This month was scorching hot as we all waited impatiently for the rains to break. We were surrounded by not only our ex-orphans but wild elephant families and bulls as well, all choosing to remain close to home and happy for the full waterhole that we top up; here all the elephants can savour lengthy sessions bathing. One day the elephants managed to drink a record 40,000 litres of water! But the water troughs around Ithumba are just some of the water points topped up by the Sheldrick Trust throughout Tsavo.
Yatta brought her group to the stockade early in the morning. When the orphans were let out, the ex-orphans joined them to feed on lucerne. Several ex-orphans like Kinna, Chyulu and Galana were greedy and carried more than their share away to eat on their own. Naseku and Galla showed brotherly and sisterly love by politely sharing the little that had been left behind by the ex-orphans. Sana Sana tried to pick some lucerne close to Ithumbah, but changed her mind as she didn't know how Ithumbah would react.
As soon as the lucerne feasting was over, the ex-orphans headed west while the juniors headed south. It was calm out in the bush with the orphans concentrating on browsing and wishing for the rains to come soon. The temperature escalated to the extent the orphans start walking to the mud bath early before eleven. Fifteen wild bulls were present at mud bath. The orphans used one side of the mud bath to cool themselves down while the wild elephants used the western side. Naseku emerged as the most playful one in the water, as Rapa quit the mud bath to chase some warthogs who were having a good time waiting for their turn in getting into the mud. The warthogs ran away only to come back when all the orphans had vacated the mud bath. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the upper Kalovoto area until five o'clock in the evening when Sana Sana led the first group back to the stockade.
It was a quiet morning with no wild elephants or ex-orphans showing up. The orphans enjoyed feeding on lucerne without any disturbance. Shortly after, a gentle wild bull showed up and joined the orphans to feed. Later, the wild bull led the juniors to drink some water, before parting ways. The orphans headed north while the wild bull headed south. Enkikwe settled to browse with Sapalan who has become his friend. They both lagged behind the rest of the herd together, until Sapalan picked up and became more active. Sapalan encouraged Enkikwe, and we can only assume he was telling him one time day he will be well and running around as fast as he would like to. At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk bottles and some water, and after splashed some water behind their ears before heading back to the bush. In the afternoon, the orphans took a rest before resuming browsing.
It was another quiet morning as the orphans enjoyed their freedom without any disturbance. The orphans moved between the water trough and coming back for lucerne as many times as they liked since there were no obstacles, like wild elephants or ex-orphans and their rascal little children. Sana Sana and Malkia shared one pile of lucerne while Wanjala took his own pile and moved a distance away from his friends.
Out in the bush, Garzi and Barsilinga engaged one another in a strength testing exercise that end in a draw. Kamok settled to browse with her friend Dupotto for quite a while. The afternoon was hot with a few scattered clouds giving us hope of rain to come. By the evening, the clouds had been carried away by strong wind, thus fading hopes of getting any rain today. In the evening Sana Sana led the way back to the stockades.
A few minutes after the orphans settled for lucerne in the morning, Yatta and her group emerged from the southern side and joined the juniors. The juniors felt threatened by the presence of their seniors, and when they were done they decided to give the ex-orphans space and slowly walked out to the bush to browse instead. The little rascal baby Nusu tried to engage Garzi in a pushing game. Garzi couldn't understand why little Nusu would think that they are equal in strength. Garzi pushed Nusu aside and informed him that he has a long way to go before he can try to measure up against the big bulls, and he should also be careful because not many bulls would handle him as gently as he did. Nusu then ran to his mother for comfort.
Out in the bush, Ukame came across a suitable rock that she used to scratch her buttocks against, as her friends concentrated on browsing. Clouds were gathering and toward mud bath time, it at last drizzled a bit, thus lowering the temperature by at least a few degrees. The orphans had their milk then headed to the water trough where they were joined by a wild bull. On the way back out, the orphans dusted themselves before taking a break under a tree. In the evening, Olsekki engaged Tusuja in a strength testing exercise that ended in a draw.
Olare, Tumaren, Melia, Kandecha, Chemi Chemi and Kalama who had spent the night just outside the stockade, joined the orphans for lucerne in the morning. Shortly later, Yatta’s herd reported and disrupted the peace as they scrambled for the remaining lucerne. The orphans decided to give them space by leaving to go out to the bush to browse.
Enkikwe developed an itchy ear and used a nearby tree to get rid of the itching. Mteto and Esampu had a brief soil dusting exercise before resuming browsing. At mud bath time, the orphans were joined by fifteen wild bulls. The brave, but slightly limping, Enkikwe joined the bulls. In the afternoon, Naseku and Roi had a game of rolling on the ground. Turkwel decided to use Roi as a scratching surface. In the evening, the sun was still hot and the orphans passed by the main mud bath where they had an evening cool-off exercise before returning back to the stockades.
A wild herd with several young babies was busy drinking water at the stockade trough when the orphans were let out. Due to lack of rain, the number of wild elephants coming for water each day has increased tremendously. Melia, Kalama, Chemi Chemi and Tumaren, who spent the night outside the stockade, joined the juniors for lucerne. After feeding on lucerne, the orphans joined a wild bull who had been left behind by his friends as he drank water. Shortly later, Tumaren and her group escorted the juniors to the browsing field.
Things are getting tough for all animals as the dry season continues to ravage the vegetation. The orphans had no time for fun lest the day might come to an end without getting enough food. At eleven o'clock in the morning, Tumaren and her group led the orphans to the mud bath. Several wild bulls attended the mud bath and were happy with the presence of the orphans amongst them. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at west of Ithumba Hill until later in the evening when they returned back to the stockades.
Several wild bulls were enjoying drinking water at the stockade water trough this morning. The orphans as usual settled for their morning lucerne breakfast before leaving for browsing. One wild bull decided to approach the orphans and have a taste of what they were feeding on. Upon tasting the lucerne, the wild bull didn't go back to his friends but continued enjoying the free food up to the last bit. The bull wished he could have known earlier about what the orphans feed on every morning. The ex-orphans arrived shortly later after the orphans had left for browsing. They went to check on whether there was anything left for them to feed on but to their surprise, the place had been cleared up by the wild bull. Yatta’s group then settled for water before leaving again. Mulika and Mwende still haven't been seen this year and hopefully wherever they might be, we hope they are doing ok.
The orphans had a quiet morning. The day was a hot one and it seemed there was still no sign of rain. At mud bath time, there was a competition between elephants and buffalos of who should be able to drink water first. The two buffalos prevailed over the wild bull and jumped into the water trough to drink the water properly. The wild bull tried to scare away the buffalos but the buffalos would hear none of it. At long last the bull joined the buffalos to drink water alongside them. The orphans arrived and they didn't want to share the water with buffalos. Oltaiyoni, who was leading, charged and trumpeted at the buffalos which eventually saw them jump out and run away. In the afternoon, the sun was really hot and the orphans took a break from feeding to relax under a tree. Later, the orphans were joined by Nasalot, baby Nusu, Naisula, Kitirua, Kibo, Murka and Olare. The ex-orphans escorted the juniors back to the stockades for yet another night.
The stockade was flooded early in the morning by wild elephants and ex-orphans. We feel the dry season and the heat is getting worse with each passing day, making the elephants drink a lot of water. It was a day like never before. By evening, the elephants had drunk forty thousand litres of water; a new record set by the elephants. Approximately between one hundred and fifty to two hundred elephants visited both the stockade and mud bath the whole day, and the day was really hot.
The ex-orphans joined the juniors to feed on lucerne as they waited for the big bulls to drink to their satisfaction so as to give them space. The ex-orphans’ babies got the opportunity to play with some of the dependent orphans, as Roi picked up a pile of lucerne and went to hide so as to enjoy it in peace. Mundusi and Rapa settled to scratch on nearby rocks as Esampu played baby Yoyo. Yetu came and picked her brother, and led him away from Esampu. Esampu moved on and tackled Galana’s baby Gawa, who has grown and is now the size of Esampu. Esampu finished up her games by playing with Kinna’s baby Kama, who had come to check what was going on between her and Gawa. Later, Kama played with Naseku before parting ways.
Out in the bush later on, Pare settled to browse with Lemoyian while the rest of the herd scattered all over in an effort to find enough to browse on. At mud bath time, the sun was really hot and the orphans joined the wild elephants that had already arrived at mud bath for a cooling off exercise. The ex-orphans joined in the mud bath too. They had come round the Ithumba Hill where they have discovered that there is plenty to feed on. The ex-orphans relaxed under a tree with wild elephants before making their mind up to follow the dependent orphans. In the afternoon, the orphans converged under a tree to take a break from the scorching sun. Later Kanjoro played with Garzi and in the evening, Mutara’s herd escorted the juniors back to the stockades.
A wild herd consisting of ten elephants were drinking water at the stockade water trough when the orphans were let out this morning. As the orphans began to eat their Lucerne pellets, one of the wild females walked over and joined them. Her two calves were not confident enough to join her but stood a short distance away. Rapa shared his pile with Karisa, while Olsekki shared it with his long-time friend Enkikwe. On the way out to the field, the orphans were joined by Orwa, Narok, and Bomani. Whilst heading out to the field, Mundusi tried to challenge Tusuja but Tusuja pushed him out of the way very quickly. The orphans settled to browse at Kone area and had a quiet morning.
At the mud bath time, the orphans were joined by Yatta’s group; they had some fun together before parting ways only to meet again at the western side of Ithumba Hill where they browsed together. Shortly later, the ex-orphans headed to the stockade water trough where they drank water again before disappearing into the bush. In the evening, as the orphans were making their way back to the stockade compound, they passed the mud bath area and jumped into the water to cool off.
The wild elephants and buffalos seem to be continuing their disputes over water this morning. One of the wild bulls blocked two buffalos from the water hole until all the elephants had quenched their thirst. The buffalos left immediately after they had had enough water. When Rapa saw the buffalos walking away, he seemed to pretend to be chasing them by following them at a short distance. Rapa then returned to join his friends and appeared to brag by trumpeting about how he was able to drive away two big buffalos.
A wild mother with a six month old baby joined the orphans at their Lucerne feeding. The rascal baby tried to challenge Sana Sana then Mundusi. Mundusi didn’t seem interested in playing with the calf and appeared to get irritated by the challenge and pushed the calf away. Malkia came to the aid of the baby but the baby then began to challenge her.
Whilst in the field, Karisa and Mundusi seemed to have some differences and decided to solve them through a pushing game. The pushing game ended when Mundusi appeared to surrender. Sapalan, for the first time, had a pushing game with Pare, after Pare cheekily kicked him while passing. The pushing was getting a little rough until Galla, who was feeding close by, intervened and separated the two boys. Kamok had a brief interaction with Kauro as Tusuja found a suitable rock to scratch on. During their mud bath, the orphans were joined by thirty bulls and the ex-orphans. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at upper Kalovoto area.
Eighteen wild elephants were drinking water at the stockade water trough when the orphans were let out. Two wild elephants then joined the orphans to feed on the Lucerne pellets. A wild baby that was accompanying her mother tried to challenge Mundusi. Kamok who was passing by seemed to decide to find out what the baby was trying to do with Mundusi. Kamok not knowing how to handle calves of such a young age, accidentally knocked the baby to the ground. The young calf got back on its feet and quickly ran back to its mother’s side. Kauro settled on a nearby rock for a scratching session before a brief interaction with Kamok. Shortly after, the orphans had a quick drink of water with a wild elephant before heading out to the field.
Whilst the orphans were browsing, Tusuja and Rapa had a strength testing match that didn't last for long. The temperature was moderate and the sky was partly cloudy as the orphans browsed. At mud bath time, the orphans were joined by several wild elephants and soon after their mud bath they parted ways. In the afternoon, the orphans were joined briefly by the ex-orphans. Later in the evening, the orphans walked slowly back to the stockade as the drought continues to hit hard and the rains have still not begun.
It was a quiet morning with scattered clouds. The orphans settled for lucerne which they needed badly so as to start the day. Luckily the ex-orphans didn't show up, which made it easy for them to feed without any disturbance. The orphans made sure that they cleared up every bit of lucerne. Karisa was feeding with Sapalan but when the pile was about to finish, Karisa pushed Sapalan away so he could enjoy the rest. Sapalan just walked away without complaining. Two bulls showed up for water and left shortly after. The orphans passed by the water trough and armed themselves with enough water that would take them through the entire morning.
Galla settled to browse with Naseku as the rest scattered across the field trying to get enough for the day. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse along the seasonal Kalovoto River, a place with nice tall trees for hiding when the sun gets too hot. The orphans converged under one of the trees before later going back to browsing when it was cooler.
Orwa, Narok, Kenze, and Bomani who had spent the night outside the stockades, joined the younger orphans for Lucerne pellets. Wanjala took his own share and moved away from the group where he enjoyed his pellets peacefully. As soon as Orwa finished his share, he walked down and tried to take some of Wanjala’s pellets. Wanjala, who had spotted Orwa approaching, quickly picked what was remaining and ran away. Orwa tried to run after him but Wanjala kept on dodging him until Orwa eventually gave up the chase. Sana Sana settled to share her pile with Ndiwa before heading off to drink water. As the orphans were drinking water, a wild bull joined them briefly and shared the water without any problems.
Bomani, Narok, and Orwa accompanied the orphans to the field. Rapa, Ndiwa, and Naseku settled to browse together, enjoying as much of the scarce greenery as they could. Olsekki took a break from feeding to enjoy a dust bath and he was later joined by his friend Siangiki. When it was time for the orphans’ mud bath eighteen wild bulls were found around the mud bath water trough. The orphans had their milk and some water before jumping and wallowing in the water to cool off. In the afternoon, the orphans settled west of the Ithumba Hill where they browsed calmly throughout the rest of the day.
It was a busy morning with elephants and ex-orphans coming and going after having enough water. Rapsu, who had arrived earlier, joined the orphans and enjoyed some Lucerne pellets. Due to the heat and lack of water in the area, six wild elephants with a small calf also joined the orphans and had some Lucerne pellets. The wild elephants didn't even mind the Keepers. The little calf tried to grab some pellets from Tusuja's trunk but this seemed to upset Tusuja who pushed the calf back. Olsekki found a suitable rock which he used to enjoy a thorough scratching session.
On the way out to the field, Mundusi challenged Tusuja but ended up losing the game. Baby Yoyo tackled Esampu but when the going got tough for Yoyo, his sister Yetu, who was watching closely, came forward in aid of her brother and drove Esampu away. During their mud bath, the orphans were joined by several wild bulls and in the afternoon settled to browse in between Ithumba Hill and Imenti area. The sun was hot and the orphans took a break to relax under a tree where they were joined by a wild elephant. Later, the wild elephant parted ways with the orphans.
Melia, Chemi Chemi, Kalama, Tumaren, Kandecha, and Olare joined the orphans in the morning and shared Lucerne pellets together. Ten wild bulls were present at the stockade water trough. A thirsty buffalo approached the water trough very slowly. The wild bulls tried to intimidate the buffalo but the buffalo refused to turn back, and joined the bulls in drinking water. The buffalo left shortly later after having enough. Sapalan tried to squeeze himself amongst the bulls to drink water but one of the bulls scared Sapalan by pointing it's trunk at him. Sapalan retreated and went back to join his friends. Olare’s group accompanied the younger orphans to the browsing fields where they browsed together until it was time for their mud bath. Ukame led the first group to the mud bath. After the orphans finished wallowing in the cool water, there was so much excitement with Tumaren charging and trumpeting and even playfully blocking Sana Sana from getting out the mud bath. The Keepers intervened and Sana Sana was able to come out. In the afternoon, the orphans went up the slopes of Ithumba Hill where they settled to browse for the rest of the day.
Mutara’s group, who spent the night outside the stockade, joined the orphans for lucerne pellets in the morning. A short while later, Yatta and her group joined. Wanjala and baby Yoyo had a small fight when Yoyo tried to challenge Wanjala, then ran to his mother when the going got too tough for him. After the pellets were over, Yatta led her group away while the orphans headed east. Barsilinga came across a suitable rock that he used to scratch his buttocks on.
The temperature rose but the orphans endured to make sure that they had enough to eat before the day came to an end. At mud bath time, eighteen wild bulls were present. Mundusi and Wanjala walked to water trough and shared water with one of the wild bulls. In the afternoon, the sun was still hot prompting the orphans to go for a 3pm mud bath where they had a spectacular wallowing exercise that was followed by red soil dusting. Later, the orphans slowly walked back to the stockade for the night.
Yatta and her group, joined by several wild elephants, were drinking water at the stockade water troughs when the orphans were let out. Sana Sana as usual was the first one to leave the stockade compound followed by Ndiwa. Yatta and her group then joined the orphans and fed on some Lucerne pellets. Galana, Gawa, Lualeni, Lulu, Naserian, Chyulu, Makireti, and Loijuk showed up later and there was trumpeting and bellowing of excitement as Yatta’s group welcomed them to the water trough.
Nusu settled to nurse on his mother as Malkia stood close by and even stretched her trunk as if trying to nurse from Nasalot. Nusu didn’t seem to enjoy Malkia being so close so she turned and pushed Malkia away. She then continued to nurse without any disturbance.
On the way to the browsing field, Garzi came across an anthill that he used to enjoy a good scratching session on. Barsilinga lagged behind drinking water with Makireti and a wild elephant that is often seen near the stockades. Barsilinga left after some time to catch up with his friends. Later Garzi, Lemoyian, and Barsilinga dodged the Keepers and come down for their mud bath but they did show up later in the evening at the stockades.
At the mud bath, the orphans joined several wild bulls that were already drinking from the water trough. Olsekki joined the bulls in drinking water. After their mud bath, Tusuja and Olsekki engaged one another in a pushing game that ended when Tusuja surrendered. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at upper Kalovoto area and in the evening returned back safely to the stockades for the night.
Yatta’s herd joined the orphans for lucerne in the morning. When they were done, Yatta and her group headed west while the orphans headed east. The sky was clear and a hot day ahead was certain. The orphans browsed calmly as they walked under trees which provided shade so they could keep cool. Towards mud bath time, the orphans were joined by Mutara’s group. Mutara then escorted the juniors to the mud bath where they all wallowed. In the afternoon, the orphans returned to the lower Kalovoto area, a place with green trees and better vegetation. The orphans took a break from feeding for nearly two hours before resuming browsing. It was a quiet day as the orphans browsed calmly without any major events.
The ex-orphans, led by their matriarch Yatta, reported early in the morning just to check whether the lucerne pellets were still available or not. They found the orphans eating the pellets and happily joined them. After they were through, the ex-orphans left hoping to show up the next day for a nice pellets breakfast. Nasalot, Makena and baby Nusu were left behind drinking water. Barsilinga joined them and had a brief chat with them before parting ways.
Out in the bush, Mundusi settled to browse with Tusuja and they seemed to have a conversation until Mundusi left shortly afterwards to relax under a tree. Kilaguni spend the better part of the day with orphans since his friend Chaimu had decided to stick with Yatta’s herd. Kamok led the way to the mud bath later on. At mud bath time, the orphans were joined by ex-orphan Tomboi who came to drink water. In the afternoon Maramoja settled to browse with Siangiki as the rest of their friends spread out all over as they all tried to get enough to eat before sundown.
The sky was clear in the morning. Soon after Ndiwa had her milk, she settled at the stockade water trough to scratch her buttocks as she waited for the gates to be opened. When the gates were opened, the orphans left in a hurry to feed on lucerne pellets. In the process, Barsilinga slipped and fell, but he composed himself quickly and got up hoping that his juniors didn't see him since they would make fun of him in the bush. Five wild bulls were drinking water at the stockade water trough and were totally unbothered by the orphans feeding on the lucerne pellets. Due to the persistent drought and hope dwindling of ever receiving good rains, the orphans walked further down to the lower Kalovoto area, an area they have never been to, with plenty of vegetation. The orphans settled and browsed as one group and didn’t scatter out due to fear of getting lost. They settled close to the Keepers, and never strayed further from where they could hear the Keepers talking.
At eleven o'clock in morning, the orphans were led to a new mud bath south east of stockade. In the afternoon, the orphans browsed calmly, all the time keeping an eye on where the Keepers were. They appeared to be enjoying their new browsing area, exploring and getting to know the place better. In the evening, the Keepers led the way back to the stockade.
Fifteen wild bulls were busy drinking water at the stockade water troughs when Sana Sana led the orphans out and settled for lucerne pellets. Two wild elephants opted to join the orphans for some pellets too. Shortly later Sana Sana settled to scratch on the stockade wall while Sapalan found a low tree stump that he tried to scratch himself on. The tree stump was a bit lower than he thought, and he decided to move on hoping to come across another one which was better.
Out in the bush, the orphans were joined by Orwa, Narok and Bomani and they browsed together up to mud bath time when they were taken to our new mud bath. In the afternoon Pare settled to browse with Maramoja as the rest settled along south of the Kalovoto River which is nice and cool with tall trees to hide under when the sun is hot.
A wild herd of eight members came to the stockades for a drink of water in the morning. When the orphans exited their stockades they settled to enjoy the Lucerne supplements put out for them. Tomboi who was with the wild herd came and joined the orphans as did four of the wild elephants, one of which was an eight month old calf. The wild baby was tough as she managed to scare away Ndiwa when Ndiwa approached her. The calf knew that her mother was close by and that none of the orphan herd would dare to push her away.
Upon arriving at the browsing fields Sapalan began his days activities with a soil dusting exercise while Sana Sana browsed ahead of the group trying to eat as much vegetation as she could. At the noon mud bath, once the orphans had finished their milk and had a drink of water they enjoyed a wallow taking on a new colour as they covered themselves in muddy water. They then headed south of the Kalovoto area where they browsed peacefully taking turns to relax in the shade provided by the green trees along the Kalovoto seasonal river, and remained there until it was time to return to the safety of the stockades for the night.
Sana Sana was the first one to leave the stockade when the gates were opened in the morning. She was followed closely by Ndiwa who had a branch in her mouth that she was peeling the bark from. Rapsu, who was in the company of eighteen wild bulls, came and joined the orphans who were enjoying their lucerne pellets. One of his bull friends, who behaves like an ex-orphan, followed Rapsu, waiting patiently for some pellets while the rest of the bulls drank from the water trough.
After the supplement feeding was over, Rapsu and his friend led the orphans to the water trough where they drank enough water to last them the entire morning. The orphans then headed south of Kalovoto where they settled to browse. They were so intent on feeding that they didn’t stop to play and by ten o'clock in the morning, their stomachs were almost full and they decided to walk to their new mud bath where they relaxed under the nearby trees as they waited for their milk bottles.
In the afternoon, Olare and her group came for to the stockade for a drink of water. Once they had quenched their thirst they returned to the Park. In the evening, Sana Sana and Malkia led the orphan herd back to the stockades for the night.
It was a wet morning following the 30mm of rain that fell during the night. It was a great relief for us all to get rain as it has been a long time coming and the wildlife were happy. There wasn’t a single wild elephant or ex-orphan at the stockades today and this is due to the rainfall which has put some water into the natural waterholes around the park.
The orphans exited their stockades in a jovial mood as the rain had brought a cooling effect to their environment and brought some respite from the past months relentless heat. They settled to feed on lucerne pellets before making their way to the browsing field. Esampu and Wanjala took a break from browsing to scratch against nearby trees while Garzi communicated with Barsilinga and the two collected Kithaka and separated from the group to browse on their own. The orphans browsed until it was time for the mud bath time with Naseku leading the first group to their milk bottle.
As it was a cool day none of the orphans wallowed choosing instead to return to the browsing fields once they had downed their milk. The afternoon was spent feeding quietly with Kithaka, Barsilinga and Garzi returning to the stockades just before dark having spent the day enjoying the Park without the rest of the Ithumba orphan herd.
It was a morning with scattered clouds and we wondered when the rains would continue, now they have begun! The orphans settled for the lucerne pellets as soon as they were let out. Shortly afterwards, Karisa led the way to the browsing field. Barsilinga came across a tree stump that he used to test his strength on before engaging Garzi in a pushing game. Later, the three big boys parted ways with juniors briefly to discuss whether to go their own way or stick with their herd. After a long discussion, Barsilinga, Kithaka and Garzi came back and joined the orphans, meaning they had opted to stay.
The ground was still moist and Sapalan took a break from feeding to have a wet soil bathing exercise. On the way to the mud bath, the weather changed and it drizzled for two minutes before the sky cleared again. Ukame led the first group while the quiet Siangiki led the last one. In the afternoon, Olsekki, Mundusi, Naseku and Kauro took a break from feeding to have fun rolling on the ground. They later resumed browsing when they felt that they had enough fun for the day.
The sky was partly covered by clouds when the orphans left the stockade and settled for lucerne pellets. Garzi and Lemoyian walked to the water trough to drink water. Garzi led Lemoyian away to join their friends, and they smelled the air perhaps for sign of other elephants, or perhaps wondering if more rain was on its way. Kamok and Kauro settled to browse together and later came across a small pool of water that they shared before parting ways. The temperature was moderate and at mud bath time, the orphans had their milk bottles then water before returning back to the browsing field.
Five wild elephants came for a drink shortly after the orphans had disappeared to browse. In the afternoon, the clouds cleared giving way to sunshine. The orphans decided to take a break from feeding to relax under a tree. Later in the evening the orphans came across some water that they used to splash behind their ears. Buchuma joined them briefly before disappearing again.
The sky was crystal clear when the orphans left the stockades and settled for their morning pellets breakfast. Galla slipped and fell as he hurried to be the first one to get to the pellets. By the time he managed to stand up, he had already been overtaken by almost ten orphans. Siangiki decided to use the stockade wall to scratch before joining her friends to feed. Shortly later, the orphans left to browse in an area that had plenty of vegetation. The orphans then concentrated on browsing until mud bath time when Ndiwa and Sana Sana led the way. The orphans had their milk then walked to have a mud bath before settling for some water. Esampu, Dupotto and Enkikwe spent some time scratching against nearby trees.
In the afternoon, the sun became unbearable prompting the orphans to seek refuge under trees. They only resumed browsing when they felt that the temperature had dropped to a favourable level. In the evening, on the way back to the stockade, the orphans came across some water that they used to cool themselves down in before resuming with their journey back to the stockade for the night.
It seemed like today was going to be yet another scorching day, especially now that the skies are so clear after the rain we have had so far. Sana Sana led the way to the browsing field. Mid way, she was overtaken by Ndiwa who led the herd to where they were going to browse. Given that there was plenty of vegetation in that area, the orphans browsed as a group calmly without any major distractions. The little rain we have received has driven the ex-orphans and the wild elephants away, as they are safe in the knowledge the vegetation will recover all over, and there is water to be found.
The orphans settled to browse south east of stockade. Roi took a break from feeding to have a soil bathing exercise. Later, the orphans headed to their new mud bath where they had milk water and enjoyed bathing. In the afternoon, the orphans settled along the Kalovoto seasonal river feeding under the tall green trees as they enjoyed the cooling effect brought about by their shade. In the evening, the orphans walked back to the stockade after having more than enough food.
It was wet in the morning following 9mm of rain received last night. Mist covered the top of Ithumba Hill as Ndiwa led the herd out. At the lucerne breakfast feeding time, the orphans embraced the spirit of sharing the piles. Sana Sana shared her pile with Ndiwa, Siangiki shared it with Oltaiyoni, Olsekki with Mteto and Pare with Naseku and Karisa with Galla. Rapa walked down to the water trough and had some water before coming back to join his friends. Out in the bush, Garzi and Ndiwa came across a steep valley and decided to compete who amongst them could climb it the fastest. Ndiwa being light and young managed to beat Garzi and emerged as the winner. Malkia developed an itchy foot and decided to find a nice rock that she used to scratch it on.
At mud bath time, Malkia led the first group to the mid-day milk feed. The sun was starting to get hot and so after the orphans had their milk, some of them went for mud bath while the others briefly took cover under the nearby trees. Shortly later, the orphans started browsing to the right of the mud bath as they headed further south. Ndiwa, Esampu and Rapa settled for a scratching session. In the evening, the orphans passed by another new mud bath where they opted to cool themselves down before heading back to the stockade. Mundusi was the last one to quit the mud bath with Barsilinga.
It was cool and wet in the morning following light showers we received overnight. The orphans settled for their lucerne pellets before heading to the browsing field where Lemoyian and Garzi started their day activities by engaging each other in a pushing game. Later, Malkia and Kauro used their tusks to dig moist soil that they used to throw on their backs. Olsekki took a break from feeding to engage Tusuja in a strength testing exercise. Tusuja lost the game to Olsekki and decided to go and browse, which perhaps he thought would give him the strength to tackle Olsekki more effectively. Mundusi had a game of balancing himself by stepping on a rock using his front legs and later led the way to the mud bath. Soon after having their milk, the orphans wallowed briefly before heading out to browse. In the evening, the orphans passed by their new mud bath for an evening cool-off. Maramoja took some time to roll on the ground and this prompted Turkwel, who was standing close by, to come and scratched on her. Later, the orphans returned back safely to the stockade.