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When Alamaya arrived at the pellets corner this morning, Mwashoti was already there, scooping up trunkfuls of the delicious pellets. Alamaya felt that Mwashoti had already had more than his share and it was time for the younger bull to move along. Even though Mwashoti has broken away from the Umani herd to live an independent life, he is still younger and smaller than Alamaya. When the younger bull didn’t catch Alamaya’s hint, he pushed him with his tusks, perhaps a bit too hard, sending Mwashoti trumpeting in complaint. Mwashoti gets away with pushing around younger bulls, but he is no match for Alamaya and stayed away from the pellets corner until it was time to leave the stockades. Mwashoti still harbors a bit of jealousy towards Kiombo, because Kiombo moved into Sonje’s sleeping quarters and Mwashoti feels replaced. But it’s only a matter of time until this young bull forgets about being Sonje’s baby and embraces the freedom of being a wild elephant.

Kiasa and Maktao were walking together, enjoying their browsing and pushing games, when Zongoloni appeared out of the bushes. Little Kiasa was happy to see her friend. Any time Zongoloni arrives, she takes Kiasa under her wing and probably imparts her wisdom on the young girl, sharing information on the best browsing spots or stories of nighttime adventures. 

It was such a hot day that the orphans arrived at the noon feed earlier than usual, making a beeline for the mud bath to cool off. As soon as they were done with their milk feed, all the orphans returned to the mud bath. Murera and Enkesha showed off their wallowing skills by splashing mud on their chests. as Kiombo watched on. The orphans were joined by the nightclubbers, and Lima Lima brought her new bull friend. The wild bull was unsure of the Keepers, so he stayed back with Lima Lima in the bushes.

Having Kiasa under her care has brought out the nurturing aspect of Quanza’s personality. Initially, Kiasa had settled on Murera as her caregiver, but once Murera started to stay out at night, Kiasa decided that Quanza was more reliable.

Today, it warmed the Keepers hearts to watch Kiasa and Quanza walk together, with Kiasa stopping every now and then to allow Quanza to catch up to her. Kiasa put her trunk in Quanza’s mouth to sniff whatever she was eating. Maktao was watching all of this and feeling very left out, so he decided to join them. However, Kiasa is a very feisty girl and pushed Maktao down. The young bull trumpeted in complaint, which sent Enkesha running to Maktao’s aid.  

Faraja and Ngasha were enjoying a friendly strength testing game when Jasiri decided to interfere. He walked up to his friends and pushed them apart, putting an end to Faraja and Ngasha’s fun. Jasiri can be a bit of a bully and enjoys pushing his friends around. Zongoloni, who was nearby, wasn’t too happy with Jasiri’s behavior. With Lima Lima and Alamaya’s help, they chased him off. When Jasiri behaves in this manner, no one wants to be friends with him, especially Murera. She goes out of her way to avoid him and his boisterous ways.  

Alamaya and Mwashoti made their way to the waterhole, where they found a small herd of bushbucks peacefully drinking water. They thought it would be fun to chase them and so ran towards them, startling the bushbucks and sending them hopping in different directions. Satisfied with their antics, they walked back to the waterhole and wallowed until the rest of their friends joined them.

Lima Lima arrived with her new bull friend, the same one from the other day. As they were walking towards the Umani herd, the wild bull seemed rather relaxed — but as they got closer, he caught a glimpse of the Keepers and took off towards the Umani Hills.

Enkesha and Kiombo, curious about this new bull, decided to follow him. Lima Lima wouldn’t let her babies go on their own, so she joined Enkesha and Kiombo. They caught up with him and the four browsed together. At noon, Lima Lima returned Enkesha and Kiombo to the milk feeding area, leaving her male friend waiting for her. She took her time having her milk bottle and mingling with her friends and forgot all about returning to her friend, who was waiting for her! The Keepers assumed the bull must have moved on after Lima Lima did not turn up.  

Ziwa arrived today, after a very long absence. At first, the Keepers did not recognize him. He looked so different, with torn ears and much bigger in size. When he first approached the Umani babies, the Keepers were not sure if it was him. However, he looked so comfortable around the Umani herd and did not run off like other wild bulls had, plus Zongoloni and Lima Lima greeted him in a very friendly way. The Keepers were overjoyed when they called Ziwa by his name and he responded. It was a joyous reunion for all!

Faraja joined Alamaya and Mwashoti for a short consultation, but it was only for boys. Lima Lima aso wanted to join the conversation, but she was turned away. In fact, it was Mwashoti who chased her away, evidently after getting the okay from the other two boys! Lima Lima joined Maktao and Enkesha and seemed to be deep in conversation with them, perhaps telling them about what had just happened to her.

A hornbill began whistling from the trees, which sounds very much like the cry of a human baby. This surprised Enkesha, who ran for safety, as she thought she was hearing something dangerous. The Keepers called her back, but she was very suspicious and kept her ears spread wide. Murera and Sonje walked over to her, which made Enkehsa feel safer. Everyone held their trunks up to the sky, perhaps to sniff out the hornbill.

A wild herd of elephants arrived at the spot where the orphans were browsing today. Accompanying them were our very own Lima Lima, Ziwa and Faraja. They slowly made their way over to Enkesha and Maktao. Lima Lima sought out Sonje, who was so engrossed in snapping off branches for Kiombo that she only noticed Lima Lima when she touched Sonje with her trunk. Sonje was equally surprised to find a young wild bull next to her. She put her trunk around his belly to check him, but the bull was so taken aback by Sonje that he ran away. Kiombo did not want to be around the wild bull, so he decided to join Quanza and Kiasa. Zongoloni saw that Quanza needed help with the babies and happily obliged, as Lima Lima and Sonje had followed the wild herd into the bushes. Zongoloni will take any opportunity to look after the babies.

On the Umani Hills, Jasiri and Ngasha caught up with Murera again and started to pursue her. Poor Murera did not want to be mounted by these two bulls, so she made a quick getaway and disappeared into the forest. The Keepers keep a vigilant eye out for these bulls and chase them off if they bother Murera too much.  

The Umani orphans started their morning on a very energetic note. Lima Lima arrived and decided to help herself to a bale of lucerne. She snuck into the stores unnoticed, grabbed a bale, and tried to make a quick getaway. The Keepers discovered her naughty antics, but she carried on even as they yelled at her, dropping most of the lucerne as she ran. Faraja joined her and they disappeared into the forest with their contraband. In the end, the Keepers gave up and let them enjoy their lucerne. Quanza, Kiasa and Zongoloni watched all of this unfold while enjoying their pellets.

When the orphans arrived at the mud bath today, they found two cranes searching for a safe spot to build their nest. Knowing the rainy season is almost upon us, the birds needed to nest so the female could lay her eggs. Mwashoti had other ideas, so he teamed up with Enkesha to chase the birds until they flew off. In the process, poor Mwashoti fell over and landed in a big heap on the ground. The games ended just as abruptly as they had begun.

Today, Murera received a visit from her wild friends, a herd of females with their tiny babies. Murera was in baby heaven and remained with them for the better part of the day. Quanza was also intrigued by the wild babies, but she had her duties of looking after Kiombo, Kiasa and Maktao, and settled for just watching them from afar.  

Sonje then took over Kiombo and the two walked over to the slopes of Umani Hill, where they found Mwashoti. Sonje encouraged Mwashoti to join them, but he is still very jealous of Kiombo and pushed the young bull very hard. Sonje stepped in and trumpeted at Mwashoti, who walked away hanging his head low, as though sulking.  

Enkesha and Maktao were the swimming stars at the mud bath today, both showing off their wallowing skills, splashing mud on themselves and on their friends in the process. Lima Lima and Alamaya were scratching when they spotted a pair of crane birds. Lima Lima started chasing them, blowing her trunk and trying to scare them, but the birds outflew her and landed on a nearby tree.

Today, it was Alamaya who brought the nightclubber boys to the dependent herd. There was no sign of Zongoloni, but she arrived much later in the company of a wild elephant herd. The wild visitors had a few babies with them, and it seemed as though Zongoloni was looking after them as the matriarch and nannies busied themselves with browsing.

Zongoloni loves little babies and is always on the lookout for younger females to add to her growing herd of nightclubbers. In the past, she has tried to recruit Enkesha to join her, and now she does the same with Kiasa. However, both girls are too young to go out in the wild just yet, but the Keepers are confident that they will make excellent matriarchs for any herd. There are many wild herds within the Chyulu Hills, and our ex-orphan bulls walk long distances to meet up with their new friends. After spending a night with them, Jasiri and Ngasha often return to the Umani herd, mimicking the behavior of their wild bull friends. Unfortunately, this means they often try to mount Murera and Sonje. Both girls dislike this behavior and avoid Jasiri and Ngasha at all costs.

Zongoloni took Kiasa for a walk into the bushes, hoping to separate her from the Umani herd and integrate her into her own. However, Kiasa is a smart girl and knows that she would miss her milk bottle if she were to leave the Umani herd. So, she always finds a way back to her Keepers and follows them home, where she knows there is a bottle of milk and warm bed waiting for her.

Before Murera and Lima Lima started their transition into the wild, they used to share the responsibility of looking after the younger babies, which meant Quanza had a less nannying active role. Now that both older females have joined the nightclubbers, Quanza has come into her own and has revealed a natural talent for looking after the younger babies. She has also taken Enkesha under her wing, showing the young girl the skills to perhaps become a matriarch one day.   

Mwashoti is now a full-time member of the nightclubbers. Although he has grown, his friends are still bigger and stronger than him. He has learned that they must be treated with respect, as should the other wild elephant friends he meets out at night. Despite being an ex-orphan, Alamaya still loves his Keepers very much. Any time they call out to him, he is sure to return their affection by wrapping his trunk around their head or their arms. 

Our big boys are also fiercely protective of their friends in the Umani herd. This afternoon, several male buffaloes blocked the orphans’ path, stopping them from walking down the hill. Jasiri registered the situation and circled back to Faraja’s, where the two bulls seemed to hatch a plan. They ran towards the buffaloes with ears spread wide and trumpeting loudly, forcing them to run off in the opposite direction. Murera took advantage of the diversion to gather the rest of the orphans. Everyone felt very triumphant and trumpeted as they made their way down the hill.

This morning, Zongoloni and her nightclubber boys were waiting at the gate, eager for their friends to finish their routine so they could join them. Zongoloni was pacing impatiently and ultimately tried to push open the compound gate. Unbeknownst to her, the gate and fence that surrounds the stockade compound is electric, which is for the safety of the orphans and the Keepers. Poor Zongoloni got a bit of a shock when she touched it! She was not harmed, but it still made her shout in surprise. Alamaya, who once had a similar experience, was not worried about Zongoloni, but Jasiri immediately came to comfort her.

The Keepers readied the orphans, and everyone left the stockade compound in a single file. On the way to the Umani Hills, the orphans saw a lone klipspringer. Enkesha decided to chase it but gave up when it disappeared into the bushes. The orphans took a break from the heat as they waited for Murera and Kiasa, who were quite a distance behind, to catch up. Sonje and Kiombo initially forged ahead, but after a little while, they also decided to rest under the shade of some trees.  

The weather took a turn today. By midday, clouds were starting to gather, and the temperature dropped. As soon as the orphans had had their midday milk bottle, they all gathered around the water trough for a long drink. None of the orphans wanted to indulge in wallowing, as the weather was just too cold. 

Enkesha and Maktao had a great time playfighting each other. Kiombo wanted to join in the fun, but both Enkesha and Maktao refused his request. Feeling a bit dejected, Kiombo walked over to Sonje and rumbled to her, probably lamenting that his friends did not want to play with him. However, Enkesha and Maktao were smart to deny him, because Kiombo can be a bit rough. 

As the orphans left the compound this morning, Enkesha and Kiasa were on high alert. They kept raising their trunks and sniffing the air, as were Lima Lima and Zongoloni. Kiasa decided to investigate further and ventured into the bushes, followed closely by Enkesha. After a few minutes, both girls came running out of the bushes. Soon, a wild bull emerged from the bushes, with Faraja in tow.

The wild bull stayed with the Umani herd as they went about their day. Lima Lima, who is the social butterfly of the herd, immediately walked over to introduce herself. The bull was very gentle and calm. At the midday feed, all the younger babies gathered around him, almost as though they were excited to hear the stories he had to share. Faraja must have been jealous of all the attention his friend was receiving, because he chased away the younger babies and took his friend towards the Umani Springs, which is a popular gathering point for wild bulls.

Enkesha and Maktao enjoyed a very lengthy pushing game today. Mwashoti wanted to join their game, but because he is bigger and can be rough when playing, Enkesha denied his request. Unfortunately, their game ended abruptly when Enkesha got hit in the eye by a branch. Trumpeting in pain, she ran to the Keepers to see if they could help her. They examined her eye and then applied the necessary medication, which settled Enkesha considerably. For the rest of the day, her Keeper remained by her side, to ensure she felt safe and supported.

Maktao felt very sorry for Enkesha and stayed close to her. He kept on wrapping his trunk around her and rumbling softly at her, as though saying he was sorry about her eye and asking if she was ok. Maktao and Enkesha are such good friends and neighbors.  

A fight broke out between our younger girls this morning. Enkesha plucked a rather juicy branch, but Kiasa wanted it for herself, and a fierce tug of war broke out. Kiombo decided to help Kiasa, while Maktao came to Enkesha’s aid. By now, four babies were fighting over one branch. In the end, Mwashoti had to intervene and put a stop to all the fighting. The four orphans went their separate ways as Mwashoti was left with the juicy branch — which he had not even worked that hard to acquire!

Today, Ngasha introduced us to a lovely but very shy female. They emerged from the bushes as the Umani herd passed, almost as though Ngasha had been waiting for his friends. However, as soon as they linked up with the other orphans, the female became skittish and ran off, leaving Ngasha with his friends.

The Keepers spotted two male buffaloes and alerted the orphans, so they could avoid that route. However, Ziwa refused to listen to the Keepers and he carried on regardless. Ziwa is a very stubborn and independent bull. He has always been more of a lone ranger. Even though he joined the orphans today, he did not stay for long. By afternoon, he had disappeared in the Chyulu Forest, no doubt in search of his wild friends.

While the orphans were foraging in the Kenze Hills, they had a surprise visit from a very old bull. He had torn ears and beautiful, long tusks. All the orphans were quite taken by him, as he was a very gentle and calm bull.

Lima Lima as always, was the first to welcome him to the herd. The Keepers lovingly call Lima Lima “the receptionist,” as she is always eager to greet new, wild friend. Sometimes, she even goes so far as to take them to the stockades and give them a tour of her home. All the orphans were admiring the bull’s tusks from afar, but only Lima Lima was brave enough to touch his tusks with her trunk. The bull was enjoying the company of the orphans, but all of this came to an end with arrival of Jasiri and Faraja. Lima Lima tried to introduce them to him, but the wild bull reacted very badly and chased away Faraja and Jasiri, He did want any other bulls near Lima Lima.  

Murera and Sonje were not interested in the wild bull and kept their distance, especially after they saw how he chased Jasiri and Faraja away. Kiasa and Enkesha, on the other hand, were very taken by the bull and started to follow him. Zongoloni had to intervene and redirect them back to the Umani herd, where she knew they were safer. When Ziwa and Alamaya arrived, it was unanimous decision that they would leave Lima Lima with her friend and move towards the Chyulu Hills.

A herd of antelopes and a large troop of baboons arrived at the waterhole, but they found Maktao and Kiombo belly deep in the mud enjoying a peaceful wallow. The animals waited patiently on the sidelines, but after a while, the baboons started screaming and causing such a ruckus that Enkesha was forced to chase them away. Even that did not stop them, and they continued to bark and jump from tree to tree, disturbing the peace. Quanza and Alamaya joined forces to successfully chase the baboons away, and in the process, the antelopes also left the area. Finally, peace was restored to the mud bath. 

During his adventures in the Chyulu Hills, Ziwa met a rather gentle bull, who he brought back to the dependent herd. He tried to introduce his friend to Sonje and Murera, but they are always interested meeting herds that have female elephants and babies.

This morning, Kiasa and Kiombo shared a very tender moment with Enkesha. As soon as the little ones exited their stockades, they spent time embracing the older girl.

Sonje and Murera were already at the pellets corner, but when they saw Faraja and Jasiri approaching, Sonje started to feel uneasy, knowing the rambunctious bull would disrupt the peace. Zongoloni, who is well respected by all the nightclubber boys, sensed the situation right away. She stood in front of Murera and Sonje, blocking Jasiri and Faraja from having access to her two friends. Faraja and Jasiri got the message and headed towards the water trough.

The Keepers had to discipline Mwashoti today, he pushed little Maktao so hard that the poor bull toppled over. Enkesha rushed to help Maktao back to his feet, while the Keepers chastised Mwashoti. Mwashoti ran of trumpeting, as though complaining that the Keepers had told him off.

As we all know, Ziwa is a lone ranger. Even when he does reunite with the Umani herd, often after lengthy absences, his visits are very brief. Today he arrived with Zongoloni, much to the delight of the Keepers. However, in typical Ziwa fashion, he was on the move as soon as he got through his greetings. Alamaya tried to follow his friend, but Ziwa is very quick and knows his way around Umani. As a result, poor Alamaya’s adventure came to quick end. He rejoined his friends and spent the rest of the day with them.  

After yesterday’s incident, Enkesha decided to take Maktao towards the Umani Hills, away from troublesome Mwashoti. They left Mwashoti with Murera and made quick time to the foot of the hills, where they encountered a herd of buffaloes. The buffaloes did not budge from their spot, and in the end, the Keepers had to make a lot of noise. This alerted Sonje and Quanza, who charged at the buffalos and moved them along. Once the path was clear, all the orphans made their way to the top of the Umani Hill, where they continued to forage.

The orphans decided to spend their day foraging in the Chyulu area, where they quickly realized they were not alone. As usual, it was our “investigator” Lima Lima who alerted the Keepers to their presence. Following Lima Lima’s signals, they saw a female eland with her newborn baby, who was no more than a day old. The Keepers moved the herd away from the mother and her baby, so as not to disturb them.  

A herd of buffaloes arrived where Maktao, Enkesha, and Kiasa were browsing. Upon seeing how big the herd was, Enkesha decided to move the babies away from them. However, the buffaloes had spread out, which made it difficult for Enkesha to find her way back to the Keepers. The Keepers realised what she was trying to do and enlisted Sonje and Lima Lima’s help to chase away the interlopers. 

The orphans decided to stop by the Umani Springs this morning. Enkesha found a lovely spot by the bank, which had enough mud for her to wallow in. Kiombo saw what a good time Enkesha was having and decided to join in. He surveyed the area and thought he had found a space to wallow, but as he moved in, his bottom landed squarely on top of poor Enkesha and pushed her into the mud. Kiombo managed to get out, but poor Enkesha was stuck! Hearing her cries for help, the Keepers, Sonje, and Murera rushed over to her. The two matriarchs slowly moved down the bank and put their trunks under Enkesha’s belly to lift her. The slippery mud made things difficult, so the Keepers jumped in. While Sonje and Murera pulled, the Keepers pushed, until Enkesha was finally free. Maktao, who was observing from the sidelines, was overjoyed that the muddy ordeal had come to an end.