Ndotto has been showing off this month and is eager to remind the orphans what a big bull he is developing into. When the partially-independent orphans Nelion and Tundani come by for a visit he usually takes the opportunity to test his strength against them, despite them being three years his senior. When he isn’t engaging them in a strength-testing match, he takes on Suswa, the oldest female in the Voi dependent herd now, or even Arruba.
The orphans exited their stockades for their milk and supplement feeding. Nelion and Tundani arrived at the stockades to join the dependent group and led them out for the day. Ndotto wanted to take the lead and overlapped the two boys, and engaged them in a strength testing game. Tundani ignored Ndotto’s attempts to play and instead chose to take on Arruba for a game. Pika Pika, Arruba’s adopted baby, came over to stay close to Arruba.
Ngilai took over the leadership of the group to the Park, stopping to browse when they found some Klipspringers in their path. The orphans visited the baobab tree waterhole for their milk bottles at 11am and after they had some water from the water trough. When they were done drinking they had a quick mud bath before heading to Msinga Hill for the afternoon browsing session.
Sagala climbed on a rock and stretched her trunk in an effort to reach higher branches that were full of lovely green leaves. Emoli lay down under the shade of the rock for a quick nap. Tundani and Nelion returned to the stockade with the dependent orphans in the evening. They remained there for a couple of hours before walking off back into the Park.
The orphan’s milk bottles were ready and waiting for the orphans as they exited their stockades and ran to the milk feeding area. They downed their milk in seconds after which they made their way to the Lucerne pellet feeding area. Kenia, Ndii, Mashariki, Araba, Ishaq-B and Ndoria didn’t visit the stockades this morning but Tundani and Nelion did. There were some brief games around the stockade compound and Nelion enjoyed a scratching session against the rock close to the stockade water trough, while Pika Pika enjoyed scratching against a smaller rock. Tundani took Nelion on in a head-butting game before Nelion walked away to engage Ndotto in a pushing game.
Mbegu took the lead of the orphans to the browsing grounds and the group settled to browse in the northern grassland area. The orphans had a lot of fun in the mud bath following the noon milk feed. Nelion headed to the centre of the mud-hole showcasing his bathing skills as he rolled around in the water. The afternoon browsing session took place close to the waterhole.
The stockade-dependent orphans exited their stockades for their morning milk bottles and the Lucerne pellet feeding, after which they hung around the compound to play before leaving for the days browsing activities. Tundani and Nelion arrived at the stockade compound early this morning and joined the stockade-dependent orphan elephants for the Lucerne pellets. The rest of Kenia’s herd was seen high up on Msinga Hill where they remained for the whole day.
The orphans spent the morning browsing peacefully as the traversed the flat grassy plains and made their way to the baobab tree waterhole for their noon milk bottles, followed by a wallowing session. It was a warm day, and Tundani was seen siphoning trunkfuls of water from the water trough where he was drinking and pouring it on the ground, creating his own small water pool where he then enjoyed his own private mud bath. Pika Pika plunged into the main waterhole where she was joined by Nelion and the other orphans. When they were done bathing the orphans returned to their browsing activities with Nelion enjoying a scratching session before joining his younger friends.
Cheza and Ivia, the two orphan buffalos that were raised at the SWT Kaluku HQ, were brought to the Voi stockades today.
The stockade-dependent orphan elephants were happy as they exited their stockades and grabbed their morning milk bottles before joining their older friends Nelion and Tundani, who visited again this morning, for the Lucerne pellet feeding. Nelion was quite naughty today and ambushed Arruba and climbed on her back. Pika Pika was very upset with what was going on and screamed loudly which did the trick, and Arruba was able to get away from Nelion and console her adopted baby Pika Pika.
There was lots of fun and games around the stockade compound with Ndotto engaging Mbegu in a strength testing game which he won, and he chose to celebrate his victory by climbing on Mbegu’s back. Tundani engaged Nelion in a strength testing pushing game while Lasayen took on Murit for a sparring session. Tundani saw the fun that Murit and Lasayen were having and came in to separate the two, interfering with their game.
Ngilai and Sagala decided that it was time to head out for the day and led the others out while holding an ipomoea creeper between them, which they both enjoyed feeding on. The orphans spent the morning browsing before making their way, in single file, to the baobab tree waterhole for their milk bottles and a swim in the mud bath. Nelion and Godoma were the stars in the water, until Tundani came in and drove Godoma away before sitting on Nelion’s head. When Nelion got free he engaged Tundani in a sparring session to show is displeasure at being nearly drowned, before they both left the water to join their younger friends who were browsing nearby.
The stockade-dependent orphan elephants and their two older friends Nelion and Tundani settled to feed on Lucerne pellets this morning before playing around the stockade compound. The orphans enjoyed a game of hide and seek, trumpeting loudly to show their happiness! Sagala and Emoli chose not to join in, with Emoli kneeling down and digging the hard ground to loosen up some soil which Sagala and he then used for a dust bath.
On arriving at the northern side of Msinga Hill, Rorogoi and Ndotto went charging through the bushes, running around before becoming engaged in a head butting game. Mbegu, Tahri and Godoma stood stretching their trunks towards the two in an effort to get them to stop as they felt the game was getting rather heated. Ngilai managed to get between the two, stopping their game, until they managed to sneak away to continue their fun.
As it was a cold day the orphans did not enter the mud bath today, choosing instead to have a drink from the baobab tree water trough after their milk feed before resuming with their browsing activities. Lasayen and Murit enjoyed a pushing game before joining their friends for the afternoon feeding session.
The orphan elephants played games around the stockade compound this morning following the morning milk and supplement feed. Sagala was looking at different ways to climb the stockade terrace when Tundani came in to engage Nelion, who was near Sagala, in a pushing game. Sagala moved away from the two of them, after which Nelion left Tundani to take on Arruba. Pika Pika, who was with Arruba, did not want Nelion sparring with her and managed to get Arruba to walk away with her and avoid getting upset.
The orphans slowly made their way out to the Park, feeding on the tall grass and creepers as well as on the acacia trees. They visited the baobab tree waterhole where they had their noon milk feed, and then enjoyed a mud bath.
Cheza and Ivia the orphan baby buffalos that came from Kaluku on the 3rd April were near the baobab tree waterhole but kept their distance from the orphans. The Keepers had to keep an eye on Ngiali who wanted to charge at the two orphan buffalos and chase them away.
The orphans returned to their browsing activities in the afternoon. While browsing, Embu and Rorogoi stopped to enjoy a mud bath in a small waterhole that they came across while browsing. They enjoyed a bath before rejoining their friends who were browsing nearby.
It was a peaceful morning with Nelion and Tundani arriving at the stockade compound early this morning to join the stockade-dependent orphans for the Lucerne pellet feeding. The rest of Kenia’s herd arrived as they were all enjoying the supplements. Nelion and Tundani ran away from the feeding area to allow the rest of Kenia’s group to enjoy some pellets. The two boys kept themselves busy playing a pushing game. Mashariki was missing from Kenia’s group today and only Kenia, Ndii, Ishaq-B, Ndoria and Araba were present.
Mashariki has often been one to join up with wild herds of elephants and the Keepers suspected that she may have joined a wild herd that has young calves. A patrol was set up to see if the Keepers could locate Mashariki and they looked at all the wild elephant families that were seen around Msinga Hill.
Murit and Sagala enjoyed a sparring game while Tundani and Nelion went off to the Park with the stockade-dependent orphans leaving Kenia’s herd at the stockade. Kenia’s herd later made their way up Msinga Hill to spend the day browsing.
It was a perfect beginning to the day with the stockade-dependent orphan elephants emptying a morning milk bottle and settling for some supplement feeding before engaging in some brief dust bathing games at the stockade compound.
Tundani, Nelion and Ishaq-B came to the stockades today and Arruba, Mbegu and Godoma did their best to keep them away from Ndotto as they could see they had their eye on Ndotto in an effort to get him to join Kenia’s independent group. Tundani played a strength testing game with Arruba after which the orphans left the stockade under Mbegu and Godoma’s leadership.
At midday, the orphan elephants had their milk feed, with Emoli, Ngilai and Tahri competing and running to see who would reach the milk bottles first. At the waterhole, Embu, and Rorogoi tried to take a bath, while the rest of their friends stood at the water’s edge watching them.
The stockade-dependent orphan elephants resumed their browsing activities in the afternoon. At 5.20pm, Tundani, Nelion and Ishaq-B who returned to the stockade compound with their younger friends, had a drink from the water trough after which they returned to the Park.
The stockade-dependent orphan elephants were relaxing around the stockade compound following their milk and supplement feeding. Godoma seemed to be the only one in a playful mood and was spotted lying on the ground and rolling around. Tahri saw the fun that Godoma was having and went over to lie on Godoma’s stomach, bringing an end to her game. Godoma got to her feet and turned to face Tahri with her head held high and her ears spread wide. This gave Tahri a fright and she ran off. Godoma went to engage Lasayen in a pushing game after which all the orphans followed Embu and Rorogoi out to the Park.
Tundani and Nelion visited the stockade for a drink of water at 10.30am. They engaged in their usual sparring games, remaining at the compound for about an hour before leaving for the Park as well. The Voi dependent orphan elephants changed their route today when they heard the yelling and charging around of a female wild elephant that was mating with a wild bull.
The orphans visited the baobab tree waterhole at noon and they had a lot of fun playing mud bathing games before returning to their browsing activities which continued until it was time to head home for the night.
The orphan elephants came running out of their stockade as soon as their gates were opened. They made their way to have their morning milk bottle after which they waited for the Keepers to put the Lucerne pellets out. Mudanda was being naughty today and kept chasing Ngilai away from the feeding tray. Arruba went over and took action, standing between the two so that everyone could enjoy the pellets.
Sagala and Emoli took the lead out to the Park today with Mbegu, Ndotto and Suswa bringing up the rear. Nelion and Tundani who had come to the stockade early this morning joined their younger friends as they headed out for the day. The morning was spent browsing until noon when Ngilai led the group towards the baobab tree water hole for their milk bottle. As it was a cloudy day the orphans had a drink of water but did not wallow, choosing instead to head to the southern side of Msinga Hill for the afternoon browsing session.
The orphan elephants settled to enjoy the Lucerne pellets following their milk feed. When the supplement feeding was over, the bulls of the group split up for sparring games; Ndotto took on Lasayen, Murit engaging Emoli and Nelion sparred with Tundani. The girls stood to the side watching until Nelion decided to climb on Arruba’s back, which upset Pika Pika who ran away while Godoma and Ndotto tried to push Nelion away from Arruba. Today Ngiali took the lead out to the Park.
Tawi, the orphan eland, was watching from a distance and decided to walk over to the elephant orphans. He walked into the middle of the orphans who were playing. Rorogoi decided to charge at Tawi who ran towards Rorogoi, who managed to avoid Tawi’s sharp horns. For the first time in months Tawi decided to follow the orphans out to the Park. At noon, Tawi ran towards the waterhole as the first group of orphans came for their noon milk feed. Murit stopped when Tawi charged past him injuring him slightly on the front right foot. Murit was treated with green clay, whilst Tawi stayed away from the stockade compound as if knowing that he had done something wrong.
After the morning feed, the orphan elephants hung around the stockade compound playing.
Sagala invited Pika Pika for a scratching session against a low lying rock at the stockade compound. Ndotto saw them and came to take Pika Pika while Sagala headed to the climb up the stockade terrace. Pika Pika snuck away from Ndotto to catch up with her adopted mother Arruba, but she wasn’t with her for long because Nelion came over and engaged Arruba in a pushing game. Tundani was busy play-fighting with Godoma and they moved around the compound as they played.
Embu and Mudanda led their friends away from the stockade and out to the Park today. On the way Ndotto stopped to engage Nelion and Tundani in a pushing game while Ngilai and Lasayen played amongst themselves. It is a lovely time at the moment as there is a large variety of vegetation for the orphans to feed on and they have all been gaining weight and are full of energy.
The orphans enjoyed a bath after the noon milk feed, choosing to wallow in the middle water hole today. Nelion had a lovely time in the water with Emoli, while Ndotto ambushed Rorogoi who was lying in the water and climbed on her back. Rorogoi managed to get him off her back, got to her feet and engaged him in a pushing game.
Early in the morning, Kenia, Ndii, Araba, Ndoria and Ishaq-B, who had spent the night browsing on the southern side of Msinga Hill, came to the stockade to join the stockade-dependent orphan elephants at the Lucerne pellet feeding area. There was a lot of excitement as the two groups greeted one another. The orphans then enjoyed playing with Ndotto lying at the edge of one of the stockade terraces to relax. Arruba and Godoma approached him but he quickly got to his feet, and when he did they turned around quickly, while Nelion came in to engage him in a strength testing game. When the game was winding down Godoma came to join the two before approaching Rorogoi and lying on her head, which had Rorogoi quickly getting to her feet so as not to be suffocated.
Mbegu took the lead of the orphans out to browse today, moving quickly, with the others following suit.
Later in the evening, Kenia’s herd remained in the Park to browse while the youngsters returned to the safety of the stockades for the night.
Kenia’s herd visited the stockade compound very early in the morning to meet with the stockade-dependent orphan elephants who were coming to the Lucerne pellet feeding area. Soon after they arrived Araba engaged Nelion in a sparring match as Kenia and the others drank water from the stockade water trough.
After the supplement feeding, Araba enjoyed a scratching session against a tree with Tahri coming to join her. Kenia lay on the ground to play and Ishaq-B took the opportunity to ride on her stomach, which meant Kenia struggled to get to her feet. Ndotto and Tundani were engaged in a pushing game while Ndii climbed on Godoma’s back. Murit, Mbegu, Nelion and Ishaq-B enjoyed playing strength testing games together.
Today Sagala took the lead of the orphans to the flatter, grassier plains along the northern side of Msinga Hill where they browsed until it was time to visit the baobab tree water hole at noon. The orphans enjoyed their milk feed before entering the wallow with Emoli, Godoma, Pika Pika and Ndotto rolling around like mud fish in the water.
In the evening Kenia’s herd returned to the stockades with their younger friends and spent the night browsing nearby.
The stockade-dependent orphans were happy to see their older friends from Kenia’s herd when they exited their stockades this morning. The ex-orphans joined the youngsters at the Lucerne pellet feeding area. There were some brief socializing moments with the orphans engaging in play fights. Nelion took on Ndii, Tundani took on Godoma and Rorogoi played with Araba.
Mbegu and Lasayen took the lead out to the Park today and they settled to browse under the trees while seeking shelter from the scorching sun.
Godoma and Ishaq-B enjoyed a scratching session together against a tree with Araba coming for a scratch when they were done. Nelion and Tundani enjoyed eating the thorny branches from an acacia tree that they were standing under.
After the noon milk feed the orphans had a drink at the baobab tree water trough before enjoying a mud bath. Embu, Ndotto and Godoma had the most fun as they rolled around in the water and lay on one another while their friends stood at the edges plastering themselves with the gloopy mud. Mudanda came running into the water, charging at her three friends and pushing them with her tusks until they exited the wallow bringing an end to the mud bathing session.
The afternoon was spent browsing around the eastern side of the water hole with Kenia’s herd following the Voi dependent orphans home in the evening. The independent group remained at the stockade compound for a couple of hours before returning to the Park.
The morning began with the orphans gulping down their morning milk bottles before moving away to enjoy the Lucerne pellets and then playing around the stockade terrace. Emoli and Ngilai had a tough head-butting game that turned into a heated pushing game while Godoma stood on one of the stockade terraces and engaged Murit in a sparring game. She then tried to climb on Murit’s back which was a dangerous thing to do as if Murit moved away Godoma would have fallen.
The orphans headed out to the Park under Mbegu and Lasayen’s leadership. They visited the waterhole at noon where they had their milk and a quick bath before resuming with their browsing activities. At 3pm there was a small rain shower during which Embu and Tahri enjoyed a scratching session against a tree while Godoma lay down in a deep erosion trench drawing warmth from the ground. She got up when she saw Mudanda approaching her to engage her in a game.
The orphan elephants exited their stockades in a joyful mood for their morning milk bottles, which they downed in a matter of seconds. After their bottles they enjoyed their Lucerne pellets before playing games around the stockade compound. Emoli and Ngilai engaged one another in a pushing game while Embu had fun rolling around on the red earth piles showcasing her skills to Tahri and Pika Pika.
Mbegu signaled that it was time to head out for the day and the stockade-dependent orphans followed her to the Park. They spent the morning browsing along the northern foot of Msinga Hill where they also had their noon milk feed before making their way to wallow in one of their favorite waterholes which was full of rain water. Mbegu entered the water, with Godoma, Ngilai, Murit, Emoli and Tahri, while Ndotto and Embu came in after the rest had finished their mud bath.
The afternoon browsing session took place around the waterhole with Ngilai and Emoli leading the group back to the safety of the stockades for the night.
It was another happy beginning to the day with the Voi orphan elephants emptying their morning milk bottles in a rush and heading out to the browsing grounds as soon as they had finished enjoying their supplement food.
The orphans browsed their way to the northern foot of Msinga Hill where most of the group headed uphill to browse, while Murit and Godoma remained at the base. Pika Pika later came down hill and enjoyed a soil bath before joining Godoma and Murit who were browsing nearby.
At noon the orphans visited the baobab tree water hole where they had their noon milk bottle before having a drink of water from the water trough. Suswa was in a naughty mood and kept pushing Rorogoi away from the trough. In the afternoon the orphans browsed close to the waterhole until it was time to return to the stockades for the night.
The morning was cloudy with light rain showers as the orphans exited their stockades and assembled for their morning milk bottles before moving to the Lucerne pellet feeding area, where they were joined by Kenia’s herd. Once the supplement feeding was over and the orphans had greeted one another, Pika Pika made her way over to her adopted mother Arruba and got to spend some time with her until Ndotto came to engage Arruba in a sparring session. Ndii took Tahri close to her while Sagala rolled around and enjoyed a dust bath with Ngilai standing on her to reach Emoli and engage him in a pushing game.
The orphans left the stockades for the Park where they spent the morning browsing. At noon they made their way to the baobab tree waterhole where they had their noon milk bottles. The orphan baby buffalos, Cheza and Ivia, were close to the elephant orphans but were not bothered as they each gave one another their space, and allowed each other to peacefully share the wallow and the surrounding area.
Early in the morning Ndotto invited both Suswa and Arruba for a sparring match while the rest of their friends played various games around the stockade compound. Once the fun and games were over the orphans followed Mbegu and Godoma out to the Park for the day. The group settled to browse on the eastern rocky side of Msinga Hill.
The orphans browsed slowly as they made their way to the baobab tree waterhole where they had their noon milk feed after which they made their way to the waterhole, where they tested the water and splashed water over themselves before resuming with their browsing activities.
Godoma and Tahri came running up to the milk feeding area for their bottles with Pika Pika coming rumbling up behind them for her share. Emoli and Sagala joined them, taking their time to finish their milk before running off to join the others at the supplement feeding area.
Sagala took the lead of the orphan herd out to the Park today with Emoli following her closely. Mbegu and Suswa brought up the rear of the group as they were busy making sure that there were no Lucerne pellets left before following the others.
The orphan herd spent the morning browsing before making their way to the baobab tree for their noon milk feed, some water and a swim. Ndotto and Embu enjoyed wallowing in the middle of the waterhole. After the mud bath Suswa enjoyed a scratching session against a tree close to the water hole before joining the rest of the herd who were heading back to their browsing activities.
An hour after the juniors left the waterhole Kenia, Ndii, Araba and Ndoria joined them in the browsing fields where they took refuge from the hot sun under some trees. Kenia’s group escorted the stockade-dependent orphans back home in the evening.
The orphan elephants exited their stockades and headed to the milk feeding area for their morning milk bottle. Ngilai was in a greedy mood and downed his share before begging to be given Lasayen’s bottle. The Keepers intervened, shooing Ngiali away so that Lasayen could enjoy his milk in peace. After the supplement feeding, Mudanda enjoyed a scratching session against a big rock close to the stockade waterhole while Tahri also enjoyed a scratch against the orphan’s favourite scratching rock. Mudanda was being naughty today and went to chase Tahri away from her scratching position to take it for herself. Embu was not happy with this and came to engage Mudanda in a sparring match to avenge Tahri. Arruba and Ndotto were engaged in a strength testing game which became quite heated while Suswa enjoyed rolling around on the ground having a dust bath.
The orphans spent the morning browsing on the northern foot of Msinga Hill. Lasayen was left browsing there when the others moved on and he had to run to catch up with them. While browsing Pika Pika charged the orphan baby buffalo Ivia, who was browsing near the orphans, but quickly withdrew when she saw that Ivia was not scared of her.
At about 2.30pm there was a heavy rain storm, during which Sagala enjoyed scratching against a couple of big rocks while Mbegu enjoyed playing on the ground between two rocks while Lasayen watched on.
Emoli came out running out of his stockade, overtaking Tahri and Pika Pika, in an effort to be the first to arrive at the milk feeding area for the morning milk bottle. Once the milk-dependent orphans had downed the contents of their bottles they joined their older friends at the Lucerne pellet feeding area. There were some strength-testing games around the stockade compound today, with Arruba taking on Ndotto while Murit engaged Ngilai, and Mbegu and Rorogoi enjoyed a scratching session against a big rock close to the stockade waterhole. Pika Pika was eager to head out to the Park and came between Murit and Ngilai in an effort to signal to them that it was time to head out for the day. Ngilai managed to get away and instead engaged Emoli in a sparring game.
At about 8am there was a light rain shower which continued for most of the day. A short while after the rain began, Tundani and Nelion arrived at the stockade compound, missing the juniors who had left a short while before. The days browsing activities took place on the northern side of Msinga Hill. The orphans didn’t visit the water hole today due to the cold and wet weather.
The morning milk bottles were waiting for the orphans as they exited their stockades this morning. Once the milk feeding was over they moved on the Lucerne pellets, after which they enjoyed playing around the stockade compound. Ngilai engaged Murit in a sparring game while Ndotto took on Arruba first then Rorogoi, Embu, Mudanda and finally Suswa.
Once Embu was done playing with Ndotto she laid against a rock to enjoy a dust bath at which time Ndotto climbed onto the rock and tried to step on her back. Embu saw what Ndotto’s intentions were and quickly moved away leaving Ndotto’s foot hanging in the air with nothing to step on. Sagala lay down to allow Emoli to ride on her back, something that he had a lot of fun doing. After playing for about 30 minutes Sagala took the lead of the group to the Park and they all settled to browse on the northern foot of Msinga Hill.
At noon the dependent orphans, except for Ndotto, Suswa and Pika Pika, made their way to the baobab tree waterhole. Ndotto, Suswa and Pika Pika remained behind and joined them later. After the milk feed Mbegu led the herd to a small waterhole close to Msinga Hill as there was a big wild herd of elephant’s drinking water and relaxing at the main baobab tree waterhole, and they didn’t want to disturb or interact with them.
The orphan elephants came running out of the stockades this morning for their milk. Ngilai was the first to finish his milk after which he started begging for more from his friends, specifically from Emoli, and the Keepers had to shoo him away so that the others could finish their milk in peace.
The stockade-dependent orphan elephants followed Sagala and Emoli out to the Park for the day with Mbegu, Ndotto and Suswa bringing up the rear. The orphans spent the morning browsing on the flatter area along the northern side of Msinga Hill. Here the Voi dependent orphans joined up with Kenia’s herd for the browsing session.
In the afternoon, the orphans visited the water hole for their milk bottles and a wallow. Tundani and Nelion enjoyed rolling in the water and after a while they became engaged in a pushing game. Ndii was also showcasing his mud-bathing talents. The rest of the day’s browsing took place close to that water hole. Later in the day, Ngilai engaged Murit in a sparring game.
There were a lot of games around the stockade-compound this morning as Kenia’s herd came to join the stockade-dependent orphans after they had finished their milk feed. Ndotto was the centre of attention as all the youngsters wanted to engage him in a strength testing competition. Arruba started first with him, then Rorogoi, then Nelion; finally Ndii and Emoli intervened in his play-fight with Nelion, when Ndotto was proving difficult to beat.
Sagala led the two groups out for the day with the majority browsing half way up Msinga Hill while Ishaq-B, Ndotto and Tundani browsed at the base. Ishaq-B approached Ndotto for a play fighting game soon after arriving, but Ndotto ignored her wanting to concentrate on his browsing activities.
Nelion came down hill joining up his best friends Ndotto and Tundani while Kenia stuck close to Pika Pika.
Sagala and Emoli started slowly walking towards the baobab tree waterhole, with their friends catching up with them a few minutes later. After the milk feed the orphans made their way over to the water hole for a bath. Embu, Godoma and Pika Pika were the first to enter the water and the last to leave it, as they were having such a lovely time wallowing. When they eventually exited the wallow they joined their friends who were in browsing nearby. Kenia’s herd returned to the stockades with the youngsters in the evening. They later left and made their way up Msinga Hill where they spent the night browsing.
It was another lovely beginning to the day as orphans had their milk and supplement feeding before playing around the stockade compound. They headed to the Park under Emoli and Murit’s leadership. The two wanted their friends to browse uphill, but the majority wanted to stay at the base and they ended up following what the majority wanted.
Mudanda, Arruba, Pika Pika and Rorogoi left their friends as they headed to browse close to the baobab tree milk-feeding area thus being the first to get their noon milk bottle. Once the rest had finished their share Arruba and Pika Pika led them to the waterhole where they all had a lovely time mud bathing. Pika Pika and Arruba were the last to leave the water.
Sagala managed to sneak away from the orphan herd to join a wild elephant herd that was browsing nearby. The wild herd started to move further away with Sagala following them, ignoring the Keepers calling her in an effort to get her to come back. Eventually the Keepers drove close to the wild herd in the stockade pickup, and managed to separate Sagala from her wild friends and bring her back to rejoin the orphan herd.
The day started with the stockade-dependent orphan elephants running out of their stockades full of energy and eager for their morning milk bottle, after which they settled to enjoy the nutritious Lucerne pellets that the Keepers had put out for them. Ndotto went to engage Arruba in a strength testing game in an effort to show his dominance. It was a rather heated engagement which had Rorogoi and Murit coming in to intervene and try to rescue Arruba. Ndotto ignored them and tried to climb on Arruba’s back at which point Suswa was called in to help. On seeing Suswa making her way over, Ndotto sneaked way and went to engage Ngilai in a friendly game while Suswa lay on the ground enjoying a dust bath as she lifted her trunk skyward and trumpeted loudly. Mudanda and Godoma were also engaged in a sparring game at the stockade compound this morning.
The orphans headed out to the Park where they browsed peacefully until it was time to make their way to the baobab tree waterhole where they had their milk and a brief mud bath before heading to the mud bath for a wallow. The afternoon was spent browsing near the waterhole.
It was a happy morning for the orphans as they enjoyed playing games around the stockade compound following the milk and supplement feeding. Mudanda enjoyed a scratching session against a big rock close to the stockade water trough while Lasayen did the same on a smaller rock.
When the orphans where headed out to the Park for the day Ndotto, who was leading, attempted to get his friends to go up the western side of Msinga Hill to browse, but Arruba and Mbegu overtook him, taking the lead, leaving him browsing on his own while they went further ahead. Ndotto later came and joined them.
As the day got warmer Godoma and Arruba sought shelter from the sun under a tree until it was time to head to the baobab tree waterhole where the orphans had their milk before entering the water for a lovely fun-filled wallow. While the orphan elephants were bathing, the eland Tawi came to join them. This upset Murit who came running out to charge at Tawi. When he saw that Tawi was not moving and was prepared to charge back at him, he quickly backed off. The Keepers called the orphans away for the afternoon browsing session while Tawi headed to the stockades where he spent the night.
The orphans’ morning was full of fun and games and bonding activities following the milk and Lucerne pellet feeding. Arruba saw that Ndotto was again looking to come and engage her in a game and she quickly moved away and lay down to play with Pika Pika who had a lot of fun climbing on Arruba’s belly. Emoli came to join the two but instead of climbing on Arruba he clambered over Pika Pika’s back, bringing a swift end to Pika Pika’s game. Ndotto engaged Ngilai in a sparring match as he continues to try and prove that he is the strongest of the orphan herd. Lasayen enjoyed a brief game with Suswa who then lay down for a quick dust bath before the orphans left the stockade compound for the Park.
The morning browsing session was peaceful as the orphan elephants and orphan baby buffalos Ivia and Cheza enjoyed the abundance of vegetation available to them. The eland Tawi remained at the stockade compound for the day.
The Keepers conduct daily patrols in an effort to find the wild elephant herd that Mashariki went off with and we hope to see her soon, although as yet there has not been any sign of either her or the wild herd.