Sileita and Kerrio are excellent mini matriarchs. While many females play favourites, they care for all the babies equally. The girls work together to look after everyone and ensure order among the Nursery herd.
The orphaned elephants set out for the forest in the early morning. Because it was a cold day, Raha remained in her stable, enjoying a lie-in! On some days, she has to be encouraged to leave her room but not today. An hour after the elephants had left the stockades, Raha plodded out of her room and up the path with her two Keepers.
Out in the forest, the orphans were browsing in small groups. Mini matriarch Sileita was browsing close to little Wamata, trunk touching the baby regularly. When Sileita walked away to check on the other babies, Latika took her place. The not-quite-so-little girl still has at least one nanny in attendance at all times.
Sholumai was almost throwing her weight around today! When she first joined the herd, she was a shy girl who often chose to browse on her own in the forest and was only comfortable with Sileita and Kerrio. This morning, Sholumai gulped down her two bottles of milk and demanded a third from a Keeper. He gave her an empty bottle which kept her quiet but not for long. When she saw Kerrio enjoying her milk, Sholumai did her best to push her away. We intercepted her and sent her away from the mud wallow to browse nearby with Weka, Pardamat and Mushuru.
In the afternoon, the herd wandered around in the lush green forest. Kerrio and Weka were browsing together. When Kerrio lay down on her belly to relax, Weka leant against her affectionately and draped her trunk over her friend’s head.
When Tali was first rescued, he used to spend his days with wonderful nannies Nyambeni and Mzinga. When the younger rescues arrived, Mzinga chose to stay with them and Nyambeni remained close to Tali. Soon after, Talek decided to join the couple — and now the three elephants have browsed together lots in recent days. If Tali walks away from the herd, — as he is still not comfortable with a large group — Nyambeni and Talek are frequently seen ambling along in his wake. He accepts their company.
This morning, when we opened the gates of the orphans’ stockades, Nyambeni and Mzinga both walked up the path to Tali’s room. Nyambeni greeted the young bull and stood close to him while Mzinga touched him briefly and then walked into his stockade looking for leftover range cubes!
The herd soon headed out to the forest and settled to browse in small groups. Latika – who has the shortest trunk in the Nursery – knelt both to browse and to massage her face this morning. She twisted up green grass, rubbed her face on the wet ground, and twisted up more browse. After filling their bellies, Muridjo and Shujaa drank from a pool of rainwater and then played several rounds of the pushing game.
In the early morning, the herd wandered out to browse in a fresh green forest that was muddy after last night’s rain. As most browsed quietly, twisting up clumps of grass or shrubs with their trunks, Muwingu and Shujaa began running around – they were playing chasing games with baboons, warthogs and impalas. The baboons merely jumped from one tree to the next, the warthogs trotted out of their way and went back to grazing, and the impalas darted one way and then another. Lumbering along after several impalas, Muwingu took a corner too quickly, slipped in the mud, and slid onto her side. She trumpeted in alarm and several older females ran to her rescue. They gathered around her to check that only her dignity had been hurt. Muwingu clambered to her feet, abandoned the game, and went back to browsing.
Later in the morning, the orphans visited the mud bath for a milk feed. After enjoying their milk, they stood quietly around the wallow, drinking from the trough or picking up pieces of lucerne or trunk touching their friends. Today, no one tried to pinch an extra bottle or push another orphan or misbehave in any way.
In the afternoon, the herd browsed in an open area of the forest. Muwingu and Sileita rubbed their trunks against a patch of dry soil but could not dislodge enough for a dust bath. Muwingu ambled away and Sileita kept trying. When Mushuru and Shujaa joined her, they decided that the better option was to rub themselves against the ground rather than to suck up loose soil.
Olomunyak was being mischievous this morning. When the others wandered out to the forest, he pretended to follow the others but took a left and dashed into Tali’s room in the hope of finding leftover pellets. When a Keeper whistled to him, naughty Olomunyak ran in the opposite direction from the forest, nipping round the corner to his stable. Two Keepers were required to shepherd the little bull out to join the herd.
Today, the herd browsed among the trees. The older ones pulled down branches while the younger ones selected tasty plants. Several orphans also massaged themselves against tree trunks and stumps. Talek and Pardamat scratched their sides against a large tree stump while Sileita rubbed her chin and sharpened her small tusks against a tree with scratchy bark.
In the late afternoon, as usual we gathered the orphans into groups and sent them back to the stockades. Nyambeni and Muridjo set off first but encountered a large obstacle along the way: Kamili was standing on the path and refusing to budge. Our two sassy girls slowed down but, at the last minute, sprinted past Kamili at the same moment. One went left and the other right. Accepting the inevitable, Kamili moved to the side and allowed the others to pass and run on down for another milk feed.
Early in the morning, the herd settled to browse in the forest. Everyone was concentrating on feeding – in contrast to most days, no one was playing. Tali chose to browse at a distance from most of the herd. He continues to be wary of bulls like Shujaa, Mageno and Kitich and makes sure that he is not close to them. Nyambeni and Talek kept him company.
At the mud bath this morning, Kamili took Pardamat in hand! When the naughty boy began demanding another bottle of milk from the Keepers, she knocked him down and chased him away. Our non-maternal girl puts up with no nonsense. Mini matriarch Sileita intervened by calming down Kamili and choosing to let Pardamat be, in the hope that he might have learned his lesson (at last).
In the afternoon, Weka and Kitich (and many others) played in the mud in the sunshine. Weka and Kitich paddled in a large patch, splashing mud in every direction and even trying to drink the thick water. They took it in turns to lie down and roll around onto their backs with trunks twirling. Pardamat and Talek watched on from the sidelines but seemed wary of playing in the mud with the two boisterous older elephants. They continued browsing until Weka and Kitich moved on, whereupon they had a turn of squelching in the puddle.
Taroha is one of our water babies – he loves playing in the mud wallow! Even though it was a chilly morning, the young boy paddled into the muddy pool after downing his bottles of milk. When Mzinga – who is another water baby - spotted Taroha in the pool, she ran in to join him. Rather than play with his sister, Taroha immediately climbed out – maybe he had only been interested in a solitary swim!
Later in the morning, the first group of younger orphans visited the mud bath again and then the second older group. Since Shujaa was promoted to the second group, his bond with Kitich and Mageno has become stronger as he is now officially one of the big boys! As soon as the first group walked off to the wallow, the three young bulls began playing wrestling and pushing and chasing games in the forest that lasted for a full half-an-hour until it was their turn to visit the mud bath.
Thanks to naughty Weka, when Shujaa arrived at the wallow, there was no one to give him his milk. We had planned to send Muridjo, Mageno, Sileita, Latika and Shujaa down in one group and then Sholumai, Mushuru, Kitich, Muwingu and Weka in another group. As the first group padded down the path, Weka sneaked away from the others and overtook Shujaa who was last in the group. The young bull arrived to find Weka enjoying the bottle meant for him. Most orphans would have created an enormous fuss but not Shujaa. He waited patiently until Muridjo had finished her bottles and a Keeper was ready to feed him. Shujaa is such a calm cool boy!
What a morning for Olomunyak! Today, the little boy was in a very jovial and playful mood. As soon as he marched out of his room, he started wrestling with Taroha who was standing quietly by his door. The two friends pushed each other happily as they began walking out to the forest.
Along the way, Weka, Mzinga and Muridjo were waiting at the first corner. The big sisters welcomed their little brothers with rumbles and the boys rumbled back. Olomunyak and Taroha stopped off at Maxwell’s gate to greet the blind black rhino before jogging on to the forest, still pushing each other playfully.
Next, Olomunyak decided to play in the warthogs’ hideout hole. Spotting some warthogs inside their hole, he tried to flush them out by sticking his trunk in the hole and playing with the loose soil. By this time, Taroha had wandered on and was browsing further into the forest with the herd.
Soon, Sileita and Kamili walked back in the direction of the stockades to find Olomunyak, concerned that he had been left behind. They found him still hosing soil all over the place and wiggling his trunk in the hole. Sileita returned to the herd but Kamili stayed and began rolling in the loose soil. Olomunyak did not want to play with Kamili and so he strode on to join the others. Kamili was not part of his plan!
This morning, Maxwell’s friends, the warthogs, arrived so early in the hope of sharing his breakfast. Unfortunately, we had not yet given the rhino his morning pellets and lucerne and so they had to wait.
Maxwell often stands by his gate waiting for some elephants to say hello as they pad past on their way to the forest. But today, it was the other way round. Weka and Muwingu were waiting at his gate while Max chased around after the warthogs.
Continuing up the path to the bush, the two girls encountered a little dik dik. Weka, of course, started chasing her, trumpeting loudly and attracting everyone’s attention. Unsure of the cause of the drama, Muridjo, Muwingu, Mushuru, Shujaa, Sileita, Mageno and Nyambeni joined the chase. The big girls and boys dashed in the rough direction of Weka, trumpeting in excitement as they bush bashed. It took us a long time to calm our herd and persuade them to go back to browsing.
Later in the morning at the mud bath, the second older group had lots of fun. Mushuru was first into the pool. After downing her bottles, Sholumai joined her and then Muwingu. Two minutes later, Shujaa, Sileita and Weka were also wallowing or paddling in the muddy water. Until Muwingu came across a tortoise! Over-reacting to the tiny creature floating on the edge, she flared her ears and trumpeted loudly and splashed mud everywhere with her legs as she drove the tortoise out of the wallow. It scuttled away from a pool empty of elephants.
Mzinga has lifted her fondness for younger orphans to another level! This young girl has always been interested in any new baby and a very welcoming caring elephant. With the recent rescues, however, her behaviour has been outstanding!
In the mornings before she goes out to the field, Mzinga has to check on the young ones. This morning, however, before heading out, she did not get the opportunity. When she walked out of her room, Kerrio was waiting for her. Her big sister engaged her in a wrestling game and so she left without seeing the babies.
The herd settled in the forest but Mzinga remained unsettled. When our backs were turned, she made a run for the stockades, rumbling as she sprinted along. The young ones responded to her call with rumbles. Mzinga checked on them both, returned to the woods and settled down with the herd.
In the afternoon, Mushuru, Sholumai and little Olomunyak (who likes all the big girls) sneaked away from the herd and their Keepers to browse deep in the forest. They almost missed the afternoon milk feed - but elephants are clever with timings and our three explorers padded in at the very last minute after the others had been fed!
Maxwell enjoyed the wet weather in his stockade this morning. He was playing with the warthogs in the rain, running after the little pigs. His enclosure was an enormous mud pool, apart from the sheltered area where he sleeps, following a night of heavy rain.
Because of the rain, the elephants stayed in their rooms for a time, waiting in vain for the rain to stop. We opened the gates and they meandered out to the forest in a long line. Some settled to browse as others stood under canopies of trees.
Taroha reminds us of Kerrio when she was his age. When she was still little, she really loved mud bathing and he is just the same. This morning in the woods, he played in one muddy puddle after the next. Every time he came across a puddle, he paddled or splashed or even rolled around in the water.
During the milk feeding at nine o’clock at the mud bath, the weather was still chilly. As soon as Taroha had downed his bottles of milk, he walked into the mud pool, lay down and started wallowing. He swam on his own for a time before Kerrio and Olomunyak joined him. The three orphans had lots of fun while the others watched on and browsed on lucerne.
Kitich has become the playmaker of the herd. He engages in almost daily pushing games with Mageno and Shujaa but today he was busy entertaining the girls. Our growing bull spent most of the day playing sparring and play-mounting games with Kerrio, Muwingu and Weka.
This morning in the forest, Kamili, who sometimes chooses to browse on her own, was in the midst of the herd. After browsing for a time, she scratched her backside against one tree and then another. Nyambeni and Weka chose to browse close and touch trunks with her. She enjoyed their company for a time but then flared her ears and pushed them away.
Raha was full of beans today. She finished her bottle, stepped out of her stable with confidence and marched up the path, leading her Keeper. She made the occasional squeak and did the occasional side hop along the way to the forest, pausing to look at Maxwell before continuing up the path. Out in the bush, Raha grazed on mouthfuls of the softest grass, lay down for a nap, and then stood up to wander on through the trees with her two Keepers.
The orphans enjoyed the muddy forest again in the afternoon, browsing, then playing, then browsing some more. Nyambeni covered almost every part of herself with thick mud while Kerrio, Shujaa and Kitich paddled in another puddle. Kerrio lay down and invited the boys to play on her jungle gym of a belly. Neither bull took up the offer, perhaps because Shujaa and Kitich were too busy splashing in the mud.
Kitich and Mageno are the oldest boys and the strongest in the herd. The two friends have strength-contest games almost every day. This morning in the forest, Kitich was gaining the upper hand over Mageno – he is shorter but stouter and two months older than his friend. When Mageno turned tail and ran away, Kitich ran after him – he kept touching Mageno’s tail with his trunk and then even tried to bite it. And so, the competition for dominance continues between the determined bull and his laidback friend!
Close friends Shujaa and Muridjo were also playing in the forest today. As many of the others browsed, Muridjo challenged Shujaa to a sparring game. She shoved him from behind so he turned around and accepted the invitation. The two elephants pushed heads with trunks entwined. When Muridjo broke off the game, Shujaa tried to mount her - so she knocked him down and moved away.
Olomunyak was misbehaving. In the afternoon, he pushed Talek over at the mud bath for no reason. When the little girl fell over, Sileita intervened, disciplined the rough boy and sent him off to the other side of the wallow. Sileita is such a good mini matriarch because, even if Wamata is her favourite, she looks after all the orphans and is quick to take charge and sort out problems.
Latika was at her most possessive today! Although she is devoted to Wamata, on most days she will share her special baby with a collection of nannies that include Sileita, Kerrio, Nyambeni, Mushuru and Sholumai. On most days, looking after Wamata is done in shifts with one nanny moving away and another immediately taking her place. The little girl is content to hang out with the older females and is not often seen playing with her peers.
Today, Latika and Wamata were browsing side by side in the forest. Latika was pulling down branches from tall trees so that Wamata could enjoy the tasty leaves that she was not able to reach. When Pardamat walked over to join them in the hope of also enjoying the treat, Latika pushed him away firmly. She was picking leaves for Wamata and no one else!
Recent rescue Tali continues to browse at a distance from the herd and the Keepers on most days. In the morning today, he extended a trunk in greeting to one of the Keepers and, in the afternoon at the mud bath, he tried to pinch an extra bottle of milk from the wheelbarrow. Tali is becoming stronger but remains very thin.
Later in the afternoon, little Talek led her group of orphans back to the stockades. She led the first group, Nyambeni led the second, and Mushuru padded in at the end of the line.
In the early morning, the orphans emerged from their stockades and gathered outside to greet their friends or drink from the water troughs. We shepherded them out to the forest to browse. Mageno and Kitich led the herd while Sileita brought up the rear, making sure that no one was left behind. They browsed quietly for a time. After filling their bellies, Muridjo and Shujaa played the pushing game while Kerrio and Kamili scratched their backsides against tree stumps.
In the afternoon, the sun was shining and many orphans cooled off in the mud bath. After emptying their bottles, Muridjo was first to take the plunge with Shujaa and Taroha following in her wake. Shujaa and Taroha wallowed in the middle while Muridjo rubbed her face and torso along the edge and then clambered on top of her friend. Weka, Mushuru and Latika soon joined them in the muddy water while Talek and Pardamat stood on the edge, splashing mud in every direction with their trunks.
The herd headed back to the forest for a final browse. Mzinga moved away from Tali this afternoon to browse with Kamili and Nyambeni. Tali was on his own for a time but then browsed next to Mushuru, allowing the older female to trunk touch him while he pulled up mouthfuls of green grass.
This morning, Kerrio and Mzinga were in no hurry to head out to the forest even though it was a dry morning. While the others were gathering outside their stockades, Mzinga made a beeline for Tali’s stockade to greet the new boy and scoop up any leftover pellets and lucerne. We whistled while shepherding the herd out to browse in the bush. Everyone plodded obediently up the path except for Kerrio and Mzinga who ambled from one water trough to the next, drinking from some and making splashes in others. When they had had enough of that game, they walked over to Maxwell’s lower gate to greet the rhino and drape their trunks over his head. It took three Keepers to persuade our clever girls to eventually join the others in the forest!
The orphans spent a peaceful morning in the forest. Mzinga browsed with Tali at a distance from the herd, while Sholumai walked along behind Mzinga, Talek and Weka followed Mushuru, and Olomunyak trailed Latika. Big boys Mageno and Kitich, as well as wannabee big boy Shujaa, stretched up to pull down branches from trees.
Later in the morning at the mud bath, Wamata stood sandwiched between Kerrio and Nyambeni, content to hang out quietly with her nannies and browse on lucerne. She hardly ever puts a foot in the mud bath, aware that she is smaller than the others and at risk of being squashed. On hot days, a Keeper helps her to cool down by shovelling wet mud along her back and then dry soil to protect her skin (as she has not yet learnt to suck up soil and hose herself).
The sun was shining and Raha was happy to head out early to the forest today. She led her Keepers up the path, pausing at Maxwell’s gate and then walking on to the bush. This morning, the small rhino kept suckling one Keeper’s trouser leg, using the fabric as a comforter.
Olomunyak was throwing his weight around with new boy Tali in the forest this morning. Tali is older but thinner and weaker than stout Olomunyak. As the new boy browsed quietly next to Mzinga, Olomunyak ran at him and pushed him down. Bulls will be bulls and Olomunyak was asserting his dominance over Tali. We quickly escorted the feisty boy away.
Later in the morning, Tali was browsing with Taroha. An unusually gentle young boy, he is always welcoming to Tali, allowing him to browse next to him, and even trying to defend him from the rougher boys.
Sileita and Kerrio are great mini matriarchs because they care for all the babies, rather than just one or two. In the afternoon, when Talek trumpeted because Shujaa kept play mounting her, the two girls both ran over to see off the growing bull. Later on, when a strength contest between Pardamat and Taroha was getting rough, they intervened to separate the bulls.
Kamili was not in the mood for company today. Every time, an impala or warthog came close to her, she lifted her head from browsing and chased them away. Eventually, they learnt their lesson and stopped trying to graze near her.
After downpours of rain in the night, the forest was full of rainwater pools. The orphans were reluctant to head out this morning but became playful when the sun came out. Latika and Muridjo especially enjoy face massages! Today, Latika rubbed her face against a patch of dry earth and, when she walked away, Muridjo took her place. The growing girl knelt down to rub the underside of her trunk and sides of her face against the cool earth.
Not far away, Tali paddled in a large patch of mud. Olomunyak was friendly towards the new boy today, paddling and touching trunks with him rather than pushing him like yesterday. Shujaa and Nyambeni also joined the boys in the mud. Sileita and Kerrio stood nearby, keeping an eye on the others while browsing.
During the night, the little boy rescued recently died. He had not been well for the past week or so. Elephants who are rescued when they are very young and have not yet gone through teething are always vulnerable. Mzinga and Nyambeni looked for him in the morning but then padded up the path to join the herd in the forest without any persuasion from the Keepers, seeming to accept the loss.
In the afternoon, Mushuru walked over to browse next to Tali. He accepted her company and browsed with her, Talek and Taroha. An hour or so later, it was Mzinga’s turn to browse with Tali. His special nanny soon flopped down on her tummy and invited him to climb on top of her. Despite lots of trunk twirling, Tali kept his head down and continued to browse. Maybe when he is stronger and fatter, he will accept the offer of a jungle gym!
Best friends Mageno and Kitich are still playing together almost every day. This morning, Mageno came out of his stockade and went straight to the door of Kitich’s room. He stood outside with his trunk stretched over the stable door in greeting. The two bulls walked out to the forest side by side, browsed briefly and began playing the sparring game. When Weka tried to join the game by pushing her way between them, Mageno and Kitich pushed her firmly away and resumed their game.
Nowadays, Mushuru is showing more love to the young ones. For a long time after she was rescued, she would push away the babies but she has changed and now loves taking care of them. Today, Mushuru was looking after Olomunyak. She trunk touched him often and even pulled down tasty leaves from trees for the little boy to enjoy.
Later in the morning, the younger orphans – Kerrio, Nyambeni, Talek, Mzinga, Kamili, Olomunyak, Taroha, Tali, Pardamat and Wamata – visited the mud bath first as usual. Kamili and Nyambeni wandered along the cordon, Wamata stayed next to Kerrio, Tali stood with Mzinga, and Pardamat played with Taroha. When Pardamat ambled over to pester Wamata, we gave him a time out in the bush so the little girl could continue browsing in peace.
In the afternoon, the herd browsed peacefully in the forest, enjoying the abundance of green browse and large puddles. After browsing for a time, they paddled and played in the mud, and then returned to browsing.
Olomunyak has become one of the most playful boys in the herd. In the last few days, however, he has been quieter than normal. Usually, he plays with Taroha almost every day but his gentle friend is having to find other play mates. We have checked his health and all seems well – perhaps he has eaten something strange.
In the morning at the mud bath, Olomunyak wandered along the rope cordon greeting some of the visitors. Meanwhile, Pardamat was misbehaving. First, he tried to grab an extra bottle from the wheelbarrow and then he pushed Taroha for no reason. We gave him a second time out in the bush in as many days!
In the afternoon, the herd returned to the wallow for another milk feed. Many of the older elephants enjoy holding their own bottles. Today, Kitich and Sholumai deftly twisted their trunks around their second bottles, walked away, and dropped them on the ground once empty. Wamata walked around the mud bath followed by Latika. When she stopped to browse, her nanny did the same. Kerrio and Kamili drank from the water troughs while Mageno and Shujaa opted to drink from the wallow, standing on the edge to suck up trunkfuls of muddy water.
When it was time to return to the forest, we whistled and the elephants wandered away from the mud wallow. They browsed close to the mud bath before returning to the stockades later in the afternoon.
The herd headed out in the early morning as usual and settled to browse in the forest. Mageno and Kitich played the pushing game in one clearing while Shujaa and Muridjo played close by. Mzinga, Taroha and Kamili browsed for a time and then rubbed themselves against the ground and each other. Wamata ambled around, twisting up clumps of green browse. Today, she was escorted by Latika and Sileita – who made sure that none of the big boys approached the little girl. Even though Wamata is now a healthy 19-month-old elephant who can defend herself, her nannies continue to behave very protectively towards her.
In the afternoon, there was a torrential downpour of rain. The elephants took shelter under the canopies of trees in the forest, clustering close to each other. While most stood sensibly under the trees, Mushuru and Olomunyak remained in the open. The younger boy found some shelter under the older girl’s head while she affectionately draped her trunk around him
Raha headed out to the forest this morning just after the elephants. The little rhino is feeding on a variety of vegetation in the forest – but has clear likes and dislikes. She loves some plants and avoids others. We are pleased to see her appetite increasing. Today, Raha did the odd sideways hop and high-pitched squeak on her way up the path. She led her two Keepers to her favourite rocky area in the park. After grazing for a time, she lay down for a nap in the dappled sunshine.
The herd visited the mud bath for a milk feed later in the morning. After drinking their milk in groups of four, they spread out around the wallow but the weather was not hot enough for swimming. Kamili stood on the edge of the pool, sucking up trunkfuls of water to drink. Kerrio lay on her side on the mound of dry soil, covering her body with dust. Shujaa tried half-heartedly to play mount her and Muridjo lay down beside her to rub bodies.
In the afternoon, the herd browsed deep in the forest before returning to the safety of the stockades for the night. They strolled back to the stockades in a straggly line, with the older females nudging the bottoms of the babies in front of them to keep them moving. Mzinga led the herd today and Mushuru brought up the rear, checking that everyone was present and correct.
Nyambeni is fully part of her herd again! After a spell of spending time apart to look after new rescues, she is back with her family. Our budding mini matriarch is playing with friends Shujaa, Muridjo, Mzinga and Kerrio and looking after Wamata, Olomunyak, Taroha, Talek and Pardamat (every orphan who is younger than her). This morning, she moved from one group to the next while browsing in the green forest.
Kerrio was with Wamata and Taroha. The three orphans ambled along in a line through the bush. Wamata toddled along behind new friend Taroha while Kerrio at the end. The older female was nudging Wamata with her head if she lagged behind the bull.
When Latika arrived to whisk Wamata and Taroha away, Kerrio put up no resistance. Instead, she ambled over to age mates Kamili and Mushuru and browsed quietly with them.
The herd visited the mud wallow later in the morning as usual. The group of ten younger orphans visited first for their milk feed. When they left, the second older group took their place. After gulping their milk, Mageno and Muridjo drank trunkfuls of muddy water from the wallow while Kitich, Sholumai and Sileita lay on their sides on the mound of dry soil.
During the night, Taroha and Olomunyak (who sleep in neighbouring stables) were playing games. First, they tried to pinch lucerne when their friend’s back was turned and then they had fun pushing at their shared partition while trumpeting in excitement. We were happy to see Olomunyak back to his normal boisterous self!
Talek and Pardamat are also neighbours. The two orphans often squabble after dark over lucerne but are friends and playmates by day. This morning in the forest, they stood with heads touching, browsing on the same bush. We were impressed to see the feisty elephants sharing the same clump of browse! Today, almost all the orphans browsed in a cluster, remaining within sight of each other for most of the morning.
In the afternoon, the herd remained close to the stockades (there is no need to walk far at present in search of browse). Several orphans – including Muwingu and Talek - dusted themselves with dry soil, expertly sucking up trunkfuls and hosing clouds of soil along their backs.
Mageno, Taroha and Kamili were playing in the same area. Taroha was rolling around on the ground while the two older orphans stood next to him. Mageno and Kamili dusted themselves but also leant against and rested their front legs on the young bull. Taroha was very relaxed, assuming that neither older elephant would hurt him while he was lying down.
This morning at the mud bath, as usual, the younger orphans came down before the older elephants for their milk feed. Talek, Olomunyak and Taroha were the first to reach three Keepers waiting with their bottles. We divide the elephants into groups according to the number of Keepers with bottles so that no one has to wait for their milk. Talek drank her two bottles (we have recently increased her milk feed from one bottle to two) and then demanded a third! Trumpeting as if someone had neglected to feed her, Talek walked over to the wheelbarrow in the hope of pinching an extra bottle.
To our surprise, it was Olomunyak who took the situation in hand. After drinking every drop of his milk, our stout boy marched over to Talek and shoved her away from the wheelbarrow. Realising that he meant business, she gave up and walked away to browse on lucerne. He followed in her wake, just in case she tried to misbehave again!
The first group returned to the forest and the second took their place. Our older orphans drank their milk quietly, although Weka and Muwingu trumpeted loudly on their way down to the feeding area. Most of the big ones are able to hold their own bottles (but not Shujaa). This morning, Muwingu, Muridjo, Weka and Kitich all ambled away from their Keepers with trunks clasping bottles.
No one cooled off in the muddy wallow but several enjoyed a dust bath. Shujaa was first to flop onto the mound of red soil where he lay relaxing with trunk twirling. As he began rubbing his body against the soil, Kamili flopped down next to him followed by Kerrio. The three friends rubbed undersides of trunks and faces and bodies against the ground and also each other.
The orphans wandered far afield in the forest this morning. They browsed in small groups, with the older ones reaching up to pull down branches and the younger ones keeping their heads down. Latika was with Wamata, Sileita was with Olomunyak and Taroha, and Muwingu was with Kitich and Mageno. Shujaa, Kerrio and Muridjo browsed in a clearing while Sholumai led Pardamat and Nyambeni deeper into the woods. The orphan with the longest tusks has always loved exploring but is sure to return in time for the next milk feed.
In the night, Maxwell was stomping around his enclosure. This was very unusual behaviour as he is almost always resting on his sheltered bed of hay by dusk. He jogged around and began pushing his enormous head against a tree, as if in a fight. We tempted him away with sugar cane (his favourite treat). He walked over to his gate, crunched on the cane, and lay down on his bed. We suspect that Max may have sensed the presence of another rhino in the forest.
After visiting the mud bath in the morning and again in the afternoon for their milk feeds, the orphans settled to browse in the bush. Lucky Weka was on Wamata duty - our feisty girl was at her most maternal, browsing next to the baby and checking on her at every opportunity. Not far away, Kamili and Mzinga were rubbing themselves against tree stumps and Taroha was relaxing with Kerrio. After climbing all over his favourite nanny, the gentle boy lay next to his big sister on a patch of dry ground.
Since Loldaiga left the Nursery earlier in the year, Shujaa has stepped up. Although he is six months younger than Kitich and Mageno, he has taken on the role of older bull. He sees himself as one of the big boys and is always keen to play wrestling games with his big brothers. In the afternoon today, Shujaa and Mageno played the pushing game with tiny tusks clinking and trunks twisted together.
The elephants are enjoying a forest full of green browse during the rainy month of April. This morning, Mushuru was browsing with Wamata, Kerrio was with Olomunyak and Talek, and Sileita with looking after Pardamat. The mini matriarch and the naughtiest boy in the herd stood in an open area, pulling up large bunches of greens.
After drinking their milk later in the morning, the orphans spread out around the mud bath. On a cool day, only two elephants wallowed in the pool. Muwingu and Shujaa stood on the edge for some time while Sholumai drank from the other side of the wallow. Eventually, Muwingu dipped a toe in the water and Shujaa followed her example. They paddled in the pool, kicking water in every direction.
It was a dust bathing afternoon in the forest. The ground had dried out after recent downpours and the orphans covered themselves in soothing soil. Kitich enjoyed a face massage with bottoms aloft before rolling onto his back with legs and trunk waving. At her most playful, Kamili lay on her side, spraying red soil in every direction. Muridjo and Shujaa rolled around together, climbing on and off each other while hosing their bodies with dust.
The herd ambled out to the forest as usual in the early morning. They browsed while we prepared another milk feed and pushed two wheelbarrows full of milk out to the bush. We split the orphans into groups and they sprinted through the trees to a line of Keepers waiting with their bottles. On some days, it is difficult to hold back the oldest elephants - but they were on their best behaviour today and stood patiently while the little ones were fed first.
After the milk feed, the orphans spread out in a clearing. Kerrio found two trees with rough bark that were perfect for massaging her back legs. Somehow, she wedged herself between them and moved backwards and forwards. Latika and Mageno were scratching their trunks against a patch of dry ground. Nyambeni, Mzinga, Sileita and Mushuru wandered over, one after the other, to check on the new rescue while she browsed on the very edge of the forest. Shujaa and Weka played the pushing game with trunks entwined.
The herd spent much of the afternoon either browsing or dust bathing while wandering in the bush. Today, Taroha, sandwiched between Weka and Sileita, enjoyed lots of attention from the two older females. Not far away, Muridjo, Nyambeni and Mzinga kicked up clouds of soil and rolled around together on the dry ground.
Our oldest girls were playing in the forest this morning. While the others browsed around them, Sholumai and Mushuru played a pushing-and-climbing game. First they clashed heads and tusks in a strength contest and then Mushuru lay down while Sholumai kept pushing against her and placing her forelegs on her friend’s big belly. Best friends Kerrio, Nyambeni and Mzinga browsed happily together in the lush forest while keeping an eye on Tali who stayed apart but quite close to the three girls.
Wearing her blue blanket, Raha was grazing in a different area of the bush. As always, she was carefully selecting her favourite soft greens and eating slowly. The little rhino crunches and chews on the grass before swallowing a small amount and holding the remainder in her cheek. When Raha is ready, she swallows a bit more. After eating in this deliberate manner for some time, Raha lay down on the warm rocks for a nap.
In the late afternoon, the herd headed back to the safety of the stockades for the night. They padded around the corner in groups, drinking milk while ambling into rooms where beds of hay and piles of lucerne and pellets await. Today, Mzinga took a left to escort Tali to his room before returning to the path and escorting Wamata into her stable. Nanny duty done, she walked into her own stable for a well-earned rest.
This morning out in the forest, Raha was tolerating the presence of the warthogs. An obstinate little girl, she usually chases them away. Today, however, she permitted the pigs – who are around the same size as her – to graze close by. Rhino and warthogs grazed peacefully together for a time. When the pigs darted away, Raha wandered on with her Keeper to an area with a thick bush. She rested there quietly with part of a Keeper’s trouser leg stuffed in her mouth like a dummy.
Meanwhile, the elephants were having another milk feed. Many were full of energy and excitement this morning and began trumpeting on their way to the Keepers. The first group’s noisy trumpeting seemed to inspire the others and almost every member of the herd shouted at least once along the way.
To our surprise, after enjoying her milk, Sileita hung around the wheelbarrow and then tried to pinch an extra bottle. We expect toddlers like Talek and Pardamat to try and sneak more milk but not the mini matriarch! We whistled and she walked away obediently. Latika – the girl with the tiny trunk and hairy face – was carefully feeding herself, holding her bottle up high and pouring milk into her open mouth. Because of the shortness of her trunk, she has struggled to master the technique of clasping a bottle of milk. But Latika has succeeded, at last!