September brought two happy additions to our extended elephant family: Chaimu’s first baby and a surprise arrival from Sidai! Both babies made their debut later in the month.
Kuishi has been taking longer in her reintegration journey than her peers, but she is starting to show signs of independence. One day, she delegated Esoit duties to her trusted deputy, Larro. Instead of looking after her beloved little boy, as she usually does, Kuishi linked up with her older friend, Orwa, and spent the day out with her seniors.
But as we are constantly reminded, reintegration is a gradual process. The following day, Kuishi decided not to join the ex-orphans, instead preferring to spend the day with Esoit to compensate for the time she had been away from him.
We can’t help but wonder if Kuishi’s wild-living friends are pressuring her. One morning, Malima and Ndiwa were waiting outside the stockades when the orphans awoke. Ndiwa entwined her trunk with Kuishi in morning greetings, perhaps asking why it is taking her so long for her to join them in the wild. Kuishi appeared to be upset by that question and walked away. Reintegration is a personal journey for each orphan, and Kuishi is welcome to take as much time as she likes!
Driven by a desire to be a nanny, Naleku is also starting to explore her independence. One morning, right after having her milk, she linked up with ex-orphans Naisula, Esampu, Chyulu, Maramoja, Ndiwa, Roi, and Ukame. We were not worried, as we knew her older friends would look after her. The following evening, after a 34-hour foray, the ex-orphans delivered her back into our care. Naleku enjoyed her milk before heading into her bedroom to join her friends.
Mambo, Mutara’s son, is currently the most spoiled baby in Ithumba. One morning, he challenged Naleku to a pushing game. Naleku understood that Mambo was only a baby, so she handled him lightly. Mambo felt that he was not getting enough fun from Naleku, so he moved on to Esoit. Unlike Naleku’s kid glove treatment, Esoit treated Mambo ruthlessly. Before long, the precocious young bull ran away to his mother.
During the dry season, the ex-orphans often arrive late in the morning. This is likely due to the long journey they made the night prior in search of greener pastures. When it is this hot and dry, they tend to walk farther at night, when it's cooler and more comfortable.
But with that said, some ex-orphans arrive very early! One morning, Garzi and a few others were patiently waiting outside the stockades. Garzi decided to lie down and rest until the Keepers distributed the supplemental lucerne. When the orphans were let out, Mayan and Vaarti found Garzi sleeping and prodded him awake. Garzi thanked the boys, as he had fallen into a deep slumber and almost missed the feeding time.
Unsurprisingly, given the soaring temperatures, the mud bath was a favourite activity this month. One afternoon, only Sattao — who always marches to the beat of his own drum — boycotted the wallowing exercise. He dodged and disappeared without the Keepers' knowledge.
Wendi’s kids prove the age-old adage that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. One morning, Wema (Wendi’s middle daughter) was browsing next to Kinyei when she pushed the gentle girl, hard and for no reason. Kinyei complained bitterly as she made a speedy exit. Kindani and Kuishi rushed over to comfort their friend, placing their trunks on her back.
As it turned out, the Wendi-related drama wasn’t over yet! Later in the day, Bondeni walked confidently past Wendi, only to get the shock of his life. Without any warning, Wendi knocked Bondeni over, sending him toppling to the ground. Bondeni screamed loudly, cursing the ex-orphan. Kuishi, Kindani, Kinyei, and Suguroi knew they could not stand up to Wendi, who is of superior size and strength, but they clustered around their friend in solidarity.
Galana is one of Wendi’s peers, but she doesn’t share her mischievous nature. With that said, her daughters also caused their fair share of drama this month — but as a mother, she handled it differently. One morning, Roho had a misunderstanding with Galana’s eldest, Gawa, which escalated into a fight. Roho, knowing that Gawa had the back-up of her mother and nannies, prudently surrendered. Plucky Olorien stood her ground when Gala, Galana’s youngest, tried to push her. Feeling cowed, Gala went running back to her mother. Galana didn’t react, as she understood that her baby had been in the wrong.
The main highlight of the month fell on 24th September. That evening, after all the other ex-orphans had departed, Chaimu remained close to the stockade area. The Keepers soon realised that Chaimu was in labour, which is why she stayed behind. As a first-time mum, perhaps she felt comforted by being in the presence of the people who raised her. An hour and a half later, Chaimu gave birth to a healthy little boy. We named him Chapa.
Just three days later, after the afternoon mud bath, we were treated to an unexpected surprise: Sidai strolled by, with a days-old baby at her side. This is her third kid, and unlike the other Ithumba ex-orphans, Sidai does not return home immediately after giving birth to share her newborns with us. She is independent and private. We have named her latest addition, another boy, Sid.
Our ever-hopeful nannies can’t believe their eyes, to have two tiny newborns in their midst. There was lots of optimistic jostling amongst our dependent girls to have the privilege to look after Sid and Chapa. Suguroi has really taken a shine to Sid, and her persistence paid off when Sidai allowed her to get close to her baby. Suguroi and Naleku weren’t so lucky when they tried to nanny Chapa, as he is surrounded by a very heavy security detail.
Given that it is the height of the dry season, Ithumba was a hive of activity this month. Northern Tsavo’s elephants know that we are a safe place to find water. This is an appreciated and invaluable resource; before our water projects existed, much of the northern sector of the pak was uninhabitable during the dry season.
This month, ex-orphan visitors included Ambo, Barsilinga, Bomani, Buchuma, Challa, Chaimu, Chemi Chemi, Chyulu, Dololo, Enkikwe, Esampu, Garzi, Ishanga, Ithumbah, Kainuk, Kalama, Kandecha, Karisa, Kasigau, Kauro, Kenze, Kilaguni, Kinna, Kitirua, Kithaka, Lenana, Loijuk, Lualeni, Malkia, Malima, Mapia, Maramoja, Makireti, Melia, Motomo, Mulika, Mutara, Mteto, Nabulu, Naisula, Namalok, Naseku, Nasalot, Neshashi, Ndiwa, Olare, Orwa, Orok, Rapa, Roi, Sagateisa, Sana Sana, Sapalan, Sidai, Sities, Suguta, Sunyei, Taita, Tumaren, Turkwel, Ukame, Vuria, Wendi, Yatta, and Zurura.