CHEMI CHEMI

UPDDATE

October 25, 2010

These days there seems to be dissention within the younger group of Nursery Elephants, Kalama, Kudup, Turkwel and Mutara. Although the youngest of the three females, Mutara wants to be the Leader, which is angering Kalama who is objecting! Turkwel relishes a scrap and has turned her attention from Chemi Chemi to Mutara. Mutara turned hurriedly to headbutt her aggressor, and accidentally got Kalama instead which triggered an angry reaction. Kudup, who was watching from a distance, came running to separate the warring parties, but Kalama stood her ground. The Keepers had to intervene to restore order! 

Once the orphans had emerged from their Night Stables first thing in the morning, Chemi Chemi and Turkwell, who are not on good terms with one another, began a pushing match which detiorated into a fight. Suguta took immediate action to separate them. She came in between them, her ears out and her trunk curled beneath her chin – a warning to them to behave! Chemi Chemi ran off to join Kibo, who was browsing nearby, while Turkwell went to hide behind Maxwell’s Stockade. 

Kalama’s group was having a wonderful time during the mudbath hour until a warthog and her piglets arrive to disrupt events. Kalama, Mutara and Kudup took action against the intruders who merely circled the wallow, prompting Chemi Chemi and Makireti to reinforce the expulsion process! 

The visitors really enjoy the mudbath hour, especially when the elephants get into it and roll around. Today Chemi Chemi was very active trying to knock the others down, especially Kalama, who often tries to discipline him. He is a very naughty little boy, and that is why the Keepers call him Al Quaida! 

As soon as the orphans left their Stables in the morning, Chemi Chemi challenged Kandecha to a pushing bout, but Kandecha proved that he was no push-over. Chemi Chemi always wants to test all the boundaries. 

It has taken Kandecha a long time to prove to Chemi Chemi that he is dominant, mainly because he wanted time alone when he first came in. However, now he is responding to Chemi Chemi’s challenge and the two are becoming good friends.

As soon as the stable doors were opened Kalama and Chemi Chemi engaged each other in a pushing game. The two continued strength testing until Kudup and Turkwel came to join them. Upon seeing Turkwel, Chemi Chemi turned his attention to her while Kalama went and played with Mutara. Sities took her usual position between Olare and Suguta while Kandecha went and feed close to Makireti. After about half an hour of play the orphans paid a visit to Murka who, due to her unpredictability, is still in her stockade. 

Suguta has found a new game that she loves and which she engages in during the public visiting hour. After having drunk her milk she quickly moves to the water troughs and kneels down using her head to tip the trough over. Mutara, Chemi Chemi and Shukuru idolize Suguta and quickly move to push the empty water drum around. Tumaren has taken to copying the naughty matriarch and pushes the next drum over. Kalama took the opportunity to roll around in the freshly poured water covering herself in mud while Olare flings her trunk around at the guests. This is highly entertaining for the guests who clap and laugh as they watch the events unfold. 

As usual Sities, Shukuru and Mutara amused themselves running around the stockades in chasing game watched over closely by Suguta. Tumaren invited Kibo for a pushing contest who was happy to accept the challenge. Turkwel and Chemi Chemi seem to get along well although this morning Turkwel was intent on stealing a branch that Chemi Chemi was happily munching on. The keepers had to intervene to prevent a fallout between the two orphans.

HE'S A LITTLE STINKER!

This is my foster son.   Isn't he adorable.  He's a little stinker too.  He's was about 8 month old and he was found in a mud hole.   He was born on Thursday, June 18, 2009.   There were no other elephants around. 

It was Sunday 21st February 2010 at about midday when the Manager of Loisaba Ranch Mr. Tom Silvester, received word from his ranch staff that a baby elephant had been spotted alone on the border of the Ranch with the tribal lands inhabited by the notorious warlike Pokot tribe, who are certainly not known to be ele-friendly. There poaching, cattle rustling, and resolving tribal vendettas is rife for Pokotland is a region where the long arm of the law is largely non-existent. The poaching of elephants for ivory, plus the killing of them for no other reason than that they are wild animals is common place, and as a result of this human/elephant conflict also takes a heavy toll of any elephants passing through Pokot country, as they have over millennia

The Ranch workers monitored the lone calf for the rest of the day, but there were no other elephants to be seen in the area, so as nightfall approached, Alistair Boyd, the manager of Loisaba lodge, decided to save the elephant baby. With the help of his Staff, he managed to overpower the calf, who was still sufficiently strong to put up a spirited struggle. However, once subdued and tied down, he was taken to the Ranch Headquarters, where he took water from a bucket, and was given an Attendant as company for the night. It must have been a pleasant surprise for the little elephant to find a human who was caring and friendly, who offered him greens and water, and communicated with him in a gentle voice. He responded, and calmed down.

At first light the rescue plane took off from Nairobi, armed with three Keepers, all the rescue paraphanalia, milk, rehydrants and the usual medicaton and headed for Loisaba in Laikipia district. The little elephant arrived in the Nursery ahead of Daphne, Angela and Robert, who were traveling by car from Tsavo at the time.

He was found near a small spring on the Ranch boundary, and was given the name “Chemi Chemi” which is the Swahili word for a Spring, since the Samburu or Pokot tribal name for a Spring was too difficult for most people to pronounce correctly. Little Chemi Chemi, or Chem Chem for short, who is approximately eight months old we think settled in instantly, especially when he found Melia next door to him. The very next morning he was allowed out to meet all 19 Nursery inmates, who embraced him instantly. From the start, he took milk from a bottle gratefully, attended the noon mudbath, which he enjoyed immensely, and clearly loved once again being part of an elephant herd, albeit one of miniatures. Olare, who has the makings of a very caring and proficient little Matriarch was, and is, exceedingly protective of him, and being of Northern elephant stock, where the population has been distilled until only the fittest have managed to survive, he will make a wonderful addition to our orphaned herd.

Little Chemi Chemi brings the Nursery herd back to 20 and is a very friendly and forgiving little elephant, for he must have witnessed much violence against his kind in the past, not least the possible slaughter of his elephant mother either from poaching or human/wildlife conflict.

The orphans browsed peacefully in the forest, Sities sandwiched between Suguta and Olare enjoying the loving of both older girls. Sities then saw Chemi Chemi and Kibo playing a pushing game and decided to join them, running to come between the two boys and got pushed down by Kibo, who was targeting Chemi Chemi but got Sities instead. She screamed and within a second Suguta, Tumaren and Olare were there. Suguta went for Kibo who was standing over Sities as she was getting up, probably wanting to say “sorry”, but Suguta knocked him to his knees. Chemi Chemi wisely took off at speed to avoid being punished. During the mudbath hour, a lion came to the nearby rocks adjoining the forest, eyeing the warthogs who were near the elephants t the mudbath. The warthogs disappeared post- haste!