It was with a mixture of nostalgia and relief that the Nursery team bid farewell to the graduates — Shujaa and Weka were much-loved members of the family, but they were also naughtier than the rest of the herd put together!

It's fitting that Weka and Shujaa should embark on this next chapter together — they were rescued from the same part of Tsavo East, one after the other, during the 2022 drought. Shujaa came first, after tourists returning from an evening game drive discovered a tiny calf flailing in a muddy embankment. It was a very lucky sighting, as a solitary calf of his size would not have survived the night on his own, given the number of predators in the area.

Then, not three weeks later, our pilot spotted a lone calf along the Voi River. She was very small and in very poor condition. To be absolutely certain that she was indeed an orphan, he circled the area for an hour—and what he saw was heartbreaking: The calf trailed a couple of herds that came to drink, but each time was chased away. Drought is all about survival, and elephants cannot afford to feed an extra milk-dependent baby.

Weka immediately made a name for herself. Intelligent, active, and in a perennial rush, our mischievous girl always did everything at top speed and top volume. The Keepers were all too familiar with the beady glint in her eye when she found an opportunity to cause mischief — which was often!

For most of his time at the Nursery, Shujaa was known as a mellow, humble fellow. But that all changed when our Nursery big boys — Mukutan, Choka, Loldaiga, Kitich, and Mageno — graduated. Suddenly, Shujaa was unleashed! He became a trundling ball of bravado, eager to prove himself and acting far too big for his britches.

In recent months, Shujaa and Weka have become great mates, whiling away the days engaged in energetic sparring matches. We could tell that they were both ready for life beyond the Nursery — it was no longer giving them the stimulation they craved, nor the boundaries they needed from senior elephants. They were ready for a bigger, wilder environment, with older friends to look up to and learn from.

On the morning of the move, we held our collective breath: Would Shujaa and Weka behave, or would their signature mischievous sides win out? Much to our relief, both were impeccably behaved as they boarded the truck and settled into their respective cabins. They made good time to northern Tsavo, stopping regularly for milk breaks.

Just after eight, the truck pulled into Ithumba. As if it were a prearranged appointment, Mutara's ex-orphan herd had circled in that morning and parked themselves at the stockades with an air of expectation. We constantly marvel at the extraordinary, almost telepathic communication of elephants — they always seem to know when new graduates are arriving!

The pair were offloaded to great trumpeting and bellowing of enthusiasm. Mutara and Kainuk forgot that they are now mature, wild-living females, lost all sense of reason, and even tried to climb the wall to reach the newbies, clearly thinking that two new recruits were being delivered into their midst! Weka and Shujaa handled all the excitement admirably and remained calm and measured throughout.

As the newbies enjoyed refreshing milk bottles, their Nursery friends Muwingu, Mageno, and Kitich were brought over to meet them. Muwingu recognised Weka and Shujaa instantly and proudly walked them down to the water trough. Mukutan, Choka, and Loldaiga followed and were happy to see their old friends.

Our graduates had a great first day in their new home. At the mud bath, Shujaa dove right in and splashed around as if it were a competition with Vaarti, Mayan, Choka, and Mageno. Weka didn't stay long in the water, preferring to spend time with the girls — Naleku, Suguroi, Olorien, and Muwingu. In the evening, they were escorted back to the stockades by Muwingu, Mageno, and Kitich, their old friends and new roommates.

Now several weeks into Tsavo life, Shujaa and Weka are thriving. They have proven to be quick and eager students, carefully shadowing their newfound friends and copying what they need to learn from them. Weka has been remarkably well-behaved but is as confident as ever, leading the herd to the browsing fields as if she has done it thousands of times before. Shujaa is still full of bluster — when he met some ex-orphans, he promptly climbed atop a small rock in an attempt to make himself look bigger — but he is learning to rein it in.

For Shujaa and Weka, the move to Tsavo is also a return home. They were both born in the Tsavo ecosystem, and now it is where they will go wild. To see them so happy and settled here is gratifying indeed.

Rewilding is a gradual and individual journey that unfolds at each orphan's chosen pace. Over the coming months and years, Shujaa and Weka will shadow older friends and learn the ways of their wild kin, until they feel ready to reclaim their place in the wild. We will be there to support them every step of the way as they embark on this new chapter and beyond.