Although they are no longer glued to each other all day, Taroha and Mokogodo remain the best of friends. As they wandered into the forest one morning, they came across a small stream created by the rain. Taroha walked across, but Mokogodo came to a standstill on the water’s edge. The thoughtful little bull doubled back, stood behind Mokogodo, draped his trunk along her back, and gently shepherded her through the water.

Tomboy Mushuru is not known for fussing over the little ones, but she has a soft spot for Olomunyak. Just as she is becoming more nurturing, she is also becoming more playful. One afternoon, she and Kitich wrestled for a long time, clashing heads and chasing each other around. The game was ruined by Loldaiga, who strolled over, ignored Mushuru, and challenged his best friend to a sparring match. Mushuru was so disappointed that she charged at Loldaiga and bit his tail.

Nyambeni and Mzinga are growing into capable mini matriarchs. They treat the youngsters, particularly Mokogodo and Talek, with great care — but they also know how to mete out discipline, should the need arise. One morning, Pardamat caused one of his usual commotions at the mud bath. He attempted to push Taroha, but his age mate cleverly moved sideways at the last minute, and Pardamat instead headbutted Nyambeni. She wheeled around and drove him towards Mzinga, who she knew would back her up. The two ‘big sisters’ pushed naughty Pardamat to the corner, where had an enforced time-out!

Pardamat is naughtier than Shujaa, but they share an impish streak. This month, we noticed Shujaa spending lots of time with the younger bull, teaching him all his tricks, including his favourite: climbing on the older girls. Finding Muwingu and Sileita relaxing in a puddle one afternoon, Shujaa could not resist the temptation. As he clambered atop Muwingu, little Pardamat ambled over to Sileita, keen to copy the older boy. He lifted his forelegs up onto Sileita, slid off, and landed on his back. After a second unsuccessful attempt, he gave up and instead played on the smaller bulk of Muridjo.

Muridjo and Shujaa remain very good friends. They have similarly spunky personalities and are known as the champion divers at the Nursery — they love the mud bath! One afternoon, they were having a grand time wallowing together when Shujaa tried to climb atop Muridjo. She trumpeted in annoyance, bringing his mountaineering to an end. The imp that he is, Shujaa couldn’t resist an opportunity to attempt his favourite game, but he also respects Muridjo’s authority. 

Just as with any classroom, being older comes with certain privileges. Many of the senior Nursery orphans have perfected the art of feeding themselves. One morning, Choka, Sholumai, and Mukutan were showing off their bottle-holding capabilities, standing tall with trunks clasped casually around their bottles. Weka watched on enviously — she has yet to master this skill. However, through sheer persistence, Weka still manages to steal the show at milk feedings. After emptying her two bottles, she often stalks the Keepers, trumpeting her demands for a third bottle, despite the fact that her tummy is full. Sometimes, she even tries to steal an extra from the wheelbarrow.

Sholumai was rescued at an older age and is very independent. Unlike many senior girls, she shows little interest in nannying and prefers to do her own thing. The Keepers let her enjoy her private excursions, always keeping an eye out to ensure that she does not wander too far.

Noisy Kitich and polite Mageno are best friends and well-matched opponents. They play together all day long, meeting outside their neighbouring stockades and taking their games from the forest to the mud bath and back home in the evening. 

Newbie Olomunyak has settled in well and is full of feisty energy. He has a favourite party trick: sneaking back to the stockades! He will stand nonchalantly by the Keepers, then gradually move a few metres away — acting like he is fully focused on browsing all the while — before making a run for it. He sprints for his stable, where he hopes to find tasty treats inside. Mini matriarchs Muwingu and Sileita work together to head him off and shepherd him back into the fold.

Muwingu has learned a lot from Sileita and Kerrio, and is shaping up to be an excellent matriarch in her own right. However, she can be overprotective of Mokogodo. Whenever she hears the baby complain, she chases away anyone who happens to be in the periphery, without pausing to check if there is actually a problem. One afternoon, as Mzinga and Nyambeni stood quietly next to Mokogodo, the little girl trumpeted apropos of nothing. Predictably, Muwingu ran over and disciplined her two (innocent) friends.

Latika could also be accused of being overzealous when it comes to the blanket babies. One morning, she was being unusually possessive over Mokogodo, Taroha, Talek, and Olomunyak, fussing over them and trunk-touching each in turn. When the other nannies tried to join in, she prevented them from coming close. Latika is a gentle girl and rarely stands up to other older females. Respecting their friend, Kerrio and Sileita left the babies in her capable care for the morning.

It is always a good sign when young orphans show new dimensions to their character — it means they are growing in strength and confidence. During one morning milk feed, Mokogodo uncharacteristically demanded more. As always, she drank her bottle carefully, then wandered a few paces before turning back to the Keepers. Tiny trunk raised and mouth wide open, she was pretending that she had not yet been fed. The Keepers were happy to see the sweetest and smallest baby in the Nursery being assertive.

We had a similar moment with Kamili. She struggled with her health for a long time and is understandably wary of the feisty orphans, particularly Muwingu, Weka, Mukutan, and Choka. However, at one memorable mud bath, she mingled happily with the others. On a high, she then enjoyed an energetic pushing game with Mushuru, darting around with head and tail held aloft. Slowly but surely, Kamili is becoming stronger and more confident.

Kerrio is an excellent matriarch. She never loses her cool and has a quiet authority. We were reminded of this one afternoon when Pardamat was being a greedy boy, daring to challenge Kerrio for her bottle. While others would discipline such impudence, the mini matriarch just calmly pushed him away. Another rainy morning, Nyambeni refused to leave her stable — she knew the compound was wet and muddy, while her stable was warm and dry. Seeing the Keepers trying to coax her out, Kerrio came over, patiently waited outside, and rumbled her encouragement. Swayed by her favourite nanny, Nyambeni reluctantly plodded outside.

The month ended with an adorable addition to our Nursery family: A cat gave birth to a litter of kittens in the stockades! The cat, who is familiar with the elephants and Keepers, went into Talek’s stable and settled on a fluffy pile of hay in the corner. Talek was happy to share her bedroom, but Pardamat (who sleeps next door) had some objections. He pushed at the wall and made an enormous fuss — which was all for naught, as Talek and the cat completely ignored him. In the morning, the cat and her kittens were still sleeping on the hay, while the little elephant stood quietly next to them.

The Rhinos:

Raha was in excellent spirits this month. Most mornings, the little rhino toddled out of her stable with minimal encouragement and happily followed her Keeper out to the forest. While she has developed a love for greens, she can be quite picky about the variety, preferring soft grass to chewy shrubs. Aware of her tastes, the Keepers always lead her to areas that have an abundance of the special grass. This is also what we bundle in her stable for nighttime snacking.

Even on gloomy, rainy days, Raha woke up feeling perky. She would trot out of her bedroom, making squeaky sounds and jumping up and down. One morning, she even led the way into the forest, skipping ahead of her Keeper and then slowing down. As soon as he caught up with her, she ran ahead again, splashing through the sparkling puddles and dewy grass.

Maxwell also had an excellent month, thanks to the rain and its wondrous byproduct: endless amounts of mud! One morning, he awoke to find his enclosure awash with large, muddy puddles. Acting like a rhino half his age, he paddled around and lay down in the largest puddle. Snorting loudly, he even rolled over onto his back for a moment and waved his legs in the air.

Shujaa remains Maxwell’s favourite visitor. Most mornings, the little elephant strides out of his stable and makes a beeline for Maxwell’s gate. Rumbling in greeting, he extends his trunk through the gaps and waits for his friend to walk over. Shujaa drapes his trunk over Maxwell’s head, and elephant and rhino stand like that for several moments, in quiet contentment.