Following the recent rain, the path down to the mud bath was quite slippery. As the orphans ran down to their bottles, one of them fell with a loud shout. Hearing the trumpet, Muridjo ran back to find out who it was. The clever girl stopped at the bottom of the path and halted each orphan as they passed, checking them with her trunk before allowing them to continue. Seeing Kerrio approach with a slight limp, Muridjo realised it was she who had fallen and duly checked her whole body. While Kerrio padded on slowly, Muridjo remained on the path until every single orphan had safely reached the mud bath.

The highlight of December was the commencement of Mukutan, Choka, and Loldaiga’s graduation training. As the biggest boys at the Nursery, they are outgrowing the Nursery phase and are ready to begin their reintegration journeys. Training begins by feeding the orphans their milk bottles in the translocation truck that will eventually bring them to Tsavo.

As usual, the first few days were tricky, but by the week’s end, all three boys were old hands. In fact, Mukutan became so comfortable with the truck — or, more accurately, the tasty milk and sugar cane he knew waited within — that he took to nipping back for extra helpings in between training sessions!

We are thinking of changing Weka’s name from the naughty girl to the noisy girl! Most days, she trumpets loudly on her way to the mud bath, as if we would ever fail to have her bottles ready and waiting! She is a changeable girl, well-behaved on some days and very mischievous on others. Weka is never rough with the Keepers but does not like noisy strangers and will mock charge at visitors who are talking loudly at the mud bath.

Mageno, Nyambeni, and Mzinga were rescued around the same time and became an inseparable trio as blanket babies. One day, the trio ambled into the forest together. Finding a tree with a tasty treat, Mageno pushed the trunk to dislodge some fruit. To his great surprise, there were baboons sitting on the upper branches — and they were none too pleased to be disturbed! The three elephants got such a fright that they ran back to the herd, trumpeting as they charged through the bush.

While all the orphans see their Keepers as family, some are more attached to them than others. In our current Nursery herd, Kerrio and Talek stand out as two girls who are very affectionate towards their human ‘parents.’ Talek often seeks her Keepers out in the forest, padding over to greet them with her trunk held high. Kerrio is older now, with two tiny tusks to her name, but she still loves to be with her Keepers. Olomunyak is another affectionate boy; if a Keeper feels a trunk lovingly tap them on the shoulder, more often than not, it belongs to Olomunyak.

By contrast, Kamili prefers to keep herself to herself. But with that said, she is starting to interact with the herd more and more, which is lovely to see. Latika is one of her favourite playmates — one the two big girls lay on their bellies on a patch of dry ground, massaging their bodies while playing a lying-down-and-pushing game.

Latika may have a short trunk, but she is a big girl with a big heart. Sileita used to be Wamata’s number one nanny, but no longer — she has been ousted by Latika. Most mornings, Latika can be found waiting outside Wamata’s stable. She greets her little girl, does a quick trunk check to ensure she is fine, and ushers Wamata out to the forest, hugging her at regular intervals. We can confidently say that Latika’s heart is fully healed after the heartbreak of losing Mokogodo.

Kitich is our resident ray of sunshine — he loves to play, even when no one else is in the mood. One morning, the Nursery herd was dutifully focused on browsing. Undeterred, Kitich made his own fun. As the herd walked quietly around, twisting up clumps of green vegetation, Kitich set his sights on a small stream. He ran around in the flowing water, kicking great splashes in every direction while trumpeting happily.

That morning aside, the rains brought out the playful side in everyone. One afternoon, the Nursery elders — Mukutan, Choka, Loldaiga, Muwingu, Kitich, Mageno, Sileita, Latika, and Mushuru — kicked off an energetic play session in the forest. As the fun and games wound down, a still-boisterous Mukutan turned his attention to Muwingu and Mushuru, piling atop them in the soft earth.

Pardamat and Talek remain our little rascals. By night, they bicker in their neighbouring stables; by day, they cause chaos at the milk feeds. By contrast, Olomunyak and Taroha are known as our peace-loving boys. They rub along reasonably politely in their neighbouring stockades, neither squabbling at night nor pinching each other’s food. In the mornings, a greeting is often followed by a trunk touch and a head push.

Wamata, the newest addition to our Nursery herd, is definitely at risk of becoming a spoiled baby. Cocooned in love, she is also growing in confidence. At one morning milk feed, rather than hanging back with the older girls, she insisted on being put in one of the first groups and raced through the bushes with Olomunyak and Talek. Despite having the shortest legs, Wamata had determination on her side — thundering along with ears flared and trunks aloft, she managed to reach the milk bottles first!

Shujaa is a reliable playmaker, whereas Sholumai rarely plays with anyone. One afternoon, however, we spotted the young bull with the tiny tusks and the older female with the longest tusks embroiled in an energetic wrestling match! Although the game did not last for long, we smiled to see the playful side of shy Sholumai.

Our mini matriarchs look remarkably similar nowadays. Sileita is older, but Kerrio has grown in size recently, and the two have very similar faces and body shapes. Both are wonderfully caring but also playful elephants. Whereas younger orphans like Mzinga have mastered the trick of holding their own bottle, our elder mini matriarchs still rely on a hold from their Keepers. Sileita jogs down the path for her milk, whereas Kerrio always walks slowly.

By month’s end, clever Pardamat had cottoned on to the treats our next graduates are enjoying as they train for translocation. Never one to miss an opportunity for extra food, the young bull volunteered himself for translocation training, too! One afternoon, Choka snuck back to the truck in search of extra pellets and sugar cane. He was shadowed by a small friend — Pardamat! To our great surprise, Pardamat strode into the truck behind Choka without even pausing on the ramp. The cheeky bull snatched a trunkful of pellets and ran back to the forest! Pardamat may have gotten a little treat, but it will be some time yet before he is ready to start thinking about graduation.

The last day of the year was another day of sunshine. Our herd spent most of the morning exploring the forest, browsing on fresh greens, and hanging out with their Keepers.

The orphaned rhinos

Maxwell rarely starts his mornings on an energetic note, preferring instead to ease his way into the day. But following lots of rain, Max likes to take advantage of the muddy conditions. He lay down on the extremely wet ground and rolled onto his back with stout legs aloft before standing up, trundling around, and lying down.

Max always enjoys his regular rotation of visitors. On their way into the forest, the orphaned elephants often stop at his gate to say hello and massage his ears with their trunks. When they carry on, it’s only a matter of time before the wild warthogs converge on his stockade. One morning, we even spotted a little piglet scratching herself against the massive rhino’s belly.

Following last month’s health scare, we are happy to report that Raha is improving. The surgery to repair her prolapsed rectum was a success, and she is healing well. Her belly is becoming less bloated, which is a good sign, although she still has an unusual physique for her age. While she has a healthy appetite for her milk and preferred foods, she remains underweight for her age and is reluctant to eat any but the softest of greens.

One wonderful, reliable trait about Raha is her obstinance. Some mornings, she is eager to head into the forest and browse on vegetation; others, she would rather sleep in. She tends to be easy-going on hot days and not-so-laid-back on cold days. When the sun is shining, Raha will often allow her Keeper to lead her wherever he wants to go, but when it is overcast and cool, she often insists on taking him in her own direction, generally to a warm place where she can rest.