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Alamaya, who went out for a very long safari away, returned home early this morning. Sonje and Mwashoti spotted him first, then Kiasa went to welcome him — but for some reason, Alamaya was not very friendly. When Kiasa saw that Alamaya did not appreciate her reception, she walked back to where Enkesha and Amali were playing. Some baboons were also having a meeting atop a big tree and making lots of noise. The orphans left the noisy area to find a more peaceful place with all the little ones.

The Kibwezi Forest is now full of many wild elephants that visit the orphans almost every day. Even Alamaya, who we had not seen for a long time, came back to visit. It is a joy to see that many of our babies who have been away are doing well and just enjoying a good life with other wild elephants. Ziwa and Zongoloni are still at large with their wild friends, but we know that they will visit back again when their time comes. 

Today, Maktao and Kiombo wandered away with their wild friends to the water hole. They followed them, trying to figure out where they were going. However, when they realised that these wild friends left the water hole and moved into the bushes, Kiombo sensed that they were going to get lost if they followed them. Maktao also spotted the danger and turned back to the orphans' team, who were resting under the shades because it was too hot for the babies. 

This morning, the elephants came out from the stockades and found their other friends already waiting for them by the gate. When pellets were spread around for everyone to eat, the more dominant elephants grabbed all the pellets in a hurry, leaving their friends like Amali and Enkesha with nothing to eat. The Keepers ensured the girls got some extras. 

Lima Lima decided to leave with Kapei, Kiasa, and little Amali and Mwana. The youngsters joined her for a short while, before returning to Murera and Sonje. This was led by Mwana, who wanted to breastfeed but was dismayed to discover that her mother was still a far distance away. Amali, who is such a good honorary big sister to Mwana, escorted the baby to Murera.

We heard some noise coming from Kenze Hills. The Keepers thought it was wild elephants enjoying some fresh greens. When they followed the noise to the hills, they were delighted to find Ziwa, Faraja, and Jasiri! The Keepers were very happy to see their beloved elephants who had been gone for quite some time. 

Zongoloni, who had also been away for a long time, joined the reunion. Zongoloni 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 Amali, Kiasa, and Enkesha. The clever baby made a U-turn and returned back into the herd to be safe.

Zongoloni and Sonje surprised us today when they came home but did not come round to the stockade area like they normally do. Instead, they walked straight to the Umani springs and avoided the orphans, who were eating pellets by the gate. Meanwhile, Kapei and Kiasa went to the water trough to drink. Kapei put his feet into the water trough to clean them and spit water out through his trunk. Maktao saw Kapei wasting water and stopped him by pulling his tail. This was a very effective punishment, as none of the elephants like to have their tails pulled. 

Lima Lima approached Mwana, who was playing around with Amali. Now that Mwana is approaching her first birthday, she is growing big and strong. She pushes hard with her friends to prove herself as a small but formidable future leader.

Many wild elephants have returned to the Kibwezi Forest in large numbers now that it is getting dry. This has led to all kinds of wildlife proceeding to Umani, where they know there is always plentiful water. A wild bull arrived and tried to woo Sonje, who was not interested in his company. When Sonje saw him, she changed direction and went to Murera. Then Mwana and Kiasa joined her mother, and Murera moved deeper within the Kibwezi Forest.

On the way to the Chyulu Hills, they encountered klipspringers crossing the lava rock areas. This is a place elephants cannot traverse, because the rocks are too sharp for their feet. Thanks to their little hooves, the klipspringers had no problem navigating the lava. The small antelope watched the orphans go by, which annoyed Amali. She tried to trumpet and scare them away, but then Kapei came and pushed little Amali aside. This upset Enkesha and Quanza, who approached him with discipline on their minds. Kapei prudently made himself scarce. 

This morning, the orphans came out of their stockades, looking to start their new day with pellets, as they always do. Enkesha and her neighbour Maktao didn't look for the pellets at first; instead, they searched for a scratching wall to relieve some itches. A scratching competition ensued. 

This looked like a very fun and productive game to Kiasa, so she left Mwana in the care of Murera and Sonje and joined her scratching friends. Mwana felt left out and started crying for Amali and Enkesha. Everyone gathered at the dust pile, including Mwashoti, Quanza, and Lima Lima. 

A small drama happened when Sonje and Lima Lima found a delicious bounty of yellow acacia trees. Sonje pulled down the branches, leaving Lima Lima with nothing to eat. Lima Lima was clearly upset, but she didn’t do anything, because she respects Sonje and would never challenge her like that.

The mud bath today was full of fun and enjoyment as the orphans met with some of their wild friends. Sonje received Alamaya and Mwashoti with great enthusiasm. In fact, everyone did: Even the orphans who were swimming came out of the water hole to hug and welcome the two boys. Alamaya joined in and started splashing water over his head and under his belly before going deeper into the water.

Amali, Kiasa, and Enkesha stopped swimming and rushed to Murera because they couldn't see Mwana. These nannies were very smart and demanded to know where their little sister was. Their worry was all for nothing; Mwana was simply resting next to Murera.

Buffalos appeared in large numbers today. In fact, they could have run into the Keepers, who were watching Maktao and Kiombo play-pushing. However, the Keepers were well-aware of their presence, thanks to their trusty scout Lima Lima. The smart girl, aided by her friends, came over and alerted the Keepers that the buffalos were approaching. Lima Lima, Mwashoti, and Quanza blew loud trumpets, which startled the buffalos and sent them running into the forest.

The day brought about an unexpected guest: a python snake, who was spotted in its hiding place by Kiombo and Maktao. The boys were play-fighting and testing their strength when Kiombo accidentally stepped back and flattened the python. Despite Lima Lima and Quanza's attempts to intervene, the boys continued their fight over the snake’s body. The Keepers wished they could have saved the snake, but it was too late. 

During midday bottle feeding, the orphans picked up their bottles and then headed to the waterhole. Enkesha and Mwashoti, feeling the heat, decided to take Amali with them into the mud bath. Only Kapei was hesitant to cool off.

Kiombo is now showing his true colours by spending nights with ex-orphans outside the stockades. He has joined Sonje's team, with Mwashoti helping him acclimate to the wild and learn how to move around independently. This exposure is preparing Kiombo to eventually leave the dependent herd. He will also learn to adapt to life without his milk bottle, as the Keepers will not provide it once he chooses to stay out with other elephants. This is all part of growing up for the orphans — an exciting time!

However, some nights are less successful than others. Tonight, the Keepers saw Kiombo approaching the gate to request entry. They allowed him back in, and upon returning to his room, Kiombo found that Kiasa had pulled the greens into her area, anticipating that Kiombo might not return. Kiombo then 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.

Quanza today was being followed by a wild bull friend who was trying to court her, but Quanza did not have any interest in courtship and was not happy with the bull's advances. 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. 

Seeing the drama, Murera shepherded Kiasa, Enkesha, and Mwana into the Kibwezi Forest. Meanwhile, the bull and his pursuers came across Alamaya. The bull seemed to be a friend of Alamaya’s, as he made a beeline for him. With the chase over, Jasiri and his team came to Sonje, who was waiting for them under a tree for shade.

In very exciting news, today 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.

When Ngasha was around, he was the dominant boy among the Umani orphans. He was also a troublemaker to all and lacked close friends, except Alamaya. The girls often gave him a wide berth, knowing that he would pester them if given the opportunity. 

Today, it was Jasiri who behaved out of character, trying to approach Sonje and Quanza. The girls were not comfortable with his antics and ran away whenever he approached them. A Keeper warned Jasiri, and he realised it was time to leave the scene. Alamaya, Mwashoti, and Zongoloni did not follow Jasiri, but instead stayed among the orphans until the Keepers led them home for the evening. Perhaps this afternoon was a reminder for Jasiri that impolite behaviour will not win him friends!

Zongoloni and her wild friends arrived with Alamaya and Mwashoti, who was lagging behind everyone else. Mwashoti was walking slowly and playing with butterflies, trying to catch the beautiful insects. However, butterflies are very tricky, and whenever he tried to chase them, he ended up losing his balance and falling down. Zongoloni tried to help him up, but she found him too heavy, so she could only touch his body with her trunk to express her apology.

Meanwhile, Amali, Enkesha, and Kiasa moved to the side where Zongoloni was pulling a heavy branch. Every elephant wanted to taste the branch, but pulling it down proved to be a challenge. The older elephants came to help the younger ones, who were struggling with the heavy treat. Eventually, Murera and Quanza arrived and pulled the branches down for everyone to eat together.

However, Maktao became greedy. He had very obvious plans to pick up all the branches and run away with them, so he could have them all to himself. Murera stopped him and denied him everything he was trying to take. Maktao reluctantly left the branches he had already pulled down.

Sonje, Lima Lima, and Alamaya arrived very late this morning and found that all the treats they were expecting had already been eaten by their friends. Murera came out running to the gate without Mwana, who was busy scratching her little bottom on a post. Amali made a U-turn to fetch Mwana, who was still not with her mother, and stood next to her to give the baby some protection. When Mwana was done scratching, she followed Amali to Murera.

Kiasa saw Mwana and rushed back to meet her. She then shepherded the baby in the direction of the Chyulu Hills, where Zongoloni and Quanza were having a good time, but their path was blocked by a crossing giraffe. Kapei, who was feeling very protective of his ‘sisters,’ rushed over to the giraffe with her ears flared. The giraffe made a speedy exit into the bushes.

This afternoon, Faraja arrived from an unexpected direction. The other surprise visitors came in the form of two little warthogs, who Kiombo and Maktao, spotted while play-fighting in the bushes. The little pigs were completely harmless, but their presence sent the orphans running into Kibwezi Forest. Meanwhile, Faraja remained at the water hole and enjoyed being a solo swimming star.

Today, the waterhole was full of business as some wild elephants joined the orphans for a mud bath session, coming together as friends. It was a very interesting moment to see Kapei and Kiombo trying to become friends with the much larger wild elephants. Kiombo is bigger than Kapei, but standing next to the wild bulls, he looked like a very tiny object. Despite the size difference, the boys were courageous enough to go and play with the visitors. One of the wild bulls tried to stop Kapei from joining them, but he persisted.

Sonje, with Enkesha and Mwashoti, stopped Kiombo and Kapei from going further with the wild friends, reminding them that they might miss their evening bottles. Kiombo and Kapei heeded their advice and followed Sonje back to the herd. Murera then led her team back to the stockade, starting their journey back early today.

Some elephants visited the herd along the Umani Hills while the orphans were still enjoying the forage on the hills. When Quanza realised that there were wild friends close by, she notified the others to be aware and keep off the area. This was to ensure that some of them wouldn't go by the wild herd, especially because the herd had little babies. Amali and Enkesha, who love babies, could have been encouraged to follow them. This was why Quanza was very concerned about keeping the entire herd safe and away from the wild group.

Amali was very alert and aware of the notice given by Quanza. She quickly rushed over to 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, which kept browsing closer and closer to the orphans. 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. 

We were happy to hear that the Ithumba Keepers finally reunited with our old friend, Ngasha, who moved to Tsavo 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.

The climate has changed and now it is very hot, causing the babies to spend more time under shades and at water holes to cool off from the heat. Amali was very concerned about the heat, so she encouraged the other babies to shelter under big trees. When it became too hot, she moved everyone to a bigger water hole nearby.

There, they found buffalos enjoying the mud bath. It was quite a drama to see how little Kapei, Maktao, and Kiombo tried to show the buffalos how tough they were, insisting they leave the water hole and make way for the elephants. Loud trumpets filled the air as the youngsters asked the older girls — Murera, Sonje, and Lima Lima — to follow their sounds and help them out. They found Amali and Kiasa cheering on the boys, telling them to stay strong until the buffalos ran away. Eventually, the trumpeting elephants succeeded in evacuating the interlopers. Mwana promptly splashed into the mud bath with her mother, Murera, and stole the show.

Murera and her team took a very different route today, leading the orphans to an area they usually aren’t interested in. The Keepers wondered why Murera, Lima Lima, and Quanza chose this path on this particular day. Despite their attempts to call the orphans back, they all followed the head girls. The Keepers watched them disappear behind the stockades, still curious about what they had in mind.

Later in the day, Ziwa and his team, including two old wild females, arrived. Kapei and Kiombo joined them. Ziwa met Mwashoti, and they greeted each other with fanfare and hugs. Kiasa and Enkesha wisely decided to take little Mwana out of sight, just in case the wild group was tempted to kidnap her. They led the baby back to where the other nannies were enjoying a mud bath at the water hole. The wild group didn't follow the orphans to the water hole, and Ziwa eventually led his family back to Kenze hills, leaving the orphans alone.

Sonje took off to the Kibwezi Forests with Alamaya and Lima Lima. She tried and failed to coax Amali and her little sister Mwana to join them. When Sonje found a big acacia tree that had been pulled down by wild elephants, she stopped and tried to gather more branches for the young girls to enjoy. They were not able to bring down the branches themselves, so they waited for the bigger elephants to do so. 

Kapei, who is always so greedy, hoarded a bunch of branches for himself. This sparked a fight between Kiombo, Maktao, and their young opponent, Kapei. The tug-of-war continued until Kiasa and Quanza intervened. Quanza picked up the branch that caused the conflict and tossed it aside to prevent further fighting.

Some butterflies flew over to where Amali and Enkesha were having a good time playing. When the white butterflies appeared in front of Amali, she asked Enkesha to help chase them away. They began chasing the butterflies, but it was challenging as they kept flying above the shrubs. Amali and Enkesha charged at them again and again, but they couldn't catch a single butterfly. Amali ended up falling down and knocking her knees. She quickly got up, but then Kiasa came over and perhaps told them that it was time to end such a hopeless mission. 

Meanwhile, Mwashoti and Kiombo found a nice dust pile. Maktao joined them and playfully pulled Mwashoti's tail. This made Mwashoti very angry; he hates when the other orphans touch his tail. He defended his freedom and privacy by giving Maktao a very firm push.

Ziwa visited the herd at midday. This came as a big surprise to the Keepers, because he never usually comes to the mud bath. Kapei raised his trunk above his head, then Quanza also did the same, causing the Keepers to suspect the arrival of a visitor. Then, Kiasa, Lima Lima, and Sonje also started smelling the air. Slowly, Ziwa came close, with his trunk atop his head to locate his friends. Kiombo and Alamaya rushed to meet him, speeding with joy. 

However, Ziwa was not alone. He brought his adopted wild family with him, who remains suspicious of the orphans and their human family. One of their female leaders took off with speed, which served as a big warning to her friends. With loud charging and trumpeting, the wild elephants and Ziwa left in a hurry as they followed their matriarch. Kapei, Kiombo, and Maktao did not bother running away with Ziwa; instead, they continued to swim inside the mud bath.

Zongoloni is looking much larger than her agemate Lima Lima, despite the fact that Lima Lima is pregnant. Zongoloni has a huge body, which makes Lima Lima look medium-bodied by comparison. She used to be a loyal and loving elephant, but her behaviour has changed as of late. Recently, Zongoloni has become moody, keeping her distance from the Keepers and only allowing a select few orphans to approach her. 

Alamaya walked over to Zongoloni, but she quickly warned him to not get any closer. She only allows Amali, Kiasa, Enkesha, and Mwana to come to her, and has little tolerance for the boys. She was being quite harsh to the boys today, blocking them from playing with the girls and pushing them with her tusks. After a spell, she led Amali, Kiasa, Enkesha, and Mwana over to Murera and Sonje. Lima Lima also joined them, dividing the orphans into a boys’ group and a girls’ group.

However, there was a reason for Zongoloni’s behaviour: Faraja and Ziwa were being very unruly today and trying to mount little Enkesha. Zongoloni was the first to spot their antics and it made her very angry. The head girls came together, blocking the boys from bothering the young girls.

It was a real treat for the Keepers to see our long-time wild friend, Osama, who was Sonje's first boyfriend. He had been away for nearly two years without visiting the babies. But this morning, Sonje escorted him to the stockades. Sonje was bringing him home to meet the other friends, including Murera and her baby. When Murera and Mwana saw the huge giant with Sonje, they gave both elephants a wide berth. Mwana was quite put out, as she wanted to visit her nanny, but she did not trust this enormous, unknown companion. 

We wonder if Osama was surprised to find that Sonje was already pregnant with another bull’s baby. When he realised that a lot had changed in his absence, he made a hasty exit and headed for the Chyulu Hills.

Later, Alamaya led the way to the waterhole — only to find a buffalo sleeping there. He wanted the space, but the buffalo was reluctant to move. Alamaya walked back to where Mwashoti and Kiombo were waiting. After whispering some words to them, all three boys teamed up to chase away the interloper.

The waterhole was full of activity today. As usual, it was Mwana who led the swimming. She stepped into the water, followed by Amali. When Kiasa and Enkesha joined them, the fun began. It quickly turned into a swimming competition between the older babies and the young stars. Kapei, Amali, and Mwana swam really well. Amali and Mwana gave the best show ever, rolling and jumping and splashing. Both were enjoying themselves and had many fans cheering them on.

But then, someone unwittingly stepped on Mwana’s feet, causing her to scream in alarm. All swimming and fun halted until Mwana's problem was sorted out and her injury known. Murera and all the nannies rushed to the baby, who was standing with Kiasa. Unfortunately, Kiasa found herself in big trouble with Murera, who demanded answers as to why Mwana was upset. Kiasa’s explanation did not satisfy Murera, and she had to pay in a hard way: Murera pulled her tail, bit it, and then pushed her away. Poor Kiasa ran over to Zongoloni and Lima Lima, who sympathetically embraced her. Being a nanny is hard work!

This morning, Kapei wanted to find a finger to suckle. He went from Keeper to Keeper, opening his mouth wide. Unfortunately for him, the Keepers had their hands full with other tasks and their fingers were not available for suckling! This made Kapei angry and he blocked the Keepers’ path, his trunk raised high above his ears. At last, a Keeper gave in and answered his demands.

Kapei’s delight was short-lived: Kiombo pushed him from behind, causing the young bull to scream loudly. Kiombo was just the messenger; he was doing Sonje’s bidding, who was at the back of the group and wanted everyone to get a move on. Kapei followed their cues, but he was in a towering mood and tried to bully Amali. Amali, who is always sweet and respectful, just left her cranky neighbour and went to Sonje, Murera, and Mwana. 

Everyone browsed in the shade, waiting for the hot sun to fade a bit. After the weather cooled off, all the babies emerged from their hideouts and joined in the browsing field. Maktao, Alamaya, and Quanza did not follow the dependent herd and instead took a different browsing route. Maktao made sure to catch up with the dependent herd in time for bedtime.

Some of the familiar buffalos arrived early at the mud bath, as they know the orphans prefer the nearby swimming pool at this time. But today, things went differently. Instead, the orphans took over the mud bath. After they had their bottles, Amali and Kapei, assisted by little Mwana, dispersed the buffalos away from the orphans' territory. Amali took it terribly seriously, and when she was running after the buffalo, she looked behind to see if other babies were supporting her, while she charged ahead. When the buffalos saw that Amali and Mwana were not fearful, they escaped into the bushes. Kapei and Kiombo followed to make sure the young girls were safe. When they came back, all the babies were jovial but very tired. Still, they continued charging at the bushes. Eventually, Kiasa, Enkesha, and Lima Lima managed to calm the girls down.

Mwana was still in an excitable state, and when she tried to breastfeed from Murera, she pulled her too hard and hurt her. As punishment, Murera denied her nursing for a bit. Seeing the baby’s growing frustration, Kiasa escorted her to Lima Lima. Mwana proceeded to faux nurse from her big nanny, although she was clearly upset with her mother. Later, punishment over, Mwana breastfed from Murera as normal.

Mwashoti returned home after several days away. No one knew where he had been. It looked like he had been fighting with wild bulls on his safari. Although he was not seriously wounded, the Keepers tended to his minor scrapes and scratches. 

Meanwhile, Zongoloni and Lima Lima moved over to Mwashoti, as if asking for more details about what happened. After circling him, they rumbled and brought him back to the herd. Mwashoti walked right over to Murera — he is a favourite of hers as she is his long-time friend. Even Mwana gave the pair space and joined Kiasa and Enkesha, so they could catch up in private.

At about 3 PM this afternoon, a buffalo came to the waterhole and slept in the mud bath while the orphans were still trying to wallow. When Kiombo and Faraja saw the slumbering buffalo, they moved towards him and tried to chase him away. The buffalo resisted heavily, protesting that it was too hot and there was space for everyone. But the boys were relentless and eventually managed to push him into the forest. They trumpeted in victory as the buffalo’s tail disappeared into the trees.

Zongoloni arrived early in the morning at the pellets corner, only to find it empty. She had come early and the Keepers had not yet put out the pellets. She waited for the orphans to come out of their stockades so they could celebrate together. Then, Mwashoti, Quanza, and Lima Lima arrived from the forest, one after the other. Mwashoti moved to where Sonje was, but the arrival of Murera made Mwashoti change his allegiance to Murera, his former roommate and closest friend. Mwashoti knows that Murera understands him best. Kiasa, Enkesha, and Amali emerged last. Now that the orphans were ready to eat as one big family, the pellets celebration could begin. However, Quanza and Alamaya were able to scoop more pellets with their big trunks faster. Lima Lima, Sonje, Zongoloni, and Murera tried to push them away, so little Kapei and Amali could also have their share. The older elephants were very fast in eating, leaving the little ones with less to celebrate.

After the pellets celebrations, the head girls led the babies to the Kenzili area. On their way, some old wild males met them. Sonje stopped to greet them. At the same time, she was also distracting them so that the nannies could pass with baby Mwana. Mwana then rumbled strongly, which everyone interpreted as a sign of distress. The nannies and Murera rushed to her to learn what was wrong, but found nothing. Mwana was just getting thirsty to breastfeed, and her rumble was her way of getting her mother’s attention.

The orphans avoided the usual waterhole at the midday milk feed. Sonje and Lima Lima tried to lead the team to a bigger waterhole, which the Keepers also thought was the best for the day’s swimming. However, Amali had other ideas: She moved to yet another waterhole, and the other babies followed her. When Amali stopped at the water trough, she found some terrapins inside and hastily hid. Kiombo and Maktao came to ask her what was wrong, but Amali didn’t seem to want to share her findings. Kapei watched this all unfold, curious but unworried.

Maktao then went to ask Kapei why Amali was running, but he didn’t give the older bull any answers, either. 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, sympathising with the young bull. If our estimations are correct, Zongoloni will be the next mother among our Umani herd, and her maternal instincts are coming out strong.

When all the orphans went to the Chyulu hills, they encountered several bushbucks with two babies in tow. One of the baby bushbucks got confused and nearly jumped into the orphan herd. 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 baby bushbuck had caused so much drama.