Murera may be the exception to this rule. We can understand her morning grumpiness; she has been up throughout the night, answering her daughter’s nursing demands! Perhaps feeling she deserves some recompense, Murera has been smartly playing her cards when it comes to the morning pellet corner. She and Mwana always go to a certain area, now known as ‘Murera's corner’. She chases all the orphans away, so she and her daughter can eat slowly and without disturbance. Sometimes, Amali is allowed to join them in the coveted space that is ‘Murera’s corner’.

A moment of appreciation for Quanza: Long the wallflower of the Umani herd, she is emerging as an excellent leader. Although Quanza no longer sleeps in the stockades, she takes responsibility for leading the orphans home in the evening. She arranges the babies in a straight line, with Mwana in the middle and Murera at the rear. With the help of Kiasa and Amali, she leads the herd back to the stockades. Quanza always does a skillful job of dodging any wild elephants they might encounter along the way.

The nightclubbers (the semi-independent orphans who no longer sleep in the stockades) are eager to recruit some new members. Kiombo and Maktao are the obvious choices. One evening, Mwashoti and Alamaya whisked the younger boys deep into the forest. As night fell and Kiombo and Maktao did not return, the Keepers and Murera made a plan for their return to the stockades. When Kiombo realised his friends were not planning on bringing him home for bedtime — and most importantly, for his bedtime milk bottle — he began to bitterly complain. However, the Keepers decided to leave the boys to make their own decision. 

Around midnight, the Keepers heard rumbling by the gate and discovered it was Mwashoti, who had brought Maktao and Kiombo back to the stockades. His mission complete, Mwashoti deposited the boys and rejoined Lima Lima and the other girls. Kiombo and Maktao thought they could stroll in late and receive their bedtime bottles, but they were disappointed to find that Murera had already drunk them. If they feel they are ready to sleep in the wild, they must also come to terms with the fact that that means giving up their milk bottles!

Kapei was up to his usual tricks this month. One morning, he again found himself at the centre of drama — drama entirely of his own creation. Kapei trundled to the top of the dust hill, hoping to crown himself king of the mountain. When he found Mwana already there, he pushed her from behind and sent her tumbling down the hill. This enraged Kiasa, who rushed to Kapei and demanded an explanation. The other girls joined Kiasa in the discipline effort, but Kapei managed to escape into the bushes. Luckily for him, Kiombo joined him in solidarity.

Sonje, with her years of wisdom and leadership, knows exactly how to handle Kapei and other rowdy boys. She creates a private playground, one that is open to the girls only. One afternoon, as the babies gathered from the bushes, Sonje was already busy setting the play area. She invited her favourites, Amali, Mwana, Kiasa, and Enkesha, to join. Kapei was not welcomed into their club, and instead had to play with Kiombo and Maktao. Until he learns to respect the little girls, he will not be invited to their games.

Princess Mwana loves her biological mother, Murera, but she is still very connected to her Keepers. She remembers how they bottle-fed her when her mother was unsure how to care for her in the early days. One morning, the little elephant came tumbling out of her bedroom, full of joy. A Keeper was walking in front of her, unaware that Mwana was behind him. Suddenly, she playfully charged and blew her little trumpet close to his legs. The surprised Keeper gave a huge start, much to Mwana’s delight!

Enkesha and Kiasa are growing into very promising leaders. The girls have proven to the herd that they are worthy of being matriarchs and could lead well if given the opportunity — but for now, they have not fought for the leadership title, because there are already so many capable matriarchs in the mix. However, this might change soon: When Lima Lima and the other ‘head girls’ have their babies, they might not spend as much time with the dependent herd any more.

When Ziwa originally linked up with the wild herd who has become his adopted family, he was the only bull. Now, perhaps thanks to Ziwa’s excellent example, the matriarch has decided to embrace more male orphans into her group. While Jasiri remains with them for long stretches of time, Alamaya prefers to go on long, solo adventures.

Mwana no longer has two nursemaids on-demand. In fact, now that they are advancing in their pregnancies, Lima Lima and Zongoloni are becoming increasingly moody, much like Murera was when she was pregnant with Mwana. They do not allow their ‘niece’ to suckle from them whenever she pleases, as they must prepare for their own babies. This is a difficult but necessary lesson for spoiled Mwana. 

This month marked Kapei’s big adventure. Mwashoti and Sonje tricked Maktao, Kiombo, and young Kapei into staying out with them. They missed the roll call home. Two hours later, Kapei came to the gate and pleaded with the Keepers to let him into his room. He was astonished to find there was no bedtime bottle waiting for him, and he complained bitterly until the matter was rectified. Kapei was warned to report home on time if he wanted to have his bedtime bottle in the future. 

August ended with a funny moment between two of our biggest boys: Mwashoti found Faraja holding a stick to scratch his chest. Mwashoti tried to pull the stick away, but Faraja was not willing to give it up. Much pushing and pulling ensued, and the boys ended up breaking the stick into two pieces. Faraja was left with a short end that was not very effective for scratching. He ruefully dropped it to the ground and moved away.