Even with the other new rescues, Kapei is still the undisputed darling of the Umani herd. The big girls — Murera, Sonje, and Quanza — want to be with him all the time. When Kapei makes any distress noise, they come rushing over to rescue him, no matter how small the drama.
Even with the other new rescues, Kapei is still the favourite. All the big girls — Murera, Sonje and Quanza — have singled him out and want to be with him all the time. When Kapei makes any distress noise, all the girls come rushing over to rescue him, but when Amali, Olapa, or Sibu call for help, the older girls are slower to respond. Kiombo is still very jealous of the new babies that have taken Sonje’s attention. Although Kiombo would not have been able to stay with Sonje forever, the arrival of so many new babies has forced him to spend more time away from her, sooner than he wanted. Lima Lima has been very interested in the arrival of the new babies; she stays with them all day but leaves them in Sonje and Murera’s capable hands overnight. Murera only looks after Kapei, leaving Olapa, Amali, and Sibu with the older orphans and the Keepers.
Ngasha misbehaved today, pushing Sibu straight to the ground. The Keepers were forced to interfere and chase him away. Late, while the orphans were eating pellets, Ngasha re-joined the herd and started pushing Amali. The Keepers were very upset to see him behaving this way to the small new babies.
All the orphans congregated together eating the pellets. Once they were fed, Sonje walked away from the stockades and the others followed. Olapa was trying to find a big sister amongst the older orphans, she decided that Enkesha was her best choice. Amali also decided that she wanted to be close to Enkesha. Both the new orphans can see that Enkesha is very understanding and protective, they understand that she will be a very good mother figure. Enkesha was very calm and kind towards the babies, especially Amali, which made Amali very happy.
Murera and Mwashoti seemed totally disinterested in the herd today. They wanted to do their own thing away from the orphans. Meanwhile Sonje and Quanza were completely focused on Kapei, Olapa and Amali.
At the midday milk feed the Keepers found it difficult to feed the bottles to Kapei, Amali and Olapa, as they were all running around in chaos. Eventually they all went to the same Keeper, who couldn’t feed all three elephants at the same time. Kapei however, is very smart — he can now hold his own bottle — so he took care of himself! Amali finished her bottle before Olapa, so she wasn't happy and she started more milk. A fight broke out between Olapa and Amali, but with help from Quanza and Enkesha, the Keepers managed to get the new orphans to calm down. The other orphans like Kiasa, Kiombo and Maktao have learnt that they only get two bottles of milk and never demand more.
Olapa and Amali were happy to be in the Kibwezi Forest and around the Umani springs. After the harsh drought that had been very difficult for them and their families to survive, they found the green of the springs to be a very welcoming new environment. They have also found very caring ‘mothers’ to adopt them. Quanza keeps an eye on all the little ones, but Kapei remains her favourite. Murera is only interested in Kapei and Mwashoti; she does not dote on the other new little ones, Olapa, Amali, Sibu, and Shaka, like the other girls do. Enkesha remains very interested in having all the new babies by her side, as does Sonje. The Keepers are proud to see young Enkesha turning into such a good mother figure.
It began raining while the orphans were still out in the Kibwezi Forests. Amali found a good mud bath to play in. She rolled around splashing and having a lot of fun. The other orphans watched her wallowing and decided to join in too.
Ngasha was misbehaving again. This morning, when the orphans were eating pellets by the stockades, he tried to jump on Olapa. The Keepers were shocked to see Ngasha with his legs over little Olapa’s shoulder. The Keepers acted quickly and chased Ngasha off to calm the situation. For the rest of the day, Ngasha kept running away from Olapa, scared the Keepers would get angry with him again. Enkesha and Kiasa walked with Olapa to help calm her down. Lima Lima heard all the commotion and came running to join the orphan herd to find out what had happened. A few moments later there was crashing in the nearby bushes. The other nightclubbers emerged, and they too rushed over to find out what was going on.
Alamaya and Mwashoti inspected Amali before heading back to the forest. They left the tiny babies alone with Lima Lima, Zongoloni and Faraja, who stayed with the orphan herd today. Lima Lima and Zongoloni were having a conversation when Kapei trumpeted loudly. Being the only little boy, he gets all the attention and special treatment, so the older girls came running.
Jasiri today came having been away for a while. Murera saw him coming and moved off to join Mwashoti, who she knew would be calm around her. They joined Lima Lima, who was already feeding on the branches. Although the branches look dead with a few dry leaves, they are still very nutritious for the elephants. Kiombo found some acacia to eat. He was trying to pull the branches down, but Maktao arrived and pushed him away from the acacia. Kiombo didn’t budge; instead, he turned to face Maktao and they started sparring.
Green grass shoots have begun to grow after the recent rain. The grass has given hope to all the animals that have been suffering in the drought. The new babies have been enjoying the tender nutritious grass. Instead of travelling around, as they usually do, they wanted to stay in place and eat all the grass. Kapei was especially focused on the grass, and even got left behind, Enkesha had to come back to get him and persuade him to follow the others to the Chyulu Hills. Maktao has realised that Kapei and Enkesha are becoming good friends and has been getting jealous. He constantly tries to separate them, putting himself in between them.
While the orphans were still browsing along the Chyulu Hills, a male bushbuck made some unusual sounds, calling to a female. This noise scared Olapa, who went running over to Quanza and Murera with her ears flared. Murera was not bothered by this sound — she didn’t even go to see what Olapa feared — but Quanza went to find out. She couldn’t see anything and Olapa was still worried, so Quanza put Olapa under her tummy to protect her and make her feel safe. The others came to find out what Olapa feared and started making loud trumpeting noises and charging at the bushes around them.
Alamaya, alongside with his nightclubber friends Mwashoti, Lima Lima, Faraja and Jasiri, showed up at the stockade in the company of some wild friends. The wild elephants escorted them back to the stockades in order to see the new babies. Murera and Sonje realised that there were some wild friends outside and raised their trunks to greet them. The Keepers came out to find out who was grumbling, and discovered the wild elephants waiting around the stockades. One was even at the gate waiting to be let in. They realised Lima Lima was waiting with the wild elephants, so they fed her pellets but did not give her access to the stockades so the orphans could finish their milk bottles in peace.
Zongoloni came from behind bushes where she was hiding. She grabbed her friend Kiasa to steal her away for the day. The Keepers watched and waited to see what Kiasa’s reaction would be, but Enkesha and Kiombo intervened and stood by Kiasa to ensure she stayed with the orphan herd. Zongoloni did not fight this and instead allowed Kiasa to go where she wanted. Later, Zongoloni joined Alamaya in the Chyulu region.
Sonje assumed the leadership role as usual, but she wanted Kapei to walk up front with her Enkesha jumped in and took care of Amali and Olapa. Kapei is still the favourite amongst the older girls. Quanza came over to give Olapa some attention but then also moved over to Kapei. Maktao seemed to sympathise with the little girls, who are also jilted by the big girls, and helped them through the bushes. Boys do not normally look after the babies as much as the females, but Maktao is very sensitive.
As they walked through the Kibwezi Forest, the Keepers and the orphans could see more greenery from the recent rain. They were all excited for better days ahead. The long dry spell had made it so difficult to find enough food.
Amali played very nicely in the waterhole, wallowing and swimming, and happy to have lots of mud around. After their milk bottles, Enkesha, Mwashoti and the others joined them in the mud bath. They spent a long time in the water but eventually mud bath time ended with all the orphans feeling nice and cool.
Amali is now settling into life at Umani Springs. On arrival, she was all very weak due to the drought, but the Keepers have worked very hard to make her strong again. The Keepers are very happy to see their work paying off. It is early days, but new rescues Sibu, Shaka, and Olapa are also looking stronger and happier. Since their arrival, many things have changed. Kiombo, Kiasa and Maktao are no longer the real babies, even though they are still so young. it is clear now that the new rescues are the real babies.
Some of the older babies are struggling with the adjustment, especially Kiombo, who is finding his displacement from Sonje’s very difficult. Kiombo is now being considered as a big boy, who needs to leave Sonje’s side and learn to be more independent. Although Kiombo is not happy about this, he will learn quickly and find other friends within the orphan herd.
Murera was very moody today. She moved slowly and only wanted to be with Mwashoti. She wouldn’t even follow the rest of the herd up the Umani Hills, choosing instead to browse along the slopes.
Since the light rain about a week ago, new grass has come up and the animals are feeling relieved. The Keepers are happy to see the beautiful Kibwezi Forest and surrounding area green again, and to see the bushbucks, buffalos and even the baboons celebrating the new vegetation all along the Kibwezi Forest. The orphans are also happy with new vegetation to eat and lots of mud to play and wallow in. Olapa, Kapei and Amali are loving the new waterholes, and all the elephants are now red because of the red mud in the Kibwezi area.
Alamaya, Ngasha and Faraja met at the waterhole to show off their swimming skills. The orphans and the Keepers were very impressed to see the new moves that they had learnt from their wild friends. Olapa wanted to join in, but she couldn’t find any space. She was hesitant because she didn’t want to get too close to Ngasha, who always plays too rough.
With all the new rescues, the Keepers have their hands full. They must keep a close eye on these little babies, some of the other elephants — mostly Ngasha, and to a lesser degree, Kiombo —get jealous of all the attention and try to push the babies around.
Murera was not her usual self today. She was still moody and was very uninterested in the new babies.
It rained late last night, which made all the pellets outside go soggy. The orphans were not happy about their damp snacks, so they waited for the Keepers to bring out fresh pellets. Once the elephants had had their fill, the baboons came to finish any leftover. The Keepers have nicknamed them ‘the table cleaners.’ Amali had a fun time chasing the baboons. She found a baboon sitting on a rock by the pellet corner and ran after him, trumpeting loudly. Kapei joined in, waving his trunk and flaring his ears. The older girls, Sonje, Quanza, and Enkesha joined in the game. They managed to chase the baboons to the treetops.
The orphan herd walked to the Chyulu Hills area celebrating the new greens that have sprouted. Zongoloni, Jasiri and Faraja appeared from the bushes to join the orphan herd, they came in the company of a big wild herd that had tiny babies with them. The wild babies were smaller than the new rescues. Amali and Olapa were curious, they wanted to greet these tiny babies but the wild mothers were not too happy and stopped them getting any closer. Enkesha and Sonje went to bring Olapa and Amali away from the wild herd and brought them back to the orphan herd. Zongoloni, Jasiri, and Faraja escorted the orphan herd back home to the stockades, to make sure they were safe, and to spend time with their friends. Sonje and Quanza were especially happy to have their company.
The orphans came out of their stockades early this morning, fresh after a good night’s rest. Kiombo tried to push past Sonje to be the first one out. Sonje was not pleased with this and sternly told Kiombo off. Kiombo learned his lesson and gave Sonje her space. As soon as Sonje was out, she rushed over to Kapei, giving him hugs all over. Murera had moved away from Kapei as Sonje arrived. All the attention makes Kapei feel very happy.
Enkesha went to look for her friend Maktao, who was looking for Kiombo. Maktao loves his sparring matches, and he was searching for his favourite sparring partner. Maktao likes to start his morning off with a play fight to stretch his body and get himself moving. Kiombo responded to Maktao’s sparring call. Kiasa and the others were not interested in this rough behaviour.
Kapei and Amali have started an interesting pattern of behaviour. They both try to suckle from Murera, but Murera appears to enjoy their attention. When she is slowly browsing throughout the day and the babies come up to her, she stands with her front legs in such a way that allows them space to fit their heads under her belly. They do not try this with any of the other older females, not even Sonje. Eventually Murera gets bored of them and pushes the babies aside so she can continue eating.
While browsing through the Umani Hills, Kapei was annoying Kiasa, so she pushed him. Kapei started screaming and making so much noise that all the elephants came to see what was happening to him. When they got there, there was no orphan was close to him, as Kiasa had moved quickly away. Quanza and Sonje came to comfort Kapei, putting their trunks on his head and over his back to stop him shouting. They all wanted to return to eating the new green shoots in peace.
The orphans have had a reshuffle of their rooms in order to accommodate the new rescues. Maktao and Enkesha have settled down, but initially Maktao was not happy about being moved. He kept demanding his old room, as he did not want to share with Enkesha. Now they are both getting on and sharing a room.
Amali and Kapei have gotten much stronger and fitter. They are both very joyful and energetic. Their lives are so much simpler and worry-free now; it seems it is just about eating and eating. Food provided by the Keepers keeps the orphans in good shape and it also helps the nightclubbers through the hard times. The graduates keep visiting the stockades for food during the drought; they have not stayed away for long periods without reporting back to see their friends.
Quanza and Zongoloni met up in the Chyulu Hills. They were both browsing when Zongoloni realised that one of her orphan friends was close by. Quanza took her to where the rest of the orphan herd was browsing. Zongoloni was very happy to see Kapei and tried to take him away with her. Kapei would not follow, as he has become very close to Amali and they don't let themselves get separated from each other. Zongoloni found it very hard to move away without Kapei, and Kapei would not leave Amali.
Very sadly, Sibu passed away unexpectedly. We tried our very best, but drought victims are extremely difficult to resurrect. Although her time was cut short, we can take comfort in the fact that she spent her final chapter surrounded by her loving family.
Kiombo attempted to push Kapei and Amali away from Sonje so that he could get an opportunity to be close to her. Kapei knows that Sonje is not his mother, but he acts as if she is, and she also likes to act as if Kapei is her baby. This makes Kiombo very jealous!
Kiasa is very good with the new babies. Unlike Kiombo, she loves them and is very gentle with them. When the older girls, Sonje, Murera, and Quanza are not around, Kiasa takes care of the babies and treats them like her younger siblings.
Lima Lima came back early this morning and persuaded the herd to follow her to the Kenzili area. Even the new babies followed her without question, making it very clear that she is still a respected leader, even though she is spending more time in the wild than with the orphans.
Mwashoti, Alamaya and Lima Lima arrived early this morning. They waited for the orphans to be let out of the stockades and then joined them at the lucerne pellets corner. There were no pellets out, as the Keepers had been worried about the rain and the pellets getting wet. Mwashoti and his friends waited outside the gate for pellets. The Keepers took some time to get the pellets, the nightclubbers started grumbling and trumpeting reminding the Keepers to bring them pellets. Amali and Kapei heard the trumpeting and joined in on the protest from their rooms inside the stockade.
When it was time for a mud bath, only half of the herd wanted to wallow in the mud. Kapei, Amali, Enkesha, Maktao and Lima Lima all really enjoyed the mud. Ngasha, Mwashoti, Alamaya and the others didn’t feel like getting in the water today.
Amali has found the company of the younger orphans, Enkesha, Kiasa, and Maktao to be much more fun, whereas Kapei spends more of his time with the older girls. He enjoys the feeling of love and protection from them. Lima Lima doesn’t discriminate and loves all the babies; she spends time with Amali and also with Kapei and the older girls, she doesn’t discriminate.
At the top of the Umani Hills, where the orphans were browsing, a herd of buffalos came over to forage and found themselves in amongst the elephants. They all appeared to have made an agreement to browse in peace. However, after some time, the peace was lost. Alamaya and Mwashoti clearly decided they had enough of the buffaloes. They banded together to chase the buffalos away and even managed to get the other orphans to join in as back-up.
Even Murera joined the contest with the buffaloes. Although she kept her distance from the centre of all the chaos, she still trumpeted and charged at the bushes close to her. Eventually the buffaloes felt the hostility was not worth it. They disappeared to the open fields, where there was nice green grass, and left the orphans to enjoy the soft new vegetation on the top of the Umani hills.
Amali has been trying really hard to fit in with the older girls, but Kapei has already convinced them that he is their favourite new orphan. It is a shame for the other new rescues that Kapei has already claimed the older girls. Amali has wisely forged friendships with the junior girls and the young boys. Mwashoti and Maktao took her under their wing today, escorting her around the bushes browsing today. Kiasa and Lima Lima followed her closely, making sure she was safe and protected. Amali felt very good about this, especially when Enkesha also joined the group to look after Amali.
Mwashoti, Alamaya and Ngasha were all annoying Murera this morning. She kept her distance from them and did not join them on their afternoon break under the shade.
Quanza moved over to where little Kapei was playing with Kiasa. Kiasa was wallowing in the mud and when Kapei tried to climb on her back, Kiasa did not like it. Luckily Quanza had noticed and came over to give Kapei a warning. Kapei stopped what he was doing, realising that Kiasa was not happy, he left her to wallow in peace and did not try to climb on her again.
The orphan herd moved into the shade to have a rest. Ngasha picked a nice shady tree but none of the orphans wanted to join him under his tree because they all know his pushing games and roughness, so they found other shade to stand in close by.
Zongoloni and her new wild friends came arrived at the stockades to greet the orphans first thing in the morning. The Keepers were happy to see her doing so well. When one of the bulls decided it was time to move on, he pushed Zongoloni and the other wild elephants away from the stockades. The Keepers heard a big rumbling and trumpeting as Zongoloni left — it was Murera and Sonje, who were sad to see her go.
Later in the day, there was a light drizzle. Kapei went under Sonje’s tummy to get away from the rain. Amali hid next to Enkesha, but Enkesha was not big enough to completely protect her from the rain. Afterwards, Amali enjoyed rolling on an anthill, trying to get covered in mud.
Kapei and Amali were feeding at the pellets corner this morning, but Kapei eats so fast that he finished the pellets before Amali could get enough. Amali had injured the tip of her trunk before she was rescued, which means she is a little slower at picking up pellets. Amali tried to protect some pellets from Kapei by pushing him away when he got close to her. Kapei was not happy about this and pushed her back. Luckily, Enkesha came and restored peace before a fight broke out. Kapei looked very sad, so Kiasa came to reassure him. The Keepers were surprised to see Amali being so feisty; she is obviously feeling much stronger. Sonje and Quanza used all the wisdom and knowledge they have collected to try and make the two babies become friends again. The orphan herd is one family, and they must all get along, especially the tiny babies.
At the mud bath, everyone was busy playing and wallowing in the mud bath. Then Ngasha appeared and started pushing Murera, who moved away, fearful of being hurt. Ngasha found space in the mud bath and unprovoked hit Amali with his trunk. Amali screamed very loudly for help from all others. Ngasha was being very difficult and behaving as if he was invincible, so the Keepers had to intervene and chase him away from the mud bath.
Our Umani family suffered another heartbreak, as little Olapa died. She was such a lovely, strong elephant, but the drought had clearly wreaked havoc on her health. As with Sibu, we can take comfort in the fact that her last weeks were happy ones, surrounded by her human-elephant family.
There was lots of rain today. The rain was so heavy it surprised Kapei and Amali, who both ran for cover. Sonje and Murera were accommodating at first and acted as shelter from the rain, but then they found themselves enjoying the rain too much. They started rolling in the mud and up against ant hills, having the best time. Kapei was getting rained on, but once he understood what was happening, he happily joined in on the rolling games. Amali moved to join Mwashoti, who was happy to help protect her from the rain. Amali is his favourite little girl.
A thunderstorm was heard coming from the Umani Hills. The thunder echoed loudly, making the babies run towards the Keepers for reassurance. Most of the older orphans don't like the thunder either and scattered into the bushes.
When the orphans were coming out of their stockades this morning, everyone went over to Shaka’s room to say hello. Murera, Quanza, Sonje, and Enkesha stretched their trucks through the post so that they could touch Shaka. At first, Shaka was cautious, unsure if the orphans were going to hurt her.
Then Murera and Enkesha rumbled, which must have communicated that they meant well. Shaka’s attitude changed and she stretched out her trunk in greeting. Just as this was happening, something happened to Kapei, causing him to scream. The Keepers didn’t see what happened, but they think Mwashoti and Alamaya must have made him scream. Quanza shielded Kapei on one side, while Sonje and Enkesha took the other side.
Today was very humid! Kapei wanted to lead the herd, so he walked out in front, closely followed by Sonje and all the other big girls. All of them were looking out for Kapei. Enkesha had all her attention on Amali. Kiombo has earned a bad reputation for pushing the new babies, because of his jealousy. Even Sonje, who has a soft spot for Kiombo, pushes him away when he gets jealous. Sonje is trying to teach Kiombo to accept little Kapei and Amali into the herd.
Lima Lima joined the herd with Mwashoti and Alamaya, but Ngasha was not with them. With all his pushing around, he has upset the big girls, especially Murera. Today it seemed that Alamaya has abandoned him and told Ngasha to stay away. Ngasha didn’t listen, he approached the herd, not wanting to be left alone. Murera saw him coming and alerted everyone. The whole orphan herd moved away from Ngasha.
The mud bath today was very peaceful without Ngasha causing trouble. The Keepers kept an eye out for Ngasha but luckily, he didn’t try to join in the wallowing today. Kiombo, Kiasa and Maktao all showed off their swimming performances, they were much more relaxed and had more fun without Ngasha around.
Sonje is giving much of her attention to Kapei. Poor Kiombo is missing out on all the privileges he used to enjoy — for instance, being ushered to the front of the line for food and water. Sonje now does this for Kapei and Amali. Kiombo is trying to convince Sonje that he still needs protecting, but Kapei is very clever and is very good at keeping the older girls’ attention on him. Kiombo is not as young anymore, so the girls feel that he can look after himself.
Amali and Kapei had a very good swimming game today. They were showing off their swimming skills and remained the stars of the show. Kiasa also joined in on the game and had lots of fun.
Jasiri and Faraja came out from bushes very early this morning. They had both been away for some time so it was a lovely surprise to have them back. The two big boys immediately went over to Murera and Sonje and proceeded to have a very serious conversation with them. Then, Jasiri and Farja looked round and spotted Ngasha approaching. Faraja walked up to him and a big fight began. Murera might have told Faraja about Ngasha’s behavior of late. In the end, Ngasha was overpowered by the boys and was forced to rerteat. Faraja enjoyed playing with Lima Lima while Jasiri kept an eye out for Ngasha.
Kapei was pushing Amali around, Lima Lima saw this and stood in between the two babies so they could not get to each other. Even though Kapei is the favorite, Lima Lima was good to stop him from mistreating Amali. Eventually, Kapei accepted Amali as his sister and not his enemy.
Today was an interesting day. The Keepers were planning on allowing the newest rescue Shaka out with the others. She remains very agressive and took a long time to calm down and associate the Keepers with food. While the orphans were let out to eat pellets, Shaka got her first chance to be out with the herd. She was not received very well by Kapei and Kiombo who pushed her around, but they settled quickly. When the Keepers moved them all to the Umani hills Shaka behaved very well, much better than expected.
Shaka doesn’t like drinking from a bottle, so the Keepers put her milk in a metal bucket. Kiasa, Kiombo and Maktao helped drink the milk from the bucket. After their feed, the orphans moved to the mud bath. Amali led the swimming games, alongside Kapei. Then, the rest of the herd joined in and enjoyed the mud bath all together. Lima Lima was on standby, ready to step in if any of the new babies were getting pushed around.
Today the orphans woke up as usual. Jasiri, Faraja and Mwashoti were waiting by the gates. Shaka then decided that she didn’t want to come out of her room, and when she did eventually emerge, she came charging out aggressively. She slipped on some mud and fell over before she got close to the Keepers.
When Shaka joined Sonje and the rest of the herd, the Keepers could tell that Shaka was still not happy. She ran around, charging the bushes with her ears flared. The Keepers followed her until she reached the Chyulu area, so that she wouldn’t get lost. Sonje, Quanza and Lima Lima kept trying to calm her down and include her in the orphan herd, but she remained very frazzled. The Keepers hope that she will become happy and relaxed under the watch of Sonje and Quanza, like the other new rescues.
Since Jasiri and Faraja have been back with the orphan herd, they are making sure Ngasha gets disciplined for his bad behavior towards Murera and Sonje. Ngasha and Jasiri had a pushing fight today, and Ngasha was very sheepish when he lost the fight. Faraja was also there to back up Jasiri in case he needed it.
Kapei ran over to where Quanza and Enkesha were browsing, as he did not want to get caught up between the fighting bulls. Maktao and Kiombo saw the big boys fighting and decided they would start their usual pushing games.
The orphan herd is lucky to have two gentle and kind bulls. The Keepers were happy to see that Kapei would have good role models of how bulls should be. For as long as Faraja and Jasiri stick around, Murera and the rest of the orphan herd can be guaranteed peace at the waterhole.