Murera is a cantankerous expectant mother — and we never know which way her moods will swing!
Some days, she is affectionate and calm; others, she is irritable and makes a big deal out of the smallest infraction. One morning, she woke up feeling particularly short-tempered. Maktao 'invaded' her invisible feeding space and all hell broke loose. Murera rushed at the gentle bull and pushed him towards the bushes. Enkesha also ran away for safety, with all but Mwana in her wake. Mwana knows that Murera will never cross the line with her.
When Murera is in one of her states, the orphans give her space until her mood improves. On the day of the Maktao incident, everyone fanned out in a careful arc around her, out of striking distance. Eventually, her low rumbles signalled that she had returned to her normal self and wanted everyone to rejoin her. Sonje and Lima Lima, who are unfazed by Murera's mood swings, walked back to their friend.
Little Mwana is growing up, but she still adores butterflies, just like she did as a baby. One afternoon, a cloud of white butterflies fluttered past her, filling her with excitement. She tried to chase and catch the lovely insects, but she was too slow and ended up tumbling over as she ran after them.
It is so interesting to watch the baby boy dynamics. One afternoon, Quanza and Kiasa escorted Zigi back to his mother so he could breastfeed. Lenny soon trundled over, which put Zigi on high alert — he thought that the notoriously greedy Lenny wanted to steal a breastfeed from his mother. Zigi raised his ears, ready for a fight. Mwana and Enkesha quickly intervened, escorting Lenny away before any trouble started, but Lenny was ready to stand his ground.
The boys never back down — no matter their size. It's the same with Kapei and Maktao, who test each other daily. Neither of them ever backs off, but both know to keep their sparring away from Murera, who would not tolerate such behaviour.
But it's not always bickering amongst the babies. Zigi, Lenny, and Sulwe are growing up as siblings — and just like siblings, they squabble one minute, they coexist the next. One afternoon, Zigi found a soft pillow in Sulwe's tiny legs, resting his head there as both lay contentedly in the mud.
Mid-month, we had a special visit from Ziwa. The Keepers called his name, and when he heard them, he rumbled in greeting. Mwashoti and Maktao went straight to welcome him with elephant hugs, which soon turned into a friendly pushing game. Mwashoti was thrilled to have a playmate with tusks as long and strong as his — something he misses when playing with juniors Maktao and Kapei.
Another day, we had a very happy reunion with Kiombo. He had been gone for a long time with his wild friends, but after the rain arrived, Kiombo decided it was his time to arrive, too. We could tell Murera was happy to see him — she was shaking her feet and twisting her trunk in greeting.
Rains were not good in Tsavo this month, but the Kibwezi Forest and Chyulu Hills were blessed with generous rainfall. All the orphans found new grass and vegetation sprouting in their wake. After many dry months, the Kibwezi Forest started to transform back to its normal, greener landscape.
Our babies are befriending wild babies. One day, the orphans encountered a wild herd near the water springs. Kindly Amali went to greet them and was welcomed by one of the wild girls, who was acting as a receptionist. Maktao escorted her, just in case there was any problem. Amali was very happy to have his protection — Maktao is a good big brother.
It seems that Maktao is starting to wean himself. One morning milk feed, he refused to take his bottle. The Keepers tried again and again, but he still showed no interest. The extra was therefore given to Kapei, who had sensed an opportunity and was watching the bottle beadily. The moment the Keeper turned around with it, Kapei stretched his trunk forward and grabbed it. Maktao's pass was Kapei's gain!
We were treated to several visits from our other independent boys Jasiri, Faraja, and Alamaya. Our encounter with Faraja was quite funny: It started when we heard elephants yelling from the Kenzili hills. As we approached, we found Faraja with wild friends, fighting among themselves as boys do. When Faraja realised that the bigger bulls had beaten him, he took off and returned to his orphan family to nurse his bruised pride.
Enkesha is a great big sister. One afternoon, she intervened wonderfully when Kapei and Maktao targeted Mwana with mischief in mind. Enkesha saw Kapei's long legs approaching Mwana, who was unaware, and knew he was preparing to jump on her. She quickly placed herself between the rascal bull and Mwana, before escorting the little girl to her mother.
When rain arrived in Umani, Lima Lima and her team went on a 'wild safari' and didn't visit us for over a week. Mwana, Amali, and Enkesha were all out of sorts and spent many mornings searching fruitlessly for their friends.
And then, after several days — which must have felt like a century to our lovely little nannies — we heard elephants screaming deep in the forest. Amali and Mwana bolted towards the sounds, as they felt sure it was Lima Lima, Sonje, and Zongoloni's team calling to announce their way home. When they were in each other's sights, Lenny overtook everyone, running straight for Murera. Murera greeted him like a son — she was so happy to have everyone back home.
The month ended with a lovely morning visit. Among the visitors were Faraja, Mwashoti, and a friendly wild bull. In fact, he was so polite that the Keepers thought Faraja and Mwashoti must have told him the secrets of how to behave with the orphans. The boys — including their new companion — stayed with the orphans all day, enjoying a lovely pellets feast with Lima Lima and her group in the evening. All left very peacefully, with the new bull escorted by Faraja and Mwashoti.