Unfortunately, Esoit fell on his bad side. He has had a calcified right hip for as long as we have known him, likely the result of an old injury. While he is perfectly mobile, Esoit does favour that side. In the wake of the injustice done to him by the wild bull, our poor boy was feeling quite sorry for himself — but he had no shortage of moral support! Kuishi and Larro were not happy about the incident and would have taught the big bull a lesson if they were strong enough. The two girls marched away with Esoit swaddled between them. The rest of the orphans also decided to quit the lucerne area in solidarity with their wronged friend. Within a few days, Esoit’s bruised ego and his bruised hip were all healed.

Fortunately, most visiting wild elephants are much more charitable towards our orphans. Mayan and Vaarti, our new boys, love making friends. We marvel at how outgoing they both are, especially given how new they are to Ithumba life! Milo, ex-orphan Melia’s baby, has become a favourite of Vaarti’s, while Mambo, Mutara’s baby, is Mayan’s little sidekick. 

Mayan and Vaarti have been such delightful additions to our Ithumba herd. They are affable, clever young bulls. One morning, Mayan was the first to have enough lucerne and tried to call his colleagues to follow him into the bush, but no one listened. He stood off to the side, waiting impatiently. Meanwhile, Lodo spotted some guinea fowl and charged at them with a chorus of trumpets. Mayan needed no urging and joined the charge, chasing the offending birds into the bush. Then, the rest of the group followed them to check on them. Mayan was delighted because his mission was accomplished: Everyone followed him into the bush!

Juniors Mukkoka and Larro are beginning to tiptoe into their wild lives. They both dawdle when it is time to come home, eager to maximise their time spent with the ex-orphans. Sometimes, Mukkoka even comes home after bedtime. We suspect that they will be the next members of our dependent herd to join their friends in the wild. 

Our slightly younger girls are taking every opportunity to hone their nannying skills. While Naleku, Suguroi, Olorien, Kindani, and Kinyei all show interest in the ex-orphans’ babies, Naleku is far and away the most enthusiastic. (Kinyei and Kindani are loyal to their beloved ‘little brother,’ Bondeni, and their hearts don’t stray far.) One day, Naleku tried to faux-nurse Tumaren's son, Tembo, just as she has seen older nannies do. Another day, plucky Olorien hid among the ex-orphans and only rejoined the dependent herd when she was tired of the older company.

Roho is a trundling ball of mischief. He loves to play and gets very upset when his invitations are not received with unreserved enthusiasm. One morning, Kindani was enjoying a brief meeting with Vaarti, but it was interrupted when Roho arrived to recruit Vaarti for a pushing game. Vaarti wasn’t interested and walked away, leaving Roho upset. Roho tried to run after Vaarti to push him but was quickly cautioned by the Keepers not to do so. 

It is incredible how even our wild visitors respect and defer to the Keepers. One afternoon, 15 wild bulls were present at the mud bath. The Keepers politely requested they move, in order o give the orphans space to drink. The bulls complied, stepping back several metres to give the orphans access to the water trough.

It looks like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! Wema and Wimbi, Wendi’s youngest girls, are troublemakers just like their mother. One day, the youngsters ganged up on Esoit. They picked the wrong target: His loyal bodyguards Kuishi and Larro were over in a flash and pushed the two sisters away. 

Because the dry season is starting to peak, we are receiving an influx of foot traffic. Northern Tsavo’s elephants know they can rely on us for safe drinking sources. On many days, the stockades received anywhere from 100 to 150 wild visitors. The tusker we have nicknamed ‘Dad’ was among these auspicious visitors, along with the majestic matriarch ‘Queen’ and her family. 

In terms of ex-orphans, we enjoyed seeing bulls Zurura, Kithaka, Kilaguni, Challa, Bomani, Barsilinga, Olsekki, Kibo, Teleki, Naboishu, along with mums Loijuk, Makena, Teleki, Kinna, Yatta, Chyulu, Melia, Olare, Sunyei, Ithumbah, Naserian, Sidai, Yatta, Wendi, Mutara, and their kids, accompanied by nannies like Ukame, Roi, Malkia, Turkwel, Suguta, Kainuk, Sities, Malima, Nabulu, Neshashi, Makena, and Oltaiyoni. One morning, we awoke to find Kandecha and Garzi sleeping outside the compound — perhaps feeling nostalgic for their stockade-dependent days! This is just a sampling of all the familiar faces we saw throughout the month.

On the last day of August, we received the wonderful and unseasonable surprise of rain. It was just a small drizzle, but the orphans were delighted. Vaarti, Mayan, and Bondeni rolled in the moist soil, while Esoit and Kuishi scratched against a damp rock. Everyone was together, rain-splattered, and so very happy.