Not everyone shares Kitich’s appreciation for sodden conditions. On another rainy afternoon, the Keepers brought blanket babies Mokogodo and Olomunyak back early, as they are too small and fragile for the elements. As the two babies settled inside their rooms, Weka silently padded down the path in their wake. Ever the opportunist, the crafty girl had snuck away from the herd in search of a dry stable.

Mukutan really hates thunder and lightning. Late one night, a torrential storm woke up all the babies. Poor Mukutan spent the entire night trumpeting, pacing, and pushing on his gate. Two Keepers did their best to calm him, with some success. As soon as the sky began to lighten, they let Mukutan out of his stockade, knowing he would be happier in the open. The effect was immediate: Mukutan wandered around the compound, greeting the rest of the herd who were content to remain in their dry rooms a bit longer. 

Olomunyak has never met a puddle he didn’t like — and the muddier, the better. He either reclines in the water for an impromptu wallow or uses his trunk to spray mud in the air like confetti. But all this fun requires equal amounts of rest: Just like human babies, young elephants tire easily and need plenty of naps. The Keepers have to keep close eyes on Olomunyak, so he does not get left behind dozing beneath a tree!

When she was a ‘blanket baby,’ Muridjo hated her blanket and shook it off at every opportunity. Now that she’s outgrown the phase, she has some delayed blanket envy. Recently, the big girl has become jealous of her little neighbour, Mokogodo — or more specifically, of the blue blanket that is fastened around her belly. When Mokogodo lay down to sleep one night, a mischievous trunk poked through their shared wall and deftly snatched the blanket. Mokogodo's Keeper retrieved and refastened the blanket while Muridjo observed, a picture of innocence. Half an hour later, she did the same thing again!

Kerrio — a matriarch in the making — continues to blossom in her role. She leads the youngsters down to the mid-morning milk feed, checking that all are present, correct and happy. One rainy day, she took a headcount and realised that Taroha, Mzinga, and Talek were trapped by a small stream. It presented no real danger, but the babies were clearly leery of the fast-flowing water. Kerrio about-turned and escorted the three to safety. 

Budding nanny Latika has clearly been watching and learning from Kerrio and the other big girls. One afternoon, she was already at the mud bath when she spotted Mokogodo walking slowly down the path. Knowing that Mokogodo does not like running water, Latika padded back to the small rainwater stream that she had just navigated herself and helped the little princess across. She loves all the babies, but particularly Mokogodo. 

Rescued when she was already two, Sholumai is possibly the shyest and most skittish member of the Nursery herd. As a result, she tends to overreact and to perceive threats where there are none. At the mud bath one morning, she downed her milk and then, for no reason at all, charged at Muwingu and Mushuru. Choka really likes Sholumai, but this behaviour was a step too far. He rushed to his little friends’ defence, banishing Sholumai into the bushes. After resisting for a minute, Sholumai accepted her temporary exile with an indignant trumpet.

Following in the footsteps of all the boisterous bulls who came before him, Pardamat is currently the Nursery’s chief pest. The naughty bull’s favourite pastimes include demanding extra bottles and play-mounting the girls. One day, he was relentlessly pestering Talek. He tried to climb on top of her, she moved away, he followed, and so it went on. Observing Talek’s unease, Mzinga decided to take one for the team. She stepped in front of the young bull, offering herself as an elephant settee. Pardamat was only too happy to take a seat, while Talek watched gratefully from the sidelines. 

Everyone has their own nannying tactics when it comes to Pardamat: Muwingu is very strict, whereas Mushuru is more protective. It’s lovely to see Mushuru’s nurturing side; in the past, she showed little interest in the youngsters. Now, she can often be found with a cluster of youngsters around her, trunk touching each affectionately. 

But at the end of the day, it is Sileita who can keep Pardamat in line. As Nursery’s senior matriarch, she is respected by all. That’s why everyone was shocked when, one afternoon, Pardamat dared to give Sileita a big shove from behind. Outraged, the matriarch knocked him to the ground and stood over him, while he squirmed and trumpeted in alarm. Eventually, Mukutan took pity on Pardamat and helped him to his feet. Sileita’s reaction may have seemed harsh, but the little boy really overstepped the mark and will think again before repeating such a misdeed.

We often remark how, in a forest full of trees, the orphans only want the branch in their neighbour’s possession. Apparently, the same rule applies to other fixtures in nature! One afternoon, Muwingu and Loldaiga had a disagreement over a rainwater stream. Both wanted to drink from the spring and neither was prepared to share. They tried to jostle each other out of the way, until cheeky Muwingu pulled her trump card and bit Loldaiga’s tail. He trumpeted loudly and ran for cover.

We think of Mzinga as a peacemaker, rather than a troublemaker, but everyone is allowed the occasional role reversal. One morning, she snuck away from the herd and found the wheelbarrows full of milk bottles. Her little disappearing act caught the Keepers unawares, and by the time they discovered her, she already had a bottle in her possession. She sauntered away with trunk and tail aloft, feeling very pleased with herself.

Mzinga and Nyambeni remain best friends. Rescued within a short span of each other, they have grown up as sisters, neighbours, and now, co-nannies. The girls are too young to be mini matriarchs, but they have been working hard to hone their skillsets. Olomunyak and Mokogodo are their favourite little charges: Out in the forest, the two-year-olds look after the youngsters with enormous dedication, escorting them from one bush to the next and being extremely protective whenever an older boy dares to approach. 

Several orphans are in the habit of trumpeting as they pad down the path, just in case no one has noticed them. Weka and Mageno are particularly fond of this practice, heralding their own arrival with great fanfare as they emerge from the bushes.

As we said last month, Taroha has started to expand his social circle, although he remains very devoted to Mokogodo. He hero-worships Shujaa and follows him everywhere he goes, even browsing on the same plants. Shujaa usually tolerates the young bull’s company, but sometimes gets tired of being an idol. On one such day, as Taroha shadowed Shujaa around the perimeter of the mud bath, the older bull suddenly turned around and knocked him over. Taroha was unharmed and seemingly undeterred by his behaviour.

Kamili still keeps to herself, but is getting more and more in the mix. Something surprising happened at the mud bath one morning: The usual swimming stars were hesitant, pausing at the water’s edge instead of diving in. All of a sudden, Kamili — who rarely swims — strode past them and into the water. Inspired by her enthusiastic paddling, the other orphans followed suit and soon, the pool was full of happy, splashing elephants.

The Rhinos:

Raha is doing very well — she is putting on weight and her skin colour has improved, deepening from ash to grey. She now begins her days full of energy, bounding out of her stable and leading her loyal Keepers into the muddy forest. She has started a funny habit that Maxwell used to do as a baby, drilling her stump nose into the ground and rubbing her tiny head from side to side. Before long, two horns will emerge from her flat face! 

Mzinga and Raha have a unique friendship, but one day, she was not feeling very friendly. As they crossed paths by the mud bath, the elephant trumpeted loudly with her trunk raised and ears flared. Her scary behaviour did not have the desired effect: Raha merely stopped, stared at Mzinga with a decidedly unfazed impression, and then continued on her way.

If Mzinga wants to continue as Raha’s special elephant friend, she should watch her behaviour — she has competition! Heading into the forest one morning, Mokogodo and Olomunyak approached Raha for a brief greeting. Raha doesn’t typically tolerate the company of elephants, but on this occasion, she permitted a short but sweet greeting with the youngsters, before toddling purposefully away. 

It was another exceptionally rainy month in Nairobi. Maxwell was thrilled by these conditions — the more mud, the merrier! On their way into the forest one morning, Mukutan, Sholumai, Kitich, and Weka stopped to greet the black rhino, as is their custom. They stood posing next to the gate, hoping that Maxwell would amble over to greet them. Normally, he would, but today he was so busy rolling around in the mud that he ignored his friends!

However on some days, the weather was even too miserable for Maxwell. He is always up at first light, trundling around his enclosure or greeting the elephants. But one morning it was raining so much that even Maxwell had a long lie-in, snoozing atop a large bed of dry hay in his shelter.