returned to where they found Murera and Mwana taking a mud bath. Sonje splashed mud, which reached Sulwe, making Sulwe more interested, and he later went into the water pool to swim. Sulwe was almost getting stuck, but Sonje and the little nannies joined to help Sulwe get out of the mud bath. 

This morning was a very good morning, except for the usual challenge of the baboons. A baboon crossed over to a place where Mwana and Murera were having a nice time enjoying their pellets.  Mwana saw the baboon quickly snatch some of their pellets, which made her very, very angry. She tried to chase it away, but the baboon turned around and tried to scare her. 

This was the baboon’s big mistake. Mwana stood firm and showed the baboon that she was not afraid. Seeing a threat to their original princess, all the other nannies teamed up, trumpeted, and kicked the baboons out of their sight. Mwashoti followed to be sure that Mwana and friends were out of danger from rogue baboons, who were now chattering from the treetops.

Later, Lima Lima and Quanza joined Enkesha in the hills. Sulwe soon joined them with Amali, but Lenny was left back with Murera, who was generously allowing him to breastfeed.

The orphans took off to the Umani Hills today straight from the onset this morning. Sonje, together with Murera and Lima Lima, made the decision, and the orphans agreed to follow. Both Amali and Kiasa, together with Enkesha, followed suit up to the hills, with little Lenny and Sulwe not giving up and walking with great energy.

Then, Sulwe got thirsty. She stopped Kiasa, then realised she could not nurse from her and went to find her mother. Amali volunteered to escort Sulwe to Sonje, but Sulwe felt more comfortable going with Kiasa, who understands her well.

On the hills, the rain started, and the orphans took cover under the trees. However, because the rain was pouring heavily with strong winds that broke some trees, the head girls found it too risky to stay under the trees. The orphans relocated to another place, and the Keepers, who had been watching them, also moved along.

Sulwe got annoyed with Lenny after a small issue that brought about a disagreement. Sulwe seems to be a very short-tempered little girl — any moment Lenny does something she doesn't like, she has to fight back. But Lenny is no pushover.

Today, Sulwe pushed Lenny, and Lenny fought back in retaliation. It turned into a little babies' fighting show, which led to Amali stepping in to separate them. However, Amali was struggling to restore peace, so the older nannies — Enkesha, Kiasa, and Quanza — stepped in until the little angels were finally separated. Each one then walked to their mother to breastfeed. Mwana, who has just graduated to little nanny, kept watching them do their own things next to their mothers.

A buffalo then arrived at the place where Mwana and Murera were having a good time. Mwana spotted the buffalo as it was heading for a dust bath and went to keep it away. Kiombo and Mwashoti followed her to help chase the buffalo, and Lima Lima teamed up with Kiasa to provide backup. It was a successful mission — once Lima Lima joined, the buffalo felt unsafe with the elephants blowing trumpets and charging at him. The buffalo disappeared into the bushes, while the orphans got ready to head home after a long day.

At the pellets this morning, Lenny was constantly pestered by Sulwe. She kept pushing and mounting him, not giving him any time to enjoy the pellets. Amali was trying to calm the situation, but it only ended when Kiasa took Sulwe away. When Sulwe was taken away by Kiasa, Lenny got a reprieve and turned to Enkesha, his good friend. He then proceeded to Murera to nurse, as Mwana watched without getting jealous.

Later, Lenny rumbled, which made his mother, Lima Lima, rush over to see why he was complaining. But when Lima Lima arrived, she found nothing was wrong — it was just an empty baby complaint. So, he was just left alone.

Kiombo then took off to Maktao for play-pushing. However, it ended after the peacemaker, Mwashoti, stood between the pair. Mwashoti does not approve of the boys’ boisterous behaviour. The boys were clearly upset, but because he is so much older, they had to respect his wishes. 

Lenny had been a very strong and jovial chap ever since he was born. In the morning, he was playing around with everything and charging at whatever came across his path. Sulwe followed him into his hideout behind some shrubs, but Lenny was not happy about Sulwe following him. He turned against Sulwe and pushed her down, catching her unaware. Sulwe rumbled — her signal for help — and Kiasa and Amali responded quickly to see what was wrong.

When Kiasa found Sulwe and Lenny, she chose to walk away with Sulwe, her favourite, leaving Lenny with Amali and Enkesha. They took Lenny to where Murera and Mwana were browsing, and he went under Murera for breastfeeding.

Kiombo returned, pushing Kapei, who was defiant and unfazed by Kiombo being an old friend. Despite being a younger bull, Kapei fought for his rights, refusing to be an easy target. Kiombo found it surprisingly difficult to overpower Kapei and eventually surrendered after realising how determined Kapei was to stand his ground.

Sonje and Lima Lima seem to be forming two groups of new mothers. Sonje has teamed up with Zongoloni, Kiasa, and her baby, Sulwe, while Lima Lima formed an alliance with her baby, Lenny, and Murera, Mwana, and Mwashoti. This left Amali feeling torn, unsure which team to join. Amali loves all the babies but dislikes the separation, as it divides the two little ones, Sulwe and Lenny. Quanza and Enkesha go between the groups.

Zongoloni tries to remain neutral when it comes to the little babies, but Sonje is more selective. She favors her own daughter and doesn’t go out of her way to help Lenny. Today, Lenny got a bit stuck and Sonje watched without offering to help. Zongoloni would never just sit by and do nothing — she always steps in to assist. 

This afternoon, Maktao approached Kapei, asking if he would join him in chasing away some buffaloes that were sleeping near the waterhole. Kapei ignored him, but when Mwashoti and Lima Lima saw Maktao heading toward the buffaloes, they quickly rushed to help. Together, they successfully chased the buffaloes into the forest. 

On their way back to the herd, they came across some warthogs. Amali joined them in the chase, bringing Lenny along. Lenny attempted to blow his trunk and managed to produce a small sound — he was still learning how to use it properly.

It is very interesting to see how Mwana is evolving so fast. Now she has tiny tusks emerging, and little parts of them are now visibly seen. What a wonderful little princess she is, proving already to have the attention and care of a fully grown elephant. The Keepers remember the struggle they had during the time when her mother wasn’t able to breastfeed; Sonje, Lima Lima, and Zongoloni also were devoted to Mwana, even as they thought about becoming mothers themselves.

Now, Mwana has become a nanny to Lenny and Sulwe. In a way, she is paying back to Lima Lima and Sonje for helping her when she was still in need of them. Murera is a happy mother to Mwana and the trusted leader of Umani, above everyone. Earlier this year, she again mated with a wild bull, and we hope that she is pregnant. If all goes according to plan, Umani will welcome another baby from Murera two years from now. She was mated in late January 2025.

Kapei went digging for some acacia roots. He was working hard while Quanza stayed at a distance, watching. When Kapei was almost done digging up the roots, Quanza, Enkesha, and Mwashoti came over and pushed him aside to take the roots for themselves. Kapei had no choice but to leave the roots before he could enjoy eating them. Mwashoti, Quanza, and Enkesha were the beneficiaries of his hard labor.

Murera, at the waterhole after taking her milk bottle, was not in her usual mood. The Keepers wondered what was wrong with her today, as she was not permitting Sulwe and Lenny to nurse  from her, which was very unusual for Murera. We believe it stemmed from a disagreement she had with Sonje and Mwashoti over some branches that had caught her attention. The two elephants grabbed them before Murera could reach them.

The disagreement put Murera in a very bad mood, and the little babies had to pay for it. She refused to let Lenny nurse. Lenny tried to scream as a way of pleading with Murera to allow him, but she still denied him and sent him running back to Lima Lima. Understanding that she would meet the same harsh treatment, Sulwe also ran back to her mother.

None of the other leading females dared to approach Murera, as Sonje and the others fear her when she is in a bad mood. Murera then called her baby Mwana to follow her so they could keep away from the younger babies. Only Amali was allowed to walk with them. 

Enkesha went to try and calm Sulwe and Lenny, who were now just looking at Murera but not daring to get closer. Using her strength and knowledge to comfort them, she managed to make them happy again. Then, every nanny went for her favourite — Enkesha remained with Lenny, while Kiasa took her good buddy Sulwe into the bushes.

Kiombo came directly toward Maktao this morning as if he had planned to ambush him. Before Maktao realised what was happening, Kiombo had already jumped on his back, trying to mount him. At first, Maktao was reluctant and didn’t turn around to fight back, knowing Kiombo wasn’t serious. But things changed quickly when Kiombo touched his tail — this angered Maktao, and his temper flared. A boy like him couldn’t let someone grab his tail and get away with it.

Mwashoti had to step in as the peacemaker, trying to stop them from fighting too hard. As soon as Mwashoti arrived, Kiombo sighed in relief, as the older bull created space for Kiombo to escape. Maktao kept pushing, determined to continue the fight, but he eventually surrendered and stopped.

Meanwhile, Amali crossed to the waterhole to be next to Mwana, before moving to Sulwe for a swim. Sulwe jumped into a small waterhole, doing some warm-ups in preparation for a proper swim. As Sulwe was getting ready, Lenny saw her near the edge and thought she wasn’t interested in swimming. Wanting to encourage her, he jumped into the waterhole and started swimming, hoping Sulwe would follow — and she did. Sulwe didn’t want to be seen as a coward or afraid of the water.

Soon, Amali, Enkesha, and Kiasa all joined the little ones in the swimming pool, which was later celebrated by the entire herd. Only Kapei stayed outside, choosing not to swim today.

This morning, Sulwe found herself in a bad situation after pushing over a big boy much older than her — Kapei. Since Sulwe often plays rough with Lenny, she instinctively pushed Kapei without realizing he was an older boy. But Kapei made sure to teach her a lesson—she needed to learn that age is to be respected, and she cannot push and play with everyone like she does with Lenny and Mwana.

As boys will be boys, Kapei didn’t miss the chance to show Sulwe her place. Sulwe rumbled, calling for her mother, Sonje, to come to her rescue. The head girls, along with Sonje, rushed over, but by the time they arrived, Kapei had already dodged them and disappeared into the bushes, knowing they would punish him in turn. Murera watched from a distance with Mwana. Lenny was also not left behind — he followed along to witness what was happening.

At the mud bath, many buffaloes were spotted, some lying in the waterholes to escape the flies. However, as soon as the elephants arrived, the buffaloes had to get up quickly. Once the little nannies — Amali, Enkesha, and some of the boys — spotted the buffaloes, they moved toward them, causing them to take off at pace. The orphans and little nannies ran after them, trumpeting loudly as they chased them into the forest. Murera, however, remained behind, watching as the others handled the situation.

The orphans came out after a long night of rest. When the Keepers handed out the morning bottles, both Kapei and Amali were the first to rush towards the gate. Amali looked around for the little babies and new mothers who had been out since last evening. However, the nightclubbers were nowhere to be found. Amali wandered around the stockades, rumbling as she tried to locate them — especially Lenny and Sulwe — but she wasn’t lucky enough to pick up their scent in the bushes.

Enkesha raised her trunk above her head, also trying to locate the nightclubbers by scent. She was tricked, however, when Kapei took off behind the bushes, making her believe he had caught their trail. She followed, hoping to find something, but Kapei soon walked back into the herd. Murera then took charge and led the orphans in a different direction, leaving Enkesha deep in thought about how she would find Sulwe and Lenny.

Amali eventually gave up searching for Sulwe. Meanwhile, Murera, along with Mwana and Maktao, led the orphans towards the Kanzili area to browse. As they passed through Umani Springs, a group of monkeys in the treetops began screaming loudly, confusing Murera and Mwana. Unable to ignore them, Mwana turned back, determined to chase after the noisy monkeys. However, the monkeys quickly disappeared into the trees, escaping Mwana’s attempts to find them.