In Ithumba, the month began on a hopeful note. The stockade compound was deserted and not a single wild elephant or ex-orphan showed up, which told us that nearby parts of the park must have received good rain. Later in the day, we received our own heavy downpour. At last, there were signs that this terrible drought may be ending.
This morning the stockade compound looked deserted. Not a single wild elephant showed up, or any ex-orphans. Only Melia, little Milo and Tusuja arrived later to join the orphans for lucerne. Melia came because her baby is so little still and she can’t quite keep up with the rest of the herd as they venture far to find enough vegetation to eat. Elephants are good at reading signs and weather and they knew that it had rained elsewhere in the Park the previous day, so the ex-orphans and other wild elephants had perhaps ventured to those areas it had rained. If they don’t come back for a while, then we will know that those areas have received good rain! And so, the dependent orphans settled for lucerne without any competition today. Malkia interacted with Milo for a while before Ndiwa led the way out for the day.
The weather was funny today. It was cloudy and drizzled a little bit. The orphans enjoyed each moment as this was just the right temperature that they have been longing for for many days. Kamok, Malkia, Kuishi, Mapia, Pare, Jotto and Dololo had so much fun playing in the cool moist soil.
It was still cool when the orphans made their way to the mud bath for their midday feed, and none of the orphans dared to touch the mud bathing water after having their bottles. It was slippery at the mud bath edge too due to the drizzle. Poor Sapalan, unaware, walked too close to the edge and got the surprise of his life when he slipped and fell in the water! Esampu, Sattao, Musiara and Dololo all crowded around and we couldn’t help but think they were laughing at their poor friend. Sapalan looked embarrassed as he composed himself and got back to his feet. He could only hope that not too many of his friends had seen what happened. At the water trough, Nabulu slipped and nearly fell into the big mud bath too! She turned slowly and left to avoid a repeat of what had happened to Sapalan.
In the afternoon the clouds cleared giving way to sunshine. Musiara, Malkia and Maramoja teamed up together to browse while Sattao joined Malima. Later in the evening on the way back to the stockades, the weather changed yet again. Clouds gathered and it started drizzling, followed by a heavy downpour of about 55mm. We couldn’t be more delighted to receive this first rain shower. November has clearly got off to a good start for Ithumba.
Melia, Milo, Olare and Tusuja were the only guests this morning for the lucerne feeding time, which suggests that other areas have indeed received ample rain and the majority of the ex-orphans as well as the wild elephants who were around the Ithumba area have gone to explore those parts. The orphans were clearly happy this morning, expressed by the swinging of their trunks as they nonchalantly walked out of their night stockades. The orphans enjoyed the cool weather and wished for the rains to continue. Maramoja immediately joined Melia to help take care of Milo. The dependent orphans didn't stay for long as Mteto led the way out to browse.
The boys Mukkoka, Sattao, Dololo, Musiara and Pare, took sometime off from feeding to play and roll on the cool soil, still damp from the rain. The boys were later joined by Kuishi, Esampu and Ndiwa. Maramoja lagged behind with Milo and Melia but later joined her friends out in the bush.
Later the orphans came across a muddy puddle. Kamok, Nabulu, Ambo, Sapalan, Jotto, Mapia and Enkikwe all decided to have fun rolling in it. When the orphans went to the mud bath, they only had their milk then some water before going back to browsing, as they had had all their mud bathing fun earlier in the morning. The afternoon was quiet as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing. Kauro and Jotto had a light strength testing exercise that lasted for just a few minutes.
In the evening, Nabulu led the way back to the stockades. Melia showed up again in the evening. She has developed a swelling in between her back legs and we’re wondering if it’s to do with her recent birth, because Milo was a very big baby compared to other babies born to first time mothers! We will continue to monitor her.
Melia, Milo, Olare, Tusuja and Kilaguni were at the stockade compound when the dependent orphans were let out this morning. Malkia and Maramoja headed straight to babysit Milo. Kilaguni passed by and Milo decided to follow him. Kilaguni got nervous of a little baby following him however and ran as Milo also ran after him! Kilaguni stopped and turned then tried to charge at Milo to tell him to go back to his mother since he has nothing to offer him. The baby turned and ran back to its mother and nannies. Shortly later, Melia decided to go and drink water escorted by Olare, Malkia and Maramoja. Milo, while imitating what his mother was doing, fell into the water trough. While the water isn’t high enough to cause any trouble, trumpets filled the air as the inexperienced Melia wondered what to do next. Olare, Malkia and Maramoja joined in trying to get the baby out. The Keepers were nearby, so they also lent a helping hand. Malkia and Maramoja were so concerned, one could have thought they were reacting to their own baby falling in the trough! When Milo was out, Malkia and Maramoja comforted the baby as Melia led them away from the water trough. Two wild bulls showed up and Kuishi walked to join one of them drinking water.
Later on out in the bush, the orphans were joined by Tusuja. Tusuja stopped when he reached the orphans and decided to have fun rolling on the ground, trying to invite some of them to play with him. Naboishu, who is never scared of attempting anything, came over to climb on Tusuja while he was on the ground. Tusuja didn't react as he understands how small boys behave sometimes! He too one time behaved like that. Sapalan played with Rapa while Sana Sana played and rolled on the ground.
At mud bath time, Larro managed to outwit the Keepers soon after finishing her share of milk. She turned as if she was leaving, then reversed quickly, grabbed a bottle of milk and ran off guzzling it down as fast as she could. The Keepers ran after her, but she only dropped the bottle once she was done! Luckily the Keepers always carry spares. After all the other orphans had their milk, Malkia, Mundusi, Jotto, Ambo, Kamok, Sana Sana, Naboishu, Rapa and Pare settled to have some fun in some small puddles formed close to the mud bath. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Malkia broke off a branch from a tree and walked as she enjoyed feeding on it. Kuishi met with her and requested a piece. Malkia refused and told Kuishi she could struggle to find her own branch. Later, the orphans came across another pool of water and enjoyed a bush mud bath before planning for their return to the stockades for the night.
In the evening, Naseku, Oltaiyoni, Roi, Siangiki, Galla, Kilaguni, Tusuja, Olare, Melia, Milo and Namalok showed up at compound but left shortly later before dark. It seems like Oltaiyoni’s group has become much more independent these days and have fully returned to the wild, which is incredibly exciting. We are very happy for them.
Oltaiyoni, Olsekki, Roi, Siangiki, Naseku, Kasigau and a wild elephant were at the stockade compound early in the morning. Melia, her baby Milo and Olare were missing. It appears that Milo has gained enough strength to walk further afield now.
Meanwhile, it seems the dependent orphans were slightly moody this morning! Dololo bumped into Naboishu, Musiara pushed Ambo for no apparent reason, Mundusi pushed Mapia while Jotto had a disagreement with Pare. The dependent orphans settled to share lucerne with the ex-orphans present. Karisa, who doesn't bother about any milk feeds these days, walked away from the orphans and headed east on his own, as the rest of the dependent orphans headed south.
Malkia teamed up with Naboishu to browse while Kauro decided to climb on Mteto’s back in a show of dominance. Sapalan engaged Pare in a pushing game while Ambo, Musiara, Dololo, Esampu and Ndiwa decided to have fun rolling on the ground.
Later, the orphans walked to the mud bath and after finishing their midday milk feed, decided to walk straight back out to the bush to browse. The afternoon was a quiet one as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing. Sapalan and Pare broke the peace later as they engaged in a strength testing exercise that lasted for quite some time. In the evening, Nabulu, as usual, led the way back to the stockades.
Only Roi, Oltaiyoni, Naseku, Siangiki, Olsekki, Kasigau, Kibo and a wild elephant were present for the lucerne feeding in the morning. When they were done, Karisa led the way to the browsing field as he trained Jotto in some new pushing techniques.
Mapia invited Ambo to a pushing game which he happily accepted. Malima and Maramoja settled for a soil dusting exercise while Kuishi and Musiara settled to scratch against some trees and rocks. Jotto settled to play with Mundusi but their game was disrupted by Kauro who pushed the two boys apart.
Musiara settled to browse with Larro while Ambo teamed up with Naboishu to browse. At mud bath time, only two bulls showed up, as other elephants seem to still be spending more time in other areas of the Park that have received more rain. The orphans had their milk then walked back out to the bush where they found small puddles to have a bush mud bath, instead of swimming in the main waterhole which seems a bit cold at the moment. Kuishi picked up a big branch that had been broken by a wild elephant. As Kuishi was enjoying feeding on the branch, Rapa came by and instead of requesting to share the branch with Kuishi, Rapa rather rudely pulled it out of her mouth. Rapa then pushed Kuishi away as a warning not to come back for the branch. Kuishi had no other option but to give up her prize to avoid getting into trouble with Rapa.
After their bush mud bath, Larro, Naboishu and Nabulu decided to scratch against some nearby trees as Jotto decided to wrestle with Mapia. The afternoon was a quiet one as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing throughout the remaining part of the day.
Melia was back in the morning after taking her baby for a walk for one and half days. She was in the company of Olare, Tusuja, and a wild teenager. The orphans were let out and Maramoja ran to Milo to say hi as she had missed him so much. The orphans settled for some lucerne before heading out to browse. Milo made the mistake of passing close to Enkikwe who kicked him. Milo cried out, attracting the attention of his mother who came running over to find out what had happened. Enkikwe pretended not to have done any thing since he knew that if the mother hadn’t seen, he wouldn’t be in any trouble. Maramoja saw what had happened but couldn’t intervene or punish Enkikwe, as her elder. Melia walked her baby away followed by Maramoja, Karisa, Tusuja and Malkia.
Out in the bush, Jotto played with Mapia while Ambo played with Dololo. Kamok intervened in Ambo and Dololo’s game as she didn't want her favourite Ambo to get hurt. Ambo was happy and got down to roll on the ground under the watchful eye of Kamok. Melia and her small team joined the dependent orphans out in the bush. Maramoja decided to stick with Melia’s small herd, and by the time it was time for the midday milk feed at the mud bath, Maramoja refused to join her friends and instead remained behind with Melia’s herd. She later realised that she was supposed to go for her share of milk, and arrived at the mud bath when the milk vehicle was driving away! Maramoja ran following the car with her trunk up as if trying to stop the car. Fortunately for her, the Keepers spotted her, so they stopped the car and happily gave her her share.
In the afternoon the orphans were happy to receive some light rain and enjoyed feeding in a cool atmosphere. Later in the evening, Malkia had a meeting with Kuishi but of course we couldn’t be sure what they were chatting about. Kithaka, who has slowly been venturing out a bit further from the stockades to feed as his leg recovers, met with Kibo on his way back to the stockade compound. Kibo was in a very bad mood however and pushed Kithaka, who fell to the ground. Kithaka yelled out very loudly, so that the Keepers at the stockade compound shouted at the top of their voices, making Kibo leave Kithaka alone. Kithaka stood up and walked slowly back to the stockades, feeling very sorry for himself.
Sattao, Dololo and Kuishi left the stockade with branches still in their mouths. As they were walking down happily munching on their branches, Mundusi and Kauro met them and pulled their branches from their mouths. Kuishi, who had suffered a similar altercation with Rapa earlier in the month, saw what was coming and dodged the two boys. All the dependent orphans settled for some lucerne, and not a single wild elephant or ex-orphan showed up the entire morning, so the orphans had a great time having the whole compound to themselves!
After finishing his share of lucerne, Karisa led the way out to browse. Karisa then spent the better part of the morning playing with Sapalan and Mundusi, but shortly before mud bath time, he disappeared off into the bush.
Kithaka left the stockades after peeping through the wires and making sure that there was no one to push him down today. Clearly, yesterday’s run-in with Kibo was still fresh in his mind. Still limping, poor Kithaka emerged and enjoyed a short browsing session.
The orphans continued to browse up to mud bath time when Sattao led the first group for the milk feed. The orphans had their milk and then headed back out to browse, settling to the west of Ithumba Hill. In the evening we noted that Kithaka's leg has started swelling again, due to being knocked over by Kibo yesterday. It is frustrating ,as Kithaka had been recovering well before falling over. We will continue to monitor him and only hope that this is a minor setback.
It was a quiet morning and the orphans settled for lucerne soon after coming out of their night stockades. Kithaka limped from his stockade and joined the dependent orphans. A lone wild bull passed by heading east. The bull made a stop at the water troughs but didn't take any water. The orphans, with their trunks up, tried to find out the identity of the wild bull. Sattao, Mundusi and Kuishi volunteered to walk down to introduce themselves and interact with the wild bull, but he left even before the orphans could get close to him. When they were done, Naboishu led the way out to the bush followed by Ndiwa and Sana Sana. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area.
Malima had a strength testing exercise with Sattao that ended in a draw. Yatta, Yoyo, Yogi, Naserian, Njema, Nasalot, Noah, Sunyei, Siku, Saba, Galana, Gawa, Lenana, Lapa and a wild elephant joined the orphans briefly before heading to the stockade compound. Yatta, Gawa, Yogi, Yoyo, Naserian, and Njema have been away for so long. As a result, Naserian and Njema have lost a bit of weight due to the drought. Hopefully they will stick around to regain the lost weight by feeding on our lucerne.
At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk then headed out to find some small puddles for a bush mud bath. After, Jotto led Esampu, Malkia, Pare, Enkikwe, Kamok and Ambo in a soil bathing exercise. The orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area for the afternoon. Kamok, Enkikwe, Kauro and Sapalan dodged the Keepers and returned early to the Ithumba compound. When the other orphans came back later, they went into the stockades together but Kauro managed to open the gate, letting everyone out again! The Keepers coaxed them all back inside, but Kamok refused to go back inside and decided to spend the night out.
Kamok, who spent the night outside, was up early and ready to receive her friends outside the compound this morning. Ambo was the first one to run out, even before taking his morning milk bottle, just to find out how his ‘big sister’ Kamok managed the whole night outside. Kamok assured Ambo that all was well with her and she was just having fun. Ambo then went back to take his milk after reassurance from Kamok that she was alright. Soon after the orphans settled for lucerne, three wild bulls showed up. One wild bull occupied the upper water trough while the other two occupied the lower one. Kuishi walked down to meet and share water with the solo wild bull while Sattao joined the other two. As soon as the orphans were through with the lucerne, Mundusi led the way out.
Following rains received on the 1st, some trees have started shooting new leaves. The orphans have been running around looking for them. Hopefully we will get more rain very soon. What we have received is not enough, which is clearly demonstrated by some of the ex-orphans and wild elephants drifting back to the Ithumba area, where they can find access to water and have some lucerne supplemental grass.
The orphans enjoyed the fresh green shoots they found throughout the morning until Nabulu led the first group for the eleven o'clock milk feed. After finishing their milk, Dololo, Pare and Rapa led the group away for a bush mud bath.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. It was a quiet afternoon as the orphans browsed calmly. Enkikwe, Mundusi, Sapalan and Kauro detected some ex-orphans passing close by and left to join them. It turned out to be Wendi, Wema, Wimbi, Makena, Kinna, Kaia, Kama, Ukame and Namalok. The ex-orphans took the four boys back to the stockade compound early before the usual time. The four orphans stayed there until the rest of the dependent herd returned and they all went in together for the night.
Ambo started a pushing game with Naboishu even before the gates were opened to let everyone out. Their game continued even after leaving the stockade compound too, but came to an end when Kamok intervened. Kamok pushed Naboishu away and left with Ambo. The Keepers distributed lucerne as the orphans finished their milk bottles and came over to the lucerne feeding area. Ex-orphans Kinna, Kama, Kaia, Wendi, Wiva, Wema, Wimbi, Ishanga, Nasalot, Nusu and Noah joined the orphans.
Kama ran into trouble with Kuishi when she threw a back kick towards Kuishi as she passed by. Obviously such insolence annoyed Kuishi and she turned to question Kama. Kama appeared unremorseful and this annoyed Kuishi even further. As Kuishi readied herself for a fight, Kama did the same, as she knew that her mother was close by and if anything went wrong then her mother was there to take care of her. Kuishi did a quick calculation and realised the same, so put herself in reverse to lure Kama away from her mother. Kuishi’s plan worked and Kama fell into her trap and as soon as Kama walked away from her mother, Mundusi and Pare helped Kuishi to pounce on Kama. Kama had no choice but to run for her dear life!
Out in the bush Mapia had a game of rolling on the ground. Ambo came over and started to interfere in Mapia’s game, trying to get him to his feet to play with him instead. Mapia got to his feet and played with Ambo for some time before quitting to resume browsing.
At mud bath time several wild bulls were present and after they left, Lualeni, Lulu and Lexi emerged from the south heading towards the stockade compound. Mteto followed Lexi for awhile but changed her mind and walked back to her friends. The afternoon was quiet and quite hot, so the orphans passed by the mud bath to cool off before returning home for the night.
Kandecha, who spent the night just outside the stockade compound, joined the orphans soon after they were let out of their night stockades. Rapsu showed up minutes later and settled to share lucerne with the orphans too. Mapia seemed to have a sore stomach this morning and kept lying down and standing up, which is a clear indication of a stomach upset. By the time he went to the mud bath at noon, he seemed absolutely fine, evident by how he was tackling Ambo in a vigorous pushing game!
At the stockade this morning we had the most wonderful surprise waiting! Yatta’s baby Yetu, who was born on 19th January 2012, arrived with her very own baby boy, making her mother Yatta a proud grandmother. Yetu was in the company of Mulika's family, Mulika, Mwende and Mkuu. Funnily enough, Mteto was also in that group. We’re not sure how Mteto managed to know that Yetu had a baby, but she left the rest of group early to join in the welcoming procession that brought the new baby to the stockade. Mteto left the ex-orphans after making sure that the baby had been shown where his grandmother used to live when she was young. Yatta arrived later, from a different direction, and met her daughter and grandchild.
Later, the orphans headed to the mud bath as usual and had their milk bottles before going immediately back out to browse. They settled to browse in the Imenti area. It was quite a hot afternoon, so the orphans took a break and relaxed under a tree to avoid the scorching sun. In the evening the orphans, led by Dololo, passed by the mud bath to cool off and then followed Larro back to the stockades for the night.
A wild herd who spent the night just outside the stockades lined up to share lucerne with the orphans as soon as they were let out this morning. Shortly later, some ex-orphans arrived, including Buchuma. As soon as the lucerne feeding was over, the wild herd left while the ex-orphans remained behind. The dependent orphans, led by Malima, headed to the Kone area where they settled to browse. Karisa opted to remain behind with the ex-orphans.
Today it was cloudy, and the orphans had a quiet morning as they scattered across a wide area, trying to find the tasty green shoots available at the moment. They enjoy browsing in this cooler weather! At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk bottles then walked back out to browse without wallowing or dusting today. Not a single wild elephant showed up at the mud bath either.
Later in the day, the clouds cleared, giving way to sunshine, so the orphans took a break from feeding to relax under a tree and only resumed browsing when it got a bit cooler again. Malkia engaged Sapalan in a light pushing game while Mapia played with Rapa. In the evening the weather changed yet again with clouds gathering, later giving way to showers of 4mm.
Only two wild bulls showed up at the stockade compound this morning. The Ithumba dependent orphans settled for their morning lucerne soon after leaving the stockades. As soon as the orphans were done, Musiara led the way out, followed by Malkia and Sattao. As they walked along Sana Sana, Nabulu, Ndiwa and Malkia settled for some scratching exercises against trees and rocks. Kuishi and Mapia lagged behind as they stopped to drink from the trough, and had to run to catch up with their friends.
Malima settled to browse with Larro as Ndiwa teamed up with Nabulu to browse. Nasalot and her children joined the orphans briefly in the bush. Naboishu had brief interactions with Nusu and Noah but Naboishu left when Nusu pushed him away as they wanted to catch up with their mother who had walked few metres a head of them.
Later, Pare invited Musiara to a pushing game but Musiara declined. Pare decided to punish Musiara by pushing him from behind. Musiara turned to defend himself and by so doing fell into Pare's trap without realsing, as Pare took the opportunity to initiate a pushing game with him head-on.
At mud bath time the orphans had their midday milk feed and after, Kuishi, Mteto, Kauro and Rapa headed for a soil dusting exercise. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill until Larro led the way back to the stockades for the night.
It was a cloudy morning but the rains have refused to come back. It is becoming greener, even with the small rain we have received so far, but we certainly need more. The orphans settled for lucerne and were briefly joined by Wendi, Kilabasi, and Chyulu's families. The ex-orphans are still around and slowly some wild elephants are returning, as there obviously aren’t enough water pans out there in the Park still. Only very heavy rain elsewhere would entice them further afield away from Ithumba. Mundusi led the way out to browse today, followed by Kauro and Enkikwe.
The orphans had a quiet morning as they wandered about in the bush searching for the best green leaves available. Challa joined the dependent orphans and later accompanied them to the mud bath. Sattao, Dololo and Naboishu admired Challa and wondered when they might ever reach his size! Naboishu shook his head and left hoping to grow quickly so that he can be walking freely like Challa.
When the orphans made their way to the mud bath the sky was still cloudy, and it was quite cool. The orphans had their milk then Mundusi, Sapalan, Ambo and Musiara decided to have fun in the mud, which was surprising given the temperature. Ambo and Musiara had a disagreement that ended in a pushing game. Pare intervened by pushing the two boys away. Sana Sana, Larro, Malkia and Mteto settled to scratch against some nearby trees.
Later the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill again. Sapalan engaged Rapa in a pushing game while Mapia settled to play with Jotto. In the evening, Nabulu led the way home for the night as her friends walked in single file behind her.
It was another cold morning. The orphans left their stockades and settled for lucerne. Lenana, Lapa, Galana, Ishanga, the ‘crazy’ wild female and her baby joined the orphans too. Ambo settled to scratch on a nearby rock as Mundusi, Sapalan and Ndiwa walked down to the water trough before heading out to browse before any of the others were ready. Mapia exchanged morning greetings with Lapa while Maramoja offered to help the wild female in babysitting her baby. Later, Malima led the rest of the dependent orphans out to browse. Naboishu took the wrong route and no one opted to follow him. In order to make himself relevant, Naboishu rumbled, pretending to have lost his way. Kuishi, Mteto, Esampu and Sana Sana responded quickly, running towards Naboishu to find out what the problem was. The four girls talked to him and managed to convince Naboishu that he was okay and that he should simply follow them. Naboishu felt very happy with the attention he received from the girls and so happily followed them. Malima settled to browse with Pare while Kauro opted for a soil dusting exercise in some damp, cool soil.
It was still cool when the orphans made their way to the mud bath but even so, soon after having their milk, Ndiwa, Musiara, Naboishu, Ambo and Dololo settled for a mud bathing exercise. Shortly later, Naboishu engaged Ambo in a strength testing exercise that ended when Naboishu surrendered. Five wild bulls showed up for water and left immediately after having their fill.
The orphans settled to browse along the upper part of the kalovoto seasonal river. Sapalan and Rapa took a break from feeding to have a strength testing exercise that saw Sapalan emerge as the winner. Ambo decided to browse with his favourite Kamok while Ndiwa teamed up with Naboishu. The rest of the day was quiet as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing.
It was very wet this morning, following heavy rains we received early before dawn. The orphans left their night stockades very carefully, taking slow, measured steps in order to avoid slipping on the wet ground. Melia and her baby Milo emerged from the east unaccompanied by anyone and briefly joined the orphans to feed on lucerne. The lucerne feeding time didn't last long for it started drizzling, prompting the orphans to leave for browsing. Ndiwa led the way, followed by Naboishu and Mukkoka.
Larro, Mukkoka and Naboishu played with some mud and seemed delighted with the rain, and the fact that the drought might finally be over. This is the first time for the three orphans to see the change in weather and the rain at Ithumba since they came from the Nairobi Nursery. They have known Ithumba as a dry area that never receives any rain but today this changed and they thoroughly enjoyed playing in the wet weather. Kamok, Pare, Ndiwa, Mapia, Nabulu and Malkia also showed their joy with the rain by rolling on the ground and smearing themselves with mud. Later after all their celebrations, the orphans settled down to serious browsing.
On the way to their midday milk feed at the mud bath the rain started again. The orphans drank their milk in the rain then started playing in the rainwater. Esampu, Rapa, Kuishi, Mukkoka and Ambo had the best time since they rolled and played in the red soil until one could mistake them for small anthills.
The rain stopped later in the afternoon as the orphans made their way to the west of Ithumba Hill to browse. Oltaiyoni’s late-night gang passed by the compound to pick up Kithaka and take him for a walk. Kithaka returned later with Enkikwe, who had left his group.
It was a cloudy morning. The late-night gang had spent the night outside the stockade compound and joined the orphans for lucerne as soon as the Keepers started distributing the grass. When they were done, Karisa took the lead. It was still wet and cool and the orphans enjoyed every moment of browsing this morning. No one was in a hurry as now plenty of food is available and fresh green shoots are sprouting. Dololo, Larro, Malkia, Ambo, Pare, Musiara, Mundusi and Mteto took a break from feeding to have fun playing on the ground. Kauro came over and took advantage of his friends rolling on the ground by climbing on them. Mteto didn’t like Kauro climbing on her so she stood up and ran away. Sapalan settled to browse close to Larro while Nabulu teamed up with Sattao, Mapia and Malima. Karisa didn't wander off as he normally does, but opted to stay with his young dependent friends the entire day.
The orphans had their midday milk feed as usual then headed for a bush mud bath in all the little puddles that have sprung up after the rain. Pare and Jotto had a prolonged mud bath and appeared to be enjoying themselves more than any of their friends.
In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse in the Imenti area. It was a quiet afternoon as they scattered all over trying to find the best leaves. Shortly before evening, Enkikwe, Rapa and Karisa left their friends and returned to stockades early before everyone else.
It was another wet morning following rain received overnight. The dependent orphans understand that it is slippery, and they need to tread carefully to avoid landing on the ground unceremoniously. The orphans settled briefly for some lucerne but decided to leave before finishing everything the Keepers had put out for them, for they were in a hurry to go and look for the green vegetation that is now sprouting and that they have missed for a very long time. Mundusi led the way out to the bush as the rest of the group followed behind him.
There are now plenty of fresh green shoots sprouting and the orphans have a much easier time finding vegetation that had become scarce during the dry period. Jotto settled to browse with Maramoja, Dololo with Mukkoka, Naboishu with Ndiwa and Kamok with Pare. Just before it was time to head to the mud bath, Sapalan and Mundusi took a break from feeding and engaged each other in a strength testing exercise. Their game also attracted Kauro who engaged Rapa in a pushing game. Rapa decided to quit the game when he realized Kauro wasn’t following the rules and kept trying to mount him.
At mud bath time, Kuishi led the first group while Musiara led the second one. After having their milk, Sana Sana led the way back out to browse. The orphans skipped the wallowing exercise since there are so many water puddles in the bush now which they can use anytime they feel hot. The afternoon was quiet as the orphans tried to get as much fresh vegetation to fill their tummies as possible. The rains have brought joy to all creatures as everyone feels a bit less hungry and doesn’t have to struggle as much.
After having their morning milk bottles, the orphans left their stockades and passed by the lucerne feeding area. They picked up a few pieces and just kicked the rest as they hurried out to the bush. Not so long ago, they would have stayed to pick up every last piece, but now it isn’t as dry, so they want to head out to the bush as quickly as possible to find the nice green shoots. Led by Sana Sana and Ndiwa, the orphans settled to browse west of the Ithumba stockades. Sattao teamed up with Musiara, while Ambo joined Mundusi and later his friend Kamok. Malkia found Kuishi and Mukkoka chose to browse with Larro. Mukkoka and Larro continued to talk as they enjoyed the greens available; happiness was all written all over their faces as they perhaps wished for it to remain this green forever!
Pare found a nice anthill that helped him to be a little bit taller as he tried to pluck some leaves from a tall tree. At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk bottles then found a small water hole close by where they had some fun. Kamok, Enkikwe and Sapalan didn't see the importance of coming all the way to the mud bath since they don’t have milk bottles anymore, so they opted to continue feeding and join up with the herd later in the evening. On the way back to the stockades, it started raining heavily. The orphans and Keepers walked carefully to avoid slipping until they safely reached the stockades.
It was wet in the morning following the heavy showers last night. The orphans left the stockades soon after finishing their morning milk bottles. Sattao led the way to the browsing field followed by Larro. The Keepers had distributed some lucerne but the orphans had only picked up a little bit as they raced out to the bush. A herd of buffaloes passing by close to the stockades frightened Sattao and Larro who were leading. With their ears raised, the two orphans started to retreat. The Keepers whistled, ensuring the orphans that there was nothing to worry about.
Out in the bush, Malkia broke off a big branch that had fallen on the ground and she decided to enjoy feeding on it slowly. Ndiwa saw what Malkia had done and decided to come and help her feed on the branch. Malkia didn't want to share and pulled the branch away from Ndiwa. Ndiwa respected Malkia's decision and so walked away to find her own.
The orphans had their midday milk feed and walked off away from the mud bath without wallowing or playing there for very long. Kauro came across a small pool of water that he drank from before splashing behind his ears. Shortly later, he was joined by Sana Sana, Kamok, Jotto, Kuishi and Naboishu. Naboishu spoiled the fun however when he forced himself in the small water hole, making it impossible for the rest of his friends to draw enough water to splash themselves. Kuishi tried to push him out but Naboishu wouldn’t listen. He enjoyed himself as much as he wanted before getting out on his own terms!
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Ndiwa, Esampu, Pare, Mundusi and Sapalan took a break from feeding to have fun rolling on the ground. In the evening, Kamok and Ambo lagged behind but showed up half an hour later to join their friends in the stockades for the night.
After finishing their morning milk, the orphans left the stockades in a hurry to begin browsing. Led by Sattao, the orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Karisa, who left with the late-night gang two days ago, has still not returned. Perhaps because there is plenty of vegetation now, he might decide to start a new life in the wild. He has wanted to leave for some time and has been exploring his independence for a while, but the drought prevented him from wandering too far. Now that we have had some good rain and there is enough food and water around, he might gain the courage to explore further afield with his older friends. It will be interesting to see who else is feeling more independent now we have received some rain as well!
Naboishu teamed up with Sana Sana to browse this morning and later opted for a rolling game on the ground. Kamok teamed up with Ambo and Pare in browsing. Later, Sattao, Kuishi, Nabulu and Musiara took a break from feeding to have a game of rolling on the ground. The rest of the morning was quiet. At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk then walked off out to the bush almost immediately to have a mud bath in the small water pools created from the recent rains. In the afternoon, they settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. It was a quiet afternoon as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing on the lush vegetation now starting to sprout everywhere.
Soon after leaving the stockades, Naboishu led the way out to the bush, followed by Sana Sana. Sana Sana wanted to guide Naboishu to make sure that he didn’t go the wrong way today. Funnily enough, this is the only baby that Sana Sana has really befriended so far. She hasn’t really been bothered with any of the other youngsters like Mukkoka and Larro, but she seems to have taken a shine to Naboishu for some reason.
Once out in the bush, Naboishu moved to browse with Ndiwa as the orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Enkikwe led Malima, Malkia, Dololo and Pare to drink some rain water which had collected in the Kone dam. The late-night gang including Oltaiyoni, Siangiki, Olsekki, Roi and Naseku passed by the stockades to pick up Kithaka to join them. The team left with him and walked off into the bush.
Meanwhile, the dependent orphans had a quiet morning as they continued browsing without any major distractions. Wendi and several ex-orphans passed by Kone heading towards Kalovoto. Sana Sana joined up and left with them, despite the Keepers calling her to come back.
The orphans had their midday milk feed and then, as has become the norm, decided to walk off for their bush mud bath instead of wallowing in the main waterhole. It was moderately cool and the orphans enjoyed feeding on the green vegetation budding everywhere. Sapalan enjoyed a pushing game with Jotto.
When the dependent orphans arrived back at the stockades around 5pm they found that Sana Sana and Kithaka, who left with the ex-orphans this morning, had not reported back yet. It wasn’t until about nine o'clock when Sana Sana arrived, unaccompanied by the Wendi’s group. Kithaka didn’t return at all and it appears he decided to spend the night out with Oltaiyoni’s late-night gang.
It was still drizzling this morning when the orphans were let out. The rains had started around two o'clock in the morning. The orphans converged in the lucerne feeding area — but not for the lucerne, but rather to decide which way to go today. They picked a few pieces of lucerne then Mteto led the way, heading east of the stockades. Kithaka and late-night gang who had collected him the previous day still did not show up this morning.
The weather was totally different today, for it kept raining for nearly the whole day. The rains gave the orphans so much joy. Every now and then, they would stop browsing just to celebrate by rolling on the muddy ground and play with the rainwater collecting in every nook and cranny. Maramoja, Malkia, Esampu, Sana Sana, Kuishi, Larro, Nabulu, Mukkoka, Pare and Ndiwa were the most active elephants playing and rolling on the ground in between bouts of browsing. At one point during their shenanigans, Naboishu accidentally stepped on Rapa. Rapa wouldn’t accept such insolence from such a young elephant and so went for Naboishu. Naboishu is a tough boy though and stood his ground and tackled Rapa like a gentleman. Naboishu finally lost to Rapa, but not after showing Rapa that he is capable of defending himself, so that next time Rapa wouldn’t underestimate him.
Larro, Mukkoka and Naboishu were the first ones to leave the stockades this morning. Jotto and Mapia settled for a pushing game soon after leaving their night stockade. Their game ended when Jotto decided to leave and head out to the bush to begin his day of browsing. Led by Mundusi, the orphans settled to browse west of the stockade compound.
Ambo settled to browse with Sana Sana while Rapa, Malima and Naboishu browsed a short distance away from the rest of their friends. It was a quiet morning as the orphans enjoyed feeding on the green vegetation. Shortly before mud bath time, Enkikwe came across a small water pool and decided to have fun by rolling around in it. Ambo, Pare, Kuishi and Esampu joined in and started rolling close to Enkikwe. Once Pare finished rolling, he found Mundusi waiting for him so that they could have a strength testing exercise. Pare declined and informed Mundusi that he had used so much energy playing and he was sorry to disappoint him. Pare knew that he was so tired and that he would certainly lose the game were he to indulge Mundusi! Mundusi shook his head and pushed Pare from behind, evidently annoyed with Pare’s decision, before moving off to find another friend who might be willing to play with him.
At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk then walked off to continue browsing. Malkia and Kuishi settled to drink water as they had girl to girl talk, while Jotto and Ndiwa met briefly to discuss their own matters. The orphans settled to browse along the upper Kalovoto river and had a quiet afternoon. In the evening, Mukkoka led the first group back to the stockades for the night.
The sky was clear this morning. It appears the unpredictable rains have taken a break, though no one knows for how long. When the orphans were let out, Kuishi led the way. No one passed by to check if any lucerne had been provided — all the orphans were far more interested in finding out what vegetation was on offer out in the bush. The ex-orphans Nasalot, Noah, Nusu, Wendi, Wiva, Wema, Wimbi, Wanjala, Galana, Gawa and their new member Karisa made a brief stop off at the stockade compound and later left, heading to the west. The orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. Jotto settled to browse with Kuishi while Sapalan browsed with Pare. Ambo stuck with his adopted sister Kamok.
The boys, Kauro, Mundusi, Rapa and Mapia split from the main herd and moved further north of Kanziku to explore on their own, returning later to join their friends after their exploration. Their faces were beaming with happiness as it seems they found an area with lots of delicious things to browse on.
After the eleven o'clock milk feed Malima, led the way back out to browse, where they settled west of the Ithumba Hill. The orphans browsed as a group as there was no need to scatter out to browse, now that there is more vegetation readily available. In the evening, Larro led the first group back to the stockades for the night.
Soon after finishing their morning milk bottles, Sattao led the way out. There was no stopping this morning and soon Sattao was overtaken by Kamok and Ambo. The orphans walked very fast as if they had a mission to accomplish somewhere. As the orphans headed west, they soon encountered a herd of buffaloes. Kamok, backed by Ambo, charged and trumpeted towards the buffaloes. The rest of the herd soon joined in supporting Ambo and Kamok. The buffaloes went into panic mode and split into two groups, one heading left and the other heading right, creating a way in the middle. The orphans pursued the ones heading right but after a short while, Kamok called off the exercise chasing the buffaloes as they had all run off. The orphans converged to congratulate themselves on their unity which made it possible to drive the buffaloes away.
Kauro came across a pool of rainwater where he quenched his thirst. He was joined by Enkikwe, Jotto and Ambo. After having enough water, Kauro left, leaving the other three boys helping themselves. Later, Ambo and Nabulu settled for a scratching exercise before browsing again. Kamok teamed up with Malkia and Musiara while Pare chose his friend Kuishi to browse with.
At mud bath time, the orphans had their noon milk feed and then went back to browsing. The afternoon was quiet as the orphans concentrated on browsing on the flourishing vegetation. In the evening Mukkoka, led the first group while Nabulu led the second one home for night.
The orphans had morning milk bottles before Malima led the herd out for the day. Sattao, Maramoja and Mteto lagged behind the rest of the herd. The orphans had a quiet morning, slowly moving from one shrub to another, making sure to spend time at each one to taste and sample them properly. It was this way that they found the tastiest ones and made sure to spend more time at those shrubs. Mteto found a nice tree trunk that she used to scratch her neck. Rapa teamed up briefly with Jotto whereby the two orphans had a competition over who could stretch their trunks highest into a tree to reach the best leaves. They both came to find that they have the same size trunks and none could reach higher than the other, so the competition ended in a draw. Rapa walked away leaving Jotto behind.
Naboishu teamed up with Ndiwa and later moved to join Sana Sana. Nabulu chose to browse further away from her friends. Ambo followed his friend Kamok while Enkikwe teamed up with Mundusi, Kauro and Sapalan.
The orphans had their noon milk feed then went straight back to browsing, there was no time to waste as they wanted to continue feeding on the green vegetation they have missed for a very long time. Ambo and Mapia took a break from feeding and engaged in a pushing game that ended when Kamok passed by and collected her favourite, Ambo. Sapalan also decided to pick on Pare for a pushing game, which ended in a draw. Mundusi came across a pool of muddy water and decided to have fun rolling in it. In the evening, Larro led the first group back to the stockades.
There was slight tension this morning when the orphans met with a domestic dog on their way out of their stockade compound. The Keepers, who were following the orphans closely behind, couldn't understand why they suddenly stopped and started retreating. Some of the Keepers walked up ahead, only to find the domestic dog facing the elephants. The Keepers cleared the way for the orphans by pushing the dog far way and notifying the KWS HQ that there was somehow a dog in the National Park!
Peace was restored among the orphans, who settled to browse close to the compound. We had a very special arrival coming from the Nursery today: a moving lorry containing three new Nursery graduates! Neshashi, Oldepe, and Roho arrived shortly before nine o'clock in the morning. After the babies were offloaded and given a welcoming milk bottle, Larro, Naboishu, and Mukkoka were called to greet the new arrivals.
Neshashi was initially a bit upset with the change in environment. We decided to show her into a stockade where she could relax, along with Roho, Oldepe, Larro, Mukkoka, Naboishu, and Musiara.. Mukkoka and Naboishu started bullying the babies, however, so they were disqualified from the welcoming committee and sent out, leaving Larro and Musiara to take care of the newcomers. An hour later, Neshashi had calmed down significantly. At this time, all the Ithumba orphans were brought back to the compound to mingle with the new arrivals. Maramoja, Ndiwa and Malkia played a great role in making sure that Neshashi didn’t run away. The three girls pampered her with a lot of extra love, as if they understood her nervousness and that she was the source of all the unrest.
Slowly, all the orphans and new arrivals walked towards the mud bath. Roho interacted with nearly all the older orphans, many of whom he might remember from the Nursery, while Neshashi and Oldepe stayed close to each other. When they reached the mud bath, all three new arrivals took their milk peacefully, surrounded by their new friends.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse east of Ithumba Hill. Ndiwa, Malkia, Maramoja, Sana Sana and Larro did everything they could to make the three new babies comfortable and kept checking on them. In the evening, Neshashi, Oldepe, and Roho were led to their new night stockade, accompanied by Larro.
After spending a peaceful night in their new stockade, it was the beginning of the first full day for Neshashi, Oldepe, and Roho. The three new babies didn't know the exit routine into the bush, and although the Keepers and some of the other older orphans tried to guide them, Neshashi decided to use a different route by climbing over a short wall. The orphans gamely followed her and headed out to browse.
Jotto engaged Mapia in a pushing game while Kauro played with Mundusi. Mukkoka teamed up briefly with Oldepe as Ndiwa and Maramoja took care of Neshashi. Roho, who appears to be getting along well with everyone, kept moving from one new friend to another. Eventually he settled to browse with Sapalan, Jotto, Kuishi, Ndiwa before later regrouping with Neshashi and Oldepe. Pare and Musiara took a break from feeding to engage in a strength testing game. After some time, Musiara gave up, after loosing to Pare.
The orphans continued to enjoy browsing on green vegetation right up to mud bath time, when Nabulu led the first group to their eleven o'clock milk feed. The new babies, who are learning the new routine, joined their Ithumba friends for a romp in the damp soil.
In the afternoon Neshashi, spent most of her time browsing with Ndiwa and Mteto. She was much more relaxed this evening and simply returned to the stockades with her friends for her second night at Ithumba.
It was wet in the morning, thanks to some rain that fell overnight. Soon after the orphans left the stockades, Mapia and Rapa engaged each other in a strength testing exercise. In the end, Mapia lost to Rapa.
Malkia teamed up with Kuishi to browse while Larro settled to browse with Rapa and Ndiwa. Later, Sapalan, Malkia, Enkikwe and Jotto took a break from feeding to roll around on the ground. Pare joined them too but was disrupted by Dololo who came to roll on him, so Pare stood up and walked away.
Neshashi, Oldepe and Roho seemed very settled today and happily followed their new friends, trying to learn all they could from them. After having their milk, the orphans moved several metres away to a place they really like, for they have dug small holes over a long period of time that they enjoy playing and rolling in.
In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Neshashi is really calming down now and seems a lot more settled. It must be quite an overwhelming change for an orphan like Neshashi, who was rescued at an older age. She only arrived at the Nurseryin January, so it’s understanding that found it to be another significant change to move to Ithumba with lots of new elephants that she doesn’t know. Roho knows a number of orphans at Ithumba, as he was raised at the Nursery since he was about nine months old, so he has a lot of old friends and acquaintances to feel relaxed. It is wonderful to see Neshashi finally settling in and recognizing that these are all just new friends!
The orphans browsed calmly, but the heat eventually appeared to be too great for Oldepe and Roho. The two boys kept on drawing water from their stomachs — special technique used by elephants to keep cool — and spraying it behind their ears. The Keepers decided to walk the herd to the Kone dam, recently filled with rainwater, where they cooled down before heading back to the stockades for the night.