In Ithumba, May began with Neshashi vying for first place. Olorien led the way out to the bush in the morning, as has become her tradition. Midway through, however, she was usurped by Neshashi, who overtook her with a quick gait and flapping ears. Neshashi never likes to see any of her friends get ahead of her!
The orphans left the stockade early as usual and settled for some lucerne. Shortly later Olorien led the way out to the bush, but midway she was overtaken by Neshashi. Neshashi never likes to see any of her friends getting ahead of her, so she raced to be in front of Olorien. The orphans chose to browse in the Kanziku area, while keeping their eyes peeled for the ex-orphans too. The Keepers have come to realise the ex-orphans will look for any opportunity to take some of the youngsters with them! They have already managed to steal Esoit, and after we managed to retrieve Esoit, they then kidnapped Lodo.
The orphans browsed calmly as they slowly headed towards the mud bath. Jotto led the first group for the noon milk feed and Kuishi led the second group. Just as the last orphans were finishing their bottles, the heavens opened and it started pouring with rain. As usual, this initiated a playful mood amongst the orphans who started running around chasing each other and rolling on the ground. It rained hard, but not for long. The orphans continued rolling on the wet soil even when the rain came to and end, and when they had enough, Mukkoka led the way for everyone to continue browsing, which they did quietly for the rest of the day.
While his friends enjoyed some lucerne this morning, Jotto decided to have some fun and got down to roll on the ground. Olorien was close to Jotto and decided to scratch against his big body, as Jotto didn’t seem to mind. Naleku came over and continued scratching against Jotto where Olorien had left! When she was finished scratching against Jotto, Naleku moved on to a nearby rock where she continued her morning activity. Shortly later, Neshashi, the girl who likes to lead, took everyone out to the bush.
The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Olorien chose to browse with Musiara and later moved to join her new stockade-mate, Esoit. The ground was still wet from the rain yesterday and the orphans took a break from feeding to play in the moist soil. Dololo took an advantage of Suguroi lying down and tried to climb on her. After playing on the ground, Jotto engaged Rapa in a pushing game while Ambo left with his best friend Kamok, only to return later when everyone was heading to the mud bath for the noon milk feed. The orphans had their milk and then jumped into the main waterhole to swim and cool off. Randomly, it was Larro and Barsilinga who were the last ones to leave the mud bath today.
For a change, the orphans went east of Ithumba Hill to browse for the rest of the day. We mounted another ground search for the ex-orphans in this area to see if we could retrieve Lodo. In the evening, Challa showed up at the stockade compound, and this gave us hope that the ex-orphans might be closer than we thought, after failing to find them during our search.
A herd of buffaloes passed by close to the stockades this morning. As the orphans came out to enjoy their lucerne, Esoit raised his trunk up to detect what kind of animals were passing by. Sana Sana and Jotto decided to warm up their sleepy limbs by rolling on the ground. After the orphans had enough lucerne, Naboishu led the way out. Nabulu and Ambo stayed back and had some water at the water troughs before following their friends. The orphans settled to browse east of the hill. Olorien and Esoit took a break from feeding to have a soil dusting game as they walked on the road. Sagateisa, Malkia and Kuishi came to join in. Later, Malkia and Kuishi decided to have more fun by rolling on the ground.
Meanwhile, the search for Lodo continued. Yatta, Yetu, Yoyo, Yogi, Sunyei, Siku, Saba, Ithumbah, Iman, Kilabasi, Kofi, Makireti, Narok, Naisula, Nyx, Mteto, Esampu, Maramoja, Kinna, Kama, Kaia and Makena were spotted west of Ithumba Hill, but unfortunately Lodo wasn’t with them. This could only mean that he was still with the other ex-orphans, in Wendi’s herd, who we didn’t see today.
The dependent orphans had their milk at eleven o'clock and continued browsing for the rest of the afternoon, which was very subdued as they focused on filling their tummies.
The orphans left the stockades soon after finishing their milk and settled for some lucerne, while some of the Keepers left early in the morning to resume the search for Lodo. The Keepers went east of stockades towards Kalovoto, where fortunately they managed to spot Wendi, Lualeni and their babies, as well as Lodo! The Keepers carefully directed the group towards the stockade compound. Luckily, the group complied, even bolshy Wendi! Once they got closer to the stockades, some milk was prepared and brought to Lodo, which he drank very quickly, having missed his bottles for four days now. The dependent orphans were still feeding on lucerne and Lodo was steered by the Keepers to re-join his friends.
There was a bit of resistance from Wendi, who didn't want us to take Lodo, but we quickly thought of a diversion tactic. We brought out a whole sack of range cubes and gave them to Wendi and her little group. This worked a treat: While Wendi was preoccupied feasting on the pellets, the Keepers quickly took Lodo and rest of the orphans away from the stockade and walked far into the bush. Lodo, who had made friends with many of the ex-orphans babies — Sita, Lapa, Wema, and Weka — was of two minds. He seemed as though he wanted to go back to his newfound friends, yet at the same time, wanted to stay with the dependent orphans. The Keepers also noticed his hesitation and knew they would have to avoid the ex-orphans for a while so as to avoid losing Lodo again. While he still needs his milk, he is just too young to be with them full-time. Perhaps one day, when he is a bit older, he will be able to join them again!
Out in the bush nearly all the orphans wanted to know why Lodo had been away for so long. Mukkoka, Esoit, Naleku, Naboishu, Olorien, Roho and Kuishi all surrounded Lodo as if to hear his stories. Esoit entwined his trunk with Lodo's, as if welcoming an old brother. Fearing they might encounter the kidnappers at the main mud bath, the Keepers directed the orphans to have their noon milk feed in the Kone area, before having some water from the dam there. The rest of the day was quiet, as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing. In the evening, Lodo followed Olorien and Esoit back into their shared stockade for the night.
The orphans settled for some lucerne as soon as they came out of their stockades this morning. Twenty minutes later, the ex-orphans emerged from southeast and of course we were immediately concerned about Lodo. The Keepers didn’t hang around to wait for a tussle over the little boy, so they called the orphans and took them around the hill behind the compound. Elephants are very clever, however, and the ex-orphans knew the Keepers were running away from them. Refusing to be foiled, they went to lay an ambush on the path used by the orphans when going to the mud bath. Apparently, it has become a game of hide and seek apparently!
Throughout the morning, Lodo settled to browse with Naleku and later moved to join Olorien. Sagateisa chose to browse with Musiara while Rapa teamed up with Mapia. Kuishi settled to browse with Jotto. At one time, she took a break from browsing to try and push down a tree, but she didn’t manage to topple it. She needed more strength or support from a friend. Later, Esoit challenged Roho. However, their game didn't go on for long, as Sana Sana came over to separate them. She then got down on her knees and started playing a game of rolling on the ground, as if trying to entice some of the youngsters to play with her. Esoit and Malkia joined her on the ground.
Later, the orphans went round the hill and had their eleven o'clock milk in the stockade compound, before walking to the Kone area again. The orphans crossed the dam then climbed up the eastern side of the Ithumba Hill where they settled to browse. It was a quiet afternoon as the orphans browsed calmly for the rest of the day.
Today the ex-orphans tried to outsmart the Keepers and were at the stockade compound early in the morning. The orphans made their way carefully through the herd of ex-orphans and headed straight out to browse without stopping for any lucerne. The Keepers didn’t want to risk them hanging around!
While browsing in the Kone area, Olorien teamed up with Naleku and Larro to feed. At the same time, they competed who amongst them would be slightly ahead of the others. The ex-orphans kept following the orphans right up to mud bath time when they got tired of being dodged by the Keepers, and after mud bath they left and walked towards the Imenti area while the dependent orphans returned to Kone. Ambo took a break from feeding to have a game of rolling on the ground. Jotto and Kuishi were feeding close to Ambo and decided to join him. Jotto took a break and was messing around on the ground but then struggled to get up. After shifting about in various positions, he eventually managed to right himself. Suguroi, Naleku and Roho moved away from others and only returned later in the day to re-join their friends. The rest of the orphans browsed calmly for the rest of the day. In the evening, Larro led the first group back to the stockades while Olorien led the second group.
Part of the ex-orphan herd spent the night outside the compound. It’s amazing to note that while they had Lodo, they didn’t step foot near the Ithumba compound — but now that Lodo is back in the fold, they show up on a near-daily basis, either in the morning or in the evening! We are not sure what plan they might be hatching, so the Keepers will have to remain on high alert, just in case they try to kidnap Lodo or one of the other new babies again. They are not trying to do harm or be malicious, they just love babies so much!
Because the ex-orphans were around, the orphans headed straight out to browse as soon as they left their night stockades. The walked north of the compound which is where they settled to browse. Lodo teamed up with Sattao while Olorien chose to browse with Nabulu. Roho rolled on the ground for a while, while Naboishu teamed up with Kuishi.
At eleven o'clock in morning, Olorien, Lodo and Esoit, who are slowly learning the daily routine from their seniors, headed to the mud bath in the first group. The orphans had their milk then slowly sauntered over to the mud bath for a swim. Larro and Sagateisa emerged as the stars of the day. The two girls splashed around in the water using their trunks and legs, while trumpeting at the same time, and they were the last ones to leave the mud bath as well.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area, where they had a quiet time. Olorien, Lodo and Esoit looked calm and followed the other orphans while they still learn the ropes here at Ithumba. In the evening, once again Larro led the first group home while Olorien led the second group back to stockades. Shortly before six o'clock in the evening, Kithaka, who we haven’t seen for a while, emerged from the east of the compound. He is still limping, but not as bad as he used to! Kithaka settled to drink water and thereafter joined the night gang including his best friend Barsilinga, Sana Sana, Kauro, Malkia and Kamok.
Today, the orphans chose to have some lucerne which the Keepers put out for them soon after leaving their stockades. Kithaka, who arrived at the compound last night and joined the night gang, joined the dependent orphans in the morning. Kuishi appears to be falling in love with little Esoit and walked side by side with him. Shortly later, Neshashi and Olorien led the way out to browse.
Kuishi engaged Kauro in a pushing game. However, it didn't last for long, as she couldn't quite match Kauro’s strength. Sattao rolled around on the ground and threw his trunk in the air as if showing off. Roho came over and tried to engage Sattao in a wrestling match while Sattao was still on the ground. Ambo played with Dololo and later turned on Musiara. At one point, the orphans were briefly joined by Challa. They raised their trunks high in the air to greet Challa, and Mapia, Ndiwa, Nabulu and Malkia, who are part of the night gang, decided to follow him when he left.
The orphans browsed quietly as they slowly headed towards the mud bath. They had their noon milk feed then scattered out in the bush close by to continue feeding. Kuishi took her darling Esoit to cool off in the small mud wallow, and when they were done, they walked off together to continue browsing. Roho and Musiara came across a nice tree that they used to scratch their backs and bellies against. Sana Sana settled to browse with her favourite Naboishu, while Olorien teamed up with Larro. The orphans then chose to browse in the Kanziku area for the rest of the afternoon and had a quiet time. In the evening, only Sana Sana and Malima from the night gang decided to return to the stockade with the rest of the juniors.
Olorien was the first one to leave the stockades this morning, followed by Esoit. Lodo left with a branch in his mouth that he continued to enjoy while waiting for the lucerne to be distributed. Shortly later, Olorien walked down to the water trough with Musiara to drink water, where they were soon joined by the rest of orphans.
While walking along, Jotto came across a nice rock that he used to scratch his belly on. Sana Sana took her favourite Naboishu to browse with him away from the others. As the day progressed, Jotto and Kuishi came across a small pool of water which they splashed about in.
On the way to the mud bath the orphans were joined by Kithaka and Enkikwe. It was nice to spend time with them. Both Kithaka and Enkikwe have a little limp and they probably like spending time with one another for that reason. The dependent orphans had their milk bottles and then went straight back out to browse without wallowing. Browsing to the west of the hill, Mapia teamed up with Jotto while Suguroi chose to browse with Rapa before moving to join Naleku. The rest of the afternoon was quiet as the orphans browsed calmly throughout the remaining part of the day.
Just as the orphans were tucking into some lucerne, Nasalot, Noah, Nusu, Lenana, Lapa, Mulika, Ukame, Mwende, Mkuu, and a wild bull emerged from the east and joined the orphans. The wild bull was in musth and got all the orphans excited; they ran about trumpeting and bellowing. Noah sidled up to Sagateisa to start a wrestling match with her, but Sagateisa was ready for the challenge. She soon won the match as Noah decided to surrender, so she turned her attention to Lapa, who was close by. She greeted him and Lapa invited her to share lucerne with him. Once the wild bull started to walk out to the bush, the orphans decided to follow him. Jotto stayed behind and played on the water trough. Perhaps he knew the Keepers would intervene and call the orphans back to stop following the wild bull! The orphans listened to the Keepers and changed direction, and Jotto ran to catch up with them.
The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area and fed quietly alongside one another as they made their way towards the mud bath. Kuishi and Sana Sana briefly browsed next to Esoit and then Sana Sana moved to browse with Naboishu.
After the noon milk feed, most of the orphans decided to go swimming. Narok, who was responsible for kidnapping Lodo the other day, appeared with some other independent orphans and forced her way into the water to join the orphans to wallow. This made the Keepers uncomfortable, as they knew what happened last time Narok joined the dependent babies! They didn’t want a repeat of that, so as soon as the orphans came out of the water, the Keepers called them and walked off east into the bushes with them, leaving Narok behind. Narok had come with Nabulu, Mapia, Barsilinga, Kamok, Kauro, Enkikwe, and Malkia who don't spend the night in the stockades these days. Narok looked disappointed when she realised that the Keepers had realised her intentions, and she left with her small team, perhaps hoping to try her luck again another day. Lualeni, Lulu, Lexi, Chyulu, Karisa and Cheka passed by and followed the direction taken by Narok. The orphans browsed quietly for the rest of the day.
Ambo and Sattao entwined their trunks in the morning soon after leaving their stockades. Esoit stood complaining about something, in a low rumbling noise, but we weren’t sure what he was upset about. Kuishi and Sana Sana immediately rushed to check on what was wrong with Esoit. The two girls put their trunks in Esoit’s mouth and on his back to reassure him, and Esoit calmed down immediately. Kuishi and Sana Sana then placed the little boy in between them and escorted him to the lucerne feeding area.
Ambo walked over to greet Naboishu before the two boys walked down to the water trough to quench their thirst. The rest of their friends decided to follow them and soon the whole herd was enjoying water together. Ambo seems to have woken up in a playful mood today, and as all the orphans started to walk out to the bush, he decided to engage Musiara in a pushing game. Their game lasted for quite some time, until eventually Ambo decided to surrender. Neshashi led the orphans to the Kone area where they settled to browse. Olorien teamed up with Ambo while Kuishi chose to browse with Esoit. As the morning progressed, Olorien, Esoit and Naleku came across some loose soil where they decided to have some fun, rolling around and throwing soil everywhere. Sagateisa liked the look of their game but didn’t want to join in, so she moved to a nearby spot and had her own fun rolling on the ground.
Mapia, Kamok, Rapa and Kauro, who spend most of their nights out these days, joined the orphans on the way to the mud bath. Jotto interacted with his friend Mapia, perhaps wanting to find out what life is like outside of the stockades. Mapia must only have had good things to say, as he is clearly enjoying his time in the wild!
It was a short mud bath session today as the orphans had their bottles then walked straight back out to browse without wallowing. Olorien settled to browse with Kamok while Lodo teamed up with Esoit. Later, Kamok, Rapa, Mapia, Malkia and Kauro parted ways with the juniors and walked off into the bush. On the way back to the stockades the rest of the group came across a small pool of water where they had a bush mud bath, before Roho led the way back to the stockades.
The orphans left the stockades early as usual and settled for some lucerne. When he was done, Mukkoka walked down to the water trough, followed by Lodo and Esoit. Shortly later, the rest of the herd followed them. Neshashi was the first to finish drinking and he decided which way the orphans were going to go this morning.
Naleku teamed up with Suguroi to browse while Kuishi chose to accompany little Esoit. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area again this morning where they were joined briefly by a wild bull. They were quite excited to meet this bull and raised their trunks up in greeting, trying to smell as much as they could about him. They were very impressed by his size, but the wild bull walked away when he heard the Keepers talking close by. The orphans raised their trunks up again as if bidding farewell to the wild bull.
Roho continued browsing with Lodo while Olorien chose to browse next to Musiara. At eleven o'clock in the morning, Larro led the way to the mud bath. While the orphans were there, Nasalot, Noah, Nusu and a wild elephant arrived. The little rascal Noah engaged Sagateisa in a pushing game. Naboishu came over to back Sagateisa up and pushed Noah away. The ever-playful Suguroi ended up following Noah however, requesting him to have a pushing game with her, which Noah immediately accepted. Noah’s elder brother Nusu, meanwhile, was trying to challenge both Sattao and Musiara. In the end Nusu had to surrender as he couldn’t withstand the strength of both bulls at the same time! Nasalot ended up taking her two spirited babies away and she walked to join some other elephants who were relaxing under a tree nearby.
In the afternoon the orphans chose to browse in an area east of the hill. Kuishi stuck to her favourite Esoit for the rest of the day and browsed right beside him, showing him all the best bushes to browse from. At one point, Kauro decided to leave with Mapia, Barsilinga and Enkikwe and they disappeared off into the bush. In the evening, Olorien led the way back to the stockades for the night.
After the gates were opened for the orphans in the morning, Jotto decided to wander over to the neighbouring stockade and found himself a nice branch that he picked up and continued feeding on. As the orphans started feeding on lucerne they were joined by Kitirua, Kasigau and two wild elephants. One of the wild elephants had a young baby which immediately attracted the attention of Malkia and Naleku. Malkia walked over to the baby and stood right beside it before Naleku came over to join them and play with the baby too.
Jotto led the orphans to browse in the Kone area. Ambo and Musiara engaged each other in a pushing game but it didn't last long; Ambo surrendered and walked to join Neshashi who was browsing quietly.
Overall it was a very quiet morning as the orphans browsed calmly right up until it was time to go to the mud bath for their noon milk feed. Roho was feeling hungry for his milk and led the first group to have their bottles. When everyone was done they started walking back out to the bushes, indicating to the Keepers that none of them felt like wallowing.
While browsing in the area known as Kanziku, Kauro, Mapia, Barsilinga, Kamok and Rapa, who haven’t returned to the stockades for the last two nights, joined the orphans briefly, before disappearing off into the bush again.
The sky was clear this morning as the orphans left the stockades. We’re not sure whether this means the rains have gone completely or this is just a break; only time will tell! As soon as the orphans came outside, Esoit tried to challenge Roho, but Roho was more than ready for the challenge. Their pushing game lasted for quite a while! At last, Esoit decided to surrender since Roho was proving to be a tough match this morning – he was clearly throwing all his effort in!
After the orphans were done feeding on Lucerne, Roho led the way out. Malkia decided to escort little Esoit. She is so happy to have these new little ones in the dependent herd! While the orphans decided to browse in the Kone area, Kuishi teamed up with Sattao while Naleku browsed with Suguroi. Later, Roho, Sagateisa, Olorien, Ambo and Jotto took a break from feeding to have fun playing on the ground. Roho appears to have woken up in a playful mood today, and when he was done with that group he walked over to Naboishu to play with him too. The tough Naboishu emerged as the winner however, and Roho surrendered. Roho moved to try his luck in wrestling with Dololo, but he was defeated in that game as well! Sattao challenged Jotto and the two bulls played together until it was time to head to the mud bath.
While the orphans were at the main mud wallow, they were briefly joined by wild-living orphan Taita. Mukkoka, Sagateisa and Sana Sana decided to have a mud bath in a small pool of water close to the main mud bath, while Jotto, Sattao, Esoit, Musiara and Kuishi followed Taita to have a drink at the mud bath water trough. After having enough water, Taita said goodbye to the orphans. Esoit and Lodo tried to follow Taita but were called back by the Keepers – they weren’t prepared to have to launch another search party! Olorien, Suguroi and Naleku dusted themselves with some loose soil. Ambo tried three times to escape to go and look for his friend Kamok, who hadn’t shown up today to say hello. The Keepers managed to keep him close because they knew if Ambo got away and found Kamok, that would be the end of him being dependent on them and sleeping in the stockades at night, and they weren’t sure if he was ready for that yet. In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. Larro browsed with little Esoit while Sana Sana teamed up with Sattao. The rest of the day was quiet as the orphans concentrated on browsing without any distractions.
It was a clear morning when the orphans were let out. Naisula, who appears to be slowly forming her own group, was present. Her daughter, Nyx, is a favourite of all the dependent girls. Her nannies include Esampu, Mteto, Maramoja, Ndiwa, Malima, and now the latest is Nabulu. After feeding on lucerne, the orphans headed to Kone area while Naisula took her small team to join the other ex-orphans.
At the browsing field, the playful Suguroi came across a log of wood that she pushed and kicked with her back legs. After having enough fun with the log, Suguroi teamed up with Musiara and Malkia to browse while Olorien settled with Lodo. Naboishu, Sattao, Esoit, Sagateisa, and Kuishi took a break from feeding to have fun by rolling on the ground. At eleven o'clock in the morning, Olorien led the way to the mud bath. The orphans had their milk, then scattered near each other, performing different activities. Jotto played with Naboishu while Roho, Neshashi, and Naleku had mud bath at a small water hole. Nasalot, Noah, Kaia, Lualeni, Lulu, Lexi, Galana, Mulika, Mwende, and Mkuu showed up at mud bath but didn't interact with the orphans. The ex-orphans enjoyed a cooling off exercise for quite some time before leaving to an undisclosed location. In the afternoon, Lodo settled to browse with Musiara while Larro teamed up with Malkia. Kamok, Rapa, and Mapia were spotted at a roadside mudbath doing their own things. In our view, Kamok is trying to form her own group. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockade.
The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. The ex-orphans passed close by heading for mud bath. The orphans headed to Kone area where they settled to browse the entire morning. Mukkoka browsed with Sagateisa while Malkia settled with Sattao. It was all quiet up to mud bath time, when Olorien led the first group. After the orphans had their milk, Naleku, Olorien, Lodo, Esoit, and Suguroi settled to a nearby drying water hole for a mud bath. Sana Sana Jotto, Kuishi, Musiara, Sagateisa, and Ambo went to a different water hole to have a cooling off exercise. The ex-orphans showed up at the mud bath and jumped into the water for wallowing. Makena walked towards the orphans to say hi, as Naleku walked towards the ex-orphans to find a baby of her size to play. Naleku didn't succeed in getting any baby to play, and so she returned to her colleagues. In the afternoon, the sun was hot and the orphans took a break from feeding and relaxed under a tree until the temperatures dropped to a favourable level when they resumed browsing. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockades.
The ex-orphans flooded the stockade compound when the orphans were leaving the stockade after getting their morning milk. The orphans interacted briefly with the ex-orphans then parted ways. Lodo and Esoit tried to run away with the ex-orphans, but the Keepers countered them and made them return to join their colleagues. The orphans settled to browse North of the stockade as the ex-orphans headed east. Lodo teamed up with Naleku while Sagateisa teamed up with Kuishi. Esoit and Olorien browsed close to the Keepers. Roho joined Malkia as Sana Sana spent most of her time browsing with her favourite, Naboishu. As time progressed, the orphans came across still water that Kuishi, Lodo. Jotto, Sattao, and Mukkoka used to cool themselves down by splashing water behind their ears. At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk, then Suguroi led the way to the big mud bath dam where all the orphans got in to wallow. Kuishi, Malkia, and Musiara were the last ones to quit as they extended their wallowing. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. Jotto settled to browse with Naboishu while Ambo engaged Sattao into a pushing game. The two boys resumed browsing soon after getting tired of their pushing game. In the evening, Roho led the way back to the stockade.
The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. They were joined by Kithaka, who later escorted them to the browsing field. Roho had a game of rolling on the ground. Esoit, who loves playing with Roho, came over and started pushing him up. Roho quit the game of rolling on the ground to play with Esoit. As soon as Roho was on his feet, Esoit changed his mind and walked away. Sana Sana rumbled, signalling to her colleagues that it was time to go. Naleku made sure that she was a head of everybody as Neshashi tried to overtake her.
At the browsing field, Ambo had a brief conversation with Jotto that didn't last for long. It is not clear what the two boys were discussing. Our guess is, Ambo wanted Jotto’s assistance in locating his favourite, Kamok, who has since left the stockade to start a wild life with Rapa, Mapia, and Kauro. Roho tackled Sagateisa and later played with Naboishu. Neshashi teamed up with Suguroi in browsing while Mukkoka settled to play with Musiara. Shortly before mud bath time, Sagateisa and Ambo had a game of rolling on the ground. At mud bath time, Suguroi led the first group for the noon bottle feeds. After taking their milk, the orphans settled for a mud bathing exercise before Naleku led the way back to the browsing field. Olorien and Sagateisa found nice trees that they used to scratch against. The orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba hill. Musiara engaged Ambo into a pushing game while Malkia played Jotto. Dololo winded up the day’s activities by playing with Mukkoka. In the evening, the ex-orphans passed at the stockade area, heading west into an undisclosed location.
Barsilinga, Enkikwe, Chyulu, and Cheka joined the orphans in the morning. Chyulu and Cheka briefly settled on lucerne. Roho came close to Cheka and tried to entice him into a pushing game. Cheka declined and held closely to his mother, as he knew what Roho wanted. The moment he would have fallen into Roho’s trick, the other boys would have joined to wrestle him. To avoid all this drama, Cheka decided not to play at all. Moments later, Chyulu walked away with her son. Sattao followed them a distance, then changed his mind. Enkikwe held a brief meeting with Barsilinga. Later, Musiara engaged Barsilinga into a light pushing game. Esoit rumbled, registering some complaint. This saw Kuishi running to check what was happening to her baby. Esoit calmed down when Kuishi came and stood close to him. Shortly later, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. Esoit came across a fallen tree that he used to scratch his belly.
It was a quiet morning; the orphans browsed slowly as they headed towards the mud bath. At eleven o'clock in the morning, Olorien led the first group while Larro led the second one. Soon after taking their milk, Suguroi led the team into a mud bathing exercise that lasted for quite some time. When the orphans had enough of wallowing, Neshashi led the way back to the browsing field. Jotto teamed up with Sattao as Naboishu scratched his belly on shrubs. Malima, Ndiwa, and Nabulu, who had joined the orphans in the morning, parted ways with the juniors and disappeared into undisclosed location. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockade.
Mapia, Kauro, and Ndiwa reported in the morning. Ambo walked to the water trough, where Mapia and Kauro were drinking. Ambo entwined his trunk with Mapia and later with Kauro in greetings. Ambo engaged Kauro into a pushing game as he tried to find out where they had parted ways with Kamok and Rapa, since they all left together few days ago. After feeding on lucerne, the orphans joined Kauro in drinking water. Later, Naleku led the way to the browsing field.
On the way, Jotto engaged Mapia into a pushing game that ended when Kauro intervened. Mukkoka settled to browse with Naleku while Mapia played with Ambo. Lodo teamed up with Suguroi in browsing while Sana Sana teamed up with her favourite, Naboishu. Jotto settled to browse Sagateisa as Neshashi kept on running ahead of everyone. Olorien had a brief chat with Naleku while Esoit had light pushing game with Roho. At mud bath time, Naleku led the first group while Olorien led the second group. After the orphans took their milk, Naleku, Suguroi, and Sattao were the first ones to jump into the mud for a cooling off exercise. The rest of their colleagues joined in and had a spectacular wallowing before Sana Sana led the way to the browsing field. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba hill. It was a hot afternoon; the orphans took a break from feeding then resumed soon when the temperatures dropped to a favourable level. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockades.
The sky was clear and the orphans left the stockades soon after taking their milk. It appears that the rains have ended without giving any notification. The orphans settled for lucerne, then Neshashi led the way to browse in the Kone area. Kuishi took Esoit and browsed a distance away from their colleagues. Sattao had a brief conversation with Suguroi and thereafter resumed to browse. Sagateisa developed an itchy neck and found a nice tree that she scratched. Lodo settled to browse with Olorien.
Dololo had a disagreement with Musiara. Their disagreement escalated into a fight, but luckily Kauro and his team arrived and intervened by separating the two fighting boys. The orphans browsed slowly as they headed towards mud bath. Olorien, who has gotten used to the normal routine of her colleagues, led the first group to the mud bath while Larro led the second group. While she was having her second bottle, Naleku decided to run with it and dropped it close to where she wanted to have a mud bath. The orphans played in a close by mud soon after taking their milk. After having enough of mud bathing, Sana Sana led the orphans into a soil bathing exercise. Mapia had a brief strength testing exercise with Jotto that ended into a draw. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse east of Ithumba hill. Naboishu engaged Dololo into a pushing game that was disrupted by Mapia. In the evening, Suguroi led the way back to the stockades.
Kauro, Mapia and Rapa showed up in the morning and joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. Afterwards, Roho engaged Esoit into a pushing game. Mapia, who was nearby, intervened and separated the two boys. Malima found a suitable rock that she used to scratch her bottom. Rapa engaged Jotto into pushing game that ended into a draw. Later, Jotto walked over to Mapia and engaged him to a strength testing exercise. Their game too ended into a draw. The orphans headed north of stockades where they settled for browsing. Sana Sana teamed up with Kuishi while Naleku settled to browse with Suguroi.
Lodo was pushed by Naboishu as he enjoyed feeding on a shrub. Lodo didn't complain and instead chose to move away. This was wise; complaining would be futile, as he is too small to outmatch Naboishu. Larro settled to browse with Malkia while Larro teamed up with Malkia and later Roho. The orphans browsed calmly as they headed towards mud bath. At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk then had mud bath before heading for a soil bathing exercise. Mukkoka engaged Dololo into a strength testing exercise as Roho attempted to ride on Olorien. In the afternoon, the sun was hot and the orphans took a break from feeding to relax under trees until the temperatures dropped to a favourable level. The orphans resumed to browse and at five o'clock in the evening, Suguroi led the first group back to the stockades.
Kitirua, a wild elephant, and her baby joined the orphans in the morning for feeding of lucerne. Esoit and Roho ganged up against the wild baby, as they wanted to push it away. The wild baby rightfully complained to its mother, who warned Roho and Esoit to stop messing up with her baby if they wanted peace. Esoit and Roho chose peace and walked away, hoping to meet another time, far away from its mother. At the browsing field, Roho teamed up with Neshashi while Ambo settled with Musiara. Esoit found a nice rock that he used to scratch his belly. As the day progressed, Neshashi came across a rock that she used to scratch her bottom.
The ex-orphans visited the stockades at around eight o'clock in morning with Sunyei, who happens to be in season. She was sought after by four wild bulls. Kuishi settled to browse with Esoit. At mud bath time, Olorien led the first group for the eleven o'clock milk feeds. The weather was cool and as soon as the orphans had their milk, Neshashi led the way back to the browsing field. In the afternoon, Jotto teamed up with Olorien while Mukkoka engaged Ambo in a strength testing exercise. The orphans settled to browse at Kone area and browsed calmly throughout the remaining part of the day.
The sky was clear when the orphans left the stockades in the morning. They settled briefly for lucerne before Ambo and Musiara led the team to drink water at the stockades water trough. Larro led the way to the browsing field. Esoit settled to browse with his favourite sister Kuishi and later moved to browse with Musiara. Larro teamed up with Olorien while Naleku teamed up with Suguroi. The orphans settled to browse at Kone area. The rest of the morning was quiet as the orphans browsed calmly while heading towards mud bath. At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk then Naleku led the way to the wallowing. Sagateisa, Lodo, Mukkoka, Larro, Musiara, and Ambo emerged as the stars of the day by prolonging their wallowing for longer. Sagateisa and Larro were whipping water using their trunks. On the way out, Ambo engaged Musiara into a strength testing exercise that lasted for a long time. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. It was a quiet afternoon as the orphans browsed calmly throughout the remaining part of the day.
It was a big day for our Ithumba family, as we awoke eager to welcome the three newest graduates from our Nairobi Nursery. There was an excited mood amongst the team, showing that a momentous event was about to happen. The truck carrying Kinyei, Kindani, and Bondeni arrived shortly before eight thirty in the morning. The three babies were offloaded and welcomed by bottles of milk, then walked down to the water trough to wait for Ithumba team.
Olorien, Esoit, and Lodo arrived first to welcome their friends from Nairobi. The air was filled with bellows of excitement as the two groups met and mingled. Esoit had a confrontation with Kindani that ended into a sort of fight, but this was quickly forgotten. The rest of the group arrived and familiarised themselves with the new arrivals. Thereafter, Suguroi led the way to the browsing field. At around ten o'clock in the morning, Mutara’s group arrived. They have been away for five months, but on this auspicious day, they showed up at the stockade compound.
At eleven o'clock in the morning, Bondeni, Kindani, and Kinyei attended their first mud bath at Ithumba. The ex-orphans showed up at mud bath to join the festivities. Sunyei, who is in season, was being followed by several wild bulls. The biggest bull was harassing the junior bulls to stop following Sunyei. The Keepers withdrew their orphans to avoid conflict with the wild bull. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kone area. Bondeni, Kinyei, and Kindani browsed close to the Keepers. Olorien, Esoit, and Lodo kept close to the new arrivals. The day ended well, and the orphans returned back safely to the stockades. Kinyei, Kindani, and Bondeni were allocated a bedroom with Suguroi, Naleku, Sagateisa, and Roho on one side and Esoit, Olorien, and Lodo on the other. They were calm there because each side they turned, they could see their friends.
Kindani, Kinyei, and Bondeni were up in the morning after spending their first night in Ithumba. They were guided out by Olorien, Esoit, and Lodo. The orphans settled on lucerne soon after leaving the stockades. Tomboi emerged from the Western side of the stockades and joined the orphans in feeding of lucerne. Kindani, Kinyei, and Bondeni had the opportunity to meet Tomboi, who touched their backs with his trunk. At 20 years old, he must have seemed very impressive to the young babies!
Bondeni decided to go back to stockades followed by Kindani and Kinyei. Realising they didn’t yet know the routine, Olorien went to fetch the trio and encourage them back to their colleagues. Larro led the way to the browsing field. Lemoyian joined the orphans at Kone area. Suguta, Sities, and Tomboi joined in briefly before leaving to undisclosed location. Mukkoka had conversation with Bondeni while Kinyei teamed up with Lodo in browsing. As the day progressed, Naleku, Suguroi, and Sagateisa took a break from feeding and settled for a soil dusting exercise. At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk then Kinyei led the group towards the water trough to drink water. Musiara, Sattao, Ambo, and Sagateisa jumped into the water to cool off. The orphans then settled for a soil dusting exercise before heading back to the browsing field. After the orphans left, the ex-orphans and wild elephants reported at mud bath for a cooling off exercise. In the afternoon, Naboishu, who was in charging mood, engaged Roho into a pushing game that lasted for quite some time. The rest of the day was quiet as the orphans browsed calmly.
Nasalot, Nusu, Noah, and Olare were at the stockades compound in the morning. Soon when the orphans left stockades, the playful Noah engaged Esoit into a pushing game as Kinyei held a brief meeting with Lodo that ended into a pushing game. Noah quit playing with Esoit and moved to play with Sagateisa. Ambo intervened by separating Noah from Sagateisa. Kindani had a light pushing game with Kuishi. On the way to the browsing field, Roho engaged Naboishu into a pushing game that lasted for quite some time. Olorien teamed up with Kindani in browsing while Mapia engaged Jotto into a strength testing exercise. Esoit teamed up with Bondeni in browsing but parted ways shortly later. Lemoyian showed up briefly at the browsing field as he headed to undisclosed location. Esoit moved to have a conversation with Kinyei that ended well. This was shown by their entwining of their trunks.
Later, Roho came across a shrub that proved difficult to cut using his trunk. Roho had to bend down using his fore knees to be able to use his mouth to cut the shrub. Kuishi came across a nice tree stump of a right size that she used to scratch her belly. Later on, Roho, Kuishi, Ambo, Sattao, Musiara, and Kindani took a break from feeding to participate in a soil bathing exercise. At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk then settled to browse as the Keepers had their lunch. Mutara and her group passed at mud bath as they headed west of the mud bath. The orphans were joined briefly by Teleki and Orwa, who followed the way taken by Mutara’s group. The Queen and her family, a group of wild elephants we know well, visited the mud bath and also followed the way taken by Mutara.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse east of Ithumba hill. Dololo and Mukkoka had strength testing exercise while Naboishu tackled Sattao. In the evening, Kindani led the first group while Suguroi led the second group back to the stockades.
Orwa and Barsilinga were at the stockades compound in the morning when the orphans were let out. The orphans teamed up with Barsilinga and Orwa in feeding of lucerne. Sattao decided to have a morning stretch up exercise by sitting and stretching his trunk up. Suguroi played with Kinyei, which made Neshashi angry. Neshashi reacted by knocking Kinyei to the ground. Kinyei screamed as Keepers shouted to warn Neshashi about her naughty behaviour. Kuishi, Suguroi, and Larro walked over to Kinyei and put their trunks on her back as a sign of comfort, no doubt telling her that they were sorry about what Neshashi had done to her.
After the orphans had enough of lucerne, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. Kauro and Mapia, who no longer spend the night in the stockades, joined the orphans at Kone area. Jotto stopped feeding upon seeing Mapia arriving. Jotto walked to meet him and immediately the two boys engaged each other into a pushing game. Shortly before mud bath time, Kindani, Kinyei, and Bondeni took a break from feeding to have a game of rolling on the ground. The afternoon was quiet and the orphans settled to browse east of Ithumba hill. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockades for yet another night.
After getting their milk in the morning, the orphans settled for lucerne as usual. A wild herd comprising of a mother, her three kids, and granddaughter, arrived at the stockades compound. The wild herd had water then walked straight to join the orphans in feeding of lucerne. Ambo decided to have fun by rolling on the ground. Roho, who was standing nearby, took advantage of Ambo lying down to get a free ride. The wild baby challenged Kindani, but Kindani was scared and walked away. Kinyei found a suitable rock that she used to scratch her belly.
On the way to the browsing field, Roho engaged Ambo into a pushing game. Roho ended up losing the game to Ambo. At the browsing field, Roho decided to tackle Esoit, whom he found was equal to the task. Later, on Mukkoka engaged Ambo in a friendly pushing game as Olorien and Suguroi participated in a game of rolling on the ground. Esoit quit playing with Roho and moved to play with Bondeni while Ambo walked to play with Kuishi. Shortly before mud bath time, the weather changed and gave way to drizzles that made the path for the orphans slippery. Soon after having their milk, Ambo walked to a nearby water pan and started splashing water using his legs. Kuishi and Sana Sana had a game of rolling on the ground. The orphans enjoyed the cool weather and browsed slowly as they headed towards Kanziku area. Kinyei teamed up with Kindani, Bondeni, and Roho in browsing as Esoit teamed up with Kuishi. The rest of the day was quiet as the orphans concentrated more on browsing without any major incident.
Kinyei, Kindani, and Bondeni are now getting to the routine of their seniors. They walked out without being guided by anyone and settled to the lucerne feeding venue. Kauro and Sana Sana joined the orphans. Jotto went down on his knees for a morning stretch, which Kauro saw as an invitation to get a free ride. Jotto was not happy about it at all. He managed to get up to his feet then questioned Kauro as to why he had shown him such disrespect. After some time, the two boys appeared to have settled their differences. Musiara started tossing the lucerne up on air when he felt that he had taken enough. Some of the lucerne landed on his head and looked as if he was wearing a hat made of grass.
On the way to the browsing field, Kauro rode on Musiara. Esoit attempted to bully Bondeni, but Bondeni turned to defend himself through a pushing game. Lodo teamed up with Kindani and Kinyei in browsing. Later, Ambo, Kindani, Olorien, Kinyei, Bondeni, Dololo, and Sagateisa took a break from feeding to have a game of rolling on the ground at the edge of Kone road.
At mud bath time, Kindani led the way followed by Kinyei. Kilabasi, Kofi, Makireti, Rapsu, Kitirua, Mutara, Kainuk, Sities, Turkwel, Suguta, and baby Mambo passed at mud bath heading west. Rapsu made a brief stopover to say hi to the orphans. Naleku attempted to follow Kofi, but was turned back by the Keepers. Ambo and Roho settled to a nearby water pan and started splashing the muddy water into themselves. Kauro had brief chat with Kauro through touch, but no one understood what the two were planning. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse east of Ithumba hill. Mukkoka had a pushing game with Naboishu that ended when Mukkoka turned around and jumped on Naboishu's back. Ambo engaged Musiara into a strength testing exercise that ended into a draw. Later, Roho, Olorien, and Sana Sana came across a round rock that they used to lean and scratch against. Kuishi played Jotto while Dololo played Naboishu. In the evening, Mutara’s group, along with Makireti, Kilabasi, Kofi, Tomboi, and a wild bull showed up at the stockades compound.
Olsekki and Barsilinga, who had spent the night outside the stockades, joined the orphans first thing in the morning. Shortly later, the Queen's family emerged from the eastern side and came straight to join the orphans for lucerne. The family has two young ones who engaged Naleku, Sagateisa, and Roho into pushing games. Mapia, Kauro, Rapa, and Enkikwe showed up and joined in feeding of lucerne. Kamok, who left with Mapia, Malkia, Nabulu, Malima, and Rapa, hasn't shown up for some time now. It's not clear which group she has joined because of her naughty behaviour of disliking the young babies. Hopefully, she has found her old friend Galla.
At the browsing field, Roho the playful boy engaged Olorien into a pushing game. The orphans settled at Kone area and were briefly joined by a wild bull that was on his way to an undisclosed location. Roho, Sattao, Ambo, Jotto, and Esoit lifted their trunks to wave to the bull, signalling respect and greetings. The bull waved back before disappearing into the bushes. At mud bath time, the weather was chilly and only Mapia and Rapa participated in wallowing. Yatta and her kids showed up at mud bath, later joined by Mutara and Kilabasi’s group. Naleku engaged Yoyo in a pushing game that ended when Roho, Lodo, and Sattao pushed Yoyo away. Esoit and Kinyei interacted with Kofi, but Kofi didn't trust them. He thought that these two orphans might have a plan to bully him, so he retreated to his mother. Before parting ways, the orphans and the ex-orphans had joint exercise of soil dusting. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. Jotto played Sattao while Mukkoka challenged Naboishu to a strength testing exercise. Roho winded up the day activities by engaging Roho into a pushing game. In the evening, Suguroi led the first group back to the stockades, Kindani led the second group, Olorien the third group, Neshashi the fourth group, and finally Jotto led the fifth group.