Last month brought two new wild-born babies into the Ithumba fold: Chaimu’s son, Chapa, and Sidai’s son, Sid. Before the end of October, another newborn would enter the mix.
But as the month began, all focus was on the little boys. Suguroi, who is still dependent but adores babies, was particularly obsessed with Sid. Every morning that Sidai and her children visited, Suguroi would ever-so-casually sidle over to eat lucerne in their vicinity. Step by step, she would inch closer until she was right next to Sid. Fortunately for Suguroi, Sidai is a laid-back mother and was actually happy to have the little nanny’s help. Some days, Suguroi even tried to dodge the Keepers so as to remain back with ‘her’ beloved baby!
But not everyone is as obsessed with babies. Ex-orphan Kibo, who is cut from the same cloth as Wendi in terms of unpredictability and naughtiness, has no patience for the little ones. One day, little Chapa decided to follow the 15-year-old bull. Instead of welcoming him, as most would, Kibo kicked Chapa and then bent down to push him with his tusks. No harm was done, but Kainuk, Suguta, Sities, and Chaimu protested loudly at their peer’s actions.
Suguroi is a funny character. She loves babies, but she also doesn’t suffer fools gladly. One morning, Nasalot’s youngest, Noah, was being petulant. As the orphans emerged from their nighttime stockades, he attempted to block Suguroi's way. Suguroi didn’t take this lightly and firmly pushed Noah out of the way. Nusu, who was standing nearby, didn’t intervene, knowing that his little brother had caused the problem.
At eight years old, Kuishi is the eldest member of our Ithumba dependent herd. She is the unofficial herd nanny — a role she takes seriously, particularly when it comes to Esoit, who is her unabashed favourite. But Kuishi is protective over all the orphans. One morning, a buffalo wandered over for water, but Kuishi decided he wasn’t appropriate company. She trumpeted and charged towards him, causing quite a scene. The buffalo had already quenched his thirst and quietly walked away, but Kuishi felt victorious all the same. Another day, Loijuk’s baby, Lili, tried to cut off Kuishi and Sattao. Incensed, Kuishi pushed her out of the way and warned her to never repeat such an affront.
This month was very busy in Ithumba. It is the peak of the dry season, which always brings a daily stream of ex-orphans and wild visitors circling in. On many mornings and evenings, more than 100 elephants stopped by the stockades for water.
While the orphans love the opportunity to interact with wild friends, we believe they secretly relish the mornings when there are no visitors present. It is easy to understand why: When it’s busy, the orphans face tough competition from ex-orphans and wild elephants during lucerne feeding. Recognising a losing battle when they see one, they usually make a speedy departure into the bush. By contrast, when there aren’t any visitors, the orphans have full run of things. They really make a meal out of the morning and linger until every last piece of lucerne has been savoured.
Two orphans always welcome wild visitors: Mayan and Vaarti. We are constantly impressed by how brave and friendly these youngsters are. They love meeting wild bulls and make a point of introducing themselves, strolling over to join even the largest elephants at the water trough. Usually, the bulls are quite receptive to these little hangers-on. If they aren’t, Mayan and Vaarti quickly pick up on their signals and zip back over to the dependent herd. By contrast, best friends Bondeni, Kindani, and Kinyei show little interest in socialising outside their inner circle. It just goes to show how different every elephant is!
We can always rely on Larro to start some drama. One afternoon, she spotted two dik-diks and, with great excitement, began trumpeting and giving chase. Her theatrics drew the attention of Suguroi, Sattao, Naleku, Olorien, Mukkoka, and Kuishi, who all joined in the pursuit. The dik-diks easily dodged their stout pursuers and disappeared, leaving the orphans charging at now-empty bushes.
More drama unfolded when Roho was knocked down by a wild bull. He screamed for help, and Nasalot and Melia immediately responded to his calls. (It’s always lovely to see how the ex-orphans stand up for their dependent counterparts, clearly seeing them as part of their extended family.) Unfortunately, mischievous Kibo blocked the girls’ path, for no reason other than to be a pest. The Keepers helped Roho to his feet, and all the orphans walked away in protest over what had happened to their friend.
The month ended with another wonderful addition to our extended elephant family: On 27th October, Mulika surprised everyone when she showed up with a newborn baby in tow! In her typical laid-back fashion, there was little fanfare — even Mulika's daughter, son, and granddaughter were not present! It was as if she just wanted to quietly debut her baby to the Keepers, before returning to her family in the wilderness. We named him Moe.
In the days that followed, Mulika and Moe were regular visitors around Ithumba. Mulika was one of Ithumba’s founding females: She, Yatta, Kinna, and Nasalot made up the first class of orphans brought to Ithumba in 2004. Over the past 20 years, she has become a matriarch and a mother of three. She is also a grandmother — her eldest, Mwende, had her first baby last October. It is wonderful to see how far Ithumba has come in the past 20 years, giving birth to generations of elephants.