The month began with neighbour drama. Kapei and Amali, who sleep in adjoining stockades, could not live in harmony because Kapei kept stealing branches and pellets from her room. Amali reported Kapei to the Keepers, who came out to help, but by then Kapei had already moved back to his corner, feigning innocence. He may have looked blameless, but everyone knew he had wronged Amali.
Wild elephants visited the stockade outside the fenceline and found Sonje with her team, who were enjoying lucerne together with the little angels. When Sonje and Lima Lima spotted the wild herd approaching, Sulwe rushed to her mother. Immediately Sonje also saw them and made a trunk call, which rumbled loudly to alert Lima Lima, Kiasa, and Zongoloni that the place had been taken over by the wild herd. They needed to move away quickly before trouble came to little Lenny, Sulwe, and Zigi.
Sulwe could not leave before walking over to greet one of the wild-born babies, who then started to push her around. Sulwe stood firm and refused to be pushed over, countering the little wild baby until his mothers came for him. She then ran back to Sonje at the water trough. Quanza and Kiasa also joined them, and later Lima Lima with her team decided to head into the Kibwezi Forest for more night-out plans, leaving the wild-born elephants to feed on the lucerne.
Kapei and Amali, as neighbours, could not live in harmony because Kapei kept bothering Amali by stealing sticks from her room. He placed his trunk between the posts and took food from Amali, which she did not like. Amali “reported” Kapei to the Keepers, who came out to help, but by then Kapei had already moved back to his corner, pretending innocence. He put on a brave face, but he knew very well he had wronged Amali.
Faraja and Quanza reunited with the orphan herd while the orphans were browsing along the Kenzili area. At first, the Keepers were unsure it was Faraja, as he was not expected to be seen on that side of Chyulu, but later they confirmed his identity after also spotting Quanza patrolling and browsing on the shrubs.
Maktao and Kapei went to join Faraja, with Mwashoti following too. Immediately upon reaching him, the boys were full of questions about where Faraja had been during the many days he hadn’t visited. Maktao was busy asking questions, but Mwashoti got himself into trouble when he touched Faraja’s tail. Faraja turned on him and pushed him away, sending Mwashoti off.
Kapei then moved to grab Amali, but Amali ignored his advances when he tried to jump on her back. She could not handle his rough play, so she dodged him and joined Murera and Mwana. When Kapei saw Murera, he did not follow Amali. Instead, he turned his attention to Enkesha — but Enkesha gave him a very tough look, a strong warning not to try his games on her.
Murera and her team were the only elephants that reported for the midday bottle feeding. Lima Lima and her team came after bottle feeding and demanded their share. Lima Lima stood firm by the milk vehicle, putting her trunk into the truck as if trying to pick bottles for herself. This forced the Keepers to return to the truck and hand out the bottles they needed.
Kiasa was again hanging out with Zigi, while Lenny walked to Murera for more milk. After the Keepers gave them bottles, both orphans stepped into the waterhole for a swim, as the day was becoming too hot to stay out of the water. Mwashoti and Maktao were the first ones to jump into the pool, showing everyone that the water was warm and inviting. Soon, Mwana and Amali moved into the waterhole, followed by Sulwe and Lenny, and then all the orphans joined in. A joyful swimming session began.
After mud bath, Mwashoti and Quanza took off back into the Kibwezi Forest for more shade and to scratch on rocks. Before they could go deeper into the forest, a group of buffaloes blocked their way. This made Mwashoti and the other boys trumpet loudly, scaring away the buffaloes to clear the path. Victorious, Mwashoti, Kapei, and Maktao managed to return to look for Murera and her friends, while Sonje led Lima Lima towards the Chyulu Hills for browsing.
Kapei became very troublesome towards Amali today. He would not let Amali get along with the little babies in peace. Every time Amali passed by, Kapei blocked her and even jumped over her back. Amali clearly did not enjoy this. When Kiasa spotted him chasing Amali, she moved in to stop him. Enkesha then joined with Quanza to help Kiasa, as Kapei was not showing her respect. Together they managed to chase Kapei away from Amali.
From the bushes, Alamaya appeared to meet the orphans. His friends Mwashoti and Maktao walked back to welcome him. However, Alamaya was not alone — he had brought some of his wild friends with him. The wild friends stood with Alamaya and at first chased Mwashoti and his friends, blocking them from approaching. Mwashoti did not retreat, and instead, the boys began pushing back and forth in play. Before long, both the wild herd and Mwashoti with his friends understood one another, becoming friendly. They went on to browse together and later moved to the waterholes as companions.
The orphans reported in smaller numbers this morning, with only Sonje and Mwashoti arriving without the other familiar faces of the nightclubbers. The team usually includes Lima Lima, Kiasa, and Zongoloni with their little babies, but today only Sonje with Sulwe, together with Mwashoti, came to join Murera and a few friends. This made the herd unusually small.
Murera and Mwana enjoyed the bigger space, while Sonje and the others kept a distance. Murera ate more pellets and ensured no one got too close to her and Mwana. When Sonje felt she had eaten enough pellets, she took off with Sulwe, with Mwashoti following her into the bushes. Murera and her Keepers then also walked away to begin the new day. Later, Sonje seemed to change her mind. After realising she was just with Mwashoti and Sulwe while Murera had taken off with a larger group, she returned to join Murera. Together, they walked to the water springs before moving on to Kenzili to browse.
Browse is becoming harder to find, as the dry weather hits both Chyulu and Kibwezi Forests. Everyone is now waiting for the November rains. Even so, the elephants still have enough to eat, though not as much as in greener times. Compared to other stations where food for the babies is more limited, Umani remains a paradise — a favourite to many animals thanks to its clean, fresh water and plentiful forage.
At the midday bottle feeding, the babies who had not appeared in the morning all turned up and rejoined the team. The herd was once again intact. Afterwards, they all enjoyed swimming to cool off from the hot sun. Sulwe, Amali, and Lenny lingered behind at the mud bath. As Sulwe was getting out of the water, she noticed a turtle crossing. Thinking it was floating strangely, she got scared and screamed. Her cry made all the nannies rush back to see what was wrong. The Keepers saw the turtle, but the elephants did not. Sulwe ran away to rejoin the herd, and the orphans moved off into the bushes, seeking shade from the midday heat.
Lima Lima and her team these days have changed their visiting arrangements, since the Kibwezi forest has become very dry due to prolonged drought. Lima Lima, with Sonje and the little angels, now go very far in search of food and fresh branches to eat. When the orphans were ready in the morning, Lima Lima and her team did not show up with the little babies. Only Murera and Mwana, with the rest, came to the pellets. Amali and Enkesha were not at peace when they could not see little Lenny and Zigi around. Amali left with Enkesha to look for the little babies with Lima Lima and Zongoloni. Some elephants were heard screaming on top of the hills, which made Amali and Enkesha go to investigate, but this time they were not lucky. They failed to find the babies and returned back to where Murera and her team were.
Kapei moved to play around with Maktao, who was trying to climb on his back. Kapei also turned his back for Maktao to mount him, but then he played a trick. Just as Maktao was getting ready to climb, Kapei stepped aside, leaving Maktao to fall down to the ground after missing his target.
At the bottle feeding point in the afternoon, the nightclubbers arrived with all their little babies running behind them. When Amali and Enkesha caught their smell, both girls ran to receive Zigi, with Kiasa blowing trumpets and charging at trees around them. The reception was very lively, with loud trumpeting and screaming from all the orphans, Murera included with Mwana. All the noise signalled a very happy reunion of the herd.
Lima Lima and her team comprising Sonje, Zongoloni, Mwashoti, and Quanza arrived from a very unexpected direction, after they failed to report in the morning. Some orphans had gone off to look for them but never returned, leaving Murera and Mwana as the only babies who stayed with the Keepers. At that time, Murera and Mwana were preparing to move for the midday bottle feeding.
One huge wild bull had gone ahead to the waterhole to drink and refused to leave. The Keepers stopped the babies while they looked for the best alternative route that would be safe for everyone. Murera stood watching the wild bull, both raising their trunks above their heads to get to know one another. The bull was also trying to identify the voices among the elephants, realising that humans were present. Once he understood the orphans were with Keepers, he began to move away in fear of humans. Murera then felt it was the right moment to go for her bottles, but Lima Lima went forward and joined the bull instead. They seemed familiar with each other, greeting with hugs, and Lima Lima looked very happy to give the bull her attention and accommodate him, while Sonje and Zongoloni, like Murera, kept their distance.
Meanwhile, Lenny found himself in trouble while playing with Zigi, who overpowered him and pushed him down in front of the wild friends. As soon as the wild females noticed Lenny struggling on the ground, kicking his little legs, they rushed over and helped lift him up. Zigi, having pushed Lenny down, walked back to Zongoloni and turned to watch what was happening with him.
Wild elephants came today in several families at different times. The first family arrived with four females and two junior boys, finding Sonje and her team still enjoying lucerne by the stockade fenceline. This family was very friendly and shared the lucerne with Sonje and her friends peacefully.
Zigi and Lenny went off to play with the two boys, but one of them turned against them and pushed Lenny down, leaving Zigi to run away towards Zongoloni. When Zongoloni and Lima Lima heard that Lenny was on the ground struggling to get up, they rushed over with Kiasa to rescue him. Together they helped little Lenny back on his feet, and he quickly ran to nurse from his mother, who felt very sorry for him. It was a lesson for Lenny not to venture too boldly among wild herds who didn’t know him.
After that, Sonje and her team decided not to remain with the wild family. They later followed behind Zongoloni and Quanza towards the Chyulu side, where all the nightclubbers joined forces to move together. Lenny stayed safely between the legs of his mother and Kiasa, who both ensured he was well protected and wouldn’t wander alone into danger again.
Meanwhile, Murera and the other milk dependents spent a peaceful night in their stables. Amali tried to push at her gate in an effort to get out and be with little Zigi, but she was too late to leave her room and had to wait until morning to rejoin the babies.
Ziwa came to visit in the company of Kiombo this time, who has joined his group. After a short time, Ziwa went over to talk to Kiombo and together they decided to leave the orphans. They walked towards the Kezili area, where their wild herd was patiently waiting under some trees for them to finish their greetings. The wild friends began trumpeting and charging as a way of telling Ziwa and Kiombo that the time was up and they needed to leave. Understanding the message, Ziwa and Kiombo immediately followed the herd and moved away.
Amali and Kiasa came running to the bottle point, and soon after Lenny came charging at top speed. He was unable to stop in time and knocked a bottle down. It was too late — Lenny kicked at the bottle in his rush, then trumpeted loudly as he began pushing it around like a football. A Keeper had to step in to take away the now-empty bottle.
Afterwards, Murera with her baby girl Mwana led the rest of the babies to the waterhole for a drink. Later, some of the babies split off towards the mud bath while others went to a dust pile. Murera chose to remain at the dust pile, where she enjoyed a nap on the soft soil.
Kapei became very mad at Amali when he realised she was enjoying the pods that had fallen to the ground — Sonje had shaken the branches, so that many pods would fall for the babies to eat. Amali shared with Mwana and Sulwe, but greedy Kapei, who wanted it all for himself, pushed Amali as he fought for more space. Sonje and Kiasa turned against him, and he was chased away immediately, leaving Sulwe, Zigi, and the little nannies to enjoy the pods without fighting each other. Then Maktao was also shown the door after he was spotted trying to get back to where the little babies were enjoying their pods. Mwana was very happy, sharing pods with Sulwe and Lenny. Kiasa and Enkesha would not stay too far from the little babies.
When the orphans began moving towards the Umani Springs for a drink of water, a monkey jumped over the tree near where Enkesha and Mwana were browsing. The monkey was chased away, but Mwana and Enkesha got very scared and screamed for help from the older females. Murera and Zongoloni quickly responded, while little Lenny made a tiny trumpet sound. As the Umani orphan baby trumpeter, he blew his trumpet, which brought Lima Lima running over.
Later, Lenny did not want Sulwe to pass by his place. He grabbed Sulwe’s tail, but Sulwe did not give up easily — it turned into a tug-of-war between Sulwe and Lenny. Immediately, Sonje saw Lenny fighting with Sulwe and walked over to stop the two from fighting each other.
Lenny continues to be a very popular baby elephant. He likes to play around and enjoys attention. This can lead to some jealousy. This morning, Zigi became jealous when he realised that Lenny was getting more attention than him and Sulwe. In retaliation, first Zigi and then Sulwe started fighting him — but both found Lenny was very prepared. He defended himself as best as he could and then ran off and hid among the nannies so that no one could push him again.
As the orphans were enjoying breakfast, they were joined by a wild herd who arrived with Faraja. Trying to assert some control, Sulwe and Zigi then attempted to lead the way to the water trough. Unfortunately, no one listened to them, because the mothers were still enjoying lucerne. Still feeling thirsty, little Zigi and Sulwe rumbled to their mothers. Sonje rumbled back as a way of telling Sulwe to wait and come back to her. Immediately, Sulwe returned to Sonje, and after a short conversation, Sonje, Lima Lima, and Zongoloni all agreed to take the little babies to the water trough for a nice drink of water.
At the water point, more wild elephants joined the babies. Lenny paired up with a young wild boy to play. They looked evenly matched, and the wild boy was happy pushing around with Lenny. But then Zigi came along, which made the wild little boy suspicious. Thinking Zigi might join Lenny to push him down, he quickly ran back to his mother, who was already leaving towards the Umani Springs.
It was a very good morning for Amali when she came out of her room and, after waiting a few minutes, saw Quanza arriving with little Sulwe. This made Amali rumble in welcome, as she was very happy to be reunited Sulwe. Then Sonje and Lima Lima arrived with Zigi for the morning pellets. When Lenny reported, he moved towards Murera and went under her for breastfeeding. Murera warned him when he tried, even kicking his head, but he was very persistent. Despite Murera’s signals telling him not to, Lenny insisted until he managed to sip some milk before returning to his mother, Lima Lima.
Later, the journey back into the forest began when Murera and Mwana took off, and all the babies followed their lead. Even big boy Mwashoti joined Murera as the journey began. Once the orphans had left, the feeding area was invaded by hungry baboons who came to clean up the leftovers from the morning pellets.
Later, Maktao and Kapei approached Mwashoti and tried to play, but Mwashoti did not like their plan of pushing each other. When Kapei ignored this and bit his tail, Mwashoti got annoyed and turned against both Kapei and Maktao, pushing them to the side. Seeing that Mwashoti was not in the mood to play, Kapei ran off and joined Enkesha and Quanza, but even they were not ready for games. Both girls ignored Kapei and Maktao. Eventually, everyone settled into their own browsing space, showing seriousness about eating before it became too hot.
Enkesha and Kiasa had a disagreement over Zigi. Enkesha wanted Zigi by her side and blocked him from going towards Kiasa. She did this because she had missed him overnight, while Kiasa had been with Zigi since last night and was not letting him mingle with other nannies. Enkesha hoped for her own time with Zigi, but Kiasa kept calling him over. When Zigi tried to cross the waterhole towards Kiasa, Enkesha blocked him. This denial of Zigi’s movement brought tension, leading to some pushing and pulling between the two nannies.
At the mud bath, everyone enjoyed swimming. Then Mwana and Amali left for the dust pile, climbing to the top of the hill. Mwana won the climbing contest against Amali, and soon they were both lying on the dust with their bellies hanging down. Murera relaxed nearby, sleeping on the slope of the hill and not ready to move anytime soon.
Sonje joined her good friend Murera and little Sulwe walked over too, stepping on Murera with her small feet. Murera only opened her eyes to see who it was, realised it was little Sulwe, and did nothing — letting her continue playing while she rested. Later, Mwana came and woke her mother to take her to the shade, as the hot sun was becoming too much for the babies.
A wild herd showed up today in very big numbers, outnumbering the orphans, who seemed very few in comparison, though almost everyone was present. It began when Faraja arrived first, followed by one wild bull. Soon after, a huge group came rushing out of the bushes towards the waterhole, where they found the orphans already gathered. Sonje and Murera were very surprised to see such a large number joining them. Murera quickly called her baby Mwana and the two left in a hurry, while Lima Lima, Sonje, and the other girls joined them.
Little Sulwe, Lenny, and Zigi were not immediately visible. Lenny proved his courage by joining some wild young boys to play. Zigi, however, sensed the situation was becoming hostile when one wild female turned against Sonje and Zongoloni, chasing them away, so he left with Sulwe. When Lima Lima realised Lenny was still inside the wild herd, she went to fight back for her baby. The Keepers called out for Lenny, urging him to find a way out. At last, he heard his name, spotted a small window, and escaped back to Murera, with Lima Lima escorting him. Once safe, Lenny went straight to nurse from Murera. Mwana was also very happy to see him back. She placed her trunk gently over Lenny in comfort.
Later, Amali called Zigi to join her and Enkesha for a walk, but Kiasa did not want Zigi to leave her side. Kiasa blocked his way, yet Zigi was determined and managed to dodge past her to follow Amali. Upset by this, Kiasa decided to join Zigi and the other nannies as they headed together towards the Chyulu Hills in search of fresh browsing branches.
Kiasa had a small problem with Amali when Amali walked over to Zigi while Kiasa was still at the waterhole drinking. Amali moved in and took off with Zigi, which made Kiasa unhappy. She wanted to be the only one close to Zigi, so she warned Amali. Amali, wanting to avoid trouble, stepped away from Zigi to give Kiasa peace. When Sonje and Quanza saw Kiasa trying to charge at Amali, Quanza quickly stood between them to prevent Kiasa from pushing Amali, who was already innocent of any wrongdoing and had moved away from the baby Zigi.
Mwashoti then arrived with a muddy face after coming from the waterhole, where Faraja and some wild friends had left him. Kapei, with Maktao following, approached Mwashoti in an attempt to assert some dominance over him, even though Mwashoti was very innocent and calm — not to mention much bigger than both young boys. Kapei began pulling Mwashoti’s tail, but soon realised it was a mistake. When Mwashoti started to show his annoyance and prepared to charge, Kapei quickly backed off and moved away.
Maktao was already headed towards the Kibwezi Forest with Enkesha and Lima Lima, while Lenny was with Murera. Lenny tried to persuade Murera to allow him to suckle, but Murera was not ready and firmly warned him to wait. Lenny was not happy about the situation, but Murera’s decision was final, and the Keepers observed how she stood her ground. Resigned, Lenny walked back to his mother, Lima Lima, after realising he was not going to be successful with Murera.
The elephants lined up happily, walking to their midday bottle feeding. Enkesha led the way at first, but later gave up her place to greedy boy Kapei, who was rushing to be number one for the bottles. Maktao came close behind, while Enkesha slipped into third position. She was not interested in competing with the boys, knowing that each elephant would get their one bottle no matter when they arrived. Confident in her speed, she knew she would still get hers in good time.
Suddenly, Faraja and his friend Mwashoti appeared from nowhere. The Keepers had not expected them, as the two had been hiding in the bushes, keeping their faces out of sight to avoid Murera noticing them. Their sudden arrival took everyone by surprise.
At the waterhole, all the babies enjoyed swimming together. Mwana began playing with Faraja, but the game turned inappropriate when Faraja tried to mount her. The Keepers were shocked to see such bad behaviour from the older boy towards such a small calf. Murera immediately rumbled in a low tone to call Mwana back, and Mwana quickly responded, moving away to the safety of her mother. Murera wanted to separate her baby from Faraja, who was clearly trying to imitate wild elephant behaviour in the wrong way with little Mwana.
Meanwhile, Sonje took Sulwe off on their own, keeping away from young boys Kapei, Zigi, and Lenny. A short distance away, Zongoloni gathered the rest of the babies and their mothers, calling them over to help pull down a large acacia branch for everyone to enjoy. Realising she was heading in the wrong direction with Sulwe, Sonje later turned back and joined Zongoloni, so that all the babies could feast on the branches together.
The afternoon grew very hot, with no shade for the babies to play under. The Keepers called them all to a waterhole along the pipeline, where they could find relief in the mud. As soon as they reached the water, the orphans wasted no time, plunging into the mudhole and splashing their chests with cool muddy water before it was time to head home.
Faraja brought a friend with him this morning. Faraja was leading the wild bull, who was keeping a little distance behind, seemingly clueless about where Faraja was taking him. When the wild friend spotted the Keepers, he bolted in a hurry, running back into the forest towards the water springs. He doesn't trust the Keepers, unlike Faraja who was perfectly comfortable with them.
The wild bull, still blowing his trumpet and charging through the bushes, seemed confused and disappointed that Faraja had brought him to humans. Meanwhile, Faraja was delighted to be reunited with the orphans. Lima Lima guided him to where the other babies were browsing with Murera, who had just emerged when Faraja arrived.
Lenny is turning into a friendly young boy. Whenever the Keepers sit under the trees, he insists on approaching them. When one Keeper called his name, he obediently came over — but expected to be given pods. This time, the Keeper had none. Disappointed, Lenny turned around and kicked the Keeper backwards with his bottom before marching off. He went straight to Murera to quench his thirst, convincing her to allow him to nurse.
Kiasa and her close friend Zigi could not be separated. Amali tried to draw Zigi away to join Enkesha, but Kiasa was having none of it and made sure that didn’t happen.
Many wild families continue to visit the orphans almost daily — sometimes in the evening, sometimes joining the herd for the whole day. Today, a lovely young girl about Enkesha’s age came with her family. She intentionally lingered behind when her herd departed, clearly wanting to stay with the orphans.
Her intentions became obvious when she gravitated towards Sulwe. Lenny rushed over to pull her to his side, and soon the playing began. Kiasa joined in, and before long all the babies were pushing and shoving the visitor. They seemed to think she was trying to run off with their youngest, though this was not the case.
When the orphans were heading back to the stockades, Enkesha and Quanza stood at the gate to block the visitor from entering. That was the end of her time with the herd. Left alone, she began trumpeting and searching frantically for her family, but by then they were far gone.
Lima Lima and Zongoloni were particularly protective, while Sonje shielded Sulwe to ensure he stayed well away from the stranger. The young wild girl trumpeted and screamed as she tried to locate her herd, but she was not allowed to leave with any of the babies.
Amali could not hide her joy when the little babies came onto the hills with both nightclubbers, led by Sonje and Lima Lima. Amali had been struggling to see little Zigi, her favourite, and when they failed to report early in the morning she found it very hard to wait. She kept moving around, raising her trunk to test the air for the babies’ scent. When she finally heard Lenny blowing his trumpet, together with Enkesha, they ran into the bushes and soon emerged with Lenny and Zigi pushing in front of them, happily reunited.
Maktao and Mwashoti then showed off their boys’ pushing talents. Maktao approached to test Mwashoti, but quickly discovered that Mwashoti was in no mood to play. He got his own medicine when Mwashoti chased him with all his strength, proving that he was the older bull and deserved respect from youngsters like Maktao and Kapei. After the pushing ended, Enkesha stepped in to broker peace between the boys and to remind them to give Mwashoti the respect he was due.
Later in the day, before evening, the orphans were visited by a wild herd that had clearly just come from the mud bath, their bodies wet and muddy. This wild family seemed to be old friends of Lima Lima and her team, as the nightclubbers welcomed them warmly. Murera and the milk-dependent orphans, however, were less comfortable. Murera quickly called Mwana to her side and moved closer to the Keepers, choosing not to mingle with the wild visitors.
Kapei, meanwhile, found a young wild playmate, but the calf was not interested in his games and ran back to his mother, leaving Kapei stranded on his own. He was later joined by Amali and Kiasa, who coaxed him to walk back with them so they could all go home together.
Zongoloni sped off with Zigi after seeing Murera and Sonje pull down a big branch for the little babies who could not reach the tall branches. She was followed by Kiasa, who would never leave Zigi or even stay far from him — something she never lets happen. Enkesha and Amali also joined them, and soon it became a gathering place for everyone to enjoy the fresh branch pulled down by the matriarchs. Everyone was welcomed to share more of the branch, which was sweet and perfect for the little ones.
Later, Maktao caused some disorder when he tried to play rough with Mwana, mounting her in front of her mother. Murera intervened immediately, stopping Maktao and making it clear that such behaviour would not be tolerated.
Later, Lima Lima heard the tractor heading into the bushes to drop lucerne. Knowing what this meant, she rumbled in excitement. All the orphans followed her as she ran after the tractor, trumpeting as if to announce the delivery. She led the herd straight to where the lucerne was dropped.
The morning was lively, with all the babies in high spirits. Murera came out with Mwana and Amali. Amali was running fast to be the first out, but Kapei blocked her at the gate. Enkesha soon arrived with Mwana, and together they pushed Kapei aside, leaving Murera and her baby to enjoy the morning pellet treats.
Some baboons then approached Mwana, who did not want them near. She charged at them, chasing one after another. She sought backup from her friends, and Quanza and Enkesha joined in to help her keep the baboons away. In the end, Murera led Mwana and the others off towards the Umani Springs.
At the midday bottle feed, every mother came along with her baby. Only Lenny arrived ahead of Lima Lima, in the company of Enkesha and Amali. Lima Lima came a few minutes later with Sonje and others, and found Lenny amusing himself with the bottles. He tried to drink by kicking the empty ones and even attempted to lift a bottle into his mouth, copying the others. But he soon discovered the bottle was too big for his trunk to manage.
The orphans headed back this morning towards Kenzili Hills after Lima Lima arrived and changed the direction from which Murera wanted to go. Lima Lima was not ready for the route Murera had chosen, so she took the lead and steered the group towards Kenzili. In the end, Murera agreed, with Mwana and Amali following her. Later, Mwana left her mother to join Enkesha and Amali, who were busy pulling up acacia roots to eat.
Lenny, the noisemaker, began screaming after Murera refused to let him nurse. When his pleas went unheard, he stormed off on his own. Murera simply moved deeper into the bushes. Quanza observed the situation but soon turned her attention to Sulwe, who was not far off with Sonje. Frustrated, Lenny made his way over to Zigi and grabbed at his tail, but Zigi stood his ground and refused to give Lenny the time to play around with him.
At the waterhole, Mwashoti and Alamaya linked up with the rest of the herd for a swim. Alamaya only splashed some water over his body before leaving for the bushes again, while Mwashoti remained with the girls — Murera, Quanza, Lima Lima, and others — as he always preferred their company.
As Alamaya was leaving the waterhole, two buffaloes appeared and tried to block his path back to the bushes. In response, he raised his ears wide to make himself look larger, steadily moving closer and blowing his trumpet to scare them off. The buffaloes eventually backed down, clearing the way for him.
The orphans followed the water truck that was taking water to the waterholes, and when they reached the waterhole everyone was drinking directly from the truck before the water reached the ground, when it was still clean. Murera and Mwana fought for the wider space for themselves, keeping the other babies away. Kiasa brought Zigi along with her and Amali, and when both had enough water, Kapei and Quanza went to the waterhole and swimming began. Later, only Sonje with Zongoloni took the little babies to the dust pile, but they left for the bushes after finding it too hot for the babies. Both elephants then walked to the Chyulu sides for more food and shade.
Jasiri, with a group of wild elephants, ambushed the babies under the shade, but some of the wild elephants were not friendly to the little ones, making their mothers move away for the peace they needed for their babies. Ziwa and friends arrived again with Mwashoti, who at first excused himself and walked away, but later decided to return with Ziwa and his friends. Ziwa was received into the herd by Quanza and Kiasa. After Ziwa had settled for some minutes with his orphan friends, his adopted mother and her friend approached him and rumbled to tell him it was time to leave. Both Ziwa and his wild herd left quickly, disappearing into the bushes towards the top of the Chyulu Hills for much-needed browsing, leaving Murera and Sonje to guide and take care of the orphans before it was time to return home.
When it was time to come back to the stockades for evening bottles, Amali and Enkesha took over to lead the herd, placing the little babies Lenny and Mwana between the nannies to guide and keep them following. Sulwe then tried to take over from behind to the front, but Sonje called her back and allowed Mwana, Enkesha, and Quanza to lead the orphans to the stockades.
Kiasa was not a happy nanny this morning. She came along with Zongoloni but stayed some distance away, leaving an unusual gap between her and Zigi. This was unlike them, as Zigi has always been her closest little boy who loves her dearly. When both arrived back from their night away from home, it became clear that it was Zongoloni who was upset with Kiasa. The night before, Kiasa must have overstepped her role by misbehaving towards Zongoloni and shielding Zigi even from his mother.
Zongoloni wanted to prove that she remained the mother, and that a nanny must respect the mother’s authority. Family matters had to be dictated by her, not by a nanny. This morning, she made that clear, and Kiasa was left trailing the herd — close enough to follow, but not too close to Zongoloni and Zigi.
Sulwe, meanwhile, was well protected by Sonje and tightly guarded by the older nannies Quanza, Enkesha, and little Amali, while Mwana strolled around with Lenny. Lenny later walked back to Mwashoti, his older “brother,” and played with his little trunk against Mwashoti’s much larger one. Mwashoti even laid his big trunk across Lenny’s back, which looked too heavy for the youngster.
Murera, standing nearby, interpreted Mwashoti’s gesture as a threat to little Lenny. She stepped in and warned Mwashoti to remove his trunk. After he complied, Lenny turned and went under Murera, thanking her in his own way by trying to nurse. Murera calmly let him finish, before moving with him into the shade of the bushes to browse.
Kiombo and his newfound family of wild friends visited the stockades — we wondered if they wanted to see his old home. Kiombo was lucky to find lucerne outside waiting for Lima Lima’s team of nightclubbers, who had not yet arrived. He was happy to see his human-family and was looking very well. It is dry this time of year, but the Umani Springs is a good place for all animals.
Before long, Lima Lima and her team arrived. Kiombo was busy catching up with everyone, but the matriarch of his new herd warned Kiombo not to be left behind when all of them were getting ready to walk away. One of them saw Kiombo still with Mwashoti and Kiasa, so two wild friends came to fetch him. All three left for the Umani Springs.
As they were leaving for the springs, Kapei and Maktao rumbled and made their complaint known to the Keepers — they were not happy for Kiombo to leave after missing him for a very long time. They thought Kiombo would join them for the overnight stay, but he left with his wild herd of friends. Kiombo is a happy boy who has found a new life with a new family. We will look forward to his next visit.
Faraja visited with Mwashoti after taking a break of some days away from the orphans. Mwashoti immediately walked over to Sonje and Quanza, who were nearby. Faraja hanging alone, so he decided to go back and look for two wild bulls who had come with him.
The bulls were trying to make their way towards Murera and Mwana, but Murera rumbled loudly to the other babies, telling them it was time to go. Murera never trusts Faraja and his friends. She was then joined by Enkesha, Kiasa, and Lima Lima, and together the elephants walked to the other side of the Kibwezi Forest for more foraging.
Meanwhile, the Keepers had moved away from the wild bulls, who were walking toward them with Faraja. They called the names of the orphans, so they could find them. Kapei, Maktao, and Enkesha were the first elephants to show up, followed by the rest. We proceeded to the waterhole for cooling off time. Amali and Mwana showed the swimming styles and directions, which motivated both the little babies and the nannies to join the swimming pool. Murera and Sonje also kept splashing themselves with water as the babies enjoyed swimming in style.
Kiombo and his team of wild friends came along with Faraja. Kiombo attempted to push Maktao around with support from a young wild boy, but Maktao was in no mood. Instead, Maktao turned against the wild boy and Kiombo, showing his strength. Kiombo looked amazed.
Faraja and a big, wild bull elephant joined Quanza. The bull grabbed the chance to introduce himself to Quanza, but she ignored him and went straight to where Sonje and Lima Lima were busy pulling branches for the babies. Murera focused her attention on her baby girl Mwana, and Amali helped keep them away from the wild friends. When Mwana got the rumbling signal from her mother, she alerted Amali, and together they followed Murera.
One of the wild bulls became aggressive when he realised Murera had taken off with almost all the orphans into hiding, leaving only Faraja and Kiombo behind. Mwashoti tried his very best to move away so that he could join Sonje and the other girls, who were already walking away with Murera towards the Kenzili area.
At the waterhole, the wild friends arrived to cool themselves off in the mud bath after trying to locate the orphans. But Murera had taken off with the Keepers in a far direction, leaving the wild friends to swim at the waterhole before eventually heading off towards the Chyulu side.
A wild bull elephant tried sneaking his way into the orphans’ midst this morning while the Keepers were still giving morning bottles to the milk-dependant babies. Before the gate was even opened, the bull was standing by, waiting to see if the elephants would come out so he could join them. But because he was an uninvited guest, he was not welcomed by the team leader, Murera, or her assistant head girls.
Murera chose to stay inside and took her time deciding which direction she would lead the babies in order to avoid the bull waiting at the gate. Instead of going out, she kept the group behind the fence, where the orphans enjoyed lucerne pellets and gave the bull time to leave. The bull pretended to be drinking water, but his real intention was to linger until Murera and her friends came out. However, they were smarter than he expected. They waited him out until he finally gave up and left on his own.
As the bull moved off, Mwashoti and Kapei followed him into the bushes. Only then did Murera take the chance to bring the babies out, leading them towards the Umani Springs for their morning browsing, well away from the persistent bull.
Once out and about, Mwana walked over to Amali, who she sees as an elder sister. The two seemed to whisper together for a while. This soon turned into a squabble when Mwana picked up a stick and Amali snatched it back.
Kapei and his friend Maktao later returned after leaving the bull, who continued on towards Chyulu. The two boys were wise enough to come back in time for their midday bottles, which they might have missed had they continued to follow the wild bull.
Murera, the gentle matriarch of Umani Springs, continues to thrive in the Kibwezi Forest despite her old injuries. This morning, she led the herd with calm and strength, guiding the younger orphans Amali, Kapei, and Enkesha, along with her own baby Mwana, out for the new day. Some of the nightclubbers, led by Lima Lima, failed to report on time, but Murera took control and steered the babies towards the Chyulu Hills. As always, she offered protection and comfort in the Kibwezi Forest.
Maktao and Kapei tried to misbehave up front while Murera was nursing Mwana. When she saw the two boys pushing roughly near her baby, she immediately intervened, giving each boy a strong warning. Both quickly retreated into the bushes, not willing to risk the no-nonsense Murera, who never allows rough play near a baby under her watch.
From inside the thick bushes, the Keepers heard the shouting of a little baby elephant. Amali and Enkesha stopped pulling down a branch to listen. They hoped it might be little Lenny and friends coming to join them. When they heard the cries again, Enkesha and Amali went to investigate. They returned with Lima Lima and Sonje, and the team was once again intact.
Quanza, with her usual attentive care for the little ones, came to the rescue when Zigi and Sulwe nearly got stuck at the waterhole. Because Quanza was close by, she was able to make a quick save before Zongoloni arrived. Thanks to her, the babies were safe, and she denied rowdy boys Kapei and Maktao the chance to cross over to where the little ones were swimming.
After the mud bath, Sonje and Mwashoti moved to the dust pile to dry off and cover themselves in dust. Amali and Mwana climbed on top of the pile, proudly showing the others that they were now the biggest and tallest on the hill. A quarrel began when Mwana refused to come down, despite Amali insisting. Mwana rumbled for her mother, Murera, but since Murera was far away, it was Mwashoti who stepped in to break up the fight.
Later, all the babies moved with the older girls, accompanied by the nannies, to the shade as the sun grew too hot. Playful Kapei tried to mount Maktao along the way, but Maktao quickly turned and pushed him down to the ground. No one paid much attention to the matter; Kapei got up on his own and walked back to Maktao. As good friends, nothing more came of it, and they soon returned to browsing together.