Keepers' Diaries, April 2020

Nairobi Nursery Unit



The Nairobi Nursery remains closed to the public for the time being but the work very much continues, as is the case with all our projects across the country. With the routine no longer dictated by the midday mud bath return to home, the orphans have been enjoying different feeding locations out in the Park for their milk feeds, but they still enjoy coming down to the mud bath where they can have fun on the soil piles. As it has been quite grey and overcast this month still, with the occasional rain storm, the orphans have hardly used the mud bath, and prefer instead their dry soil bathing sessions which fast become very exuberant occasions.  

01 April 2020

As the orphans finished their midday bottles of milk, Tagwa seemed to be in a naughty mood and wanted to sneak away from the Keepers. As the Keepers were standing next to some of the orphans, Tagwa snuck around gathering Sattao, Kiasa, Kiombo, Nabulu, Enkesha, Larro, Mukkoka, and Naleku to all sneak off together. As the Keepers were finishing their lunch, they suddenly noticed Tagwa and the others disappearing into the bushes and they quickly called out to her and some of the others. 

Tagwa put her head down as she knew she had been caught red handed and was now in trouble. With nowhere to hide she decided to turn back with her small group and return to the Keepers and he rest of the Nursery herd. 

When the keepers were finished with their lunch, they got all the orphans together, including little Naleku who was so eagerly following Mukkoka around, and led them deep into the forest for an afternoon of browsing. 

02 April 2020

Little Ziwadi still isn’t fully comfortable with using her trunk, especially when it come to drinking water. She seems to get confused by the notion of sucking water up her trunk to then spray in her mouth and would much rather just dunk her head in the water and gulp it down. When she has a mud bath, she also ends up throwing mud all over the place, missing her body entirely, and will eventually just lay in the mud, rolling around covering her entire head and body in mud. It is always so sweet to watch her figuring out her own way to drink and have her mud and dust baths without using her confusing little trunk. 

Larro is another little orphan who hasn’t quite figure out her trunk yet. Much like Ziwadi, she also dunks her head into the water in order to have a drink. Larro, however, has learnt how to spray mud all over her body and is often in amongst the other orphans skilfully splashing mud behind her ear and on her back. Sometimes the Keepers just think she is being lazy about using her trunk to drink when she can just use her mouth.

Both girls however have learnt how to skilfully use their trunks to gather greens and grabbed hold of branches, leaves, and grass whilst they browse in the forest. 

03 April 2020

Luggard is the oldest bull in the Nursery at the moment, but unlike most bulls his age he is very calm and gentle with the new arrivals to the Nursery herd. Unlike boisterous bulls such as Sattao, Kiombo, Maktao and Dololo, Luggard won’t play rough with the little ones and would rather challenge older gentle bulls like Musiara. 

This afternoon, the orphans had their 3 o’clock bottles of milk down at the mud bath. When they all finished their bottles of milk, some of the of the orphans such as Sattao and Mukkoka started to wrestle each other on the dust mound, rolling around and pushing each other up and down the slope. Other orphans such as Luggard, Kiasa, and Maisha were busy throwing dust over their backs. They were soon joined by little Roho, and it was amazing to watch Luggard step aside to let the little bull through so that he could stand next to them all away from the playful bulls. Roho quickly began to roll around in front of Maisha, Kiasa, and Luggard, and had his own little dust game as they watched over him. Luggard seemed to enjoy watching the little bull playing in front of him. 

Luggard is also very loved by the girls in the Nursery herd because he doesn’t play rough with them or the little ones. The older girls such as Maisha, Tagwa, and Tamiyoi are always relaxed when they see Roho and Naleku with Luggard as they know he won’t push them around and they won’t need to intervene. 

04 April 2020

Roho has recently become very greedy for his milk bottle, like speedy Mukkoka. Just like Mukkoka, when he is running down for his milk bottle he also starts to yell out and trumpet as if he is warning his Keepers of his arrival. He yells even louder when one of the other orphans overtakes him, which are all hints that he may have learnt these ways from Mukkoka. 

It is quite funny to watch little Roho as he spends most of his day near the older girls such as Maisha and will rarely leave their side, but when it is time for his milk bottle he will dash off and then wait for Tagwa. He appears to wait for Tagwa so that he can grab some of her spilt milk or even try to suckle some up from her mouth. As Tagwa drinks her milk on her own, Roho always waits for her to drop her bottle down so he can grab it and suckle on it. When she is finished, he follows her out to the forest. 

05 April 2020

Out in the forest this morning, the orphans could be seen huddling together getting ready to run down for their midday bottles of milk. As most of them were eagerly waiting, Tamiyoi was busy enjoying a scratch just behind where they were standing, on a small tree trunk. When she was done scratching, she sat down in a funny pose on the tree trunk, very relaxed and patiently waiting for her turn to run down to the milk feeding point. 

Musiara also has some funny habits. As he is normally calm and collected, the other bulls rarely suspect him of trying anything sneaky or naughty. Today, as the bulls were all rolling around in the soil, Musiara could be seen watching the orphans on the outside. He seemed to be conjuring up his own plan and as soon as he saw an opportunity to join in, he quickly ran over and started to climb on their backs. All the orphans were so unsuspecting and were shocked to suddenly see Musiara playfully climbing on their backs and almost didn’t know how to react. Musiara is always eager to climb on his friends’ backs. 

06 April 2020

This morning as the orphans were let out their stables Musiara quickly walked over to Luggard’s stable to see if he had been let out already. As he saw that his door was still shut, he decided to wait for his friend to be let out, he could even be seen smelling at Luggard’s stable door. As soon as Luggard was let out, the two bulls gave each other such a warm and friendly greeting, rumbling at each other and then they made their way out to the forest, joining the other orphans along the path. It is sweet to see that Musiara still checks in on his friend Luggard from time to time as he has been much more independent recently and not spending as much time with Luggard, and more with Sattao.

Whilst out in the forest, many of the orphans started to have a mud bath. With the rains the night before, the soil was easy to grab and throw over their backs and roll around in. Tagwa, Tamiyoi, Enkesha, and Nabulu were all rolling around in the mud, covering their bodies and enjoying the sun. Roho had the best time climbing on all the girls’ backs and sliding down their bellies. 

07 April 2020

It was a cold and brisk morning as the orphans made their way out to the forest. When they got to the forest, they all huddled together to keep warm and none of them really wandered off on their own. Little Naleku, Roho, and Larro were all seen right in the middle of the orphans keeping warm and making sure they stayed close to the older girls such as Tagwa, Tamiyoi, Maisha, Nabulu and Enkesha. 

Later in the morning, there were some light showers, and this made the orphans reluctant to head out to the open plains and they instead stayed under the shade of the trees. Some of the orphans even tried to cuddle up next to the Keepers and stand under their umbrellas. Mukkoka, Sattao, Musiara, and Luggard were amongst the first to seek shelter next to their Keepers but when they realised the umbrellas were too small, they went back to the trees. 

Despite the rain, Maktao and Kiombo were busy enjoying their own wrestling game through the forest. 

08 April 2020

Yesterday at the midday mud bath, after the orphans finished their milk bottles, Tagwa led them all down to the big dust mound where all the orphans began to enjoy a long dust bath. They were seen slipping and sliding up and down the dust mound, climbing on each other’s backs. Tagwa could be seen watching Dololo, Kiombo, Maktao and Sattao all playing and pushing each other off the top of the dust mound. Tagwa appeared to get jealous of their game and she quickly went walking over and then lay right on top of the dust mound spreading her weight right across and blocking their game. She likes the feel of the cool soil on her tummy. The boys appeared most unimpressed with her and they moved away so that they could continue their game. 

Maxwell is still a bit slow some days but he looks much better. He continues to thoroughly enjoy his morning Lucerne pellets and a wide selection of greens, giving him the variety of vegetation he would have if he was roaming out in the wild. Over the last few weeks his appetite seems to have increased considerably. For the most part of today he could be seen at the top of his stockade resting in the sun, conserving his energy. 

09 April 2020

This afternoon around 2 o’clock, greedy Mukkoka appeared to think that it was time for his 3 o’clock bottle of milk and he began to charge down to the milk feeding point. He was quickly followed by little Naleku and the rest of the Nursery orphans, who all seemed confused as to why they were heading down towards the mud bath. When the orphans arrived at the mud bath they were all confused as to why the milk wheelbarrow and Keepers were not there and they could all be heard rumbling to each other, as if to communicate their confusion. As the Keepers came to usher the orphans back to the forest, Mukkoka trumpeted and rumbled at them loudly as if in disappointment that they too did not have their bottles. 

This afternoon, Maxwell had some uninvited guests in his stockade; a troop of baboons had snuck in to come and steal his Lucerne pellets. Maxwell, who was busy enjoying his pellets, was most unimpressed by their arrival and he didn’t want to share his pellets. Baboons can be very sneaky and they know exactly what to do to get their hands on the pellets. When he could sense them getting close he would charge at them, but the baboons would quickly run off and jump up on the walls of his stockade. They baboons didn’t manage to stay long however because the Keepers came over and chased them away, leaving Maxwell in peace. 

10 April 2020

Recently, Kiasa has once again been behaving herself at the feeding times. Contrary to recent weeks, she has been moving away and not bothering the other orphans as they finish their milk. Kiasa has become an incredible caretaker of the younger orphans, and she has taken full responsibility as one of the many nannies of little Roho and Naleku. Although she can be very well behaved, and a great role model, she does sometimes return to her old mischievous ways and once again start to try and steal extra milk at the feeding times.

Ziwadi has been doing quite well, having not had any seizures for quite some time, and she is growing into a healthy little elephant. Luggard remains very close to Ziwadi, and they are often seen browsing and walking together. Ziwadi, seems to prefer to spend her time with Luggard as he is not as boisterous as some of the younger bulls in the Nursery herd. When in the forest, she has been wandering off to join Luggard for the days browsing, and she is almost always walking by his side when the orphans are on the move. 

11 April 2020

As normal, the orphans were out and about by 6am and making their way out to the forest. Maktao, Sattao, and Kiasa had a fun little game with Maxwell at his gate, charging up and down with the big rhino chasing after them to meet them at the top gate and then the bottom gate. It has been a couple of days since Maxwell played with the orphans, and they all seemed delighted to see him. After a couple of minutes Maxwell went back to his morning routine of scratching against some of his stockade posts whilst waiting for his morning Lucerne pellets. 

This morning, the orphans went back to the stockade compound to have their 9am bottles of milk. The Keepers decided that it would be nice for the orphans to give new arrival Naboishu some company as they all enjoyed their milk. It is important for Naboishu to see the other orphans interacting with the Keepers, so that he too can learn to trust them. 

After the orphans had all finished their milk, Naboishu’s stable was opened for him to come out and join the others. Tamiyoi was the first to step forward to enter his stable and greet the new bull, but he appeared nervous and began to charge at her. Tamiyoi as usual, remained calm and waited for him to calm down. As he calmed down, Tagwa and Kiasa also entered his stable to greet him and usher him out. He did not seem to appreciate their approach and he began to charge at both Tagwa and Kiasa. The two girls were not too impressed with him and began to push back, the Keepers quickly intervened and ushered the girls away. Once he was out in the forest he calmed down and spent the rest of his day with Ziwadi and Maisha, who were both happy to keep him company. 

12 April 2020

Musiara has always been a calm and gentle bull, and because of this he has many friends in the Nursery herd. With Naboishu now spending his time with the Nursery orphans, he is trying to find his place amongst the herd. Some of the orphans, such as boisterous Dololo, are quite naughty and keep pushing the new bull whereas other orphans are welcoming. Musiara has become quite protective of Naboishu and is always sure to keep orphans such as Dololo away from him and push them away should they try and bother him. It is very normal for some of the orphans to be more welcoming of new arrivals than others. 

Luggard thoroughly enjoys Ziwadi’s company but so does Naboishu. This seems to have slightly upset Luggard who is not used to the new bull or sharing Ziwadi’s attention. As Naboishu is always following Ziwadi around the forest and the mud bath, Luggard has sometimes become a bit jealous and tried to separate the two. As all the orphans calmed down though Luggard has begun to relax too, and doesn’t seem to mind the new bull joining him and Ziwadi as they browse. 

13 April 2020

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect the world, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has remained closed to the public. The orphans quickly adjusted to having their midday milk bottles out in the forest. Mukkoka, Musiara, and Kiasa were amongst the first to adjust, and they were quick to be followed by little Naleku and Roho. The orphans continue to have their milk in the forest, but sometimes they have their midday bottles of milk down at the mud bath too. They all enjoy having their mud and dust baths straight after their milk bottles and orphans such as Tagwa, Enkesha, Kiombo and Nabulu have all been enjoying climbing the dust mounds and playing around the waterhole.

Today was Naboishu’s first time down at the mud bath with the Nursery herd and he was so excited to have a dust and mud bath with the others. He was even bold enough to try and climb on Naleku and Ziwadi’s backs as they were rolling around. As they are two of the youngest girls in the Nursery, Tagwa was quick to stop him and protect the girls. He quickly moved off and continued to throw dust over his back.

14 April 2020

Roho really enjoys climbing on his friends backs as soon as any of them are lying down; no matter their size he is always eager to have a go. He prefers to play with Tagwa and Maisha as they are both so gentle with him and are more often than not by his side looking after him. When they were finished with their climbing games and dust baths, Tagwa and Maisha began to make their way deeper into the forest with little Roho between them. Roho had a fun morning with Tagwa and Maisha, playing and following them around the forest and grabbing any branches they would drop down. He even grabs the leaves and branches straight from their mouths, sharing what they were eating and learning about what vegetation is good for him to eat as well.

As is to be expected, Naboishu is still trying to figure out the Nursery herd and who his friends are. He has been struggling with Dololo who seems to be growing in confidence and is always trying to test his strength and size against the other orphans. As soon as Naboishu gets too close, Dololo tries to push him away and the Keepers and some of the other orphans intervene and separate them. 

In the afternoon, Sattao, Maktao and Musiara had a lengthy strength testing match and it was great to watch them charge around together in the forest. 

15 April 2020

This morning the orphans were not very energetic and seemed rather quiet when they all huddled under some trees. Maktao seemed to be in high spirits and in the mood for some fun so he decided to create some of his own and get the other orphans a bit more active too. His first target was Kiombo, but Kiombo wasn’t so eager to have a wrestling match and kept walking away. Maktao, however, remained persistent and kept following him around nudging him and egging him to join his game. Eventually Kiombo gave in and the two began to push and chase each other around. 

Maktao and Kiombo were weaving in and out of the Nursery herd and eventually they came across Mukkoka who also decided to join in on their game. As Mukkoka joined in, Maktao left him to challenge Kiombo and moved over to now get Sattao to join in. Sattao was eager to join and quickly started to challenge Maktao. 

Sattao eventually started to challenge Enkesha who at first was reluctant but then happily joined in too. As Sattao and Enkesha now began their own game Maktao moved off to start a new game with Musiara. Maktao and Musiara played for far longer than any of the others. 

Naleku has really grown in confidence and of late she has enjoyed leading the orphans whilst in the forest. This afternoon as the orphans were leaving the mud bath Naleku and Naboishu could be seen leading them all the way back up to the forest where they settled to browse. 

16 April 2020

There were heavy showers in the evening and throughout the early hours of the morning today. By the time the rains started, Maxwell was already in his bed but in the early morning when he could hear the rain he came out of his room to have a mud bath before going back to sleep. 

By the time the orphans were making their way down to the mud bath for their midday bottles of milk, the sun was already beaming and it was turning out to be a rather hot day. As the orphans were finishing their bottles of milk Naleku and Naboishu were the first to make their way to the waterhole for a mud bath. They were joined by a few of the orphans and they could all be seen having fun in the muddy waters. The rest of the Nursery herd followed Tagwa to the dust mound before making their way to the mud bath.

Sattao, Musiara and Maktao chose not to have a mud bath but instead to just have a dust bath. Generally it seems as though the girls are far more eager to have a mud bath than the bulls. 

Nabulu has always been quiet and shy, keeping to herself. Kiombo seems to enjoy her company as he is often seen spending time with her, although she is not always so acute to his efforts. Today, however, she appeared a bit more social as she spent most of her day with Enkesha, looking after Naboishu. Naboishu spent most of his day with them and then little Naleku and Roho.

17 April 2020

It is normal for the orphans to huddle up against each other or scratch against one another if they cannot find a tree or a rock. As it was a cold morning, the orphans were all huddling up against each other in the forest. No matter what they were doing, whether browsing or walking around together, they were sure to stay close to one another, keeping each other warm. Ziwadi was even enjoying being snuggled up next to the others and showed no interest in wandering off on her own. 

At one point, Ziwadi appeared to try to scratch up against Nabulu but Nabulu was not happy about this and immediately pushed poor Ziwadi away. As Ziwadi tried to move away Nabulu hit her with one of her tusks causing Ziwadi to trumpet out loudly. Tamiyoi and Maisha quickly ran over to help Ziwadi and they began to chase Nabulu away, rumbling at her in disapproval. As they chased her away the Keepers stepped in to separate all the girls and check to see if Ziwadi was okay. Apart from being a little upset, the young girl was alright. 

Musiara can often be seen walking behind the herd. This is something that can often be witnessed in the wild when large bulls remain behind the herd making sure that there is no danger approaching and warning the others of any threats. Musiara will often chase the baboons and warthogs before they even get close to the herd, protecting all the orphans. 

18 April 2020

It was a very cold and cloudy morning as the orphans were let out of their stables. As the orphans were making their way out to the forest it suddenly began to rain heavily and they all quickly ran to seek shelter under the trees. They were all trying to huddle under the biggest trees, protecting their heads from getting wet. Naboishu, Mukkoka, Luggard and Larro were the first to find the most sheltered spot but they were quickly surrounded by the others and had to make way for bigger orphans such as Tagwa. 

As the rain stopped, the orphans came out from the forest and made their way towards the grassy openings. Naboishu, with his little tusks, was loosening some soil to throw over his body to help him warm up. Tamiyoi and Naleku came over and joined him in his soil dusting, but he was quickly chased away by naughty Dololo who was trying to play rough. Tamiyoi continued with her dust bath and ignored naughty Dololo. It wasn’t long before all the orphans began to roll around and cover themselves in the soil, warming themselves up.

19 April 2020

Some of the orphans had a very restless night as there was a heavy shower for most of the evening. The rain started to bucket down around 8pm, which seemed to upset Maktao, Larro and Mukkoka. They were all very restless and couldn’t fall asleep, pacing around their stockades and staying close to their Keepers. Eventually just after midnight the rain started to lighten and Maktao and Mukkoka were both able to lie down and fall asleep. Larro, however, remained restless for the entire evening. 

At 6am when the orphans were being let out of their stables, Larro seemed so excited to finally get outside and see the other orphans. As soon as her door was opened, she quickly ran over to Maxwell’s gate, where the big rhino appeared to be waiting for the orphans. As she approached Maxwell, they greeted each other for a few minutes until they both walked off to resume their morning activities. Maxwell walked back to his bedroom to sleep some more and Larro ran after the rest of the orphans following them out to the forest. 

Out in the forest, it was such fun watching the orphans playing and charging around. Maisha was busy wrestling Sattao, Tagwa was playing with Tamiyoi, and Kiombo, Maktao and Musiara were all sizing each other up, chasing each other around the forest. Naboishu meanwhile was busy playfully chasing little Naleku and Roho around, trying to climb on their backs. 

20 April 2020

Although small in size, Roho still tries to have strength testing matches with the older orphans, pushing at them and mock charging. As of late, he seems to also be enjoying picking fresh greens from the mouths of some of the older girls, namely Tagwa, Maisha, and Tamiyoi. When the orphans are all busy browsing, he can be seen walking between the girls looking to see whom is grabbing the best vegetation. Once he has chosen his target, he settles besides them and gently starts grabbing leaves and branches from their mouths to munch on. Most of the time the older girls do not mind him stealing their greens but Tagwa can sometimes get upset if the little bull tries to grab some of her spilt milk. As we know all too well Tagwa is very greedy when it comes to her milk. 

Despite being initially so shy, Naleku is a tough little girl and she stands her ground against the bulls, including little Roho who doesn’t want to always share the attention of the older girls. He sometimes tries to push little Naleku away, but she is always sure to stand her ground and push back at him. Tagwa doesn’t always take notice of them when they are pushing each other around but Tamiyoi and Maisha will often intervene and stop them before their games become too rough. This is all normal behaviour for young orphans who are growing and testing their strength amongst the herd. 

21 April 2020

It was another cold and wet morning as the orphans were making their way out to the forest. When it was time for the orphans to have their 9am bottles of milk it was still very overcast and the orphans weren’t too energetic, that is, apart from little Roho and Mukkoka. In the last few days, Mukkoka has had some competition when it comes to sprinting down and getting his milk bottle first as little Roho is often right by his side keeping up and even pushing in front. 

This morning, little Roho arrived at the milk feeding point almost at the same time as Mukkoka and in excitement he pushed in front of Mukkoka. Before Mukkoka could react Tagwa and Maisha were quick to arrive behind little Roho and they both stood by side, ensuring Mukkoka didn’t get too upset and protest. 

The orphans had a lovely day browsing in the forest in the company of their Keepers. 

22 April 2020

Maisha seems like she will be next in line to becoming matriarch after Tagwa and Tamiyoi. She is a fantastic nanny to the little orphans in the Nursery herd and spends most of her days in the company of Roho. She has recently been looking after Roho throughout the day and this has given Tagwa and Tamiyoi the opportunity to spend some more time with other orphans such as Naleku and Larro. 

Larro seems to really be enjoying the new found attention from the older girls and really enjoys spending her days closer to Tamiyoi and Kiasa. She will also spend time with Tagwa, but some days Tagwa will prefer to head off and browse on her own. 

23 April 2020

It was a cold and overcast morning as the orphans were let out of their stables. Naboishu, being the newest rescue in the Nursery, is always let out amongst the last orphans just so he feels more comfortable amongst the herd. As soon as he is let out, he quickly runs off to join the orphans as they make their way out to the forest. 

Naboishu is still nervous around the Keepers, which is normal as new rescues get used to their human family, but he seems to thoroughly enjoy the company of the Nursery orphans and having his milk bottle. When it is feeding time, he is always so eager to follow the other to the milk feeding point and then run up to his Keeper to get his bottle from his Keeper. 

This afternoon as the orphans headed down to the mud bath for their 3pm bottles of milk, Naboishu ran down with Enkesha, Tamiyoi, Maisha, Mukkoka and Larro and he showed no hesitation when approaching his Keeper to have his bottle. He seemed very at peace amongst the other orphans and as soon as they finished their milk, they all made their way over to the greens that were laid out for them. 

24 April 2020

Maxwell was full of energy this morning. As soon as he woke up he went charging over to his mix of greens and began munching away on them and barrelling through the different piles. When he was finished having his greens, he went straight up to his pile of Lucerne pellets and began to feast on those. He seemed to have quite the appetite this morning. After a couple of hours of moving between his greens and pellets he decided to settle in the sun, and have his mid-morning nap. 

Kiasa decided to browse on some of the bushes behind Maxwell’s stockade. As he could hear her walking around he looked up to smell around but when he realized it was just one of the elephant orphans he quickly went back to his nap. Kiasa was eventually ushered back of the rest of the orphan herd to continue browsing with them. 

25 April 2020

Nabulu and Naboishu seem to be developing quite the friendship. In the early hours of the morning, they could be seen nuzzling one another through the adjoining gate and rumbling at each other. When the orphans were eventually let out their stables around 6am, Nabulu appeared to decide to wait for Naboishu before making her way out to the forest. As soon as he was let out of his stable he ran over to Nabulu and then they both walked off to join the others who were already walking out to the forest. They spent most of their day browsing together. 

26 April 2020

Maxwell was in another active mood this morning. As soon as he woke up he walked over to his greens and began to tuck in. When he was finished with his greens he walked straight up to his Lucerne pellets which he devoured. When he was finished with his breakfast, he could be seen walking around his entire stockade compound, scratching against his posts and smelling the different smells around his stockade. He could even be seen pushing through some of the thicker bush on the other side of his stockade. When he was done walking around he settled in the long grass which was also in the sun. 

27 April 2020

It was a cold and overcast morning today. When the orphans were making their way out to the forest, Mukkoka, Naleku, and Roho didn’t seem too eager to be heading out in the cold and they were all walking slowly behind the rest the Nursery herd. Maisha seemed to notice that little Naleku and Roho were missing and she immediately went back to wait for them. When the little ones had finally caught up to her, she then continued on her path. 

As Maisha is now taking responsibility of the little ones, Tagwa seems to have relaxed a little and is now enjoying the company of the other orphans more often. Today she was spending quite a lot of time with Kiasa and they were often seen walking off in the same direction to browse. 

28 April 2020

Naboishu was in a very social mood this morning, and was thoroughly enjoying spending time in amongst the Nursery herd. He was seen browsing next to the others and was always in and amongst the group as they walked around the forest. He spent most of his day with Nabulu, Kiombo, and Sattao, and Mukkoka appeared to join them every now and again. 

Larro and Maktao appear to be becoming good friends, which is lovely because when they were younger they didn’t like each other very much! Maktao can be a very gentle bull and he is always so friendly with the younger orphans such as Larro, Naleku and Roho. He has been Larro’s neighbour since her arrival and they seem to be growing closer and have now been spending more and more time together out in the forest. They can often be seen browsing together and they even sometimes having their own wrestling games. 

29 April 2020

Recently Tagwa has been quite selfish and has been quite a tough matriarch towards the orphans. Like before, she seemed very unwilling to share her greens even though she is often the only one able to reach the greenest branches right at the top. When she gets really annoyed, she even pushes some of the orphans away and wants to browse on her own. 

Ziwadi and Luggard have become very close friends and are often seen browsing near one another. They may separate as they head off to get their milk but as soon as they are finished having their milk, they will look for each other and walk back to the forest together. Ziwadi is a lovely companion for Luggard as she too walks slowly and does not rush off like many of the other orphans. When in the forest they will follow each other around looking for the best shrubs. 

30 April 2020

It was a very cold morning and Maxwell seemed reluctant to leave the warmth of his bed. As Maxwell was still all cosy in his bedroom, a warthog was happily roaming around his stockade enjoying himself and having some of the leftover pellets. Without realising, the warthog accidentally walked into Maxwell’s bedroom and this seemed to wake up the large rhino who was unhappy with his unexpected guest. 

Maxwell began to chase the warthog around his room, waving his head side to side and breathing heavily as if to ward off the little pig. Luckily the warthogs know their escape routes and he quickly ran out of the stockade. As Maxwell calmed down he walked out of his bedroom and began to enjoy his greens.