Murera is a cantankerous expectant mother — and we never know which way her moods will swing!
Amali and her friends headed out looking for the little babies this morning after they came out and didn’t see Lima Lima and her team. Amali and Enkesha were unsettled at not seeing the babies — Zigi, Lenny, and Sulwe — and started searching around the bushes, hoping to find them. Enkesha spent time walking around the stockades, while Amali moved about trumpeting, trying her luck in case the little babies responded to her call within the Kibwezi Forest.
Murera then walked away, followed closely by Mwana, who didn’t give her mother a moment of space. Later, Amali came back with Enkesha, both charging and blowing loud trumpets after failing to find Lima Lima and her team. Kapei and his friend Maktao were charging into shrubs as they played their usual games. Kapei was pushed and lost his balance, falling to the ground, which gave Maktao the advantage while he was down. But Kapei didn’t give Maktao much space to pursue him — he got up quickly and defended himself, escaping towards Murera for support, as Maktao continued to chase from behind.
Sonje doesn’t seem to care about Murera and her swinging moods. Many orphans are fearful of getting close to Murera, as she has become quite moody, chasing everyone away and keeping only her baby Mwana near her. Sonje, however, has never moved away — she stays close even when Murera tries to scare off the others. The two head girls share a mutual respect: Sonje respects Murera, and Murera respects Sonje a lot. Whenever Murera scares everyone away, Sonje is the only one who remains, able to calm her down and make her listen.
This morning, all the babies followed their Keepers to the Umani Hills, with Quanza and Zongoloni leading, followed by Kiasa, who would not stay far from Zigi. Some buffaloes came out of the bushes, blocking their path, so Kiasa and Kapei stood firm to defend their right of way. When the buffaloes saw the elephants’ numbers growing and heard their loud trumpets and charging, they moved off, clearing the path for the orphans to climb up the Umani Hills for their morning hike to find food for the day.
Lenny was hungry and wanted to stop to nurse. However, his mother, Lima Lima, was not pleased by his frequent feeding because she did not want to take so many breaks. She kicked Lenny gently to stop him from suckling, so he ran off to Murera, who never denied him milk. Lenny was clever in his approach, moving slowly and cautiously, and soon found himself nursing contentedly under Murera.
Many wild elephants came to visit the orphans and spent a long time browsing with them. Murera, who was once thought to fear all wild herds, showed great courage today and looked very happy among the wild mothers. Surprisingly, it was some of the wild elephants who seemed unsure when they first encountered Murera, but she stood her ground and was friendly.
Within the bushes of the Kibwezi Forest, the Keepers spotted several wild families resting under the shade. Their babies were playfully climbing over the older elephants, enjoying themselves. Sonje later came across one wild baby who was close in size to Sulwe. The elephants’ skin colours had already changed from the mud, and Kapei and Enkesha looked quite different — only their bodies were clean, and it was hard to recognise Enkesha until she turned around to look at her Keepers. Mwana was with her, demanding to nurse, but this time her mother, Murera, did not allow it.
Later in the day, the Keepers misplaced their camera bag and had to walk back up the hills to search for it before heading to the mud bath and returning home.
Ziwa, together with his wild family of six adults and three little babies, visited today. He was a very busy boy among the wild babies, walking proudly with them. When he and his herd arrived, the orphans were already browsing deep in the Kibwezi Forest. The Keepers heard large elephants moving through the bushes, breaking branches and blowing trumpets as they searched for a way towards the orphans. They didn’t realise that Ziwa was among them.
Ziwa was the first to emerge, leading his wild friends confidently, clearly heading to meet Lima Lima and her group. However, the wild herd didn’t know exactly where they were going, and when they unexpectedly came close to the Keepers, they stopped abruptly, turned around, and retreated — leaving Ziwa behind.
The Keepers called Ziwa’s name, and when he heard them, he rumbled in greeting and thanks. 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 Maktao and Kapei.
Ziwa didn’t stay long with Mwashoti and the other boys, as his wild group began rumbling loudly, signalling that they were waiting for him to return. They didn’t want to leave without Ziwa, and soon he turned to rejoin his wild family.
The orphans had a very good start to the morning. All the orphans assembled early by the gate, waiting for Murera and her team outside so that Lima Lima, Zongoloni, and Sonje, with their babies and nannies, could join up with Murera. Amali was very happy to see Enkesha, and together the girls came out of the gate and walked over to Lenny and Zigi. However, Amali was shocked when she rushed to hug Lenny and he avoided her, instead walking over to where Murera and Kiasa were having a body scratch on the rock. Amali, left watching in disbelief, instead joined Zigi and Sulwe, who were next to Sonje.
After having a moment with Amali, Zigi moved to Kiasa and Zongoloni to guide the babies towards the Chyulu area for much-needed browsing. As the orphans were enjoying their greens, a buffalo came across the road and tried to block the path. This made the Keepers retreat while Lima Lima faced the buffalo head-on with loud trumpets, clearing the path for both the babies and the Keepers.
Mwana, Mwashoti, and Kapei moved off, intending to meet Maktao. However, at the last minute, Mwashoti blocked Kapei — he thought that if he allowed Kapei to proceed to where he and Maktao were spending time, Kapei would start pushing games. Mwashoti did not want that kind of play just then, so he told Kapei to wait for another time. Kapei waited patiently under the shrubs in the Kenzili area.
Murera’s swinging moods have been growing day by day. This time, they showed up very early in the morning. Murera’s moods have been unpredictable — some days she feels good and happy, while on others she becomes irritable. The Keepers dropped some sweet pellets, which sometimes help to calm Murera and ease her temper, but today she was feeling very short-tempered towards everyone. Only Mwana enjoyed a peaceful time with her mother.
Murera confronted Mwashoti and Maktao, becoming suddenly angry. She rushed at Maktao and pushed him towards the bushes. Maktao was helpless to defend himself. she seemed very annoyed with him for stepping into her feeding space. Enkesha also sensed danger and ran away for safety. Once Murera calmed down, she began moving towards the Kenzili Hills to browse. She paused when she came across the scent of wild elephant dung along the path. She picked some up with her trunk, smelt it, and then continued into the bushes.
The other orphans kept their distance from Murera, wary of her mood. Eventually, her low rumbles signalled that she had returned to her normal self and wanted everyone to rejoin her. Sonje and Lima Lima soon caught up and helped lead the little ones as they all moved together in search of food for the day.
Some butterflies fluttered past Mwana, filling her with excitement. She tried to chase and catch the white butterflies, but she was too slow and ended up tumbling over as she ran after them.
It had been a very dry season for some time, but last night it rained heavily. All the animals seemed happy, celebrating the fresh, cool environment and hoping for the lush greenery they had longed for through many months of no rain.
Outside the stockades, Amali and Enkesha were in very good spirits. One naughty baboon tried to play around Mwana, which prompted Enkesha to rush over and help. Together, Enkesha, Amali, and Mwana rounded up the baboon until more baboons appeared from all directions, making it hard for the three girls to keep up the chase. Eventually, they retreated to Murera for safety. Murera then guided her team out into the Kibwezi Forest for a morning of browsing and playing in the fresh mud left by the night’s rain.
Lima Lima and Quanza led the babies to the anthills for a mud bath and some playtime. Lenny and Sulwe later had a disagreement over space on the anthill, with Sulwe complaining to Lenny. Mwana, Amali, and Sonje rushed over to see why Sulwe was rumbling in protest.
However, Sonje misunderstood the situation and anyone who came near Sulwe risked her temper. Luckily, Amali and the others saw Sonje approaching and quickly escaped, leaving Sulwe with her mother before Sonje could discipline anyone else.
Quanza and Kiasa escorted Zigi from where his nannies had been looking after him to where his mother, Zongoloni, was browsing with her friends. The two nannies wanted to make sure Zigi crossed safely and reunited with his mother. Once he reached her, Zigi went straight under Zongoloni, happily nursing and enjoying her milk.
When Lenny passed nearby, Zigi thought Lenny wanted to nurse from his mother and came out with his ears raised, ready for a fight. Mwana and Enkesha quickly intervened, escorting Lenny away before any trouble started. But Lenny, being a young bull, was equally 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.
The waterholes were full after the night’s rain, and everywhere in the Kibwezi Forest was muddy. When the orphans arrived for their midday milk bottles, they weren’t interested in wallowing — there was already mud everywhere, and even the little ones came covered in it after playing in the streams. After finishing their bottles, they wandered off instead of heading to the main mud bath, leaving the Keepers to take a short lunch break. Meanwhile, Sonje and Lima Lima led the babies to rest under the trees, with Murera and Mwashoti following slowly behind.
It was a big celebration — almost like Christmas come early — for the orphans this morning. The strong wind last night had pulled down a large acacia tree, which Lima Lima and her team discovered at dawn. They quickly welcomed Murera and Mwana and the other orphans to join them in celebrating the good fortune in style.
Maktao and Kapei soon arrived and wasted no time, stripping the fallen acacia branches greedily. Their haste and lack of sharing made Murera take notice. Mwana seemed to whisper something to her mother, and moments later, the Keepers saw Maktao running off, trumpeting loudly, with Murera chasing close behind. Murera had decided to drive the boys away so the little ones could enjoy the treat in peace.
Mwashoti later joined and tried to chase Quanza, but she was clever enough to see him coming. Knowing that she and Mwashoti don’t always get along, Quanza quietly slipped away into the herd, where she took charge of looking after the babies alongside their mothers. Only Lenny strayed to Murera’s side, seeking a chance to nurse, before later moving over to join Amali and Enkesha.
The nearby waterhole was a blessing for all. From the youngest babies to the older mothers, everyone plunged straight into the muddy water to swim and cool off. Even Murera, who often prefers to stand by the edge, joined the others in the wallow today. Zigi found a soft pillow in Sulwe’s tiny legs, resting his head there as both lay contentedly in the mud. Their peaceful nap didn’t last long, however, as Sonje came to separate the two little playmates. Kiasa then came to check on Zigi, and soon after, Lima Lima and Zongoloni led Lenny away.
On their way out, Lenny lagged behind and approached Murera, pleading softly for milk. Murera, ever generous, allowed him to nurse alongside Mwana — one on each side. She never discriminates when it comes to caring for the babies, always sharing her milk with her young neighbours. Of all the Umani babies, though, Lenny seems to be her favourite, and he continues to enjoy a special bond with her.
This morning, all the nightclubbers staying out in the wild overnight came on time and joined the babies and Murera. This made Amali and Enkesha very happy. They would not have been in good moods if the little babies had failed to come. It was a very good start to the new day.
Mwashoti and Quanza arrived ahead of Lima Lima and her friends, and when the Keepers saw the boy and girl nannies approaching, we knew Sonje and Lima Lima would not be far behind. Before Murera and her team had finished their morning pellets, Lima Lima appeared with her baby Lenny, followed by Zongoloni and Zigi, Sonje and Sulwe, and Kiasa.
Mwana went to welcome Lenny, Sulwe, and Zigi into the herd by screaming and rumbling, and the babies responded by trumpeting as the joyful reunion took place. Maktao and Kapei, meanwhile, walked towards their mentor Mwashoti, who was not interested in their pushing games. He warned them to stay away as he enjoyed his pellets, but Kapei did not listen. Mwashoti turned around, lifted Kapei with his tusks, and dropped him to the ground, sending Kapei running into the woods in fear.
When Maktao saw this, he decided to steer clear of Mwashoti as well. Neither dared approach Murera and Mwana either, aware of Murera’s changeable moods. Everyone kept an eye on Murera so as not to be caught unaware.
The waterholes within Kibwezi Forest are now full after the recent rains, giving the orphans plenty of opportunities to cool themselves whenever they wish. Today, after their midday bottles, none of the babies went for a mud bath — they had already wallowed earlier and simply returned to the bushes after finishing their milk.
All the orphans found new grass and vegetation coming up after the rains that started a few days ago. The Kibwezi Forest is now changing back to its normal, greener landscape, enjoyed by many wild animals residing there, now feeding happily on the fresh growth.
Maktao and his friend Kapei came across some buffaloes sleeping and decided to wake them up and chase them deeper into the forest. Kapei and Maktao were trying to clear the way for the other elephants to pass through without any problems from the buffaloes.
Kiasa went to help Zongoloni take care of Zigi. Amali was waiting nearby, hoping her beloved Zigi would join her, but Kiasa would not let Zigi go to where Amali was. Enkesha was trying to break some hard soil with her toes before putting it into her mouth, as she was looking for much-needed minerals. She rumbled for the other little babies to join her, but only Lenny and Mwana walked over to where she was.
Sonje found Ziwa today deep inside the forest, browsing along the Chyulu Hills with his wild friends. Ziwa did not step back for Sonje; instead, he just shook his trunk at her as if waving goodbye before rejoining his wild friends, who had stopped and waited for him before continuing their journey towards Kenze. When Murera caught the scent of the wild herd, she did not realise that Ziwa was among them. Murera moved away with Mwana to avoid meeting the wild elephants, not knowing that Ziwa was part of the group and perhaps wanted to say hello to her. As a result, neither Murera nor Ziwa met that day.
Sonje and her team failed to visit the herd this morning. When Murera and her team came out with the Keepers, none of the mothers arrived, and we assumed the babies had gone to sleep before Lima Lima and her friends could walk them to the stockades. Kapei wanted to play the usual pushing games, but he found Maktao was not in a very good mood today. He was relaxed and not ready for pushing. Maktao ignored him, but Kapei insisted. When Kapei kept pushing him, Maktao turned quickly and, within a few minutes, Kapei found himself on the ground, and Maktao was nowhere to be found. Kapei had to get his own medicine after disturbing Maktao, who was not ready for his kind of play.
Enkesha came and stood between the boys, trying to make peace between the two friends. She found it very hard to stand between the boys and eventually surrendered and left them to carry on in their own style. Amali then left with Mwana for a fact-finding mission as they patrolled for the babies. Instead, and came across two warthogs running in front of them. Amali blew her trumpets, then she was boosted by Mwana blowing the same, and this made the two warthogs run hard into the bushes and disappear.
By now, Lima Lima, Sonje, Zongoloni, Quanza, and the babies had turned up. Sonje rumbled for Mwana and Amali to stop going far, to stop following the warthogs and come back into the herd, as every orphan was getting ready to go to the Kenzili area for more browsing. On the way to Kenzili, on the rocks, Lima Lima and Quanza spotted a rock hyrax jumping onto the rocks without stopping. Quanza raised her ears, and when Lima Lima saw Quanza was about to charge, she followed her, which made the rock hyrax run into hiding so as not to be found by the charging elephants.
Murera and her friends had a good night and woke up ready for the new day. Pellets, as usual, were already waiting for the babies. When Murera and Mwana came out, they were the first to start eating the pellets, then Amali and Kapei came out at top speed as if Murera was finishing everything before them.
Lima Lima and her team failed to show up this morning and didn’t join Murera and her team until the afternoon. Amali and Enkesha couldn’t settle all morning, missing their beloved babies. They insisted upon checking every single usual place, looking for Lenny, Zigi, and Sulwe.
Today Mwana was the baby everyone took care of, like a princess. She was surrounded by Amali, Enkesha, and then Murera. Murera was in a very good mood today; she never chased or pushed anyone when they went around her but remained very welcoming.
Murera walked into the woods and found a big tree that had fallen down. When she tested it and found it was acacia, all the babies went to enjoy the treat — a gift for them after the rain and windy night that had brought the acacia down. The herd celebrated this all afternoon. After Murera directed them to the branches, none wanted to walk away. It was a big celebration for everyone. They gave the Keepers a very easy day today by not moving around much, as all were under Murera’s direction.
Many wild elephants were spotted next to Umani water springs. When Amali and Kapei tried to go and join some of them, Kapei looked fearful when he saw one of the little boys raising his ears. Amali tried her best and was welcomed into the wild herd by one of the girls who was at the frontline acting as a receptionist, trying to show visitors the way to go. Amali walked into the herd while watching very keenly what could happen to her should some of the babies decide to chase her away. She moved within the herd, but she was very careful not to be ambushed by any rude babies. Maktao escorted her in case there was any problem, but Amali was welcomed very well. When Maktao joined her she looked very happy inside the herd, after a very good welcome. Maktao played his part as a good boy who looked after little Amali.
The Keepers saw Murera shaking her feet and twisting her trunk as a way of communicating with friends in a very low tone that the Keepers could not understand. Some minutes later, we were very happy when Kiombo appeared. 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.
The Keepers sat under a tree by a big rock as they watched the movements of the wild bulls who kept following Quanza, but she did not pay attention to them. Quanza kept running away and leaving the bulls hopeless. Zongoloni called her baby Zigi to come along and they walked away to Chyulu Hills, leaving the wild friends alone with Ziwa and others. Murera, with her baby Mwana and Enkesha, never joined the wild herd in any way.
Murera and her team failed to see Lima Lima and her team since last evening, as none of the night clubbers had reported back. Mwana and Amali, with the help of Enkesha, tried searching within the bushes to see if they could find them. Mwana eventually gave up and walked back to her mother, Murera, while Enkesha and Amali continued their search but were unsuccessful.
Murera had pulled down a large acacia branch for her and Mwana to enjoy. Kapei walked over to where Murera and Mwana were celebrating the branch, but Murera chased him away. Amali and Enkesha followed Mwana, and this time Murera did not chase them but allowed them to be with Mwana because they had sought her permission. Murera appreciated that Enkesha was very humble and had asked to join Mwana, so she agreed and allowed them to stay. All this happened while Murera was in a very good mood today.
At the midday bottle-feeding time, Maktao and Kapei were the first to arrive and got their bottles but stood aside, hoping for extra. Kapei was impatient and was chased away, giving way to Enkesha, who received the extra bottles together with Murera. Kapei and Maktao did not get any extra because their impatience and greed led the Keepers to disqualify them.
Early in the morning, when the Keepers were ready to give the morning bottles, Murera was first. When Amali saw Murera being given bottles before her, she pushed against her gate strongly, demanding to be attended to. Seeing that she was upset, a Keeper gave Amali extra attention. After finishing her bottles, Amali ran outside for the pellets and found Maktao already at the pile. She dodged him and joined Murera, knowing it would be harder for Maktao to chase her away when she stayed near Murera and Mwana, which proved successful.
A buffalo was spotted in the Kibwezi Forest open area while the orphans were browsing. When Mwana saw the buffalo, she whispered to Kapei, and both ran with their ears up, trumpeting loudly to chase it away. The buffalo initially ran away but returned shortly after. Murera and Maktao, followed by Enkesha, joined them to drive the buffalo off. The buffalo was eventually defeated and chased away, leaving the orphans safe and unbothered.
Lima Lima and her team took off and have not yet come back to us. Murera and her team kept on looking and smelling around in case they could find their friends — Enkesha and Amali even went many hours without eating today, as they were too busy searching to browse. However, no one showed up, making the girls retreat back to Mwana and Murera after a long day searching for the little babies and their mothers.
Kapei wanted to play with Maktao and would not let him leave. He pulled his tail — his way of making Maktao feel bad so that he would turn back to continue playing. However, the game became very aggressive as it went on and on for some hours. Maktao did not feel good when his tail was pulled by Kapei, the junior boy. This was a show of disrespect to Maktao, and he had to fight him back. Enkesha went between them together with Mwana, trying to calm them, but the boys would not listen. Murera did not want to get involved and called the girls back to her side, counselling them to stay out of the boys’ drama.
Later, a buffalo was blocked in between Enkesha and Kapei. Mwana ran to the buffalos and started blowing her trumpet. Enkesha was brave and joined Mwana — together, they chased the buffalo far away, leaving the herd alone and in peace.
Maktao tried jumping on top of little Mwana. When Murera saw what he was doing, she came running. Maktao was very lucky Murera did not get him. He ran away into hiding, knowing that he would be punished badly if he stuck around.
The orphans came out from their bedrooms this morning looking forward to the new day, with a very happy family feeling as Enkesha and Amali tried to take care of Mwana, who was the only baby around them today. Then it was girls against boys. The boys were Kapei and Maktao, while the girls were Enkesha, Amali, Mwana, and Murera, who was the only leader present this morning.
At the pellets ground, Murera tried to shield a big space from the other babies so she could have the space for herself and Mwana. She even blocked the other little girls who were helping her take care of Mwana. When it was time for the babies to leave the place, Enkesha and Amali whispered to Mwana that she should follow them into the woods. Mwana left her mother and joined them. This made Murera stop being so uncharitable and follow Enkesha and Mwana into the Kibwezi Forest for the new day.
At the waterhole, a buffalo who was sleeping on the dust pile meant for the elephants. When Mwana spotted him, she teamed up with Amali and Kapei. They gave the buffalo a run for his life until he disappeared into the thickets. Mission accomplished, they came back to where Murera was still enjoying the mud bath next to the Keepers. When Mwana arrived, she demanded to breastfeed. Murera denied her the chance, leaving Mwana screaming in anger. She had to stop screaming and seek permission a second time, when Murera allowed her to drink some milk.
Two buffalos were found sleeping this morning at the orphans’ pellets-eating place. Mwana and Kapei spotted the buffalos and decided to go after them. Mwana tried blowing her trumpet but no sound came out, so it was now time for Kapei to blow out his trumpet very loudly and warn the buffalos to leave before their arrival. One buffalo seemed to be very rude and did not listen to the warning that Kapei was trying to send. One got up, but the other buffalo, who did not get up to run away, found himself in a tight spot between Kapei and Maktao, as both boys had now decided to chase the buffalo out of sight. It was a very hard time for the buffalo who did not run away, and he was now forced to leave, followed by Maktao. Kapei and friends made it clear that he must leave the place, and he dashed into the Kibwezi Forests towards the Chyulu areas. Mission accomplished, the orphans were left to mingle freely and happily back with Murera and Enkesha.
Two male bushbucks were grazing along the place Enkesha and Maktao were heading to. Immediately Enkesha spotted the bushbuck and raised her trunk, signalling to Mwana that they needed to chase the bushbucks away, too. Unfortunately, the bushbucks were too fast and the elephants missed their direction entirely.
This morning, when the Keepers were giving out the morning bottles to the milk-dependent orphans, Maktao refused to take his bottle. The Keepers tried again and again, but he still showed no interest. The extra bottle was therefore given to Kapei, who had been waiting for it. He kept his eyes on the bottle, and when the Keeper turned around with it, Kapei stretched his trunk forward and grabbed it quickly, while Maktao walked out and joined Murera and Amali, who were already walking behind the stockades with Enkesha.
Alamaya was behind the stockade fenceline, which is why Maktao and his friends went behind the fence to bring him back into the herd. However, Alamaya did not want Murera to see him approaching that side, and when Murera spotted him she charged at him, causing Alamaya to leave the herd with Kapei and Maktao. This left Enkesha and Amali playing closely with Mwana next to Murera. All the babies then proceeded to the hills towards Kenzili, enjoying the fresh greens now returning Kibwezi Forest to its greenish state after recent rains. Most of the wildlife that had been visiting Umani Springs has now stopped, as the Chyulu Hills are very green with plenty of waterholes following the rains a few weeks ago.
Alamaya later visited the orphans as they were still browsing along the Kenzili area. Amali caught his scent and raised her trunk, trying to locate the smell of another elephant in the bushes. She identified that it was Alamaya, who was accompanied by a bull friend. When the wild bull heard the Keepers talking and walking with the orphans towards them, he left, and moments later we saw Alamaya following him away.
The orphans had a good start to the day this morning. When all the babies came out of their stockades, two buffalos had found their way into the area. Murera was preparing to take Mwana and Amali for their morning pellets, only to find a buffalo sleeping on the ground. When he was spotted by Murera and Mwana, who was just next to her mother, Mwana was the first to charge at the buffalos. All the buffalos got up and ran away from Mwana, who was now trumpeting and charging at them. Maktao was watching the buffalos very reluctantly, but when Kapei went to join Mwana, both Kapei and Maktao helped Mwana chase the buffalos into the Kibwezi Forest, making the place very secure. This allowed the Keepers and Murera to move into the forest without fear.
The weather changed as the elephants arrived for their midday bottles. None walked into the waterhole for swimming. Amali and Enkesha tested the water with their trunks, and when they found it was cold, and the weather not warm enough, Murera rumbled to signal everyone to return to her for some browse as they prepared to move back into the Chyulu Hills for the remainder of the day. As the babies were getting ready to leave, Maktao and his close friend took off pushing each other.
Everyone then went into the Kibwezi Forest to relax under a tree for a day nap. Amali went down, and Mwana did not take long to notice her. She jumped over Amali and the games began immediately. Kapei tried to join the girls, but access was denied by Murera, who warned Kapei not to bother Mwana and Amali.
This morning, rain started just as the elephants finished their morning bottles. The night clubbers team, who have been moving away since the rains started a few weeks ago, did not come again. Lima Lima and her teammates were nowhere to be seen; none of the Keepers could tell which side of the Kibwezi Forest or the Chyulus they were browsing in.
Both Sonje and Lima Lima, with their tiny babies, are a happy family enjoying the new greens brought on by the rains. This left Murera as the only leader steering the young babies left behind with her, taking great care of them. However, Murera and her mood swings are half good and half not good, pushing others away and making the young babies fear her. Enkesha and Amali were trying to move and play with Mwana, but as soon as they saw Murera watching from the corner of her eye, they moved away in a different direction to avoid her. Later, when Murera saw Amali and Enkesha walking away, she followed them into the bushes as both orphans headed to Kenzili to browse on the hills.
One wild elephant bull followed the orphans onto the hills. Murera was not interested in him, so the bull had no option but to leave for the Chyulus. Since he found no one of his own age to spend time with, he left the orphans and charted his own direction away from Murera and her team.
With all the new rains and fresh grass, the orphans are in full celebration mode. As a result, Lima Lima and her team went adventuring further in the forest. Enkesha and Amali found it very hard to begin and end the day without seeing little Zigi and Lenny. Even the Keepers wondered if Lenny was missing Murera, his most favourite stepmother who cares for him and allows him to breastfeed whenever he is around.
This morning, the orphans were busy enjoying the fresh grass, and Kapei was using his toenails to cut more grass into his mouth. The Keepers heard some elephants screaming, and Amali and Mwana took off running into the Kibwezi Forest to go and see who the babies were. They believed the screaming must be from Lima Lima, Sonje, and Zongoloni’s team coming back and calling as they announced their way home.
When Mwana and Amali reached them, Lenny overtook everyone by running so fast ahead, heading straight to Murera. When Murera spotted Lenny, she welcomed him with loud shouting, with Sulwe and Zigi also joining them. Murera was so happy and received everyone back home.
Lima Lima and her teammates again arrived today from the Umani hills and walked straight to where Murera and her team were browsing inside the thick bushes. Mwana sensed that Zigi and friends were about to reach them, so she then turned around with the support of Amali and Enkesha. They found little Lenny and Sulwe in the tall grass, taking the right direction which they knew would get Lenny to Murera very fast.
Sonje and her baby Sulwe walked into the herd very slowly with no hurry. Only Zigi and Kiasa hurried so fast and joined Maktao and Kapei, who were still trying to pull some branches left for them by the older babies. Zigi did not want Lenny to run away with it all and they had to fight for it, which brought about pulling and pushing games between the little boys. This made Sulwe come and stand between them, trying to help them stop fighting, but Sulwe was overwhelmed. The strong Lenny kept pushing Zigi very hard, making Sulwe give up her diplomacy.
Mwashoti was a very good boy today. He was very calm with his young brothers, Kapei and Maktao. Sometimes Kapei grabbed his tail to annoy him, but he ignored Kapei and just moved on, leaving them alone. When Mwashoti walked back into the forest, he found Alamaya with a friend playing around and browsing. Mwashoti walked closely to where the pair were, but Alamaya was not welcoming and asked him to leave them alone. Mwashoti decided to stay, but kept a distance from Alamaya, who did not want him to be part of them.
Baboons had a very bad experience this morning. As Mwana and her friends were coming out of the stockades, the baboons were by the gate. Mwana spotted two male baboons and took off, chasing them into the forest. Amali and Enkesha joined Mwana, keeping up the chase far into the bushes. Murera blew a loud trumpet that sent the baboons running, making sure they did not return anywhere near the elephants. Kapei and Maktao then called Mwana and Amali back to them so they could all go on to the Kenzili area for more browsing, which Murera welcomed. Murera was in a very good mood today — she agreed to the direction that Kapei and Maktao decided, which was later agreed by all the elephants.
Some elephants were heard yelling a lot from the Kenzili hills, and we thought they could be Zongoloni and her team. As we approached the hills carefully, we found Faraja with some wild friends, fighting among themselves as boys do. Faraja was defeated and was making loud noises as he escaped. When he realised he was beaten by the bigger bulls he had been playing with, he took off and returned to his orphan family.
As soon as Murera recognised Faraja, she ignored him. She has never fully trusted him among the babies due to his unbecoming behaviour around little ones who are not his age. Maktao and Kapei, also young boys, were never happy with Faraja either, as he usually plays too rough with them.
Enkesha acted as an older sister to Mwana and Amali when it came to sisterly protection. She intervened wonderfully when Kapei and Maktao approached little Mwana and tried to jump over the little girl. Enkesha saw Kapei’s long legs approaching Mwana, who was unaware, and knew he was preparing to jump. She quickly moved close to Mwana, facing Kapei, to stop his attempt. Enkesha then escorted Mwana back to her mother, Murera, who was some distance away.
Kapei felt very let down when Enkesha stopped him. From that moment, Kapei moved away with his close friend Maktao to play far from the others. Murera took off with Mwana, together with Amali and Enkesha, all the way into the bushes, leaving the two boys alone. The group then split into two, with one led by Murera, which was girls only, and the other made up of the boys, Kapei and Maktao.
Today at the bottle-feeding field there were many buffaloes. As the elephants were coming in for their midday bottles, the Keepers stood far away, working out how the orphans would pass through them. It was now buffaloes versus elephants.
Maktao and Kapei caught the smell of the bottles already on the ground waiting for them, and being greedy boys, they started to move straight towards the buffaloes. One buffalo tried to charge at Kapei, and this was when Maktao chased them all out of sight. The buffaloes were chased a long way into the bushes, clearing the path for Murera and the other babies to come through. When Kapei and Maktao realised the buffaloes were gone and they could go for their bottles, they took off running back to them. The Keepers felt happy and trusted how Kapei and Maktao really cared for everyone’s safety.
Amali and Enkesha this morning were very disturbed not seeing the little babies since yesterday. Enkesha whispered to Amali close to her eyes, then Amali moved into the bushes with some rumbling sounds. Enkesha followed her into the bushes as they ran around trying to search for the babies, but they failed and came back to where Murera and Mwana were still trying to pull down heavy branches to eat.
Amali and Enkesha did not find any of the babies because Lima Lima and her team never came, and Amali felt bad when she failed to find little Lenny and Zigi, whom these little nannies loved when they were around. Mwana trumpeted, and Mwana’s trumpet confused Amali and Enkesha as they thought the trumpeting was from Zongoloni and her friends. Amali took off and checked the bushes again towards the side where the trumpeting sound was coming from, but found only Mwana, who was the one charging and trumpeting around the bushes next to Kapei.
Murera never worried about what Amali and Enkesha were looking for because she was with her baby, and her mood swings guided her not to bother much about the other girls and their worries. But Lima Lima, Sonje, Zongoloni, and Quanza were enjoying fresh greens far from home, and they will only come back to us in their own time when they feel like returning home after long adventures.
Jasiri and his adopted wild herd visited the orphans, hoping they could mix at the waterhole, which didn’t happen. When Murera and her team were getting into the waterhole, Murera stayed by the side, watching the little babies beginning to have fun. Murera took her time watching them, while the Keepers and Enkesha were enjoying the show.
Jasiri left his wild friends and came to the waterhole. When Murera spotted him joining the orphans, she lost the trust to go into the swimming pool where Jasiri would be. She left and called her baby Mwana. When Mwana heard Murera calling, she left the swimming pool and ran to her mother. Amali could not let Mwana go alone, so she joined her. Murera then walked them back into the forest, leaving Jasiri with only the young boys Maktao and Kapei, who were not his age-mates to play around with as they love playing with Mwashoti. This made Jasiri leave and go back to his wild friends, who were still not very far from him.
In the afternoon, a buffalo came along when Kapei was busy pulling down a heavy branch next to Maktao, unaware of what was behind him. When Kapei realised that a buffalo was watching him from behind, he blew his trumpet and charged at the buffalo. His friend Maktao gave huge support and together they chased the buffalo away, leaving Murera very alert, watching who might enter her territory next.
The baboons had a hard time this morning when they were trying to steal food meant for the elephants. Mwana and Enkesha were giving them some warning, but the baboons were not aware of what plan was unfolding. They came for the morning pellets just as the elephants were coming out from the stockades after the long night. Mwana gave them little time before she began chasing them away. Enkesha immediately signalled Mwana and the baboon chasing began around the shrubs, with no one giving up. The boys later joined them, and the morning was full of trumpets and charging through the bushes until all the baboons gave up and disappeared into the forest, leaving the orphans to enjoy their morning pellet-feeding time.
When Murera and her baby Mwana were ready to walk into the Kibwezi Forest, she started to move and everyone followed. Murera led them to the Umani Hills, where they found more greens, and none of them wanted to come down for their midday bottles. This forced the Keepers and the milk truck to follow their order of the day: the truck and bottles must come to where the elephants were.
The Keepers had to carry the crate full of bottles as they climbed the hills. Maktao got the smell of the bottles and came down to be the first, but the Keepers dodged him with bottles up to where Murera was. It was very funny to see all the orphans refusing to come down the hills to the normal feeding field. After giving the bottles, all the elephants came down following the Keepers and they ended up going to the usual waterhole, where they swam. They had clearly planned to trick the Keepers by making them carry the bottles up the hill, only to later walk down to the usual spot.
The morning started as usual, with Murera and her team getting ready for their new day. She planned to give the same great care to all the babies who were left behind by Lima Lima and her team. Murera is very loyal to the little babies, although many of them fear her because of her mood swings, which greatly affected the trust Enkesha and Amali once gave her.
When the orphans were already in the bushes in the mid-morning, before their midday bottles, the Keepers and their little babies were sitting as the babies enjoyed the green vegetation around them. Some minutes later, Amali and Mwana were heard trumpeting and then charging as they ran from all corners of the forest. Kapei followed them and only Murera was left alone. This was when the Keepers again heard loud trumpets blown by many elephants. A few minutes later, Lima Lima, Lenny, Zongoloni, Zigi, Sonje, Sulwe, and Quanza appeared and reported to Murera. Murera also made a big, loud welcoming trumpet and deep rumbles as the elephants reunited with Lima Lima and her team, along with Murera and her little team.
Among them were Faraja, Mwashoti, and a wild bull who is a good friend of Faraja. Even his friend was very friendly to the orphans. He never charged at any of them, and the Keepers thought Faraja and Mwashoti had given him the secrets of what to do and what not to do while with the orphans. He was well behaved.
As the elephants were now coming home with the orphans, Faraja played a trick together with Mwashoti so they would not be in the frontline with their friend. They stayed at the back and joined Sonje and Lima Lima at the stockades, where they found sweet pellets waiting for everyone. This bull friend was joyful and never misbehaved until both he and Faraja and Sonje left for their night-out parties to Chyulu. All left very peacefully, with the new bull escorted by Faraja and Mwashoti as friends.