On 4th March, we heard some noise coming from Kenze Hills. When the Keepers followed the noise to the hills, they were delighted to find Ziwa, Faraja, and Jasiri! Zongoloni, who had also been away for quite some time, joined the reunion. The notorious kidnapper was clearly trying to get Mwana to follow her, but the baby prudently stayed back with the orphan herd. She knew that if she went with Zongoloni, she would be separated from her mother and beloved nannies Amali, Kiasa, and Enkesha. Clever Mwana made a U-turn and returned back into the herd

Water is a precious resource, even in a perennially lush place like the Kibwezi Forest. However, it seems that Kapei missed the memo! One morning, he propped his feet inside the water trough to give them a good clean and then started spraying water through his trunk. Observing this flagrant wastage, Maktao walked over and pulled Kapei’s tail. This was very effective punishment, as none of the elephants like to have their tails pulled. 

Lima Lima is still our reliable scout. One afternoon, the ever-present buffalos appeared in large numbers. They could have run into the Keepers, but they were aware of their presence, thanks to Lima Lima: The vigilant girl, aided by her Mwashoti and Quanza, came over and alerted the Keepers that the interlopers were approaching through a chorus of trumpets. This sent the buffalos running into the forest.

Kiombo has started spending odd nights out in the forest with the ex-orphans. He has joined Sonje's team, with ‘coach’ Mwashoti helping him acclimate to the wild. He will also learn to adapt to life without his milk bottle, as the Keepers will not provide it once he chooses to join the other ex-orphans. This is all part of growing up for the orphans — an exciting time!

However, some nights are more successful than others. Late one evening, the Keepers saw Kiombo approaching the gate to request entry. Upon returning to his room, Kiombo found that neighbour Kiasa had pulled his greens into her stockade, anticipating that he might not return. An irate Kiombo stole back the greens that Kiasa had taken. To prevent any conflict, Keepers intervened and made sure that everyone had their fair share. However, this incident serves as a warning to Kiombo that if he fails to come home on time in the future, he may not receive any food upon his return.

12th March was a very big day for our Umani family: It was Mwana’s first birthday! It is hard to believe that our ‘Princess of Umani’ has been with us for an entire year. She is growing into a remarkable young elephant — big and advanced for her age, and adored by all. We are also incredibly proud of Murera, who has proven to be a nurturing, protective, and very adept mother.

Amali is blossoming into a remarkable elephant. One afternoon, Quanza alerted the orphan herd that wild elephants were in the area. Amali quickly rushed over to protect Mwana, and the girls were joined by Kiasa and Lima Lima, just to be safe. They all wanted to keep their distance from the wild herd (who, it must be said, had no mal-intent, but one can never be too careful). The head girls did an excellent job of defending the babies, as did Amali with Mwana. With her quick thinking, courage, and loyalty, Amali is reminding us more and more of Lima Lima. 

On 18th March, we received a very welcome message from our Ithumba counterparts: The Keepers finally reunited with our old friend, Ngasha, who moved to Ithumba in August. He has been absent for the past seven months, but it turns out that he was just busy enjoying and exploring his new home.

Sometimes, the orphans remind us of bickering toddlers. Case in point: One afternoon, Sonje found a big acacia tree. Realising that the branches were too high for the youngsters to reach, she benevolently started pulling down bitings for them to enjoy. Kapei, who is always so greedy, hoarded more than his fair share. This sparked a tug-of-war between Kiombo, Maktao, and their young opponent, Kapei. The fight only ended when Quanza picked up the branch that caused the conflict and tossed it aside to prevent further drama.

However, for all their petty squabbles, the orphans really look after each other. One afternoon, a wild bull was trying to woo Quanza. Unfortunately for him, the lovely girl did not have any interest in courtship. She made a hasty exit — and was supported by her honorary brothers in doing so! Seeing Quanza’s discomfort, Faraja teamed up with Mwashoti and Jasiri to drive the bull away from the orphans. 

On 25th March, the Keepers were thrilled to see their long-time wild friend, Osama, who was Sonje's first boyfriend. He had been away for a very long spell, but on this special morning, Sonje escorted him to the stockades. We wonder if Osama was surprised to find that Sonje was already pregnant with another bull’s baby. When he realised that much had changed in his absence, he made a hasty exit and headed for the Chyulu Hills.

If our estimations are correct, Zongoloni will be the next mother among our Umani herd. Her maternal instincts are coming out strong. As an example, one day, Amali found some terrapins inside the water trough and hastily hid. Kiombo and Maktao came to ask her what was wrong, but she didn’t want to share her findings. Kapei watched this all unfold, curious but unworried. Maktao then went to ask Kapei why Amali was so upset, but he didn’t enlighten the older bull. Irritated by Kapei's silence, Maktao decided to bully him by mounting him and pulling his tail. Quanza moved to help Kapei, while Kiombo joined Maktao. Eventually, it was Zongoloni who restored the peace. She pushed Kiombo aside and stopped Maktao from mounting Kapei. It was impressive to see how adeptly she handled the mini drama.

For our Umani herd, March ended on a funny note. En route to the Chyulu Hills, the orphans encountered a family of bushbucks. One of the baby bushbucks got confused and nearly jumped amidst the elephants. This frightened the elephants, who couldn't imagine why the antelope was trying to join them. As one herd, the orphans ran into the hills. The Keepers followed, bemused that a tiny antelope had caused so much drama.