Two of our newest additions, Dabida and Hildana, have started joining the rest of the Voi orphans. On their first day out, Mbegu kept close to them — but she had an assistant! Ndotto sidled over and made it clear that he also wanted to look after the little ones. Mbegu kept glancing at the older bull, sending him a signal that he could stay with them, but he must do so peacefully and not start any funny business. 

Now that Mudanda has adopted Thamana, Lemeki has been forced to branch out and make new friends. She still seems to prefer the company of the Keepers above all else, but she is starting to be more social with the other elephants. Predictably, it is Ndotto who is helping her come out of her shell. He often woos her into gentle sparring matches, making sure to not to be too rough with the young girl.

With the ongoing drought, this has been an unprecedented year of orphan rescues. Older orphans rescued from the southern reaches of the Tsavo Conservation Area go directly to Voi, and as a result, our herd has expanded significantly. In fact, we have had to expand our capacity at all our orphan units to accommodate all the newcomers! We will never turn an orphan away, no matter how many need to be rescued.

This month we welcomed several new arrivals: Baraka, Ashanti, Busari, Kilulu, Epiya, and Pusa. Most are drought victims, although Ashanti, who was rescued on the 17th, had a wire snare nearly severing her trunk. Sadly, many rescues came to us too late to save, but we do our very best to bring these poor elephants back from the brink.

Tamiyoi has appointed herself head of the Voi welcoming committee. When a new rescue arrives, she makes a point to approach their stockade and extend a warm, welcoming trunk touch. Sagala, Tagwa, and Godoma also love to look after the new babies.

In one humorous encounter, the orphans’ enthusiasm for nannying created a lot of confusion and chaos. Rorogoi and Pika Pika both chased after Dabida, each desperate to have the honour of looking after him. They managed to sandwich the young boy between them, but it was very confusing who was in charge and they left the compound in a state of bewilderment. Mbegu saw the situation devolving and came over to assume control, allowing for a more peaceful interaction between Dabida and the two girls. 

The heartbreaking realities of the drought also hit close to home. On the 18th, ex-orphan Mweya arrived at the stockades with her firstborn, Mwitu; her best friend’s daughter, Eden, and a tiny baby boy. They had made an extraordinary journey home at the height of the drought. Tragically, our joy was short-lived: Mweya and her family spent the rest of the month around Voi, only to leave for more than a week. When they returned, Mojo was not with her. Given the unforgiving drought, we can surmise that the fragile infant calf succumbed to the harsh conditions. This story will be covered in greater detail in the November diaries. 

With Mweya’s return came one silver lining: On the 23rd, she strode into the compound with her old friend Nguvu by her side! Nguvu went wild some time back, although he periodically comes to drink water at the baobab water hole. Nguvu looked remarkably well considering the drought conditions, with his striking tusks that are unusually long for an elephant of his age. 

When all the dependent orphans returned later that afternoon, Nguvu and Tahri were missing. Tahri had evidently decided to link up with the wild elephant herd that Nguvu has been hanging out with. At seven years old, she is a good age to go wild, especially with the ‘streetwise’ boy Nguvu by her side. Of course, we will continue to keep an eye out for her.

October was marked by an unexpected character shift in our laid-back boy Lasayen! He has never been the most playful elephant — that honour goes to Ngilai and Emoli — but something is changing. This month, he was suddenly seeking out sparring matches and instigating games left and right. One memorable afternoon, he took on Murit, Ngilai, and even Godoma, all in a row!