Our Christmas present: Sonje’s new baby, Sulve https://ift.tt/5qXnD7V Sulwe, our greatest Christmas present The guards suspected that a miracle was happening. the day before, Christmas Eve, Remember that seemed uncomfortable. She was lying on the floor and rolling around, just like Lima Lima did when she was in labor at the beginning of the month. Then she got up and moved to consult Murera and Lima Lima, seeking guidance from expert moms in preparing for her big day. When the night clubbers (including Sonje) and the orphans part ways that night, the team wonders if there’s a little present waiting for them on Christmas Day. They were not disappointed. At 7 o’clock the next morning, the night clubbers slowly approached the courtyards, hiding amazing objects between their large bodies. Amalie rushes in to reveal their secret, proudly appearing in front of her with two little babies: Lenny, Lima Lima’s son, and a tiny new addition to the world! Sonje gave birth during the night, with Lima Lima and Zongoloni supporting her as midwives. As soon as Amali heard the news, the celebration spread to Murera and the rest of the herd. The forest was filled with joyous commotion, the elephants were blowing their trumpets and even urinating everywhere, as if they had forgotten all manners. The guardians were very happy that Sonje had given them such a precious gift on Christmas Day. A herd celebrating Sulveni We named Sonje’s daughter Sulwe, which means “morning star” in Luo. It felt so fitting because we couldn’t have imagined a better or brighter way to celebrate our Christmas morning. The name has a special meaning for Philip, chief of Umani, who is from the Luo tribe. Sonje has been with her since kindergarten. Now, along with the other Umani guards, he becomes an honorary grandfather to his daughter. Sonje was a first-time mother, but her wealth of experience prepared her for this new role. In February 2012, when the second wave of ivory poaching hit Africa, we rescued Sonje. For several days he was markedly isolated, severely limping, and growing weaker by the minute. Like many orphans who have experienced great physical trauma and the vulnerability of loneliness, Sonje was so relieved by the kindness that she immediately embraced her new human-elephant family. After Sonjae arrived at the kindergarten, we learned that her condition was serious: her right knee was completely broken from a bullet or spear injury. While his injury was healing, his leg was a peg with very limited mobility. Sonje in 2013 — her injuries never stopped her from having fun! It was a lot to deal with, but ten days later an even more difficult event arrived on our doorstep. Murera stomped on the poacher’s poisoned head, then fell hard, weakening his hip. Likewise, he was deeply hurt and depressed. Sonje, who is no stranger to adversity, highlighted her neighbor’s plight. He was a godsend to Murera, providing moral support during the difficult times he spent healing in his backyard. When planning Sonje and Murera’s future, we knew we had to create a special path for them. Given their physical disabilities, they struggled to walk the long distances required to find food and water during Tsavo’s dry season. Our answer was Umani Springs, a new Reintegration Unit in the protected and evergreen Kibwezi Forest. That was ten years ago. Under the leadership of Sonje and Murera, Umani Springs has become a place where physically challenged orphans and their friends can reclaim their wild birthright. Here, elephants of all abilities can live as nature intended, but in a supportive environment. Sonje in her first pregnancy – still a great fun lover Sonje and Murera have always been matriarchs, and their roles have become more defined over the years. Due to an injured hip, Murera likes to return to the yard every evening and bond with the dependent herd. This hasn’t changed since becoming a mother in 2023; she goes to her bedroom with her daughter Mwana every night. Meanwhile, Sonje joins the “nightclubs,” where semi-independent orphans sleep in the woods. Both elephants lead their own herds, joining together to spend the day as a herd most mornings, and parting ways at bedtime. Our Umani herd is unique because wild living orphans have also chosen to bond closely with their elephant-human families. So we got an exclusive look at Sonja’s dating and pregnancy. He was an exceptionally handsome elephant who always set hearts aflutter in Kibwezi Forest. If there were any impressive bulls around, you could almost guarantee that they would have their eyes on Sonje. Sonje didn’t have enough suitors, but one elephant won her heart—a handsome bull we nicknamed Osama. He stuck with Sonje and the feeling was mutual; he behaved differently around her and was clearly very much in love. Osama would leave for months and then return to join Sonjae again. He had been chasing her for days, hoping to escort her to a private meeting in the woods. We believe it was during one of these meetings that she conceived Sulve. Osama is interested in Sonje We knew Sonje was due, but we never imagined a Christmas Day debut. Already, the Umani herd was in a pleasant mood, still a little bright Lenny’s birthday at the beginning of the month. The arrival of the second December baby makes us feel really happy. In fact, Umani is fast becoming a kindergarten! Now these two little ticks have become the center of attention. Even boisterous children are enchanted, but protective nannies rarely let them within reach of their precious babies’ trunks. It was especially wonderful to see how Umani’s first grandchild, Mwana, took to her new role. She initially saw Lenny’s birth as a personal affront that usurped her position as Umani’s baby. However, he resolved his grievances after a meeting chaired by Murera and Sonje. His mother and aunt Umani must have explained that the family is growing and everyone should be as kind as they were when Mwana was born and welcome new babies. Lenny and now Sulve and Umani are turning into Kindergarten! After this heartfelt outing, Mwana Jr. took on the role of nanny with gusto. He takes care of Lenny and Sulve like his own children and treats them with tenderness. In a perfect display of maturity and generosity, she allows them to nurse from her own mother! One afternoon, Lenny nursed Murera on one side, Sulwe on the other, while Mwana watched quietly. Sulwe is open-eyed, engaged and energetic – everything a newborn elephant should be. When he was only a day old, the herd was the first to send him to the water. Despite her young age, she proved to be a natural swimmer and seemed eager to show off her skills. As the months, years, and decades pass, we get to know Sulve even better. As mother Sonje, we know we can expect big things from this little elephant. As for us, we feel like proud grandparents, celebrating yet another bud of our growing Umani tree. Sonje and Sulve Sulve is Known 70th calf born an orphan, we rescued, raised, and returned to the wild. These wild-born babies are a great testament to the success of our orphan project, showing how one life saved can lead to generations of elephants. Wild-born babies like Sulwe are the future of Kenya’s elephants—they’re here today thanks to an orphan rescued years ago. Donors make this success story possible, allowing us to save today’s orphans and pave the way for generations of elephants. Donate #Christmas #present #Sonjes #baby #Sulve https://ift.tt/RaIxcJz
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