In Ithumba, December began with rain. The orphans enjoyed playing in the running water and lying down to smear themselves with red mud. It was a short shower, lasting only an hour, but plenty long enough for good fun.
But the real joy arrived on 6th December, when we met a new addition to our extended elephant family! Shortly before six o'clock in the morning, Kinna appeared from the eastern side with her daughters and some other ex-orphans in tow. But most excitingly, there was a tiny, new baby in the group, who turned out to be Kinna's third daughter! We named her Kito.
Kinna’s older daughters, Kaia and Kama, were very protective of their little sister and didn’t allow the orphans to get close to Kito. Shortly afterward, Kinna and her team headed back into the wilderness. They had come home expressly to introduce us to their new addition — which is a privilege we never take for granted.
The celebrations continued on the 15th, when we welcomed yet another baby into the fold! Early that morning, a whole group of ex-orphans arrived at the stockades. But most exciting was the tiny elephant by Lenana’s side. It had been nearly two months since Lenana’s last visit, but like Kinna, she clearly made the trip home to include us in the joy of her new addition. We named her baby Laki, which is a lucky name for a son in Swahili.
Laki follows in the footsteps of Lapa, Lenana’s firstborn. One thing is certain: After raising Lapa, Lenana can handle anything. From day one, Lapa got into all sorts of mischief and altercations. Lenana dealt with him in her typical, measured fashion, taking his boisterous antics in stride and allowing her friends to mete out discipline where needed. It will be very interesting to see how Lapa handles his new responsibilities as a big brother — and if Laki is just as naughty as his sibling!
However, for all its happy moments, the month was also tinged with sadness. After an absence of more than a month, new mother Chaimu returned — but we were dismayed to see that she had not reunited with her infant son, Chapa. We will never know what happened to him, but we can only hope that he was kidnapped by other elephants. Chaimu did not seem distressed or dispirited; she had clearly already come to terms with her loss. We are heartbroken that Chapa is no longer with Chaimu, but nature can be an unrelenting place, and many elephant mothers must endure such losses.
We can always rely on Lodo to go into the water, regardless of the weather — he loves to swim! One day, Lodo opted for an early mud bath at Kone Dam. He was briefly joined by Naleku and Kuishi, who only washed their feet.
Some things never change — and one of those things is that Esoit is the uncontested favourite. Kuishi is his best big sister, but Larro is also very fond of the young bull. They delight in coddling him, no matter how small the occasion. One day, the girls kept a hawkish eye on Esoit as he indulged in an extended mud bath. Once he was satisfied, they happily escorted him back to their friends.
The junior ex-orphans’ campaign to persuade the elder dependents continues — with limited success! One morning, Sapalan and Olsekki joined the orphans for lucerne and then escorted them to the browsing field. It wasn’t long before the two boys tried to convince Mukkoka, Sattao, Roho, and Kuishi to leave with them. Sapalan and Olsekki nearly succeeded, but then some disagreement caused the four orphans to return and rejoin their colleagues.
It is nice and green in northern Tsavo at the moment, which causes elephants to disperse far and wide. But mid-month, we were treated to a lovely full house, as most of the ex-orphans — totaling sixty in number — presented themselves early in the morning for lucerne. Due to the congestion and pushing from their seniors, the orphans decided to give them space and made their way to the browsing field. We were happy to see new babies Kito and Laki looking healthy and energetic.
Speaking of energetic — Suguroi, our resident athlete, is always looking for an outlet. One afternoon, she came across two dik-diks, which she couldn’t resist chasing. The ever-active girl was joined by Roho, Mukkoka, and Mayan in the chase. The dik-diks raced as fast as their legs could carry them, easily outrunning the elephants and disappearing into the bush. Suguroi and her team were left charging at empty bushes, as the dik-diks had long gone.
All our Ithumba dependent orphans — Lodo, Vaarti, Mayan, Suguroi, Esoit, Olorien, Kinyei, Kindani, Bondeni, Naleku, Roho, Larro, Mukkoka, Kuishi, and Sattao — are doing well. Late in the month, Vaarti appeared to have a tummy ache as he lay down while the rest of his colleagues were feeding on lucerne. Larro moved closer and touched Vaarti with her trunk, assuring him that all would be well. Later in the day, Vaarti engaged Bondeni in a pushing game that lasted for quite some time, which was an indication that he was already feeling better.
The last day of 2024 was uneventful but fun. The rascal Noah tried to bully Olorien and Kindani but was quickly told off by Kuishi. Nusu had a brief interaction with Sattao, while Mayan and Vaarti settled to scratch on a nearby rock. Shortly after, Naleku decided she’d had enough lucerne and walked to the browsing field. As it drizzled, the rest of the orphaned herd followed Naleku. Only Olorien, Larro, and Mukkoka tried to linger amongst the ex-orphans, but the Keepers ushered them to join their colleagues. Everyone browsed as one, ready to welcome a new year.