The orphaned elephants:

With the graduations of Rokka, Manda, Mayan, and Vaarti, Kaluku has become a little boy band! (There is also one young female — a force to be reckoned with — but she will be introduced in due course.) Mwinzi, Natibu, and Toto are holding down the fort with aplomb. Interestingly, they all have very different characters, but they get along well.

Natibu is a naughty little boy who loves to assert his dominance when the opportunity presents itself. He isn’t a bully, but he does like to show the others how strong he is. Funnily enough, he is the only Kaluku bull without tusks! They are finally starting to peek through, but they are certainly taking their time.

We call Natibu our alarm clock: When the Keepers are mixing milk at night, he is up in a flash. He urges the Keepers to hurry up by rumbling, yelling, and pushing on his door. You would think it had been days — not mere hours — since his last meal!

Toto is calm and friendly, much like his Kaluku predecessors Mayan and Vaarti. He is remarkably patient, even when his friend Natibu is behaving rudely. Toto never gets involved in naughty behaviour; instead of reacting, he just walks away from the problem. He is very mature for his age.

Although he is growing up quickly, Toto still thinks he’s a lap elephant. If Joseph or the other Keepers are sitting on the ground, he trundles over and clumsily clambers atop them — no invitation needed! He is such a sweet, affectionate young bull. 

Mwinzi must be the coolest elephant we have ever met. Most young bulls have a rather chaotic energy — understandably so, as they have strength to test, dominance to prove, and friends to challenge! But Mwinzi is the exception. He marches to the beat of his own, unflappable drum. Mwinzi enjoys playing with Toto and even naughty Natibu, but equally, he is content with his own company. 

Amongst the Kaluku herd, Mwinzi is the star wallower. He loves the mud bath and never misses a session. He is easily recognisable, because he is usually the dirtiest of the lot. On cool days, Toto and Natibu try to evade the mud bath, hiding in the bushes or even making a run for it. Mwinzi, meanwhile, plants himself atop the pile of dust and waits expectantly for his Keepers to coat him with shovelfuls of cool, pasty mud. 

Chamboi the orphaned rhino:

Chamboi begins his days with great energy, charging out his stable with button eyes and pricked ears taking in all the sights and sounds. Like the orphaned elephants, his Keepers lead him on different paths each day. Some mornings, they circle up towards the airstrip; other days, they head towards the sandy lugga. Despite being so small, he is very capable and can cover an impressive amount of ground in a morning.

Chamboi’s energy levels start to taper off in the afternoon, when it gets hot. The Keepers lead him back towards the stockade for a siesta. For the rest of the day, he enjoys short naps between browsing sessions. 

Bam and Boozle, the orphaned ostriches who were Chamboi’s minions for the past several months, have started to follow their own beat. However, they still enjoy the rhino’s company and find him for at least part of the day. The solitary rhino gene hasn’t kicked in for Chamboi yetl; he is quite inquisitive and friendly with all the ‘other’ orphans.

Twiggy the orphaned giraffe:

Twiggy is besotted with one particular Keeper named Peter. She follows him everywhere, from sunup to sundown. One of Peter’s daily tasks is to find insects for Spencer the bush baby. This is a job that requires stealth — and the shadowy but very striking presence of a giraffe does not make his job any easier! 

Twiggy is also very observant. She immediately clocks when there are visitors around Kaluku and promptly wanders over to investigate the newcomers. Despite her increasing height and power, Twiggy remains as polite and gentle as ever, making her a great facourite amongst all the Kaluku staff.

We raised Twiggy on camel milk, but lately, she only gets a bottle to entice her back into her stockade in the evening. (While she is getting big, she would still be vulnerable to predators in the wild.) While Twiggy cooperates at night, she is impatient to go in the early morning. The Keepers allow her out at first light. 

Apollo the orphaned rhino:

Conditions may be drying up, but Apollo doesn’t seem to mind — his favourite shrubs remain bountiful! He has mapped out the locations of these favoured plans within his roaming ground and makes a beeline for them each day. During the dry season, we also supplement Apollo’s diet with fresh lucerne, much to his delight! He has always loved lucerne. 

The lucerne is also useful to coax Apollo back into his boma at night. But even the tastiest, most tantalising lure has little effect against a rhino’s obstinance: Apollo only does things on his terms and at a time convenient to him. He flatly refuses to be told where to go or when to go. 

For instance, Apollo flatly refuses to allow the Keepers to usher him to the mud bath. However, once he is there — at a time of his choosing — his temperament completely changes. The surly, stubborn disappears, and young Apollo returns. He lies there like a big baby, enjoying being spoiled as his Keepers splash him with mud and dust. 

* Apollo is now at Rhino Base, in Tsavo East National Park