The celebrations started early in the morning. As the orphans fanned out in the bush, feasting upon all the fresh greens brought forth by the rains, Nasalot appeared with her own special delivery: a beautiful baby girl!

Although Nasalot is a regular face around Ithumba, she has been absent for all of November. Clearly, she was otherwise engaged — bringing a new daughter into the world! The proud mum was accompanied by her sons, eight-year-old Nusu and four-year-old Noah, along with ex-orphan Mundusi, who is Noah’s best friend and an honorary member of Nasalot’s family. We estimate that her little girl was about two weeks old. We named her Nala.

The Ithumba Keepers described Nala as "very strong, healthy, and energetic." She will have to be, in order to keep up with her notorious brothers! Nasalot’s firstborn, Nusu, bounded into the world with all the bravado of a full-grown bull, mischievously diving into water troughs and instigating altercations with elephants five times his size. Her secondborn, Noah, has proven to be a rogue of equal standing. Observing their antics, you can almost see the incredulity in Nasalot’s face that she produced such hopeless rascals! Only time will tell if Nala gives her mother a well-earned break.

That was plenty to celebrate, but the day’s blessings weren’t over yet. That evening, our precious boys Musiara and Jotto returned ‘home’ after a long time away. As you may remember, our pilots unexpectedly ran into the pair earlier in the month, far from home and in need of help. Jotto had an injured leg that required treatment — and incredibly, he remembered his rescuers and accepted an impromptu bush treatment, while Musiara calmly looked on.

Revisit Jotto's treatment:

Although they only visited from a distance, we were able to assess Jotto's healing progress. While he still has a slight limp, his leg is already much-improved and he appears to be healing faster than our initial expectations. We are thrilled that the boys chose to return home to reassure us that they are doing well.

And then, emerging from the west, Mutara arrived with her firstborn, Mambo — and a brand new baby boy! She had clearly given birth hours earlier and immediately made the pilgrimage to Ithumba, to introduce her newborn to the people who raised her.

This was a very special day that reminded us how saving one life can shape so much. Every story features an orphan — an elephant who lost everything as a baby, but was given the second chance they deserve and are now forging their own future

We rescued Nasalot in 2000. She came from the remote, lawless lands of north Turkana, an area that had been decimated by poaching. The remaining elephant population had essentially become nocturnal in order to survive, feeding under the cover of darkness and hiding during the day. Nasalot was just three months old when she lost her own family to poachers. She came to us deeply traumatised and spent her initial nights at the Nursery pacing disconsolately.

Despite everything she experienced, Nasalot became one of the most nurturing females at the Nursery, overcoming her own grief and pouring her compassion into younger and more vulnerable orphans. In 2004, when we were selecting the orphans who would make up the founding herd at our new Ithumba Reintegration Unit, she was an obvious choice. With her placid nature and unerring empathy, Nasalot has always been an elephant that others look up to. Over the years, she has shaped lives as a friend, matriarch, and mother.

Jotto and Musiara are two bulls near and dear to our hearts. Jotto was rescued from a well in 2016; Musiara came to us less than a year later. Both boys were neonate orphans when they arrived and became hooked on their Keepers, who were the only family they had ever really known. Musiara and Jotto spent the better part of a decade in our care, morphing from tiny babies to capable young bulls. After tiptoeing into their independence, they finally decided they were ready to embrace their wild lives. The best friends have spent the past year adventuring around Tsavo, side by side.

And finally, Mutara. Mutara never knew her own mother. She was rescued in 2009, after a newborn elephant was observed walking alone on the road between Rumuruti Town and Mutara Ranch. We knew to expect a small elephant, but we were taken aback by the tiny creature who emerged from the rescue plane. Her umbilical cord was still attached and she had the petal pink ears so indicative of newborns. Given the location and time, we suspect she lost her mother to poachers.

Mutara grew up among the ‘kindergarten group’ at our Nursery — but, like Nasalot in her era, she quickly emerged as a mini matriarch in her own right. She graduated to our Ithumba Reintegration Unit in 2013, where she continued to grow as a leader. When she transitioned to the wild, she formed a small herd consisting of Suguta, Sities, Turkwel, and Kainuk, who have been friends since their Nursery days.

Every elephant is extraordinary, but there is something special about Nasalot, Jotto, Musiara, and Mutara. The females exude gentleness but command respect; the boys remain so soft-hearted, even though they are growing up. To celebrate them all in one day was extraordinary indeed.

As Ithumba Keeper Emmanuel remarked, “It was such a happy day."