The month began with an exciting night out in the wild for our two young boys, Kapei and Maktao. They were escorted by their ‘big brother,’ Mwashoti, who looked after them on their nocturnal safari with the ex-orphans — or, as we have nicknamed them, the Nightclubbers.
It rained last night until the morning, and this made Lima Lima and friends skip coming in the morning to join Murera and her team. When Murera got outside with Kerrio and her friends Latika and Kamili, Amali joined them. Latika was so hesitant to be close to Amali, because she used to bully her.
Kerrio then changed the place for them to move away from the bullying friend. Kapei followed, but he was again ignored and went back to his friend Maktao. Both boys went past Umani Hills and chose to go far from Murera with her little girls, Mwana and Amali.
Today the Keepers thought Lima Lima and her friends would come in the morning but they skipped again. The Keepers brought their milk bottles at mud bath time to feed them after missing the morning feed, but there was zero arrival. Lima Lima, Zongoloni, and Sonje did not come again in the afternoon for the midday feed, meaning today they skipped visiting their friends.
It was another big celebration for Murera, who feeds many mouths, meaning she is so kind and feeds many babies. The Keepers decided to give all the bottles to Murera to drink, so that she would have more for Mwana and friends.
Kamili drank all her two bottles, then headed back to the bushes, leaving Murera. They saw there was no need to be at the mud bath after having their bottles, instead choosing to go back for more browsing within Kibwezi Forest.
Then Murera and her baby waited for the Keepers to finish their lunches. Together, they got ready for another walk into Chyulu Hills. One buffalo was watching Murera. The Keepers decided to call Murera so that she could change direction and not go directly towards the buffalo, who was not moving and did not look scared of Murera. When he saw them walking away, he went down for a sleep.
Mwashoti brought back Kapei and Maktao after spending the night out last evening with the nightclubbers and skipping coming back home on time. This morning, from the bushes, the Keepers heard something moving inside, but everyone was very reluctant and careful to see who was within the forest, as it could have been wild elephants or buffalo.
Amali came out and stopped eating pellets with her friends to go and receive Mwashoti with Kapei, her neighbour. It was true that the two boys who had spent the night out away from home were now brought back by Mwashoti, who meant well for them and brought them back and handed them over to the orphan herd.
Then later Mwashoti walked back to go and join Sonje and Lima Lima, who had not yet arrived. They only sent Mwashoti to take the two boys back and then returned.
Mwana went out for some dusting and Kapei followed her to the dust pile, but Mwana did not believe or trust him. This made Mwana return to her mother, who was also watching Kapei carefully.
Kerrio, Latika, and Kamili grouped together away from the other babies and formed their own group away from the naughty Kapei. Kapei tried to mount on Kamili and fell over when he found Kamili was taller than his height and mounting her was not possible — a tall order for Kapei. He later gave up and joined Maktao for a pushing play into the bushes away from the other girls who did not want to play with them.
Sonje and her baby Sulwe were missed today, while Lima Lima and Zongoloni with their babies reported. This day was very tough for the Keepers, as we couldn't locate or predict why Sonje failed to show up. Zongoloni with Zigi sometimes skip arriving on time, but this was unusual for Sonje.
Lima Lima walked back with Quanza and Mwashoti to check if they would see or meet Sonje. Amali joined them, then later Kerrio and Kapei walked into the bushes. When they came back to join Murera and friends, the Keepers spotted Sonje coming behind Kerrio.
Lenny ran under Murera to nurse and he was accepted. Mwana gave him space to suckle Murera without problem. Mwana knows Lenny is a young brother to her and she shows no jealousy.
It was now time for the midday bottle feeding, and all babies reported and none was missing. What the orphans did not do was mud bath, as none was willing because of the long rains experienced last night and all places were full of running water, making it hard for the babies to swim.
Faraja and Jasiri came to visit the orphans today before noon. When the Keepers spotted them, everyone was on high alert about seeing wild bulls. But today we never saw any of the wild friends. Faraja and Jasiri just spent their day with us in a very peaceful environment without seeing what the Keepers thought would be seen today. Later we realised the two orphans just wanted to be part of the orphans herd today without their wild friends.
Kamili joined Kapei and Amali some distance away from the other babies. Kapei bullied Kamili, which made her return back to where Quanza and Enkesha were standing. Quanza saved Kamili from Kapei, then Zongoloni warned him for good measure. Kapei felt threatened and had to leave the place for his own safety. The older orphans wanted everyone to be at peace with each other and had no time for his nonsense.
Rain that started in the middle of the night and continued into this morning was a big challenge for the Keepers and the orphans as they wondered how they would get out in the rain. It was time for the Keepers to start cleaning the elephants’ rooms after all had got their milk bottles. By the time Murera finished her milk bottle, Mwana was trying to get back into the bedroom under the roof so as not to go out in the rain. Amali also refused to come out.
But greedy Kapei and Makatao, together with the Nairobi girls, Kerrio and her team, walked out and took different directions while the Keepers and Murera were still locked inside the stockade not ready to go out. Kerrio and her team tricked the Keepers to see if they would follow them so that they could walk into Kibwezi Forest together. The trick yielded results, as the Keepers came out and joined Kamili and Latika, then all returned to where Murera and the Keepers wanted them. Everyone then walked out with the orphans all the way to the Kenzili area for the morning browse.
Mwashoti brought Quanza to Lenny because Lenny was not ready to be with his older brother Mwashoti, and Mwashoti was also getting tired of taking care of little Lenny. Mwashoti just wanted a way of leaving Lenny with the nannies to take care of the little babies. Then Mwashoti left to be with Kapei and the other boys.
At the mud bath point, none of the babies went swimming and none wanted to be close to the waterhole because of the rain that made it not possible for the orphans to play in the waterhole. Enkesha joined Kerrio for some consultation, then all the elephants took off back to the forest together with the little babies, and the Keepers had to go after them.
Mwana could not agree with Kapei today on many occasions when Kapei kept trying to mount on her, something he sometimes likes doing to her. Today it was very different and she kept being very defensive, trying to stop Kapei from mounting her. This kind of play continued for a while and Mwana kept resisting, until Enkesha and Kamili decided to join and help save her from the naughty Kapei.
Maktao watched and didn’t stopped Kapei until Enkesha and Kamili came and rescued Mwana from him. When Kapei saw these girls coming to face him for disturbing Mwana, he sensed danger and had to go away and hide in the shrubs around him. Murera just kept quietly watching, because she knew that Enkesha and Kamili would handle the situation.
The elephants went into Kibwezi Forest along the Chyulu Hillsi. While still browsing around the Kenzili area, some elephants came out and from a far distance Ziwa was spotted with his wild family. The Keepers called him and Ziwa just acknowledged the greetings, then left and joined his herd. They were waiting for him very patiently, not leaving him until he was satisfied greeting his former Keepers. His Keepers just waved him goodbye as he was leaving with his friends.
Morning began well, with all the babies ready for the new day after a long night of heavy rain. Latika and Kamili got their bottles, then immediately followed Kerrio, who was still by the gate waiting for them. The two Nairobi girls then took off in their own direction as directed by Kerrio, who remained the trusted head girl among the three girls. Whatever decisions Kerrio made were not overturned by Kamili and Latika. They remained very loyal to her, more than what Murera could tell them, and Kerrio must have the last word on it.
Zongoloni and Sonje joined Lima Lima and Lenny towards the Umani Springs for some fresh water, but none reached the spring. After seeing one crocodile on the dry land enjoying the sunshine, both elephants turned and changed direction to another safe side. Lenny struggled to suckle Murera while Mwana watched very patiently as Lenny enjoyed his mother’s milk. Mwana then went under the belly and sipped a little milk before leaving Lenny to continue breastfeeding while moving.
Two bull elephants arrived when the orphans were getting ready to go for the mud bath. The Keepers heard bushes making noises and then from a distance saw Kerrio and Lima Lima raising their trunks towards them. Lima Lima was trying to make Kerrio a good spy like herself, to be helpful to the Keepers just as Lima Lima has always been a great help to them. Now she was training Kerrio to be on high alert and make the Keepers aware should Lima Lima fail to come with her team. This meant Kerrio could perform the same duties that Lima Lima has often helped the Keepers with when wild animals invade around them and she lets them be aware.
The Keepers spotted Lima Lima, and the wild bulls did not see them because Kerrio and Lima Lima had passed them earlier than the bulls, so the bulls could not see the Keepers. Murera with Mwana took a different side together with Lenny, who kept screaming to Murera begging for nursing time. But Murera was not in a good mood and pushed Lenny away, giving him no time for nursing when he was too thirsty for milk.
He went to his mother Lima Lima, and even Lima Lima did not stop to nurse him because all the elephants were in a hurry for bottle time. The bulls joined them again at the midday bottle feeding time.
Crested cranes flew over and when Amali could not see what was flying over their heads, it made everyone stop. All the elephants then went into the bushes to hide while charging at trees with loud trumpeting throughout Kibwezi Forest.
Enkesha and Kamili became close friends and sometimes not friends. Kamili was going for some twig sticks to brush her teeth and Enkesha was also targeting the same stick. When Kamili picked it to her mouth, Enkesha was upset and left for the bushes after Kamili saw it and picked it before Enkesha could have it first.
Amali walked to be with Mwana as her older sister, but Mwana was not in the mood and ignored Amali while she was still waiting at the dust bath to play together. Amali went to the top of the hill, dusting and rubbing her belly.
Latika went to the hill trying to join the other babies on the top, but immediately Kerrio spotted her going to her side. Kerrio then stepped out and took both Latika and Kamili to the bushes for a day break under the shade, following the strong sunshine which had turned the day too hot.
Zongoloni came out today and had issues with Enkesha. She didn’t want to see Enkesha with Zigi. The moment she saw Enkesha trying to get close to her baby Zigi, she would go and chase Enkesha away. When Kiasa got close to Zigi, Zongoloni had no issues and allowed Kiasa to keep on with Zigi. The Keepers watched how Zigi interacted with Kiasa compared to Enkesha, and Zigi looked too happy when he was around Kiasa. He loves Kiasa so much.
Kapei took on his buddy Maktao and a pushing game started. Kapei then turned to pulling Maktao’s tail, but this made Maktao unhappy with Kapei for turning on his tail. This was one of the biggest mistakes Kapei made and it brought a real fight between the two buddies. Mwashoti joined to help by separating Maktao from fighting Kapei.
Lima Lima and her team’s arrival was much welcomed by the Nairobi girls immediately when they spotted them joining the herd. Kerrio and Latika rushed to the babies and welcomed Zigi, Lenny and Sulwe into the herd after spending the night away from home. Kerrio walked the little babies to Mwana and Amali, and Amali was happy to reunite with the little babies whom she loves a lot.
Mwana also left her mother Murera and went to play with Lenny, who climbed onto the dust hill to play. Mwana and Amali joined him. Lenny was excited and mounted on Mwana, then Zigi joined, but he was not welcomed by Lenny to share the dust pile. Zigi opened up to fight for space, but Lenny defeated him, then forced Amali to go for Zigi and took him to where Zongoloni was.
Mwashoti and Enkesha grouped together. Later, Kapei and Maktao planned to join them, but Mwashoti did not trust them to give Enkesha peace. This made Mwashoti push Kapei and Maktao aside to go and browse away and not stay too close with Enkesha. As they were leaving, Kapei picked a stick in his mouth, and a tug-of-war game came up between Kapei and Maktao over the stick.
Today was a very big and important day for the Umani orphans, as baby Mwana celebrated her third birthday. The Keepers came out in the morning with a happy birthday song for Mwana. After singing, the Keepers went to the store for pellets and lucerne to make Mwana happy on her special day together with her mother Murera.
This was done at the mud bath point after giving all the babies their midday bottles. It was a big celebration for Mwana, who was joined by all the elephants of Umani. In the evening, the celebrations did not end at the mud bath but continued back at the stockade. The Keepers brought more pellets to Mwana and her mother to celebrate as a family, because in the afternoon it was not easy for Mwana to enjoy well, but in the night it was the right time to eat well with her mother in their own stockade. Mwana celebrated her birthday well as she turned three years old.
At midday, Faraja and his wild friends came to visit while the orphans were not expecting visitors. Faraja arrived with two bulls who came to visit his home and friends. Faraja came back to see his part of the orphans’ family and to appreciate the Keepers for continuing with the mothers’ role and giving great care to his friends who were still under the Keepers’ watch.
Murera and her baby Mwana, with Sonje, saw the two bulls that came with Faraja. Sonje moved and whispered something to Murera. A few minutes later, the Keepers saw Sonje and Murera leaving the place into the bushes, because Murera was keeping away from the bulls whom she did not know their intention. Sonje and Murera did not have faith in them.
Kapei, with other boys, joined Faraja and his friends, then looked back and did not see Maktao and Mwashoti following him. This made Kapei return back to his herd and leave them to go without him.
Today rain started early in the morning before the elephants could begin their day. The interruption made some babies fearful of the rain. Latika and Kerrio tried to come back under the roof to avoid the raindrops. They thought Murera and others would also return, but Murera proceeded outside and continued to the bushes as they got ready for a long day of browsing.
When Kerrio failed to see anyone following her and her team, Kamili, Kerrio and Latika returned and joined Murera and her friends, Amali and Mwana, with Sonje, who had just linked up from the bushes with Murera. Some minutes later, the whole team grouped together with Murera and her team.
It was notable that Lenny could not wait after seeing Murera. He went straight under Murera looking to breastfeed, but he was disappointed as Murera was in a bad mood and refused to allow him to nurse. Lenny walked back to Quanza and Kiasa, who were near him, but they could not help him in any way. He was disappointed that day.
Fighting broke out between Kapei and a young wild bull who crossed over to where Kapei was with his group. Kapei was not happy with him joining them and demanded to know who he was and why he was there. The young bull defended himself strongly, fighting back and refusing to give in to Kapei’s demands.
When Maktao and Mwashoti sensed that the young bull was not complying, they joined in to support Kapei. The three boys worked together and eventually overpowered the stranger, chasing him away. He retreated back to his group, which was not seen nearby, and left the orphans.
Kiasa and Enkesha then walked over to where Kamili was with Kerrio and appeared to communicate something to her. Shortly afterwards, the Keepers saw all the babies moving off one by one, leaving the open field. This was because a number of buffalos had moved into the area. Kerrio and her group led the others away, keeping a safe distance from the buffalos.
The orphans came out from the stockades early in the morning, with Kerrio and Murera leading them outside the gate in readiness for the new day. As they came out, Lima Lima and her team came running from the bushes, with everyone competing to get pellets on time.
Sonje and Enkesha did not arrive on time. They came later and found Murera and Lima Lima had already left with the group towards Kenzili area. Sonje and Enkesha followed their scent and successfully traced them, finding them having fun on an anthill. Mwashoti and Kiasa pulled down an acacia branch to feed on, and Lenny and Zigi took advantage by feeding on what the bigger elephants had pulled down.
A male bushbuck called, and the sound was like a dog barking nearby. This startled the elephants, who had been peacefully feeding. Lima Lima left, and Sonje ran away with her baby, Sulwe. Murera also became uneasy and left, and soon everyone was running towards the Keepers, who were unsure what had caused the panic.
The Keepers then guided the orphans away towards Chyulu to relocate to a safer area. Mwana and Amali gathered the little babies. Maktao tried to approach Mwana while she was with Sulwe, but Mwana ignored him and moved away with Sulwe towards Sonje, knowing Maktao might disturb their peace.
The boys were treated harshly for their own behaviour today. Faraja and Jasiri came and made their way to Quanza. The Keepers spotted Jasiri trying to smell Quanza, then Faraja followed in turn. These actions angered Quanza, who could not believe they would behave in such a way after such a long absence.
Quanza went and reported them to Murera and Sonje. After she filed the case, Murera and Sonje were not impressed by the behaviour shown towards their nanny, who takes care of the little babies and is very helpful to the mothers. Zongoloni also joined Sonje and Murera, and they reached a decision to move away from the two boys. The Keepers helped guide the elephants to the bushes, leaving Jasiri and Faraja behind. They were not allowed to bother Quanza again.
All the orphans separated from the two boys and ignored them. Jasiri and Faraja then decided to part ways and moved back into the wild to find their friends, as they found it hard to continue harassing Quanza in front of the other females and little babies. The older girls did not want to see such behaviour under their watch. Sonje, Kerrio, and Murera led their group away from the bullying boys.
Sulwe tested the mood of Zigi by trying to push and pull his tail back. However, she was not lucky when Zigi proved to her that even though he was the last-born boy within the Umani herd, he remained a strong boy — and boys will be boys. He pushed Sulwe back with force. He then ran to hide under his mother Zongoloni, who was just watching how her baby boy fought back. The Keepers also clapped for what Zigi did to Sulwe because she thought she could bully him, but found him to be much stronger.
Amali and Kiasa then moved to join Zigi for patrols along the Chyulu Hills for the better part of the day. Kerrio tried to go and join them, but Kiasa was jealous and did not want Kerrio to be close to little Zigi, who has remained her favourite since birth.
A buffalo was spotted by Mwana and Kapei. The buffalo was asleep and when Mwana spotted him, she blew her trumpet to wake him up. Mwana won when the buffalo got up, then Kiasa moved to chase away the buffalo. He was now surrounded by many orphans blowing trumpets behind him as he struggled to escape, with many elephants chasing him off towards Chyulu.
Two male bushbucks came running towards Kerrio and Kamili when the two babies were busy browsing inside the Kibwezi Forest. When Kerrio sensed the bushbucks running in their direction, she stopped and charged, trying to defend herself together with Kamili. Kamili rblew her trumpet as she prepared to charge at them. This made the male bushbucks divert to the other side of the forest, as everyone moved to a safer side. Kerrio took her position with Kamili, and the bushbucks also took different directions for everyone to remain safe.
The trumpeting by Kerrio and Kamili attracted Kapei and Enkesha, and they all headed to join the bigger orphan herd. Sonje rushed to where Kerrio was with the other babies and put her trunk around Kerrio as a way of calming her down and reassuring her not to worry about the bushbucks, who were only fighting over females.
Today, the Umani orphans’ team was not full, following the absence of Lima Lima, Sonje, Zongoloni, and company. This left the remaining group trying to look around for them, checking for any signs or scent. Mwana and Amali tried hard but found it difficult to locate them after searching in different places. Amali, who is usually very good at sniffing, failed to pick up the right direction to find Zongoloni and the team. After a good search, Amali walked back to where Mwana and Latika were to inform them why she could not find the nightclubbers.
Murera then signalled to everyone as they waited for direction from her. This time, Kerrio acted as an assistant leader, guiding the babies in Murera’s chosen direction as Murera followed slowly behind.
Kapei crossed to where Mwana was, but Mwana was not happy with him — he had blocked her way as she tried to access a stick she had planned to enjoy. Kapei picked it instead, and Mwana left and walked back to her mother.
Lima Lima and her team took a break today and did not visit their home-based friends, being led by Murera and Kerrio. Kerrio’s leadership is taking shape now since Lima Lima and her team have been skipping visits many times, and this is slowly installing Kerrio as the second in command. Kerrio is now providing good and quality leadership roles that even Mwana and Amali respect. However, Kapei and Maktao, being boys, do not accept Kerrio to lead them just because of her gender. Kapei turned out to be very rude when Kerrio was trying to navigate and lead, and both Kapei and Maktao were reluctant to follow her commands unless it was Murera or Lima Lima.
When the elephants walked and browsed along the Chyulu and its environs, an eland lost her way and joined the orphans’ herd. All the elephants were surprised when the unexpected visitor came into the middle of the herd without any warning. This made Murera and the other babies change direction quickly as they moved away and looked around for their keepers, who were calling them to leave with them. The eland also ran back to her original safe place on top of the Chyulu Hills, leaving the elephants who were now charging through the bushes with the keepers. Mwana and Amali continued trumpeting and running around.
Once everyone calmed down, Latika joined Amali and Mwana for the browsing session as they later returned to where Murera was feeding on branches.
Rain that fell last night made it hard for the elephants to get out of the stockade with much grace. Kamili and Mwana tried to run and slid on the mud. Both fell down, which caused Amali to rush and help Mwana. Kamili did not receive any help, but Amali acted as Mwana’s sympathiser. Murera did not seem to care about either girls’ falls. The Keepers said it was not Murera’s fault; she was in one of her morning moods and was not interested in the others.
At the mud bath, all the babies had very good and jovial time in the water. Kerrio stepped into the waterhole, then was followed by Kapei and Mwana, and it became a full swimming show that was the highlight of the day. None of the elephants wanted to leave the swimming pool because it was a warm day, and this motivated everyone to go swimming.
As March draws to a close, it has been a meaningful month of celebration, marking the joy of Mwana’s third birthday. The Keepers have also begun preparing for the upcoming birthday period, as April will bring another special milestone when our beloved baby boy Zigi turns one year old. Together, March and April are months of celebration for both Mwana and Zigi, and preparations are already underway to ensure both occasions are marked with care and joy.
Today, the Keepers have begun rehearsing and putting plans in place for the celebrations ahead. Some are practising the birthday songs that will be sung for Zigi next month, as anticipation builds for his first birthday. We are also hoping that Lima Lima and her group will bring all the babies back safely from their evening outing, as preparations continue behind the scenes.
The song will, as always, be a simple celebration shared by all: “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Zigi, and happy birthday to you.” On the day itself, the elephants will be treated with extra pellets, lucerne, and additional bottles for their mothers. As Zigi has never been bottle-fed, he will not take one himself, but his mothers will receive the extra milk bottles in his honour.
Today all the little babies failed to come back with their mothers. Lima Lima and her night clubber team did not report, and this made Mwana the only baby among the orphans, with Murera and Kerrio being the leaders. Kerrio is now the second in command, with Murera as the boss who controls everyone in decision-making. Whenever Kerrio needed to consult, she would turn to Murera, although at times Murera’s mood swings did not please her. In such moments, Kerrio would walk back to Amali and then move to Kamili, leaving Mwana to return to her mother.
Murera, with her changing moods, always favours her baby Mwana, while the other elephants keep their distance when her moods shift. The Keepers remain aware, as they understand Murera well when her moods are not good, since they change throughout the day.
In the afternoon, the orphans came to the Kibwezi Forest after browsing all the way from the Chyulu Hills. They found a mud bath that wild elephants had just used. Latika picked up the scent and signalled to Kamili and Kapei to join her in the mud bath, which they did. Murera stopped Mwana from joining them, but Mwana ignored her mother’s directive, as she felt too hot and needed to cool herself like the others. Murera was the only one who did not go for the mud bath.
The elephants took a walk towards Kenzili in the morning, with the Keepers following behind them. Amali became very playful, charging at shrubs and chasing butterflies that were flying around, although she could not catch any. Maktao and his friend Kapei joined Amali in loud trumpeting.
From behind the tall bushes, the Keepers heard other elephants responding with trumpets, as if answering Amali and her friends. Amali moved deeper into the bushes to check who they were. Before the Keepers could see them, Amali came back running, accompanied by Enkesha and Quanza, who had not been seen the previous day. Amali had found them and brought them back to the Keepers. Soon after, Zongoloni and Sonje also appeared, although the whole team was not yet together with Murera and her group.
Today the Umani orphans were a full house, and it was a very joyful day for all. Amali and Kerrio spent time playing with the little babies, including Lenny, Sulwe, and Zigi, who all looked healthy and happy.
A disagreement came up between Kapei and his ally, Maktao, over a tail-touching incident. Kapei was walking in a tight space between the elephants and did not want to get close to Murera out of fear. He turned back and grabbed Maktao’s tail. The moment Maktao felt his tail had been grabbed, he took it as a sign of disrespect and turned to push Kapei away in the direction where Sonje was with Quanza. The two females showed no mercy, and Kapei was chased away by Sonje, leaving him distressed. He later went to Lenny for comfort, as none of the girls wanted to accommodate him due to his behaviour towards Maktao, which had not pleased anyone.
At the Kenzili area, monkeys were on top of a tree making noise while Enkesha and Kiasa were relaxing underneath. When the noise intensified, Kiasa was the first to move away in a hurry, followed by Enkesha. The herd did not settle under that tree, and Zongoloni and Lima Lima ordered all the babies to leave the area.
Ziwa and his friends visited early in the morning to show his orphan friends and the Keepers that he was still doing well despite his long stay away from home. He appeared to be enjoying good times with his adopted wild family. The wild friends he came with stood aside watching him interact with Lima Lima and Mwashoti, who seemed to be asking him where he had been for such a long time.
The orphans later moved away towards the hills after Sonje and Zongoloni directed them to leave the area and head to the Chyulu Hills. Kapei and Mwashoti took separate directions and began play-fighting, pushing each other back and forth. Ziwa intervened and separated Mwashoti from pushing Kapei too hard, knowing Mwashoti was much stronger. However, Kapei did not want to be separated and continued engaging Mwashoti, prompting Ziwa to give up and leave them to continue.
Lima Lima was not pleased to see the boys fighting and stepped in to stop them. As a leader, she played her role as a matriarch, ensuring peace among the group. After separating them, Lenny joined his mother, and they left for the Kibwezi forest to browse.
Wild elephants were spotted in large numbers moving towards the Kibwezi forest. Before they got too close, the Keepers wondered where Lima Lima was, as she had not been around. In a surprising turn, Lima Lima appeared immediately after the wild elephants were sighted. The Keepers continue to value her highly, as she often keeps watch and helps alert them to potential danger. When she is absent, the Keepers become concerned, especially when wild elephants are nearby, as she is known for her vigilance.
Kerrio and Kamili strayed from their group and began to join a wild herd that seemed intent on leading them away from Murera and Lima Lima’s team. The Keepers intervened and called them back. Kerrio responded and returned, bringing Latika and Kamili back with her to rejoin Amali and the rest of the orphans.
Quanza and Kiasa were given responsibility for watching over the younger babies and ensuring their safety.
Lenny and Sulwe have now become notorious to the Keepers. Whenever they see their mothers being bottle-fed, the two little ones try to grab the bottles from the Keepers. Sulwe was persistent and managed to pull a bottle from a Keeper’s hand to drink, after watching what their mothers were being given and wanting to taste it for themselves. After reaching a bottle, Lenny kicked it with his foot.
Latika and Quanza went to the mud bath to cool off from the heat. Mwana and Amali skipped the waterhole after spotting a buffalo that was following behind them. They chose to take a different direction, avoiding getting close to the buffalo, which continued heading towards the mud bath where the other orphans were still enjoying the water.
This afternoon, Enkesha and Kiasa put their heads together as if in deep thought, which made the Keepers wonder what the two nannies were consulting about. After a few minutes, they were seen walking towards Zigi, leading us to think they were discussing their roles and how best to look after the little one, especially as Sulwe had followed her mother.
Kerrio and Kamili later joined them when Lima Lima and Sonje returned to the herd. Kiasa remained close to Zongoloni to continue caring for Zigi, while Zongoloni was busy pulling down a heavy branch to feed alongside her companions.
Nearby, Mwashoti had a disagreement with Maktao when Maktao followed him into the bushes. Mwashoti tried to stop him from coming along, and when Maktao resisted, he pulled Mwashoti’s tail. This angered Mwashoti, who reacted by forcing Maktao away. Maktao then went to join Kapei, who welcomed him as an ally.
Kapei later tried to play with Amali, but Murera did not approve. She chased him away, keeping Amali close to her and Mwana.
Kapei walked behind Latika’s stockade and stopped by the gate, waiting for her to come out after taking her bottle. As soon as Latika finished, she came out and placed her trunk on Kapei as a way of acknowledging him for waiting. She was then escorted out of the gate and joined the others who were already outside with Murera and Amali before they finished the morning pellets.
Soon after, the Keepers prepared to leave. Movement was heard within the forest, signalling the presence of a large animal. Amali raised her trunk high to scent the air, prompting the Keepers to remain alert. It was soon established that it was Faraja and his friends approaching from the Chyulu side. Murera did not wait to welcome them; instead, she rumbled strongly, signalling her group to move away and avoid mixing with Faraja and his companions. Aware of Faraja’s sometimes stubborn nature, she chose to lead her group away. Mwana, Amali, and Kapei followed her towards the Kibwezi forest.
Within the Kibwezi forest, another group of wild elephants joined the orphans. This herd included little babies, which made Amali very happy. She briefly joined the group but returned to Kerrio and Kamili when she realised the wild herd was moving on. Amali regrouped with the others, as Kerrio and Murera ensured all the orphans stayed close to the Keepers while preparing to move to another browsing spot.