Keepers' Diaries, November 2014
Nairobi Nursery Unit
Early November was extremely difficult for us all when we lost two of our new arrival tiny elephant babies despite our best efforts. It always amazes us how fragile baby elephants are and how challenging they are to raise. Each one is an individual challenge as some seem so much more robust than others. Kazakini sadly was one of the weaker ones who was extremely emaciated and weak from the outset with terribly infected eyes that she struggled to open. Wass on the other hand had moments of feistiness but could not pass a day without plummeting glucose levels. This began the day he came into our care when our team found him in a state of collapse at the Milgis airstrip before loading him onto the plane. After his tragic passing an autopsy was performed which revealed pancreatitis and a deformed pancreas which made sense of the difficulties we had encountered. Lasayen who arrived at the same time, another tiny calf and a well victim, has thankfully grown stronger and seems to be doing very well. Ndotto too has sprouted some teeth, which has been a great relief as they were a long time coming! We now have the trauma of the teething process along with tiny Nkii who is also battling this difficult time.
01 November 2014
The training for a move has begun with the older orphans in order to get them accustomed to the moving truck. This morning Kithaka, Barsilinga, Ngasha, Jasiri, Faraja, Arruba, Lentili, Rorogoi and Lemoyian had their 9am milk feed near to and in the truck. We have found that the more used to the truck the orphans are the easier and less traumatic the move will be when it eventually takes place. Out of this group it was Kithaka, Lemoyian and Rorogoi who refused to enter the truck for their milk.
02 November 2014
It was a sad day at the Nursery today as little Kazakini died last night following a long struggle with failing health since her rescue. Kazakini will be sorely missed by the rest of the baby nursery group, Ndotto, Wass, Nkii and Lasayen all of whom used to spend their days out in the bush together. She will also be missed by the keepers who worked so hard to try and get her better and stronger so that she could eventually lead a wild life.
03 November 2014
The orphans exited their stockades and settled around the compound to browse and play. Kithaka and Barsilinga had fun running around in the bushes pushing each other and generally enjoying a bush bashing game. Their game came to an end after Kithaka fell down while Barsilinga was chasing him. Kithaka spent the rest of the morning browsing next to Lemoyian.
Wass has been unwell of late and has had a very low glucose level which leaves him feeling very weak. This morning he was placed on a glucose drip to give him some energy and by the afternoon he was feeling better. Despite feeding and drinking his share of milk he continues to suffer from low blood sugar and we are doing our best to figure out what could be ailing him.
04 November 2014
Despite yesterday’s medical treatments and spending the night on a drip Wass was once again dull and weak when he woke this morning and was not feeding as well as he had been and had to spend the remainder of the day in his stockade receiving treatment.
Nkii, Lasayen and Ndotto are doing well and are enjoying their time out in the bush in the company of the keepers. Nkii is very close to Lasayen and the two enjoy wandering around in the forest, and take great joy in charging at any warthogs and piglets that cross their path.
The truck training continues and today both Kithaka and Lemoyian seemed to overcome their fears and took their milk feed inside the truck. It seems that Barsilinga, Tundani, Jasiri, Faraja and Nelion must have told them that were was nothing to be afraid of.
05 November 2014
It was another sad day today for the Nursery orphans and their human family as a few days after Kazakini’s death we were dealt another blow when Wass died in the early morning hours never having regained enough strength to leave his stockade despite all the best efforts of the keepers.
Lasayen, who is in the stockade next to Wass sensed that something was wrong and spent the early morning hours wandering around his stockade trying to get Wass to get up and come and greet him but sadly it was not to be. Wass will be missed by his two and four footed family and his body will be laid to rest together out in the bush next to Kazakini.
06 November 2014
Today the orphans were very quiet and inactive during the public visiting hour and seemed to not want to partake of the mudwallow or the dustbath. Mashariki was the only one who chose to enter the water and had a lovely time wallowing in the mud entertaining all of the visitors who thoroughly enjoyed her antics. She tried to entice Rorogoi, Lentili and Arruba into joining her but they chose to stand at the waters edge and watch her play.
Ziwa is doing very well and the swelling that he had on his underbelly has gone. He is putting on condition and has gained strength. He now enjoys walking out into the forest with the rest of the orphans where he enjoys browsing on the vegetation. He usually prefers his own company but at times is joined by Embu, Enkikwe, Dupotto and Sirimon. We are all so pleased that he has pulled through and is doing so much better. He is truly a different orphan to the one that had to be brought back from the Ithumba rehabilitation unit as he was feeling so poorly.
07 November 2014
Kili has been a bit quiet and mellow the past day or two and not his usual playful self. He has also gone off his milk a little and not feeding as well as normal. As such as a precaution a blood test was done and a long acting antibiotic was administered.
At the 11am public visiting hour the orphans all enjoyed wallowing in the mudbath and cooling off in the water. Ziwa and Balguda, who normally do not enjoy mud wallowing joined the others and had fun rolling around and submerging themselves in the mud pool. Mbegu was the star of the show as she showed off her skills and slid down the side of the mudbath and into the water. Roi, Enkikwe, Dupotto and Ziwa enjoyed a dustbath until Olsekki joined in and tried to mount Roi and Dupotto both of whom called to Embu for help who came running and was quick to chase Olsekki away.
08 November 2014
As soon as Kamok and the other younger orphans exited their stockades this morning they began playing and running in and out of the older orphan’s quarters. Kauro, Ashaka, Kamok and Mbegu all enjoyed charging around while the rest of the group watched their antics. Once out in the fields they all had fun bush bashing as they trumpeted in excitement.
Murit however could once again be found in the company of the keepers. He is a quite elephant who enjoys being on his own and is often found picking up sticks and playing with them. Ndotto seems to be getting his first teeth and as such is suffering from a bad tummy and the other problems that come with the teething process.
09 November 2014
Kili is looking and feeling much better today and he has settled back into his routine and is feeding well finishing off all his milk. This morning he had fun running around in the browsing field full of energy and in a playful mood which was lovely to see.
While out in the bush Mashariki has been spending more and more time with Kamok and the two are often found together leaving Ndotto, Nkii and Lasayen to their own devices in the company of the keepers. Mashariki has been found to remain with the youngsters, Kamok, Ashaka, Mbegu and Murit, as the older orphans head further into the bush, a sign that she will be a good matriarch in the future. Kauro enjoys walking with the older boys and spending time with them seeing himself as one of their peers.
10 November 2014
This morning the orphans walked out to the bush after their morning milk feed. Before they could settle in to browse they were startled by some giraffes that came running through the bushes close to where the orphans were beginning to feed. The orphans were shaken up by this and scattered around. They all rejoined their keepers who did their best to calm them down. Ziwa, Rorogoi, Sirimon, Olsekki and Suswa moved further into the bushes to browse where they split into two groups making it difficult for the keepers to round them up when it was time to make their way to the noon mudbath.
11 November 2014
The orphans that have stockades next to one another will eventually become good friends and their relationship will extend to all parts of their lives, spending time playing and browsing together when out in the bush. When the orphans leave their stockades in the morning they usually do so as a group. One can often find Lemoyian, Olsekki and Balguda together as a trio while Jasiri, Faraja, Suswa and Ngasha form another group.
12 November 2014
As Kamok’s group waited for the 9am milk feed out in the bush they enjoyed running around bush bashing and playing with each other. Kauro, who has become very mischievous, decided to chase Kamok around the thickets causing her to cry out and run to the keepers who cautioned Kauro making him stop his teasing of Kamok who chose to spend the rest of the morning browsing with Murit and the keepers.
On the way to the mudbath Kauro, Mbegu and Ashaka lagged behind the rest as Kauro lay on the ground inviting Ashaka and Mbegu to clamber over him. He did not like this and cried out bringing the game to an abrupt halt as they two stopped their antics and they all ran to catch up with Kamok and Murit.
13 November 2014
At around 10am a lioness killed a warthog close to the parking area an incident which prompted the keepers to bring Kili back to the stockades as he is vulnerable to the big cats.
Ndotto was rather dull today and a blood sample was taken the results of which showed that his blood sugar was low. Once back in the stockade for the night he was placed on a glucose drip to increase his energy and strength.
As it was a cold day Murit together with Ndotto, Lasayen and Nkii spent the day indoors. Murit has had a swelling on his tail over the past few days which does not seem to have changed in size and as such leaves us wondering what it is. He does tend to scratch it as it itches but does not like anyone to touch it. He is doing well and the swelling does not seem to have affected him as he continues to play and feed well.
14 November 2014
In the morning the orphans were not very playful and preferred to spend their time browsing. Nelion, Tundani, Rorogoi, Olsekki, Ziwa and Sokotei not content to browse in the usual place and wanting instead to take the group further into the forest, something which the keepers prevented. As it was a chilly day none of the orphans went into the mudbath. Olsekki was very greedy today and kept trying to take the other orphans milk rations.
15 November 2014
Roi is not yet used to entering her stockade in the evening, preferring to stay in the company of the other orphans. As such she is usually escorted in by Embu, Enkikwe and Dupotto to whom she has attached herself as well as Ziwa who is her neighbour in the stockade. Roi is still quite unsettled and needs a bit more time to become accustomed to everything and we believe in time she will be as settled as Sirimon, Olsekki and Enkikwe.
16 November 2014
Kamok, Ashaka, Kauro, Dupotto, Mbegu and Murit have been promoted to the older orphan group and are no longer part of the tiny baby orphan group in the Nursery. Kamok, Mbegu and Murit are still very attached to their keepers and tend to not want to interact with their older peers. Embu, Enkikwe and Dupotto are always together and tend to separate themselves from the rest of the group. Ziwa and Roi spent the day in each other’s company and were found by the keepers enjoying a bush bath. Ziwa has shown such improvement lately and the spontaneous mudbath is a testament to how well he is doing.
17 November 2014
It has been a very wet day and as such Lasayen, Nkii and Ndotto have remained in their stables where they can stay warm and dry. As Murit still has the swelling on his tail he was also brought back to his enclosure where the keepers could keep a close eye on him. Jasiri has noticed that the orphan’s tails are generally very sensitive and has taken to biting his peer’s tails, especially when they are on the way to the truck for the milk feed, something that is not endearing him to the others. At 3pm Jasiri took the lead to the training truck keeping a slow pace. Ngasha, Faraja, Suswa, Nelion and Lemoyian followed him not wishing to overtake him as none of them wanted to have their tail bit.
18 November 2014
At the public visiting hour greedy Olsekki, after downing his milk bottles, went in search of some more, pushing and charging the rest of the orphans in the process. Enkikwe was having none of his antics and drove him away at which point he went to the wheel barrow scattering all the empty bottles in search of milk.
This afternoon was full of drama when Kili was attached by a lioness while out in the bush with his keepers. The lioness jumped out of the bushes and over the keepers onto Kili’s back. Thankfully the keepers were quick to react and started shouting and waving their arms in an effort to scare he away and save Kili. Once Kili was free he stood up and ran back towards the stockades. Once there we were able to check him over and ascertained that thankfully he had not been badly injured during the attack. As a precaution the orphans were all brought back to the stockades.
19 November 2014
Following yesterday’s attack Kili did not want to go out to the park today with the orphans and opted instead to say in the stockade compound in one of the older orphan’s stockades. He is still very frightened and traumatized by what happened to him. When Ndotto, Lasayen and Nkii returned to the stockades over lunch he seemed to have calmed down a littler and was happy to see them. It rained during the afternoon and Mashariki, Arruba, Barsilinga, Rorogoi, Kithaka and Lentili had lots of fun rolling and wallowing in the mud.
20 November 2014
Today Oltaiyoni showed a lot of interest in Mbegu and was very protective of her especially from Kauro who has become a bit of a bully and likes to push the younger orphans around. Kauro turned to the keepers for some attention and was given a finger to suck. This made Mbegu jealous and she left Oltaiyoni‘s side to push Kauro away from the keepers. Oltaiyoni did not see that Mbegu started the pushing and retaliated by pushing Kauro. Mbegu is very close to Ndotto and does not like it when Lasayen and Nkii try to take his attention.
21 November 2014
Barsilinga spent today in the company of his keepers just as he used to do when he was younger. While the keepers were having their lunch two of the orphans groups seemed to form a circle around them as they placed and browsed. Barsilinga lay down on the ground inviting the younger orphans to play. Kauro was the first one to climb on him followed by Mbegu, Ashaka and lastly Kamok. Barsilinga spent the entire day in the company of the baby group.
22 November 2014
At 3pm Embu, Ziwa and Oltaiyoni led their group to the mudbath for the private visit. After their milk bottles the entire group decided to have a mudbath. Dupotto was the first to enter while Ziwa and Oltaiyoni stood on the side splashing themselves with water. Olsekki was busy fighting the keepers and Murit for more milk, as Murit tends to be slower in finishing her share, while he downs his in an instant. Ngasha and Mashariki were the first of the older group to reach the mudbath and went straight to the water as they had already drunk their milk at the moving truck. Tundani was the only orphan not to enter the water today.
23 November 2014
As the 31 nursery orphans exited their stockades this morning they went straight to the bushes and began feeding on the available vegetation before their milk bottle. After a few minutes Kithaka walked off to the parking area something that he has taken to doing after his morning milk bottle, especially after his 11am truck feed when he can hear the visitors talking and wants to go and greet them. Kithaka was in a very mellow mood today, choosing to feed on his own and ignoring his playmates Barsilinga and Lemoyian. Murit has gained some strength and has taken to mounting and charging Ashaka something that Ashaka does not appreciate.
24 November 2014
Kithaka was in a very playful and mischievous mood today. He enjoyed strength testing and pushing games with Lemoyian engaging one another through the day. Barsilinga was not interested in Kithaka’s antics and ignored him whenever he approached Barsilinga. Balguda seems to be in bad mood today pushing Roi and Enkikwe whenever they come close something which is unlike him as he is usually a very gentle elephant.
25 November 2014
Ziwa has gained condition and strength. He can now be found bullying the younger orphans in his group, such as Lemoyian who gave him a hard time when he first came back to the Nursery from Ithumba. Oltaiyoni was having fun rolling around in the dust this morning. Ziwa saw her games and decided to climb all over her. Lemoyian and Arruba were quick to come and get Ziwa off of Oltaiyoni.
26 November 2014
Lately the sun has come up early and by 7 it is already quite hot. At the mudbath the second group of orphans decided to have a mudbath with Mbegu being the first to jump in as soon as she had finished her milk bottle. Ashaka, Embu, Dupotto and Ziwa stood by the side of the wallow seemingly undecided as to whether to enter the water, while they watched Mbegu rolling around. Enkikwe was in a naughty mood and kept charging and pushing Murit which meant he had to be disciplined by the keepers for his antics.
27 November 2014
Today Enkikwe decided to remain with his group even when his adopted mother Embu came down for the public visit. Embu has three babies who are very attached to her. These orphans are Dupotto, Enkikwe and Sirimon. Enkikwe spent the visiting hour in the company of Tundani, Nelion, and Sokotei and was the one to lead the group to the mudbath at milk time.
28 November 2014
The two youngest boys of the nursery group had a lovely time playing today. Ndotto had fun chasing the warthog piglets and playing hide and seek with them. Ndotto would hide behind the big trees before chasing the warthogs that were browsing nearby. Kamok watched Ndotto‘s antics from nearby moved further away when the piglets mother decided to intervene. Lasayen was busy chasing the ostrich chicks Pea and Pod and the three had a great time teasing one another as they played. Nkii was feeling a little lethargic today and spent a lot of time lying down.
29 November 2014
Lasayen has taken to screaming especially when he is in his stockade. This morning Lasayen had to be let out of his stockade earlier than normal as he started screaming as soon as he saw Dupotto leave his quarters to join Kamok, Ashaka, Kauro, Mbegu and Murit who were playing outside his stockade. Lasayen accompanied the group out to the field where he spent the morning close to Mbegu holding her tail and trying to bite it. Mbegu left him to go further afield to browse and upon realizing that he could not see her, Nkii or Ndotto he started to scream again which brought them running, cheering him up immediately.
30 November 2014
Most of the baby eles enjoy Maxwell’s Lucerne and as such they all gather at this stockade door in the morning to have some of his rations. This morning Arruba, Mashariki, Rorogoi, Barsilinga and Kithaka were all busy feeding on the Lucerne while Faraja and Jasiri played with Kauro and Mbegu. Jasiri would run directly at Kauro and head butt him before doing a quick turn around and running away as Kauro gave chase. Faraja lay down on the ground so that Mbegu could climb over him. This afternoon it rained heavily with lots of thunder and lightning, scaring the orphans who scattered into the bushes. The keepers were able to round up all the orphans bar Ziwa who had taken off into the park. A search was mounted but by 8pm there was still no sign of Ziwa. The keepers returned to the stockades hoping that Ziwa would be ok on his own, sure that they would be able to find him at daybreak.