May brought new horizons for our beloved Voi matriarch, Mbegu. We always knew the day would come that she felt called to explore her wild side, and at long last, that moment has arrived.
She was certainly encouraged by her peers, Ndotto, Ngilai, Murit, and Tagwa, who have been experimenting with their independence for many months now. True to form, Mbegu quickly appointed herself leader of the group. While they spend their nights away from the stockades, they continue to link up with the dependent herd most mornings.
Godoma seemed uncomfortable remaining in the dependent herd without Mbegu. After a few nights without her best friend, she snuck away to join Mbegu and her mini herd. Now, Tamiyoi is in charge as the oldest female in the dependent herd.
Tamiyoi seems perfectly content in her new role. She is kept busy with all the Voi Kids and still spends plenty of time with her peers. One afternoon, Tagwa sneaked away from Mbegu, Ndotto, Ngilai, Murit, and Godoma to join our dependent herd on the hill. She was welcomed by Tamiyoi, and the two best friends spent the afternoon browsing together.
Mbegu was always the uncontested matriarch of Voi, but now that she has the opportunity to shine, Tamiyoi is shaping up to be an excellent leader in her own right. One afternoon, a herd of wild elephants was browsing. When Ushindi tried to join the wild herd, Tamiyoi trumpeted in alarm, sending a warning to the Keepers. We immediately shepherded her back to our herd, as she is still milk dependent and too young to join the wild family.
Another day, as Baraka and Busara stood at the trough eating range cubes, naughty Hildana took advantage of the absence of Mbegu and Godoma to push the little girls. Stepping into the role of matriarch, Tamiyoi took charge of the mischievous bull. She calmed him down and reassured the girls that there was space for everyone at the trough.
We are happy to report that Chapeyu, the speared elephant we rescued back in February, is recovering well. His injured front leg, which was speared through the joint, is improving with each passing day. For now, he remains in his 'recuperation stockade,' but we will let him out as soon as Dr Limo says he is ready. In the meantime, the other orphans regularly stop by to visit him, and those in neighbouring stockades keep him company throughout the night. He is even warming up to the Keepers, who can go into his stockade to clean it and distribute food. This is a big display of trust for an elephant who was harmed by humans at the fully cognisant age of seven years old.
We have noticed that Rokka is very aware of crowded, boisterous environments and diligently avoids them — which is somewhat ironic, given how pushy she was at Kaluku! She can often be found off to the side, in the company of Busara or Losoito or another little friend.
Since Emoli decided to join his friends in the wild, Thamana has been elevated to the enviable position of oldest fully dependent bull. He is still as mild-mannered as ever, but we sometimes wonder if his new status has gone to his head: One morning, he reclined atop the herd’s big pile of lucerne and lazily ate like a king. The other elephants tolerated his presence in the middle of their food and browsed peacefully around him!
On 9th May, just after midnight, Lasayen arrived at the stockades! We have not seen the ex-orphan since December, when he began living in the wild. He wandered in with Mbegu, Godoma, Tagwa, Murit, Ndotto, and Ngilai. We suspect that, although Ndotto, Ngilai, and Murit have been meeting with Lasayen occasionally, it was Mbegu who encouraged him to come home. The past months have been good to him; he is looking strong, healthy, and confident.
We hosted several local school trips this month, led by our Community Outreach programme. They are a wonderful opportunity for Kenyan children to learn more about their natural heritage in a safe and educational environment. Unsurprisingly, Lemeki was the star of the show — to the children’s delight, she moved along the cordon to greet them with trunk touches.
The Voi Kids have grown not only in size but also in confidence — our herd has several feisty elephants! One morning, gentle Thamana pushed cheeky Seri away from the feeding trough in an effort to protect Ashanti, who was kneeling to scoop up pellets from the trough with her short trunk. Losoito, Rokka, and Itinyi were enjoying their pellets on the lower terrace to avoid being pushed around by the likes of Hildana and Dabida. Full of spirit, Dabida’s squabbles with friends have cost her both tusks. Luckily, she is still young, and they will grow again.
Edie, Mweya, and Mudanda’s ex-orphan herds did not visit this month, but we were surprised and delighted when Rorogoi popped out of the bushes one afternoon! We had not seen her for several months. She ignored the dependent herd and instead fraternised with Ndotto and the other semi-dependent orphans.
The highlight of the month fell on 25th May: graduation day! We were especially busy this morning, preparing for the arrival of Sholumai, Sileita, and Mushuru from the Nairobi Nursery. Our earliest caller was Ndotto, who arrived on his own after staying away for more than a week. We suspect that he sensed their arrival and was there to receive the new orphans!
The truck arrived at the stockades at 10am. Keepers Peter and Geoffrey from the Nursery gave Sholumai, Sileita, and Mushuru their first Voi milk feed, and the girls were greeted by Tamiyoi, Rokka, and Busara. Sileita — who was the mini matriarch of the Nursery herd — was quite overwhelmed, but Mushuru and Sholumai took to their new home right away. Within days, all three girls were much more settled. Their Nursery Keeper, Geoffrey, will remain in Voi for a month to support their transition. Read more about the graduation.
The last day of the month reminded us of all the new beginnings happening at Voi — so many orphans in various stages of their journeys with us. On one side of the hill, our newly independent orphans fanned out. On the other, new graduates Sileita and Mushuru wandered among their new herd, looking relaxed and happy, but keeping a very close eye on Keeper Geoffrey.