October bought two new additions to our extended elephant family, with the birth of a grandbaby and a great-grandbaby. But first, it began with some buffalo drama, courtesy of Naleku.
The orphans slowly ambled over to the lucerne feeding area soon after leaving their night stockades. Several bulls were present. Melia, Milo and Mutara’s herd joined in too. Milo pushed Olorien as she walked by, but Olorien decided not to retaliate as his mother Melia was right there, and she didn't want any trouble. Esoit, Naleku, Sattao, Roho and Sagateisa walked down to the water trough and joined a wild bull drinking water.
A buffalo showed up and wanted to join the orphans drinking, but after taking just one sip, Naleku decided to charge at the buffalo. The buffalo retreated, giving Naleku the courage to charge further and even trumpet a little, too. But then the buffalo changed its mind, and decided to charge back at Naleku. This is when Naleku lost her courage and turned to run away. Sattao stepped in and ran forward to help his adopted sister Naleku. Soon the other orphans joined and in unison ganged up against the buffalo. The buffalo couldn’t believe what was happening and was left with no option other than to run away, as the elephants pursued him for about four hundred metres before deciding that was enough distance to have scared him away. Clearly, the elephants like to dominate the water trough while they are the ones drinking there, but the buffalo made a mistake in trying to stand up to one in the herd!
Out in the bush, Lodo engaged Roho into a strength testing match while Jotto briefly joined a wild bull who was also browsing nearby. The rest of the morning was quiet until Kindani led the first group for their noon milk feed, and after finishing their bottles, all the orphans went to cool off in the mud bath. In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Sattao and Ambo led the way back to the stockades for the night.
The orphans went for some lucerne breakfast soon after leaving the stockades. Several wild bulls were milling around, along with Naisula, Nyx, Mteto, Esampu, Kenze, Kalama, Mutara, Kithaka, Mambo, Suguta, Sities, Nasalot, Nusu, Kainuk, Turkwel and Chaimu. After having enough lucerne, Sagateisa led the way out. Roho, Naboishu, Dololo, Larro and Kinyei passed by the water trough to drink enough water to see them through the entire morning. Olorien lagged behind with the ex-orphans and followed her friends later. After the orphans left two buffaloes showed up and joined the wild elephants drinking water.
Musiara teamed up with Lodo to browse while Olorien settled to browse with Roho. Esoit, as usual, engaged Bondeni in a strength testing match. It was nice to see Zurura when he joined the orphans briefly on his way towards the Ithumba compound for a drink. The orphans raised their trunks to acknowledge Zurura but quickly got back to browsing.
Kindani led the way to the mud bath for the noon milk feed and after their bottles, the orphans joined some wild bulls in the mud bath. When they were done swimming, Ambo led the group to drink some fresh water. Kindani busied herself on the loose soil while her friends drank and only after the group left did she decide to go for a drink herself. By the time she went for a drink the wild bulls had moved back into place and she felt she couldn’t access the water trough. Kindani raised her front foot from time to time and turned to face the Keepers, signalling that she needed help accessing the water. The Keepers understood her message and came forward to request the wild bulls to make way so that little Kindani could have a drink as well. The bulls stepped back as Kindani ran happily to the water trough to quench her thirst.
On the way back out to the bush, Lodo engaged Roho in a pushing game that ended in a draw. The dependent orphans were joined by Mutara’s group for a short while. It was very hot and the orphans took a break from feeding to relax under a tree until it was cooler. Olorien led the way back to the stockades in the evening.
Mutara’s herd spent the night just outside the stockade compound. When the orphans came out Naleku got to play with Mambo for a while. When he was done playing with Naleku Mambo walked back to join his nannies, and Sattao led the way out to the bush.
It was a quiet morning as the orphans browsed calmly. It was still fairly cool when Roho led the way for the mid-day milk feed. Shortly later, Mutara and her group showed up at the mud bath. Mutara walked side by side with her baby as they shared a branch Mutara was feasting on. The impressive wild bull we refer to as ‘Dad’ and his friends arrived at the mud bath for a drink, but they didn’t stay long. The orphans walked to the water trough and drank enough water to see them through for the rest of the day, as they wouldn’t come across any more out in the drying landscape. Dololo and Sattao had a brief strength testing exercise before heading back out to the bush. Sagateisa stayed behind to enjoy cooling off with the wild bulls who were present. She is such an independent young girl!
In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill where they browsed quietly for the rest of the day.
It was drizzling in the morning when the orphans left their stockades. We were very happy to see the first signs of rain, and so were the orphans as they enjoyed their lucerne while getting a bit wet. Yatta and her family were present together with two wild bulls. When the orphans had enough lucerne, Kindani led the way out again.
It was still drizzling as the orphans made their way out to the bush and Kuishi, Jotto, Suguroi, Lodo, Naleku and Ambo decided to have fun on the already wet soil. They rolled about, enjoying the damp ground and throwing soil in the air for quite a while. The rain continued and water collected amongst the rocks in the bush. Kuishi and Larro took a break from browsing to enjoy drinking the fresh rain water. Sagateisa scratched an itchy ear against some trees and later teamed up with Naleku to browse. Barsilinga and Kauro joined the orphans briefly before disappearing again.
At eleven o'clock in the morning it was still raining. The orphans went for their midday milk whilst walking very carefully because the ground was slippery. They had their milk and then walked back out to the bush without swimming as of course there was no need today. The rain stopped after giving us 24mm and in the afternoon, the orphans browsed calmly, enjoying the temperate climate brought about by the rain.
Olorien led the first group back in the evening followed by Kindani leading the second. Suguroi was head of the third, Mukkoka the fourth and Jotto the fifth. No wild elephants showed up at the stockades in the evening. The ex-orphans were represented by Barsilinga, who disappeared as dusk fell.
The sky was partly covered by clouds when the orphans were let out this morning. The compound looked deserted as no wild elephants or ex-orphans were around. It has been so dry recently we couldn’t ever imagine seeing no wild elephants around the water trough, as they have been coming every day. It looked strange to wake up to an empty compound. The orphans were more than happy however to have the whole area to themselves, as they ate their lucerne in peace without any competition. Bondeni took a break from feeding on lucerne to enjoy scratching his belly on a rock, while Dololo and Lodo were busy wrestling. When she decided it was time, Naleku led the way out for the day.
The soil was still damp and Kuishi, Ambo and Naboishu decided to have fun rolling on the ground. The orphans had a quiet morning as they enjoyed the cool weather. They browsed in the Kanziku area right up until it was time to head to the mud bath, and Suguroi led the first group.
When they were done mud bathing and drinking, the dependent orphans walked to browse west of Ithumba Hill and browsed calmly for the rest of the day.
It was a clear sky in the morning when the orphans were let out and only the junior ex-orphans joined the dependent babies for lucerne. This consisted of Sapalan, Rapa, Malkia, Enkikwe, Kauro, Barsilinga, Kithaka, Neshashi, Ndiwa, Sana Sana, Pare and Mapia. After sharing lucerne, the dependent orphans walked down to the water troughs to drink some water before leaving for browsing. Olorien decided to lead the way out and chose the direction they were going today. Ambo and Jotto decided to remain with the junior ex-orphans and didn't follow their friends. Esoit teamed up with Roho to browse while Kindani teamed up with Bondeni.
As the day wore on it got warmer and warmer and the orphans browsed steadily as they headed towards the mud bath. Kinyei led the way for the midday milk feed. After the orphans had their milk bottles, Naleku led everyone into the mud bath for a refreshing swim. Yatta and her two sons Yoyo and Yogi joined the orphans at the mud bath and walked with them later when they decided to continue browsing. The herd left four wild bulls drinking from the water trough next to the mud bath.
The herd browed quietly west of Ithumba Hill. Kuishi teamed up with Esoit in the afternoon while Lodo chose to browse with Sagateisa. In the evening, Ambo and Jotto, who had decided to accompany the junior ex-orphans in the morning, returned and joined their dependent friends in the stockades for the night.
The drier it gets, the more elephants we have visiting in search of water. Perhaps they can smell it, and some already know they will always find water at our water troughs. The damp ground and pools of water from the rain two days ago have already dried up completely; even water collected amongst the rocks has evaporated. More elephants showed up this morning and joined the orphans for their lucerne supplement food. A totally new wild herd who we have never seen before also visited the stockade water troughs. The herd hastily drank water, looking all around them at the unfamiliar sight of little elephants and their human carers, before leaving and heading south east. After the orphans had enough lucerne, Naleku, followed by Suguroi, led the way out.
The orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. At around ten o'clock in the morning, Naserian, Njema, Wendi, Wiva Wema, Wimbi, Galana and Gawa, who have been away for almost a month, passed by where the orphans were feeding as they headed towards the stockade compound. The dependent orphans only raised their trunks up to acknowledge the presence of the ex-orphans passing by, as they didn’t want to pause their browsing session.
At mud bath time Kinyei led the first group for their midday milk feed. After finishing their milk, the orphans were joined by more ex-orphans: Mulika, Mkuu, Mwende, Naisula, Nyx, Esampu, Mteto, Maramoja, Roi, Siangiki, Oltaiyoni, Ithumbah, Iman and Naseku. Twenty-five bulls were also present at the mud bath. Sagateisa played with Iman for a short while before rejoining her friends. Later in the afternoon the orphans decided to visit the small roadside mud bath to cool off again before proceeding to browse. The rest of the day was quiet as the orphans browsed calmly without wrestling or playing too much.
Funnily, nine-year-old Namalok was sleeping outside the compound when the dependent orphans were let out this morning.19-year-old Orok, who arrived in the company of two wild friends, joined the dependent orphans as they enjoyed their lucerne breakfast. His two acquaintances decided to just have water from the water trough, as they weren’t comfortable joining Orok feeding close to the Keepers. When he was done, Orok rejoined his wild friends.
Olorien led the way out to browse today. Lodo settled for a soil dusting exercise while Bondeni engaged Esoit in a strength testing exercise. Roho chose to browse with quiet and dependable Larro. Later, Kuishi teamed up with her favourite little Esoit as well as Olorien to browse. Naleku developed an itch around her ear and neck and searched for a nice tree to scratch against.
While at the mud bath the orphans were briefly joined by Zurura who was passing by. After finishing their milk, they all joined a few wild bulls who were drinking at the water trough. Kinna, Kama, Kaia, Chyulu, Cheka, Ithumbah and Iman showed up at the mud bath too. Playful Suguroi attempted to say hi to Kama, but Kama turned quite hostile and confrontational. Suguroi decided to walk away to avoid any conflict.
In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse in the Imenti area. Esoit decided to take a break from feeding and lay down on the ground to relax. Kindani and Kuishi came over and stood close by to watch over him. Suguroi teamed up with Olorien to browse as Musiara browed next to Sattao. Just as dusk fell the orphans returned safely to the stockades for the night.
As they came out of their night stockades, the Ithumba orphans went straight to enjoy some lucerne which was being distributed by the Keepers. Five wild bulls were present but didn't join in. They only drank water before walking off back into the bush. Mutara’s little group, who arrived early before dawn, did however join the dependent orphans for some supplemental food. When he was done, Dololo was the first one to start making his way out to the bush, and the rest of the herd followed.
Later in the morning Roho decided to sneak up behind Kindani and launch a surprise pushing match on the unsuspecting little girl. Lodo was nearby and decided to separate himself as he didn’t want to get caught up in the frivolities. He walked off and decided to dust himself with a pile of loose soil he found. A wild bull briefly joined the orphans as he was walking west. The boys Naboishu, Bondeni and Esoit raised their trunks up in admiration and to greet the wild bull as he passed. Kuishi walked by and took Naboishu off to browse with her. A lesser kudu, minding his own business, walked close by to where the orphans were browsing, and this set them off in a playful mood, charging about. The usual playful suspects Naleku, Suguroi, Larro and Esoit charged as they ran towards the lesser kudu. The poor antelope didn’t hang around and ran for its dear life, leaving the orphans charging at empty bushes.
Later in the day while at the mud bath, the dependent orphans were joined by Malkia, Neshashi, Nabulu, Kandecha, Malima, and Mutara’s herd. The senior ex-orphans, led by Kinna, arrived later. Little did we know however that they would convince Jotto, Ambo, Sagateisa, Sattao, and Suguroi to leave with them! As the Keepers were gathering the dependent orphans to return to the compound for the night, they found that the five orphans were missing. They started searching immediately and two hours later, the missing five were found safely brought back to the stockades.
The dependent orphans felt lucky this morning as there were no wild elephants or ex-orphans around this morning that they had to share their lucerne with. They enjoyed the supplement food to their heart's content before starting their day out in the Park. It was a clear day and it started to get hot very quickly. The orphans concentrated on browsing without playing around too much, until it was time for the next milk feed.
Lodo and Naleku wanted to be first for their milk bottles and sprinted to the milk feeding area. Naboishu wasn’t far behind but enjoyed a ‘self-service feed’ as he knows how to pick up and hold the milk bottle himself. Sunyei and her baby Saba arrived to have a drink of fresh water before joining the dependent orphans in the mud bath to cool off. She really enjoyed wallowing with her baby. Yetu and Naserian came with their babies Yebo and Njema to have some water from the water trough too. Musiara and Naleku were really enjoying the mud bath to the max, rolling around and splashing the water with their trunks.
It was a very hot afternoon and some of the orphans decided to go take a break and cool down in the small mud bath along the roadside, before returning to join their friends who had continued browsing. Little Bondeni led the herd home to the stockades for the night.
Only a few ex-orphans visited the stockades today, including Kilaguni, Challa and Kauro.
A few senior ex-orphans visited the dependent orphans while they were having their lucerne this morning, including Melia and her baby Milo. Melia helped herself to some lucerne while Milo suckled from her. The little boy is looking in wonderful health and is very active and playful.
Out in the bush the dependent orphans were very playful and seemed distracted from browsing. Roho and Naboishu ran about playing their own little games amongst the bushes and testing one another’s strength.
After having their midday milk feed beside the mud bath, the dependent orphans thoroughly enjoyed their time there. Roho and Bondeni ran into the mud bath first to begin wallowing. A wild bull stood patiently nearby, waiting for the youngsters to finish drinking so he could come and have some water too. After coming out of the mud bath some of the orphans went to dry off on the loose soil.
It was another hot afternoon and the orphans had to take a break in the shade for a while. Just before 5pm they made their way back to the stockades for the night, where they had their last milk bottle of the day before enjoying some lucerne pellets piled nicely in their stockades by the Keepers. Just as it grew dark some ex-orphans including Wendi and her three babies Wiva, Wema and Wimbi came for a quick drink, before leaving again.
The dependent orphans awoke as usual just before dawn and were happy to find their milk bottles mixed and already waiting for them. They had their milk then came out of their stockades to join the ex-orphans and wild elephants waiting for lucerne. More wild elephants and their young babies arrived to join in as well. Bondeni and Kindani calmly shared lucerne together. Neshashi was among the ex-orphans and was interacting with Larro, perhaps telling her what life is like out there in the wild. Olorien joined Kindani and Bondeni who were still amicably sharing lucerne from the same pile, before the trio decided it was time to head out to the bush for the day and led the way out. Kindani got distracted when Roho invited her for a short wrestling match, leaving Olorien and Bondeni in the lead.
Once again the orphans seemed to abandon their morning browsing session and instead chose to play. Perhaps they were still feeling full of lucerne. Mukkoka, Lodo and Bondeni were busy playing together while Roho and Naboishu were wrestling and testing their strength. Soon it was time to head to the mud bath for the next milk feed.
After having their milk the orphans ran into the mud bath to wallow and cool off. Some wild bulls arrived and joined them in the mud bath. Neshashi was very brave and found herself standing between two resting wild bulls. Before long the dependent orphans decided it was time to continue with their afternoon of browsing and filtered away from the mud bath back into the bush.
The orphans did concentrate more on browsing in the afternoon than this morning, but at one stage had to take a break from browsing in the sun and rest in the shade of some trees. Some headed to the smaller mud bath to cool off for a bit. Kinyei energetically splashed about in that mud bath as she was feeling hot and uncomfortable, and she covered her body with a thick layer of cool mud. It’s not usual to find Kinyei splashing about in a mud bath, but today she was clearly feeling quite hot. Kuishi led the herd back home in the evening.
Mukkoka was the first out of his stockade this morning and he was clearly in a hurry to have some lucerne breakfast. He walked straight to the feeding area where he was soon joined by his friends. Musiara and Suguroi decided to chase some guinea fowl who were coming for some water around the water trough, and they sent the poor birds clucking and scattering up into the air. This had the desired effect Musiara and Suguroi had hoped for, and they ran back to the lucerne feeding area, swinging their trunks in glee. Shortly later a big wild bull walked straight up to the water trough for a drink, before walking off to the south. The dependent orphans left the ex-orphans who had decided to visit this morning still feeding on lucerne, and walked out to begin their day.
Everyone concentrated on browsing this morning and finding enough to eat, before making their way to the mud bath for their midday milk feed and to cool off in the water. While they were there some wild bulls and ex-orphans came to drink water and wallow too. Melia and her baby Milo were among them. Milo really enjoyed wallowing and playing with Kuishi and Larro, before walking out to follow his mum. Challa arrived and stood quietly in the shade of one of the large trees, as if waiting for the ruckus to end before enjoying the mud bath to himself. Kuishi, Olorien and Lodo were having such fun in the mud bath and were the last to leave. Eventually Kuishi came out and started playing on the loose soil, rolling around to dry off.
Back out in the bush it was very hot and some of the orphans took a break in the shade of a large tree. When it cooled down a little they slowly resumed browsing for a while, before it was time to return to the stockades for the night. On the way Mukkoka and Roho were messing around, playing and testing their strength against one another.
Wendi with her three babies Wiva, Wema and Wimbi were among some of the ex-orphans who paid a visit this evening. Kinna, Kama and Kaia were also there with Chyulu and Cheka. They all left as soon as they had finished drinking water.
The dependent orphans had their milk bottles around 6am as usual before walking out to have some lucerne breakfast. They joined some of the senior ex-orphans who had decided to visit, including handsome Zurura and Kauro. They stayed the longest even long after the other elephants had left.
Lodo was the first one to the midday milk feed, followed by Esoit who helped himself with his trunk to a bottle of milk. Jotto did the same but he is being weaned off milk formula and his bottle was mostly water. While the orphans were at the mud bath some wild bulls came to drink water and wallow, and we were pleasantly surprised to find Kithaka among them! He is looking so healthy and his limp has much improved. Roho, Naleku, Kindani, Bondeni and Kinyei were the most playful at the mud bath today. Kindani, Bondeni and Kinyei as usual stuck to their little trio and splashed about in the water together.
After resting in some shade for a while this afternoon, the dependent orphans all decided to make their way to the small mud bath for a refreshing dip. Musiara was so playful, rolling around and fully submerging himself in the little dam. Kindani and Bondeni came out and got down on the ground to roll and dry off. Later, Roho led the herd back home for the night. Some ex-orphans including Wendi and her children visited the stockades in the evening.
Some ex-orphans and a few wild bulls joined in to feed on lucerne this morning. As soon as it was finished, Suguroi led the dependent orphans out for the day. Olorien came across a nice rock that she used to scratch her belly on. Sattao settled for a soil dusting exercise as Kuishi teamed up with Esoit to browse together. Lodo, who happens to share a stockade with Olorien, tried joining her so they could feed together. Olorien blocked Lodo from sharing the same shrub as her and pushed him away. Clearly despite sharing a stockade, Olorien doesn’t feel particularly close to Lodo. Lodo didn’t complain but simply walked away looking a little dejected.
It had been a hot morning and Olorien hastily led the way for the noon milk feed. After finishing their milk, all the orphans jumped into the mud bath to cool off. Shortly later they were joined by Olsekki, Galla, Mapia, Naisula, Nyx, Esampu, Mteto, Ndiwa, Rapa, Kauro, Barsilinga, Mteto and Oltaiyoni. Galla engaged Rapa in a pushing game while still in the mud bath, hoping that might give him some advantage over the feisty Rapa! It worked and Rapa surrendered, leaving the mud bath. Musiara and Olsekki got out of the water.
In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Bondeni took a break from feeding and relaxed under a tree until the temperature dropped to a more favourable level. In the evening Kindani led the way home for the night.
The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockades. Only Kibo and two wild sub-adults turned up to share lucerne with the dependent babies. Suguroi, Naleku and Olorien walked down to the water trough to have some water. They were soon joined by Larro, Esoit and Mukkoka. Suguroi yelled out to complain when Naleku tried to push her away from the water trough. Mukkoka came to her rescue and warned Naleku not to be so badly behaved. Naleku shook her head and walked away. Sagateisa then led the herd out for the day.
Out in the bush the orphans were joined by Kauro and Kithaka. Bondeni engaged Esoit in a strength testing exercise while Olorien rolled on the ground, enjoying her own little game. Roho challenged Naboishu and their pushing game ended in a draw. Jotto, Dololo, Ambo and Sattao split from the main herd and browsed a short distance away. They later rejoined the group on the way to the mud bath.
The temperature was moderate and actually only Roho decided to have a mud bath, splashing muddy water on his face and back. This all changed in the afternoon, however, and the temperature skyrocketed, prompting the orphans to take cover under some trees to avoid the scorching sun. It seems this shifting weather was all building up to an almighty storm — before long, clouds gathered and within no time, it started raining heavily. This caught everyone unaware, including the orphans! They were already making their way back to the stockades but they quickened their pace to get back to the compound. The rain stopped after about half an hour, giving us 20mm of rain.
It was a cool morning when the orphans left the stockades. Out of the wild-living orphans, only Barsilinga, Sana Sana and Kauro showed up. Jotto nicely shared his lucerne with Roho.
As soon as the orphans had enough lucerne, Kinyei took the lead and everyone followed her out into the Park. Barsilinga followed his dependent friends for a while then splintered off and went his own way. Lodo and Olorien decided to have fun playing in the soil which was still wet for yesterday’s rain. Naboishu teamed up with Roho to browse while Kindani chose to browse next to Suguroi. The rest of the morning was quiet as the orphans concentrated on browsing without any distractions.
While the orphans were at the mud bath, it was quite cool and none of them dared to step into the water. No ex-orphans or wild elephants showed up as the rain meant everyone was feeling a lot cooler and there was more water to be found everywhere. The orphans enjoyed drinking water without any disturbance from any outsiders. After they were through with the activities around the mud bath, Naleku led everyone back out to browse and they spent a quiet afternoon in the bush.
Later in the evening, Ndiwa and Galana appeared at the stockades for the night.
Olare, Oltaiyoni, Meibai, Barsilinga, Maramoja, Neshashi and two wild bulls arrived at the compound this morning. Dololo and Bondeni walked down to the water trough to drink water and after, Bondeni challenged Dololo to a pushing game. Bondeni lost the game and moved to try his luck on Ambo, but lost again! Sagateisa interacted with Meibai for a bit, perhaps inquiring where he had been for the last few weeks. Shortly later, Mukkoka led his friends out to browse.
Olorien settled to enjoy some shrubbery with Lodo while Bondeni opted to play his own game rolling on the ground. Sattao and Musiara liked the look of his game and took a break from feeding to have a soil dusting session. Larro and Kuishi browsed close to their favourite little boy, Esoit.
Funnily enough it was actually quite cool for once. After having their noon milk feed the dependent orphans went straight for a drink of water and skipped a mud bath. Only one wild bull showed up and shared water with the orphans. In the afternoon Roho engaged Dololo in a pushing match while Naboishu played with Mukkoka. Jotto and Ambo browsed separately from the others; it seems these days they are contemplating their independence and often seek to separate themselves from the dependent herd and spend more time with the ex-orphans too.
Melia, Milo, Ndiwa, Galla, Kauro, Kalama, Barsilinga, Sapalan, Kandecha, Oltaiyoni, Sana Sana, Orwa and Kitirua joined the dependent orphans this morning. The little rascal Milo challenged Lodo to a pushing game, but Lodo didn’t want to participate as he was worried about any potential repercussions from Melia, Milo’s mother. Lodo quietly slipped away, leaving Milo thinking that he had won. When the orphans had enough lucerne, Sagateisa led the way out. Sattao, Ambo and Jotto stayed behind with the ex-orphans and rejoined their friends later.
Bondeni settled to browse with Kindani while Esoit teamed up with Kuishi as usual. Just before it was time to go for their next milk feed, the orphans came across a muddy puddle which they had fun splashing around in.
It was all quiet in the mud bath. The orphans had their milk then some water before heading straight back out to the bush again. In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse west of the hill, where they were joined briefly by Rapa, Sana Sana and Enkikwe. When they left they took Jotto, Ambo and Musiara along, but returned with them about an hour later.
20 wild bulls were present in the morning when the orphans were let out. The bulls concentrated on drinking water while the orphans enjoyed their lucerne. One of the wild bulls decided to join the orphans and Dololo was brave enough to welcome the wild bull into their group. Kindani and Bondeni walked down to the water trough to have water as they waited for their friends to finish. As soon as they had enough, Kuishi rumbled, informing her friends that it was time to start heading out for the day. Esoit was the first one to respond, joining Kuishi at the head of the group. Jotto was reluctant and lagged behind, before deciding to catch up with the herd.
With the two recent showers, the orphans are relishing the new green shoots sprouting everywhere, and preoccupied themselves by looking for the most succulent leaves and shoots all morning.
When it was time, Naleku led the way for the noon milk feed. Teleki, Wanjala, Ishanga, Naserian, Njema, Yatta, Makena, Tumaren, Namalok and fifteen wild bulls showed up at the mud bath while the dependent orphans were there. Naboishu had a brief interaction with Teleki as Sagateisa, Musiara and Ambo joined the ex-orphans in the mud bath.
Kindani didn’t want to join the orphans drinking water, even after the Keepers had moved the wild bulls aside. When her friends had finished and walked away, Kindani remained behind. The bulls moved back to the water trough after the orphans left, but Kindani made it known to the Keepers that she would not leave until the bulls were moved away again so that she could enjoy drinking water all by herself. The Keepers realised they had no option other than to respect the spoilt little baby’s wishes, so they once again stepped forward and asked the wild bulls to move back, whereby Kindani slowly and majestically walked up to the water trough. Kindani drank the water slowly until she had enough, but then started playing with the water instead of following her friends. The bulls were still patiently waiting for their turn to drink. The Keepers didn’t wish to tolerate her behaviour any longer and stepped back, which was a signal to the bulls that they could once again come forward to drink. Kindani didn’t hang around as she didn’t want to be surrounded by the huge bulls all by herself, and she ran quickly to catch up with the rest of the herd.
In the afternoon Kuishi, Bondeni, Kinyei, Esoit and Suguroi took a break from feeding to have fun rolling on the ground. Olorien led the way back home in the evening.
The sky was clear this morning and we knew it was going to be a hot day. There has been a lot of talk about a possible El Nino but we are not sure if that is still the case or not. For now we are still waiting for the usual rains which begin around this time and only time will tell. The orphans walked to have their lucerne as usual soon after leaving their stockades. Shortly later a wild family arrived and joined them for some lucerne. Mutara and her herd also came. Baby Mambo was very calm this morning and tried to avoid playing with the orphans. Naboishu and Sattao briefly interacted with a wild baby before the baby ran back to its mother.
Rambunctious bulls Naboishu and Roho spent the better part of the morning engaged in a strength testing exercise. Jotto eventually decided it had gone on long enough and brought an end to their wrestling by pushing the two boys away. The rest of the orphans had a quiet morning and browsed calmly up to mud bath time when Suguroi led the way for the midday milk feed. They didn’t hang around in the mud bath area and once they had a drink of water they walked off into the bush again.
It was a hot afternoon though and the orphans decided to pass by the small roadside mud bath to cool off, before Olorien took the lead home.
A wild herd with young babies joined the orphans to feed on lucerne in the morning. One of the wild babies came over to play with Naleku and then with Roho. Roho restrained himself and wasn’t his usual boisterous self, for fear of hurting the baby and suffering the consequences should his mother retaliate! When the baby became a little more rough, Roho decided to walk away to avoid any temptation of dealing firmly with the youngster. The wild baby then met with Sagateisa, but Sagateisa didn't have time for any games, and simply pushed the baby out of her way. When the orphans had enough lucerne, Olorien led her friends out to browse.
The orphans settled to browse north of the compound where they spent a quiet morning browsing until they headed towards the mud bath. Kindani engaged Mukkoka in a light pushing game while Roho played with Naboishu. Kuishi came across a nice rock that she used to scratch her belly on. On the way to the mud bath, the orphans encountered a herd of buffaloes. Roho, Naleku, Larro, Bondeni and Suguroi charged and trumpeted trying to scare the buffaloes away, but they were unperturbed, forcing the orphans to change course and use a different path to the mud bath.
Under the hot sun the orphans indulged in a refreshing mud wallow after having their noon milk feed. After they congregated around the water trough for a drink. Naleku and Naboishu enjoyed a soil dusting exercise. In the afternoon the orphans browsed west of the Ithumba Hill, briefly joined by Mutara’s herd. Seeking refuge from the scorching sun, the orphans took a break from feeding to relax under a tree. Later, they decided to visit the roadside mud bath before returning to the stockade compound.
The day took an unexpected and most joyful turn around four o'clock, when Mwende, last seen four days ago, reappeared with a one day old baby girl! She was accompanied by Makireti and Gawa, before the rest of the ex-orphans arrived as well. We were surprised as the last time we saw Mwende we didn’t think she was due to give birth very soon! We thought Makena and Olare might have their babies before her, but Mwende proved our ‘guestimations’ wrong! Mwende’s arrival added a delightful twist to the day with Kama, Ukame and Wiva taking on the nurturing role of nannies to the new baby. Later Mwende led her new baby to the mud bath, followed by all the ex-orphans.
In all the excitement, Jotto, Ambo, Dololo, Olorien and Bondeni managed to evade the Keepers and walk off far away from the rest of the group. It was when the Keepers were gathering the orphans together to walk back to the compound that they realised the five orphans were missing. A search was mounted and eventually the Keepers managed to locate the missing elephants and escort them back to the stockades for the night.
The morning scene at the Ithumba stockades revealed 25 wild bulls as they leisurely quenched their thirst. The dependent orphans came out of their night stockades and gathered for their lucerne meal. However, they didn't linger, led by the resolute Kuishi, they soon embarked on their journey out to the bush. Lodo partnered with Kindani to browse, while Olorien and Roho settled into their respective browsing routines. Esoit engaged Bondeni in a prolonged strength-testing exercise, but Kuishi soon stepped in to encourage Esoit to allocate more time for feeding, a subtle reminder to prioritise nourishment over pushing games. Meanwhile Sagateisa paired up with Larro, and Naleku chose to browse along the rocky terrain at the bottom of the hill by herself.
Shortly before the dependent orphans arrived at the mud bath for their midday milk feed, an unforeseen incident unfolded when Mwende's baby, named Mala, accidentally tumbled into the water trough. Despite the caring efforts of Mwende, Kama, and Makireti, their inexperience led them to seek assistance from the Keepers, who of course immediately stepped in to help little Mala out of the trough. Following this event, Mwende and her companions walked off and ventured west of Ithumba Hill. It wasn’t long before the dependent orphans arrived to guzzle their milk bottles as fast as possible, before heading to the mud bath for a swim. A noteworthy visitor, known as "Dad," accompanied by several friends, briefly graced the mud bath before leaving after satisfying their thirst. The orphans, especially Malima, once sufficiently tired from wallowing, proceeded to partake in a soil-dusting exercise and then returned to their browsing endeavours.
During the afternoon, the orphans settled calmly west of Ithumba Hill.
After leaving their stockades the orphans were joined by Kilaguni and two wild bulls to share lucerne. Before she could enjoy any breakfast, Larro went to relieve an itch on a nearby rock. Suguroi challenged Lodo to a pushing game. Their game ended prematurely, however, when Jotto passed by and pushed them both out of the way. Independent Sagateisa walked down to the water trough and joined a wild bull drinking water. After the orphans had enough lucerne, Naleku led the way out to the bush.
On the way the orphans encountered some wild dogs. Mischievous Bondeni, Dololo, Mukkoka and Naboishu charged at the wild dogs and they ran away, heading south. As they browsed north of the stockades, Esoit chose to stick close to his good friend Kuishi, as the rest of the herd scattered out and browsed quietly and contently without any interference.
Only Roho, Larro, Musiara, Lodo, Sagateisa and Mukkoka decided to wallow in the main mud bath after having their milk bottles. These are our water babies and they love swimming usually, not matter the weather! Nabulu, Mapia, Rapa, Galla and Kauro, who only became independent quite recently, decided to pass by and greet the dependent orphans in the afternoon. Jotto had a brief strength testing exercise with his old friend Mapia before settling to browse. Perhaps Mapia is wondering when his friend Jotto might decide to join them and from his behaviour recently, we don’t think it will be too long!
In the evening the dependent orphans returned safely to the stockade compound for the night, but little did we know another surprise was in store for us! Tumaren, who was only here yesterday with her friends, arrived with her own little baby boy at her feet! She didn’t yet have any nannies accompanying her, but we are sure it won’t be long too before she has many applicants for that position and is surrounded by nurturing friends. The baby was still wobbling along and unsteady on his feet, meaning Tumaren had literally only given birth recently. She has given birth only two days after Mwende brought her own baby girl to introduce her to the human family. Now we are just waiting for when Makena and Olare might deliver! It is an exciting time at the Ithumba stockades and for the Keepers!
Just before dawn, it started to rain, which meant the dependent orphans awoke to a cool morning. Two wild bulls could be seen drinking water at the water trough. After quenching their thirst they joined the orphans to feed on their lucerne. Bondeni and Roho had a small tussle that turned into a fight. The two boys were trying to pick lucerne from the same pile and neither of them wanted to give it up! As the two boys were fighting, happy-go-lucky Suguroi passed by and took the lucerne for herself! The bubbly girl walked away smiling, having helped herself to what the two boys had been fighting over. By the time Bondeni and Roho were through wrestling, Suguroi was far away enjoying the lucerne.
Pare, Ndiwa, Enkikwe and two wild bulls joined the dependent orphans for a while, until Sattao took the lead of his friends and ushered them all out to the bush. While the orphans were walking the gathering clouds gave way to light rain. Kindani, Roho, Lodo and Naleku had fun rolling around on the ground while it was drizzling. Kuishi wanted to play as well but didn’t want to get involved in the rambunctious pile up, and instead walked away from the group to enjoy her own private game. She was delighted when her favourite Esoit joined her though!
The cool temperatures meant that only one wild bull was present at the mud bath when the orphans arrived. They joined him to drink some water and then the independent Sagateisa took her friends back out to browse. Ambo and Sattao were the last ones to leave. The orphans had a quiet afternoon browsing west of Ithumba Hill. Surprisingly the sun came out and it actually became quite warm, prompting some of the orphans to head to the roadside mud bath to cool off. In the evening Olorien led the way back to the stockades.
Once again it was drizzling in the morning when the orphans came out of the night stockades to begin their day. The ex-orphans arrived and joined the orphans. Mwende and Tumaren were present with their newborn babies, which was exciting. As the orphans enjoyed their lucerne, Tumaren walked down to the water trough with some of her herd. All of a sudden we were alarmed to hear trumpeting and upon investigating, found two-day old Tembo had accidentally fallen in the trough! Tumaren and her friends weren’t sure how to best extract the little one, so trumpeted for help from the Keepers, who quickly came to their aid, jumped into the trough, and helped push Tembo out. Tumaren was happy to have her baby back and gratefully walked off with her baby away from the compound, to avoid him falling in a second time. All the ex-orphans followed, leaving the dependent orphans behind still feeding on lucerne. The rain came to a stop just as Olorien decided to lead her friends out to browse.
Roho had a brief strength testing game with Bondeni before they both moved on to enjoy a soil dusting session. The orphans were clearly enjoying the cool weather this morning and browsed comfortably, without any harsh sun bearing down on them.
Barsilinga, Enkikwe, Buchuma, Kanjoro, Zurura, Neshashi and Rapa were in the company of twenty wild bulls in the compound this morning. The wild bulls remained drinking water, while of course the ex-orphans were comfortable enough to join the orphans feeding on lucerne. Confident Sagateisa walked down to the water trough and joined three wild bulls drinking water. Lodo conversed with Suguroi for a little bit while Kinyei found a good rock to scratch her tummy on.
Out in the bush, Bondeni and Esoit had their usual pushing game. Olorien teamed up with Naleku to browse while Jotto chose to spend some time with Sattao. At the mud bath the orphans were joined by Sidai, Silas, Sita, Mulika, Mkuu, Olare, Ithumbah, Iman, Teleki, Naisula, Nyx, Oltaiyoni, Narok and Makena, but the two groups didn’t really interact for long. The orphans had their milk and got into the mud bath but they only swam from one side to the other and got out to continue browsing. Sattao, Malkia, Sagateisa, Lodo, Kindani and Naleku dried off on the loose soil and hurried to catch up with their friends.
Mukkoka had a game rolling on the ground. Esoit came over and enjoyed scratching against Mukkoka. A bit later Mwende, baby Mala, Ishanga, Wiva and Gawa came to say hello to the orphans. Olorien, Naleku and Suguroi were delighted to have a tiny baby in their presence and wanted to greet Mala, but were blocked from doing so by her nanny Ishanga. Later on Kinyei, Kindani and Bondeni took a break from browsing to roll around on the ground – a current favourite game for the orphans as the ground is damp and fun to roll on! Naboishu and Roho finished up the day's activities by engaging in a pushing match that ended in a draw.
Tiny Tembo and Tumaren were present in the morning. With the memory still fresh in her mind regarding Tembo’s fall in the water trough, Tumaren gave the trough a wide berth and escorted her baby around as she made her way to the lucerne feeding area. After they were done with their lucerne breakfast, Kuishi led her friends out for the day.
Esoit and Bondeni began their day with their usual wrestling match, but it came to an end when Esoit slipped and fell. He was absolutely fine, but Roho came over and helped defend Esoit by pushing Bondeni away. With his heroic act done, Roho moved to play with Lodo. Jotto was standing close by and as usual he didn’t tolerate these wrestling matches for some reason; he passed by and pushed both boys away.
Browsing in the Kanziku area, Suguroi teamed up with Sagateisa and Naleku and the trio moved off away from their friends to browse on their own. Jotto had a small fight with Musiara which escalated into a fight. The two boys went on pushing each other until the Keepers intervened and warned them to stop fighting and concentrate on browsing.
The day was getting warm and at mud bath time the orphans all wanted to wallow in the water. They were joined briefly by Chyulu, Cheka, Sidai, Silas, Kinna, Kama, Kaia, Kilabasi, Kofi, Yatta, Yogi, Nasalot, Nusu, Noah, Mulika’s family and several wild bulls.
As the day wore on it was still very hot and Kinyei, Roho, Dololo, Larro, Olorien and Suguroi took a break from feeding to relax under some trees, hiding from the scorching sun. On the way home Musiara and Jotto lagged behind as they were so ensconced in a pushing match. They returned to the stockade later after six o'clock, long after their friends were already safely shut in for the night.
While the dependent orphans were feeding on lucerne they were joined by lots of ex-orphans and some wild elephants too. The meeting was brief however as the orphans were in a hurry to begin their day and feast on the many green shoots sprouting in the park after the recent rain. They were soon joined by Kithaka, Neshashi, Malima and Mapia, who quietly browsed alongside their younger friends, before wandering off on their own mission again. Lodo teamed up with Suguroi to browse while Kindani and Naleku decided to have a brief soil dusting exercise. Naleku found a tasty looking shrub and broke some branches that she started playing with, throwing them in the air to land on her head and back. She clearly feels that with the rain, food is plentiful again, and she was excited that she didn’t need to be too concerned with eating it all – some was right for playing! Naboishu had a disagreement with Roho which soon escalated into a pushing game.
Olorien led the first group to the mud bath while Sagateisa led the second one. The increasingly independent Ambo, Kuishi, Dololo and Sattao lagged behind, showing up later when the mud bath was almost over.
It seems different groups of ex-orphans wished to pop in today as later the orphans were briefly joined by Kilaguni, Malkia, Ndiwa and Sana Sana. The afternoon was very hot and the orphans all took cover under some shade until it was cooler. Kuishi, Esoit, Naleku, Kinyei and Mukkoka eventually decided it was worth a trip to the roadside mud bath to cool down. Later Mukkoka engaged Musiara in a strength testing game, in which Musiara emerged as the winner.
The two new wild born babies Tembo and Mala were outside the compound this morning, tottering around their mothers’ feet. There is still obviously an element of excitement around the new babies as all the adult females were competing and jostling over who could take care of the little ones. The dependent orphans never stood a chance to even get close to Mala and Tembo! Perhaps they might have an opportunity once the babies are a bit older and more playful, and the nannies aren’t so strict about who is allowed close to them. Meanwhile, Sagateisa had a standoff with a wild elephant baby about her size and age who tried threatening her. The wild baby backed down however when he found that Sagateisa doesn’t take threats lightly!
Shortly later, the orphans headed off into the park to browse accompanied by Kithaka, Malkia and Ndiwa. The morning was a quiet one as the orphans browsed peacefully.
As soon as she felt like it was time for the next feed, Larro led the first group to the mud bath while Olorien led the second one. It was hot and humid, and the orphans all felt like wallowing. Mulika and all her family including her new grandchild Mala were present, and decided to wallow in the water too. Tiny Mala was bathed by being splashed with muddy water while her mother was throwing water on herself, as she is still too small to even know how to use her trunk properly. The orphans went to dry off on the loose soil after coming out of the water and Sattao, Musiara and Kithaka were having such fun rolling about there, they were the last ones to leave. In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Suguroi and Lodo had a brief strength testing game while Bondeni played with Esoit, until it was time to return to the compound for the night.
As dawn broke, we could see a wild herd drinking water from the water trough in front of the compound. As soon as they finished drinking, the matriarch led her herd to join the orphans to share lucerne with them. One of the wild babies engaged Esoit in a playful pushing game, which he was delighted with, while Naleku walked over to greet the youngest wild baby. Once they had their fill, the wild herd wandered off into the bush. The orphans decided it was time to leave too and headed out, walking east.
Naboishu and Roho stretched their limbs and warmed their bodies up by having a pushing game. After, Roho moved to go and browse with Kinyei. Kuishi teamed up with Naboishu and Esoit to look for tasty shrubs. Later in the day, the orphans were joined by Enkikwe who later walked with the orphans to the mud bath. The sun was scorching and all the orphans wallowed happily in the mud bath. Naleku, Suguroi, Sagateisa, Kuishi and Esoit went to play on the loose soil soon after wallowing. Later, Olorien led her friends back out to browse while the Keepers sat in the shade and had their lunch.