The month began, predictably, with baboon drama. It started when a baboon crossed over to Murera and Mwana’s breakfast corner. Mwana saw the baboon quickly snatch some of their pellets, which made her very, very angry. Ears spread wide, she attempted to chase him away, but the baboon was unfazed and taunted her, trying to scare her.
Murera emerged from her stockade, followed by her baby Mwana, who still holds the princess seat since the new babies arrived. They walked close, in a tandem mother-and-daughter approach. Murera would walk and wait for her baby Mwana, and Mwana also moved and back to look at her mother so that they kept on the same pace, without going in front and ahead of one. Then, Kapei moved and interrupted, pestering Mwana. Murera had to remind Kapei to mind his manners and to respect her daughter. Kapei got a taste of his own medicine.
Later, Lima Lima and Sonje came running for pellets and found baboons were enjoying the pellets around Mwana. Lima Lima did not welcome baboons so close to the orphans. Lenny joined his mother in her mission to chase out the baboons, but he was again stopped by a big baboon who knew Lenny was tiny and was not threatening. Seeing Lenny cornered, all nannies formed a front, chasing baboons with loud trumpets coming from all directions. This caused the baboons to disappear into the tall trees.
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.
Sonje, her baby Sulwe, and Amali walked towards the hills and came across a junior bull elephant who was not with a herd. He decided to join Sonje and the little babies, but Amali felt uncomfortable with his presence. She moved towards Sonje and had a brief consultation with her. Sonje then decided to walk away with Amali and her baby girl, Sulwe, to keep their distance from the bull. Later, the bull felt bored and went in another direction towards Chyulu.
Kiasa blocked Sulwe from joining Lima Lima and Mwana while they were playing at the waterhole. Kiasa wanted Sulwe to go with her to the clean water trough for drinking water. However, later, Mwana and her friends returned and continued enjoying the mud bath together, giving the buffaloes — who had been waiting — the opportunity to take over the space as soon as the orphans left. But Murera and Mwashoti stayed much longer in the waterhole, making the buffaloes wait even longer.
Today, all the orphans had a good time, not moving much but enjoying the big acacia that had fallen down. Little Mwana, Sulwe, and Lenny all had their say in the feast, though Lenny seemed to be the greediest for milk. He crossed over to where Murera was eating and went straight to breastfeed.
Murera knew all the tactics to keep a baby happy — she just stood still, giving Lenny enough time and space as she nursed him. Things went wrong when Sulwe also followed Murera and found Lenny already nursing. Sulwe then joined in, and both pulled at Murera’s breast. Murera pushed Lenny away so that Sulwe could have space to nurse now, but Lenny was not ready to leave and resisted.
Later in the afternoon, the babies got too hot, so the mothers and nannies gathered the little ones and led them to the mud bath before heading home.
The newfound wild family that Kiombo joined about a month ago decided to walk him back today to see his human-orphan family. It took some time before the Keepers could identify him among his wild herd, as the herd was larger. One of the lead females stood waiting for Kiombo to finish greeting the orphans before they moved out together.
Murera spotted Kiombo but mistakenly confused him for another elephant and started to chase him out of the herd. He dodged Murera and joined Maktao, but Kapei and Maktao both tried to ignore him. After some time, his wild friends — now his new group — came for him, and they all left for Chyulu. Murera and the other mothers chose to head in a different direction to avoid meeting the wild herd, as Murera did not want to join them.
Lima Lima then called Lenny to her side, but Lenny was shouting, trying to get his mother to stop so he could nurse. Lima Lima didn’t stop, which made Lenny run to Murera for help. Mwana happily allowed Lenny to nurse from her mother, Murera.
In the afternoon, the heat in Kibwezi Forest became too much for the babies, and all the orphans searched for a way to cool off. They went to the waterhole, where the best swimmers enjoyed the swimming pool. Later, Quanza and Kiasa took the lead in bringing the orphans back home.
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.
Kiombo, who recently decided to go wild, made his way back to visit his human-orphan family with a wild bull friend. Murera was very cross with him for some reason and immediately chased him and his friend away. This left Kiombo confused; he could not believe that Murera was actually chasing him.
Maktao and Mwashoti went to fetch Kiombo and escort him back to the orphans, but Murera stood firm. Today, she was the tough boss and denied Kiombo the chance to come back. Realising they had to pick a side, Mwashoti, Maktao, and Kapei left Kiombo in the company of his wild friend and instead returned to the orphans. Murera led the herd back to Kenzili.
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.
As today turned out to be International Women's Day, the Umani orphans also got to celebrate our three girls — Murera, Sonje, and Lima Lima — who have become new mothers. The Keepers also joined hands to stand with the new mothers. Pellets and lucerne were added to their plate to make sure all three girls enjoyed their day.
When it came time for the mud bath, more wild groups came and joined them. Murera and her baby girl Mwana never wanted to associate with them and changed direction to keep away. Two bulls insisted on being part of the herd, but Sonje and Zongoloni agreed with Murera's decision to keep their distance, and the whole herd left the two bulls on their own. Later, the Keepers also called the babies to move to Kenzili after feeling insecure. The best option was to move away from Chyulu Hills.
Alamaya and Faraja met Sonje and Quanza, who later brought Faraja into the orphans. Mwashoti was happy to see Faraja, and both hugged each other, interlocking tusks as they played around. Meanwhile, Lenny and Sulwe were fighting over breastfeeding from Murera, whom they love for her milk. Murera has spoiled the little cuties by giving them full permission to breastfeed whenever they want. Mwana always gives them a chance to feed first; she has her fill after.
Kiombo decided to join a wild herd about four weeks ago and stayed away during that time. When he finally showed up, he was with Ziwa and a wild herd, but he did not rejoin the orphans’ herd. His close friend Maktao tried several times over two weeks to follow him, but he was unsuccessful finding Kiombo and had to make do with our peacemaker, Mwashoti.
Today at midday, as the orphans were leaving the mud bath, a Keeper spotted Kiombo. At first, the Keepers couldn’t believe it was him, but after a closer look, they confirmed it was indeed Kiombo. He immediately walked over, but Murera was not happy to see him and chased him out of the herd.
Despite this, Kiombo didn’t lose hope of staying with the orphans. However, when evening came, and it was time to return to the stockades for the evening bottles, Kiombo and Mwashoti separated from those heading back. Instead, Kiombo joined the "night clubbers" group, having already chosen a different path. His choice had its consequences — no bottle for him — while his friend Maktao still enjoyed his bottle, as he is still not yet ready to leave the herd.
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.
It rained today, and most of the wild elephants that usually visit the orphans did not show up. Mwashoti and Zongoloni walked very closely together, with Zongoloni keeping him unusually close. They are not typically very good friends, but since Zongoloni is heavily pregnant and moody, she seems to favour Mwashoti. Mwashoti also enjoys staying close to Zongoloni during her final days of pregnancy.
Kiombo and his friend Maktao were not invited to join their company. Only Quanza welcomed the boys to her side. Later, the elephants parted ways as they searched for more browse, while some played around the bushes.
Today, Mwana stayed close to her mother and was not in a mood to socialise with other friends. She kept herself busy watching little Lenny. Lenny adores Mwana like a big sister, and Mwana loves him more than she loves Sulwe.
Sonje, Quanza, and Lima Lima led the babies onto the Chyulu Hills to feast upon the fresh greens that were shooting up after the rains. They walked fast and Murera complained about the pace that the new mothers had set. She rumbled to signal Sonje to stop, which Sonje immediately did. This made Murera so happy and she moved to be closer to her old friend.
Then Sulwe got her time to breastfeed from Murera. Amali stood next to Sulwe and rumbled, which sent Lenny running over. From there, a breastfeeding competition began: Sulwe and Lenny fought over Murera, both wanting to nurse from her and neither willing to give up. In the end, Lenny was kicked out by Sulwe and returned to his mother.
Sulwe and Lenny were having fun moments as they tested their strength between girl and boy. Sulwe was almost winning the game, but Lenny tried very hard and overturned the unexpected result that would have seen Sulwe crowned the winner. This would have been a big blow to Lenny — he could not allow Sulwe to claim victory.
Mwana was keenly watching to see what happened. When she realised it was not going in Sulwe’s favour, she acted quickly to help. Mwana saved the situation, and calm was restored. The little angels then left to nurse their mothers.
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.
Mwana had to sort out an issue with Kapei after he dared to climb on her back. Mwana was not ready for such play. With help from her mother and Quanza, who were close by, she managed to fend him off. Quanza chased Kapei, making him run away.
As the elephants climbed to the top of Umani Hill, Mwashoti spotted some warthogs resting. He woke them up and chased them to the far end, ensuring they wouldn’t be seen near the elephants. The warthogs ran off, their tails sticking up as they tried to avoid Mwashoti. He gained extra energy when Kiombo and Maktao joined.
Once Mwashoti saw them off, he returned and joined the orphans at the top of the hill, where they found lush green vegetation to browse. They continued browsing as they moved closer to the waterhole in time for their midday bottle feeding.
Rain came with lots of thunderstorms, which caused serious panic among the babies. Mwana and the little angels couldn’t believe the loud noise from the thunder. They all stopped what they were doing and all the elephants scattered in different directions. The Keepers also had to run for shelter.
Murera found herself alone without Mwana and started to complain because she couldn’t see her. This helped the Keepers determine which direction the elephants had gone. Sonje then teamed up with Zongoloni and Lima Lima to find Murera and reunite her with Mwana.
When the rain stopped, the Keepers were unable to locate the babies at first. They decided to follow footprints, as Murera’s were well known due to her unique walking style. After covering a short distance, the Keepers called out and soon spotted Murera with her baby, Mwana, relaxing under a tree with the other new mothers and little ones. Sulwe was asleep, while Lenny was playing with a stick.
If Sulwe woke up and saw Lenny with the stick, she would grab it and a fight would immediately start. To our surprise, Mwana went ahead and pulled the stick from Lenny, just to see what he would do. However, Lenny strongly defended his stick, forcing Mwana to leave it alone.
Zongoloni was very moody today. She didn’t want Sulwe by her, nursing or even just standing for comfort, and the little girl quickly learned to keep her distance. However, Zongoloni welcomed Mwashoti close to her, as she believed he was well-behaved and could be around her. It was similar to how Murera had been very accommodating when she was carrying Mwana during her pregnancy — only Mwashoti was always with Murera until the day she gave birth.
Maktao tried to walk closely near Zongoloni, but she warned him, and even Mwashoti threw some playful kickbacks to make sure Maktao kept his distance. Zongoloni had chosen Mwashoti alone among all of them.
Meanwhile, Quanza and Kiasa were browsing along the Chyulu Hills when they came across an acacia tree that had been pulled down by wild elephants during last night’s rain. Kiasa rumbled loudly to alert everyone to come quickly and enjoy the fallen branches. The message reached Lima Lima and Sonje, who led the others to the tree, where Quanza and Kiasa were already feasting.
Kiombo arrived with Maktao and Kapei, but instead of settling down to eat, they started fighting. This angered Murera, who chased them away before anyone got hurt. The warning was clear, and the boys had no choice but to leave. From a distance, they watched as the other orphans enjoyed the acacia, knowing their bad behaviour had cost them the feast.
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.
Quanza took off with Amali and Kiasa to the hills, leading the herd into a new day. While on their way along the Umani water springs, two crocodiles were spotted on dry land. Before little Sulwe could walk towards them, Sonje and Kiasa quickly blocked her path, forcing her to change direction. Sulwe accepted the harsh warning given by her mother, Sonje, and her close nanny, Kiasa. The herd instead moved towards Kenzili, where they found lush, green vegetation to browse on.
Zongoloni pulled down an acacia branch for the younger babies, who couldn’t reach the higher branches. This moment brought all the elephants to a stop as they calmly fed together before heading to the mud bath and bottle feeding.
When the orphans arrived at the water hole at midday, they found four buffaloes enjoying the mud bath. Mwashoti immediately approached them and disrupted their peace. The buffaloes were forced to flee when Mwashoti and Maktao teamed up to chase them away. Mwana also joined in, with support from Lima Lima, ensuring that all the buffaloes retreated into the Kibwezi Forest. With the intruders gone, the orphans enjoyed their mud bath peacefully.
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 was raining since the morning, but the babies seemed to enjoy the rain. Sulwe and Lenny were very playful in the mud, which changed the appearance of their faces quite a bit. When Amali tried to block Lenny from getting into deeper mud holes to prevent him from getting stuck, Lenny pushed her back, insisting that she leave him alone. Kapei saw that Lenny was ignoring Amali’s advice, but as a fellow boy, he won Lenny over and convinced him to leave the mud. Eventually, Lenny got out of the trench and joined Sonje, Murera, and the other nannies.
Sulwe was later found by Lenny pretending to breastfeed from Quanza, even though Quanza was not producing any milk. Sulwe was simply having fun, pretending to drink, while Quanza enjoyed the moment as if she were a nursing mother — though she is still far from becoming one.
Later, two buffaloes approached Kiasa, which frightened her. She quickly backed away and went to Mwashoti and Kapei. Using her trunk, she signaled them about the buffaloes. Mwashoti understood right away, and together with Kapei, the young boys teamed up to chase the buffaloes away. The buffaloes quickly retreated, giving the orphans the space Kiasa needed.
Sulwe is a very active little girl, always playing around with anything she can find. When she saw water today, she played in it like a hippo in a waterhole, enjoying herself immensely. She liked making fun while swimming, which attracted most of the nannies, who followed her into the swimming pool.
After coming out of the water trough, where Sonje and the others had walked them to drink clean water, Sulwe started to run around. However, she wasn’t aware of a deeper hole in her path. She tripped and fell to the ground. Kiasa and Amali, who were watching as her bodyguards, quickly rushed to rescue her. The slippery ground, made worse by the rain that had been falling since this morning, made the situation trickier. With the drama resolved, however, all the babies were happy to play in the mud.
Meanwhile, Kapei and Kiombo got into a tug-of-war over a big stick that Kapei had been using to scratch himself. Kiombo felt he was the rightful owner of the stick, but Kapei stood firm and refused to let go. The fight over the stick ended when Mwashoti intervened and made peace. Everyone stopped and relaxed.
While this was happening, Murera and Mwana moved aside to watch the fight, unbothered by it. Mwana then placed her trunk in Murera’s mouth, trying to pull out a small stick. After realizing her mother had something sweet in her mouth, Mwana wanted it for herself.
Rain came with big storms. When the wind started to blow, all the elephants put their trunks on top of their heads, trying to smell around. The Keepers didn’t know why all the elephants raised their trunks, but some minutes later, the storm came with a huge bluster and all the trees bent down, putting everyone in fear. The Keepers quickly took cover.
Lima Lima and Lenny came to see why the Keepers were sheltered. Ever the good mother, Lima Lima was very protective of her baby, but was also loyal to her Keepers. Kiombo, Maktao, and Quanza ran off to find a safer place with the rest of the nannies. But Lima Lima chose to stay near the Keepers with Lenny.
Unbothered by the storm, Lenny went to a Keeper, trunk raised, and asked him to put his fingers into his mouth. It was lovely to see Lenny gently sucking the Keeper's fingers as he settled down, getting ready to sleep, enjoying the comfort from the Keeper as the storm subsided.
Sulwe and Amali also came out from the bushes, trying to play around. Soon, Sulwe walked to Murera and started to breastfeed. Murera accepted Sulwe, but then Lenny became jealous and went to breastfeed as well. Sulwe didn’t want Lenny to get to the other side, so they had to fight it out to decide who would feed.
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.
Sonje, Kiasa, and Zongoloni were very organized with Sulwe this morning. When Lenny came with his mother and Mwashoti, Sonje rumbled and called Sulwe to join her. Zongoloni seemed to know why Sonje called the baby. They were about to leave for the Chyulu Hills, and Quanza also followed them, leaving Lima Lima and Lenny with Kiombo.
This happened because of some drama between the new mothers: When Lenny was going to breastfeed from Sonje, Sonje denied him. This angered Lima Lima, leading to the separation so that each mother could take care of her own baby.
Later, we saw Sulwe trying to find Lenny. She ran back, looking around for her, but found that Lenny had already left with Lima Lima. They reunited later in the day.
When all the elephants came from the hills for the midday bottle feeding, Sulwe kicked down an empty bottle that the Keeper had placed with the others. Afterward, all the elephants were guided by Sonje and Amali to the waterhole to swim. Before the other older orphans jumped into the waterhole, Sulwe jumped in, followed by Lenny, while Mwana was watching them. Amali followed them in, and soon it was the whole swimming team enjoying the mud bath. Sulwe remained the swimming star, while Lenny came second in the swimming competition.
Mwana and her mother did not swim. Instead, they walked to the far end of the waterhole, so Mwana could keep away from Kiasa, who had pushed her when she tried to play around with Sulwe. Kiasa did not want them to play together as babies or sisters, as she is very possessive of the baby girl.
After a rainy night, the Kibwezi Forest was full of running water, which made the orphans avoid their usual walking paths. However, the babies couldn’t find dry land to walk on, so they were forced to walk through the paths with running water.
Amali and Mwana tried to keep up with the babies, but because the soil was very slippery, Amali fell over after skidding off the path. Unfortunately, none of the elephants came back for her, so she had to get up on her own and run to catch up with Lenny and Sulwe.
Maktao crossed over to Kiombo, and play-fighting began. It quickly turned aggressive, with Kiombo hitting Maktao hard. Mwashoti came over and sorted things out, ensuring that they stopped fighting. The boys remained brothers from one family. It was Kiombo who was rough in his argument and hit Maktao intentionally, prompting Maktao to stop what he was doing and fight him back.
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.