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DIARIES :
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Monthly Diary Reports
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Wendi and Ol Malo were intrigued by this newcomer; Selengai and Sunyei viewed him with overt suspicion, whilst Tomboi and Napasha pretended not to even notice his presence, yet looking sideways at him with obvious curiosity. As for “Madiba” his main focus was “the blanket”, something that has persisted since. Each day has seen him becoming a little stronger and sturdier on his legs and he is feeding well, and gaining weight rapidly. We are very pleased with his progress so far. Not so, little “Ndomot”. Having managed to get control of the diarrhoea that assailed him soon after arrival, he thrived in the beginning and eventually settled in to sleeping in his stable without the company of Wendi. But then the teething started, and with it came the diarrhoea again, before he had had enough time to pick up sufficient condition to enable him to weather such a set-back. Two more courses of Sulphonomides made no difference, and he began getting progressively weaker. The good news is that all the other Nursery elephants are thriving. Wendi asserts her authority over any visitors, making sure they all know who is in charge. Ol Malo is gentle and loving and eager to dominate the attention of any visitor whilst Taita is beginning to look positively robust, as is Napasha who is bordering on being “fat” – not a bad thing in a baby elephant who are essentially so very fragile in infancy. Six weeks is a difficult age for little “Ndomot” to have been orphaned, and we are having to weather the usual tummy troubles resulting from a combination of teething, trauma and a change from mother’s milk. To begin with he was very fearful without elephant company at night, desperately attempting to break out, so he was put in with Wendi, who is currently the self appointed Mini Matriarch of the Nursery orphans. Wendi was very touched to have a baby with her, even encouraging him to suckle as yet non-existent breasts by putting a foreleg forward and pulling him in position with her trunk and little Ndomot is happy to oblige, but gets a bit frustrated when what he wants doesn’t arrive! However, after two nights of sharing a stable, for Wendi the novelty wore off, because Ndomot wanted to lie actually on top of her, and to discourage such close contact, she kept kicking him with her leg! So, he was moved back to his own quarters and has since become accustomed to being in with only his Keeper. Napasha and Tomboi are real “boys”, more independent than the girls, whilst Selengai and Sunyei are quiet and sweet, Selengai still very hooked on her food! Sunyei is a Nursery favourite, for she is so tiny for her age, and although she is now 5 months old, she is a little smaller even than 6 week old “Ndomot”. No doubt she will suddenly shoot up, as have others before her. Wendi, is very much a confident Nursery Elephant Boss, lording it over everyone, human admirers included and not beyond asserting authority by giving unsuspecting onlookers a shove. This is behaviour she copied from Mweya, and something that we have to discourage! Calves such as “Taita” suffer from claustrophobia in a confined place. Whilst Morani’s erstwhile Rhino Stockade was prepared for him, with a platform for the Keeper to be able to remain safe, the Vet was summonsed to sedate “Taita” so that he could be steered to his new quarters. This was accomplished, and with gentle handling, and a great deal of t.l.c., he was soon taking milk from a bottle and accepting offerings made by hand. The next day, the other Nursery elephants were introduced to him, viewing him through the bars of the door. One by one they were ushered in to physically meet him, amidst great excitement. Napasha and Olmalo were curious and friendly, but Wendi, Tomboi, Selengai and little Sunyei were a bit wary of the newcomer. They were brought to pay their respects in the morning, after the noon mudbath and in the evening until “Taita” had calmed down sufficiently to be able to join them, which happened on the fourth day after his arrival. Naturally, should others come in between now and when Napasha, Taita and Wendi are ready to join the Tsavo group, we will simply have to “make a plan”, as we did when suddenly we found ourselves with 12 Nursery inmates! Little Sunyei still needs the comfort of a hung blanket in order to take milk, Napasha is a glutton who bellows when the last bottle is empty, and tries his luck at trying to snatch that of others, Tomboi and Wendi are mischievous, playful rascals and Selengai thinks mostly of food! At this point in time, “Taita” wins the award for good Nursery behaviour and Olmalo for the most gentle and friendly member of the group! Selengai and Sunyei, the two smallest calves, enjoy playing together and have formed a strong bond of friendship that will undoubtedly last a lifetime, whilst Wendi keeps a motherly eye on them all, happy to allow Olmalo and Napasha more independence. Tomboi is the most exuberant and mischievous little elephant, the elephant equivalent of “David Beckham” when it comes to games of football which the orphans enjoy playing with their Keepers. He kicks the ball with any of his four feet very accurately! Every day the Nursery elephants enjoy a running race with their Keepers, lining up at one end of a clearing in the forest, and when everyone is in place, tearing off at speed with ears out like saucers and trunks waggling! Napasha is something of a glutton, bellowing with disappointment whenever the last bottle has gone down, which is usually long before the others have finished! Selengai comes a close second in terms of appetite, whilst Olmalo, Sunyei and Wendi like to savour their milk and take their time, seemingly enjoying the frustration of Napasha and Selengai whilst doing so! Every day fun is had by chasing the warthogs, many of whom now have tiny piglets, and often the noon mudbath is disrupted by the appearance of one of our two, now independent, rhinos, Magnum or Makosa. Friday is Coconut Oil day, when they are anointed with Coconut oil as part of good skin care and when they literally gleam and look their best for all the visitors who come in droves every day between 11 a.m. and 12 noon to see them. Sunyei, being the smallest, enchants everyone, whilst the story of Wendi’s dramatic beginning touches peoples’ hearts. Tomboi is popular because of his spirit and mischievous character, whilst Olmalo is loved for her gentle nature. Even Natasha is now plump and settled, having initially suffered from bloat, his digestive system having been deprived of milk for some time. He is a hungry little elephant, who never wants to be starved of food again, and who bellows every time his allocation of milk is finished! He is also quite a loner, rather like Mpala, but has been befriended by Ol Malo, of whom he is very fond. Ol Malo, like Wendi, views herself also as a Mini Matriarch, with little Sunyei as her special baby, and Napasha also her particular responsibility. Tomboi enjoys romping with Napasha and is an exuberant and mischievous little character who chases the pigs, plays endlessly and is a favourite with everyone, whilst Selengai thinks first and foremost about food and is simply a member of the mini gang. Wendi, as always, is very protective of her charges, and, like Mweya, not averse to shoving a visitor paying too much attention to any of them! After a very shaky beginning, Wendi has turned out to be one of the healthiest of our infant elephants, who managed to cut her first molars without any problems, something that is unusual. As for Sunyei, she is a delight – a tiny little elephant who touches everyone’s heart, and who plays and plays and plays, without a care in the world! To begin with, he was viewed with suspicion by Wendi and Tomboi, because he was the same size, if not a little larger. However, tiny Sunyei, who is the most playful little elephant we have ever had, immediately romped up to him and made friends, and Olmalo, who adores Sunyei, followed suit. Very soon Tomboi decided that having another boy in the fold, even though a bit bigger, had to be a good thing, and once Wendi had accepted that he was not a threat to her position as Mini Matriarch of the Nursery group, she, too, greeted him warmly and welcomed him to the group. Selengai, who is a very self sufficient little elephant, and law unto herself and her bottle, pretended not to not to take much notice of a newcomer, living only for the next feed! She has shot up, and is the picture of health now, with the chubby cheeks of a thriving baby.
Seraa’s pneumonia of 2 years ago, that almost took her from us, is an even more distant memory, for she is now plump and healthy, Mpala and little Ol Malo who, for weeks, could not sleep at night being so psychologically traumatized, now enjoy untroubled and peaceful sleep, nightmares a thing of the past. Tomboi and Selengai have cut their first molars, over all the teething problems these usually bring and, Wendi, who owes her life to Thoma’s blood plasma, has been one of the fittest babies we have ever had, ever since! She is Mini-Mum to Selengai, firmly in control and resisting any competition for this role, whilst Seraa respects this whim, and is happy to shower Ol Malo with protective matriarchal affection. Morani and Mpala are best buddies, always feeding a little apart from the junior set and always together, and all the babies have greatly enjoyed the puddles, the mud and the greens brought on by the recent rains. Four orphaned elephants have come in from Laikipia district within the last few months, an indication that things are not as they should be for the elephants in that part of the world. An escalation of poaching is very evident in the North following the decision taken by CITES last year to ease the Ivory Ban. As yet, history does not relate what happened to the mothers of Tomboi, Wendi, Selengai, or the latest Nursery inmate little "Ol Malo", but the fact that they are here is not good elephant news. However, for them, they are the fortunate few, who will ultimately lead a natural and normal elephant life against embraced by another loving orphaned elephant family with all the older females to protect and care for them as they grow up under the care of their human family, who will be there for them as long as needed, and there for them even beyond that, should they be needed. Olmalo is one of the easiest orphans we have ever had, simply because she arrived in such good condition. The next morning she was out and about with the others, a hot favourite with Seraa, who has allowed Wendi to take control of little Sungelai. Whilst Seraa is resigned to allowing Wendi to be “mother”’to Sengelai, she is determined that Olmalo will be her “baby”, and wants her close at all times whilst Tomboi is happy to be everyone’s baby!
Immediately upon arrival, little Selengai settled in, drinking copious quantities of rehydration and during the course of that first night downing 15 pints of SMA Goldcap milk - not a bad start, although 18 would have been better. She was exhausted and slept well, cuddled up beside a Keeper and covered in a blanket. As usual, she was given the usual prophylactic injectible course of antibiotics. The welcome from the others the next day was very touching. They were all delighted to see her, Seraa acting as a little "mother", but Wendi also eager to play that role, pushing Seraa aside in a determined way. Seraa and Mpala are growing apace, and both now have tiny tusks that have broken through the lip and are visible when they proudly raise their trunks to show them off. Wendi is a very assertive little elephant, not unlike Mweya, who has a mind of her own and enjoys displaying her strength by charging the visitors, revelling in the raction! Tomboi obviously admires such antics, and hesitantly sometimes tries to do the same, but is a much gentler personality, and also a diminutive elephant. Wendi adores little Selengai, and wants to be her "mother", shoving Seraa aside whenever she tries to take control of the calf! Tomboi, usually so bouncy and playful, became dull and listless, and when there were signs of blood in his stool, we had to resort to a course of the usual sulphur-based antibiotic, followed by prophylaxis Septron, plus again weakening the dilution of his milk. This did the trick, and he is now back to good health again, sporting four tiny brand new teeth, one on each jaw. A very pleasant surprise has been Wendi, who despite being immune deficient on arrival, has managed to cut her first molars without a hitch, which must be a first! Obviously the infusion of plasma taken from Thoma has endowed her with a powerful immune system, and for this we are, indeed, relieved. She is quite a forceful little character, not unlike Mweya, prone to showing off her strength by giving an unsuspecting visitor a shove, but the waggling of a finger, and a displeased voice tone is having the desired affect. Both Wendi and Tomboi have managed to cut their first set of molars without a problem, which is unusual. They thrive, and are a great joy to all who meet them. Tomboi is a particularly playful little elephant, who enjoys standing on his nose and showing off to all onlookers. Wendi is quite "pushy", not unlike Mweya when she first arrived. But, the waggling of a finger, and severe voice tone are correcting this, and, hopefully, she will fall into line. Seraa is a very proud mini Matriarch of the two smaller babies, and also very protective of Mweya, especially when our Vet visits her! Mpala is something of a loner, and just gets on with whatever he is doing. He is plump, happy and doing fine, as is Seraa. The stars of the daily mudbath hour are, of course, tiny Wendi and Tomboi, who enchant everyone with their playful behaviour and trusting antics. |
