In Ithumba, the highlight of the month fell on 6th August, when we welcomed our newest graduates to the family — Nursery rascals Weka and Shujaa!
Five wild bulls were drinking water at the stockade water trough when the orphans were let out. Lucerne was distributed, and three of the wild bulls joined the orphans in feeding of lucerne. Shortly later, Sities, Sunni, Sana Sana, Turkwel, Kainuk, Larro, Sattao, Mapia, Olare, Ola, Sagateisa, Sapalan, Galana, Gawa, and Gala showed up and joined in feeding of lucerne.
Naleku, Suguroi, and Sattao competed over who would get to play with the playful Gala. Gawa intervened and took her brother from the two girls and one boy. Naleku was upset and walked away to look for Sunni.
Mageno walked to one of the wild bulls and stretched his trunk towards him. The wild teenager warned Mageno not to come close by trying to whip him using his trunk. Luckily, Mageno had kept a good distance from the bull and so the trunk didn’t land on him. Mageno left and walked down to the water trough, where he was joined by Muwingu.
Kinna and her family arrived. Muwingu, Kitich, and Naleku tried to bully Kaia by trying to take feeds from her mouth. Kama, her big sister, came to her rescue by pushing the three orphans away.
When the orphans had enough of lucerne, Muwingu led the way to the browsing field. Naleku lagged behind and refused to leave with the orphans simply because she wanted to spend time with the wild-born babies. The Keepers persistently persuaded Naleku to go and catch up with her colleagues. At last, Naleku reluctantly walked away and ran in a different direction to confuse the Keepers. The Keepers caught up with her and forced her to go and join her colleagues.
The orphans settled to browse at Kone area, where Mukutan engaged Lodo in a pushing game while Esoit played Choka. Roho settled to browse with Kinyei, while Kindani teamed up with Bondeni and Mayan.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Mageno led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. After getting their milk, the orphans jumped into the water for a cooling-off exercise. Only Bondeni, Suguroi, Roho, Kinyei, Lodo, and Olorien didn’t participate fully in the wallowing exercise. They only walked through the water and got out to participate in a soil dusting exercise.
After having enough of the mud bath activities, the orphans headed back to browsing. They settled to browse at Kanziku area, where they were briefly joined by Kalama and Sities’ team. In the mix-up, Naleku managed to dodge and left with the group. The Keepers realised later, on the way back to the stockade, that Naleku had dodged them. They tried to look around, but the group that she joined couldn’t be traced. It was hoped that since darkness was quickly approaching, the team would bring her back.
It was a quiet morning. No single wild elephant or ex-orphan was present when the orphans were let out. Naleku, who had spent the night outside with Sities’ team, had not yet returned. The orphans settled for lucerne and enjoyed each moment, as there was no competition from any outsider.
Mageno settled to scratch on one of the nearby rocks, while Kitich shared a pile of lucerne with Muwingu. Lodo engaged Mukutan in a warm-up strength testing exercise as Olorien threw some lucerne on her back. After having enough of lucerne, Mageno engaged Esoit in a pushing game as the rest settled for water. Later, Suguroi led the way to the browsing field.
The orphans settled to browse at Kone area and browsed calmly throughout the morning session. At eleven o'clock in the morning, Kindani led the way to the noon bottle feeds. The weather was chilly, and the orphans had their milk but skipped the wallowing exercise. Only two wild bulls showed up for water.
Vaarti, Mayan, and Esoit held a brief meeting before settling for a soil dusting exercise. Later, Mayan played with Mageno, while Esoit played with Vaarti.
Shortly before noon, Naleku—who had left for an attachment as a nanny in Sities’ group—arrived at the stockade compound walking close to Sunni. Naleku was in the company of Sities, Turkwel, Suguta, Kuishi, Malkia, Kainuk, Mutara, Mambo, Larro, Sana Sana, and Mambo. They were later joined by the rest of the ex-orphan families. Naleku didn’t bother to check what was in the stockade but kept herself busy with Sunni.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Mayan teamed up with Muwingu in browsing, while Vaarti took a break from feeding to engage Lodo in a pushing game. In the evening, Loldaiga led the way back to the stockade.
Melia, Milo, Tusuja, Kandecha, and Barsilinga joined the orphans in the morning for feeding of lucerne. Choka and Loldaiga tried to gang up against Milo but were warned by Melia. The two boys walked away for fear of the repercussions if they went ahead with their mission of bullying Milo. Lodo attempted to get a pile of lucerne from Mageno. Mageno outsmarted Lodo by picking the flake of lucerne quickly and running away. Kitich settled to share his pile of lucerne with Esoit, while Roho shared his with Mayan.
Later, Kinyei walked down just to see what was happening around. Shortly after, Lodo followed Kinyei, and for some time, the two orphans had a light pushing game that ended when they saw their colleagues leaving for browsing. Olorien and Vaarti had a brief meeting with Barsilinga before leaving for browsing.
After the orphans left for browsing, Larro, Naleku, Sattao, Kuishi, Sunyei, Siku, Saba, Subiri, Sities, Sunni, Turkwel, Kainuk, Malkia, Mambo, and Mutara checked in and settled for water. The orphans settled to browse at Kone area, where they were joined by two wild teenage bulls. Mayan walked closer to them, but one of the wild teenagers turned hostile. Mayan decided to keep off by retreating and walking away. Esoit had a brief meeting with Roho that ended with a fight, while Lodo settled to browse with Kindani.
At eleven o'clock in the morning, Mageno led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. The weather was chilly, and this prompted the orphans to skip the wallowing exercise and instead settle for a soil dusting exercise. Only four wild bulls were present at the mud bath water trough, drinking water. The bulls started giving way when they saw the Keepers approaching with the orphans.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. Vaarti engaged Loldaiga in a pushing game that ended when Roho passed by and intervened by pushing the two boys away. In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockade. Naleku reported back late in the evening with the ex-orphans and decided to spend the night with her colleagues in the stockade.
Shortly after leaving the stockades, the orphans were joined by a wild family, several wild bulls including Dad, and a few ex-orphans. Amongst the ex-orphans was Roi, who was in season, which explained why all the bulls were so interested in her. Dad settled for water. Muwingu and Mukutan walked down to the water trough where Dad was enjoying his drink. The two orphans stretched their trunks towards Dad as a way of greeting him. Dad didn’t respond, but continued drinking water as if no one was around him.
On the way to the browsing field, Mukutan engaged Esoit in a strength testing exercise. Mageno continued leading the way up to Kone area, where the orphans settled to browse. Since it’s getting drier, the orphans wasted no time and concentrated on browsing.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Vaarti led the way to the noon bottle feeds. Kilaguni showed up at the mud bath and got into the wallowing water. He put on quite a show, which attracted the orphans to join him. Mayan was the first to jump in, followed by Choka. After having enough of wallowing, the orphans settled for a soil dusting, and later left for browsing.
In the afternoon, Mayan engaged Choka in a strength testing exercise while Vaarti played with Kitich. In the evening, Bondeni led the way back to the stockades.
The orphans settled for lucerne immediately after leaving the stockades. Pare, Naisula, Nyx, Nabulu, Lualeni, Lulu, Lexi, Luki, Sidai, Sid, Silas, Sita, Tumaren, and Tembo joined the orphans and settled to share the lucerne. Mageno threatened to push Lexi, but Lulu, her older sister, defended her. Mageno left to look for someone else to play with. Esoit had a brief strength testing exercise with Loldaiga. Later, Esoit moved on to play with Mukutan.
On the way to the browsing field, Mukutan saw a wild bull and moved closer to greet him. The wild bull threatened to push Mukutan if he got too close. Mukutan pretended he hadn't been approaching the wild bull by settling to browse on a nearby shrub. The wild bull walked away slowly.
The orphans settled to browse at Kone area. Vaarti took a break from browsing to engage Choka in a pushing game, while Lodo settled to browse with Kindani. At eleven o’clock in the morning, Suguroi led the way to the noon bottle feeds. The sun was hot, and immediately after taking their milk, the orphans jumped into the water for a cooling off exercise. Only Bondeni, Olorien, Choka, and Suguroi skipped the wallowing exercise.
Naleku disappeared into the thickets but returned later when she failed to find the group she intends to join in future. Challa, in the company of six wild bulls, was busy taking water at the mud bath water trough. The orphans arrived, accompanied by The Keepers. The wild bulls stepped back and allowed the juniors to have the water. Mageno walked towards the bulls as he tried to get to know them. The Keepers called him out, knowing he could easily follow the wild bulls.
Mageno walked to Kinyei to seek some advice about going back to check on the wild bulls. Kinyei advised him not to go back, reminding him he was still young and should stick with his age-mates for the time being.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Mukutan engaged Kitich in a pushing game. Mayan came from behind and jumped on Mukutan, disrupting the boys’ game. Later, after Mayan left, Mukutan jumped on Kitich to get a free ride. Lodo played with Mageno while Vaarti played with Esoit. In the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockades.
Kalama, Kapuki, Esampu, Naseku, Chaimu, Barsilinga, and Siangiki joined the orphans in the morning. Naleku assigned herself the role of taking care of Kapuki. After some time, Kapuki walked over to say hi to Vaarti. Shortly after, Mageno attempted to ride on Kitich but was quickly brought down by Siangiki. Mageno was upset and moved to engage Esoit in a pushing game.
Muwingu, Mukutan, and Choka walked down to the water trough, where they had water before leaving for browsing. The orphans browsed nearby as they waited for two new babies arriving from Nairobi. A few minutes past eight in the morning, the truck carrying Weka and Shujaa arrived. Mutara, Mambo, Sities, Sunni, Turkwel, Sana Sana, Naboishu, Kainuk, Malkia, Kuishi, and Suguta were present and ready to receive the new babies.
There was trumpeting and bellowing of excitement when the babies were offloaded. Mutara and Kainuk wanted to have Weka and Shujaa for themselves but were told off by the Keepers. Muwingu, Mageno, and Kitich were brought to meet Weka and Shujaa. Muwingu recognised Weka and Shujaa instantly and slowly walked them down to the water trough. Mukutan, Choka, and Loldaiga followed and were happy to see their new friends. Naboishu attempted to ride on Shujaa, but the Keepers shouted at him to come down. Shujaa saw the little baby Sunni and walked over to say hi.
Shortly later, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. At the browsing field, Muwingu protected Shujaa and Weka from harassment by Kitich and Mageno. At around ten o’clock in the morning, Barsilinga joined the orphans in browsing and later escorted them to the mud bath. Choka held a brief meeting with Weka and Shujaa. Later, Kinyei had a brief interaction with Weka while Roho met Shujaa.
At eleven o’clock, Mageno led the way to the noon bottle feeds. The sun was hot, and this prompted all the orphans to jump into the wallowing water. Shujaa emerged as the star of the day, given that this was his first mud bath at Ithumba. Shujaa wallowed as if he were in competition with Vaarti, Mayan, Choka, and Mageno. Weka didn’t stay long in the water but left to join Naleku, Suguroi, Muwingu, and Olorien in soil dusting.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse east of Ithumba Hill. Shujaa and Weka followed their newfound friends and copied what they had to learn from them. In the evening, Weka and Shujaa were escorted back to the stockades by Muwingu, Mageno, and Kitich, who became their bedmates on their first night.
Weka and Shujaa woke up well in Ithumba and, soon after getting their milk, followed Muwingu, Mageno, and Kitich, who showed them the way out. The two new babies settled to enjoy some lucerne with their newfound friends. Orwa arrived with two wild colleagues and joined the orphans in feeding. Shujaa saw Orwa and could not believe how big he was. Wanting to match his height, Shujaa climbed onto a rock to make himself taller, but Orwa was still bigger. Orwa seemed to understand what the little boy was trying to do, so he greeted him with his trunk, as if wishing him well in life. Afterward, Orwa walked down to the water trough, where he was joined by Mageno and Kitich.
Shortly afterwards, Mageno attempted to ride on Weka, but Shujaa intervened and tried to push Mageno away. The orphans then settled to browse in the Kone area. Out in the browsing field, Weka and Shujaa teamed up with Suguroi, Naleku, Muwingu, Kinyei, and Kindani. The girls kept the naughty boys away from Weka and Shujaa.
At eleven o’clock, Mageno led the first group to the mud bath. The sun was really hot, and the orphans wasted no time jumping into the wallowing water, cooling off after their midday milk. Shujaa and Weka had a prolonged wallow, copying the antics of Mayan, Mukutan, Vaarti, Naleku, Choka, and Kinyei. After they had had enough of wallowing, the orphans enjoyed a soil-dusting exercise before heading off to drink water.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. The sun was still intense, so they took a break from feeding and relaxed under shady trees until the temperatures dropped to a more favourable level. Vaarti paired up to browse with Suguroi, while Mukutan teamed up with Kitich. In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockades.
Several ex-orphans showed up in the morning including Chyulu with Charli, Cheka and Narok. The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. Kitich started his day by scratching his buttocks on a nearby rock. Mageno tried to challenge Kauro, but it did not end well. Kauro disciplined Mageno by pushing him away and letting him know that he should always show respect to his seniors.
Kauro walked down to the water trough, where he was joined by Naleku and Mapia. It was not clear what Naleku wanted to ask these boys. After likely getting her answers from Kauro, Naleku returned and joined her colleagues. Weka and Shujaa had a brief interaction with Kapuki. Shortly afterwards, Kapuki started walking away, following Weka and Shujaa. This generated a lot of commotion from Kitirua, Esampu, Naseku, Maramoja, and Sana Sana, who ran to block Kapuki from following the orphans. The nannies thought that the orphans had conspired to snatch Kapuki from her mother. They managed to bring Kapuki back and returned her to Kalama.
Suguroi led the way to the browsing field, and the orphans settled to browse at Kone area. Weka and Shujaa teamed up with Mageno in browsing. Suguroi and Naleku visited the Kone Dam and played with a little mud left in the dam.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Mageno led the first group to the mud bath, while Olorien led the second group. After getting their milk, the orphans settled for wallowing, followed by a soil dusting exercise.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. Esoit engaged Lodo in a pushing game that ended when Roho emerged and pushed Esoit away. Lodo then turned to Roho for a pushing game that ended in a draw. Esoit went to play with Kindani. In the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockade.
The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. Weka and Shujaa were quick to copy what their new-found friends were doing, following Mageno, Kitich, and Muwingu. The group was joined by Mutara, Mambo, Suguta, Kainuk, Sities, Sunni, Turkwel, Malkia, Kuishi, Sana Sana, Wema, Wimbi, and Naboishu. It was unclear where Wimbi and Wema had left their mother, Wendi.
Muwingu attempted to threaten Wimbi, unaware that she was testing her limits. Wema responded by pointing her trunk at Muwingu, warning her to stop the empty threats. Sensing the danger, Muwingu retreated. Shortly afterwards, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. The orphans settled at Kone area. Mukutan teamed up with Choka in browsing, while Vaarti joined Choka in a separate interaction. Weka and Shujaa browsed alongside Kitich, Mageno, and Muwingu.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Suguroi led the orphans to the noon bottle feeds. After drinking their milk, they jumped into the wallowing water for a cooling-off exercise, followed by a soil dusting session and water before returning to the browsing field. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Temperatures were moderate, and the orphans browsed calmly for the remainder of the day.
Soon after leaving the stockade in the morning, Mukutan settled on a nearby rock he often used to scratch his belly. Kinyei chose another close rock and did the same. Shortly afterwards, the orphans were joined by Kalama, Kapuki, Chaimu, Challa, Makireti, and two wild bulls. Kapuki attempted to play on the lucerne Choka was feeding on, but Choka was not pleased and whipped Kapuki with his trunk. Kapuki did not move away, continuing to roll on the lucerne, prompting Choka to leave and search for another pile.
After the orphans had enough lucerne, Muwingu led the way to the browsing field. Lodo began his day with a game of rolling on the ground, which attracted Vaarti and Esoit, who tried to push him upright. Weka and Shujaa settled to browse with Kitich and Kindani, while Olorien teamed up with Roho, Bondeni, Mayan, and Loldaiga.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Mageno led the first group to the midday bottle feeds. After drinking their milk, the orphans enjoyed a wallowing session before heading to drink water. One large wild bull was resting under an acacia tree, and Mageno approached to inspect him. The wild bull issued a warning, and Mageno, trunk raised, sent greetings in response before retreating. He then joined his colleagues in a soil dusting exercise.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. On their way back to the stockade, they were briefly joined by wild bulls moving to an undisclosed location. At five o’clock in the evening, Muwingu led the orphans back to the stockade.
Kandecha, Challa, and Orok arrived at the stockade compound early, before the orphans were let out. The orphans had their milk at six o’clock in the morning and were then released to have lucerne with their morning guests, Orok, Challa, and Kandecha. Mageno settled to feed close to Challa, trying to measure his height against him. Kandecha finished his lucerne and walked to the water trough. Kitich, Muwingu, Weka, and Shujaa escorted Kandecha, as if he didn’t know the way.
Roho shared his pile of lucerne with Olorien, while Esoit engaged Mukutan in a pushing game. Shortly afterwards, Weka started leading the way to the browsing field as if she had been there many times before. The Keepers walked ahead of her to ensure safety.
At the browsing field, Kinyei played her own game of sitting and rolling on the ground, while Mukutan engaged Lodo in a pushing game. At eleven o’clock, Suguroi led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. After having their milk, the orphans jumped into the wallowing water, watched closely by a wild bull as if supervising them. Mageno enjoyed riding on his colleagues.
After wallowing, Shujaa led the way out. The orphans drank water and then settled for a soil dusting exercise. Later, Roho engaged Lodo in another pushing game that lasted some time. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill and continued browsing calmly for the rest of the day without any major observation.
After leaving the stockade in the morning, the orphans were joined by Challa, Wendi, Wiva, Wema, Wimbi, and a wild elephant. The wild bull briefly enjoyed the lucerne before leaving for an undisclosed location. Muwingu shared her pile of lucerne with Weka, while Olorien shared hers with Kindani and Bondeni. Wema challenged Mukutan, but Roho intervened and helped Mukutan drive Wema away.
After the orphans had enough lucerne, they headed to the browsing field and settled to browse at Kone area, remaining calm up to mud bath time. Mageno led the first group to the mud bath. Following their midday milk, the orphans walked through the water rather than wallowing, as the temperatures were not suitable. They then went for a soil dusting exercise before returning to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. With temperatures still low, they browsed calmly throughout the remaining part of the day without any major observations. In the evening, Loldaiga led the way back to the stockade.
Lualeni, Lulu, Lexi, Luki, Kalama, Kapuki, Maramoja, Kitirua, Naseku, Orwa, Ukame, Yatta, Yetu, Yoyo, Yogi, Yebo, Yara, Barsilinga, Lenana, Lapa, Laki, Mteto, and several wild bulls joined the orphans for morning lucerne feeding. Naleku took on the role of looking after Luki, while Suguroi attended to Kapuki. Kindani settled to scratch on a nearby rock as Vaarti and Lodo teamed up with Barsilinga to share a pile of lucerne.
Shortly afterwards, Muwingu led the way to the browsing field. Lodo and Roho had a brief strength-testing exercise that lasted some time. At the browsing field, Weka teamed up with Muwingu and Mageno for browsing. Kinyei held a brief meeting with Shujaa, while Bondeni teamed up with Mayan and Esoit. The orphans browsed calmly as they gradually moved towards the mud bath.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Olorien led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. The sun was hot, and the orphans fully participated in the wallowing exercise after their milk. Mageno enjoyed getting free rides from Weka but was brought down by Muwingu. Shortly afterwards, Makireti emerged from nearby bushes, fleeing a bull she didn’t want. Makireti, being in season, attracted attention from several bulls. She jumped into the water to join the orphans in wallowing but quit quickly and ran away when the unwanted bull approached.
After having enough wallowing, the orphans settled for a soil dusting exercise. In the afternoon, they browsed west of Ithumba Hill calmly, continuing until five o’clock in the evening, when Muwingu led the first group back to the stockade.
Karisa, Makena, Ishanga, Wanjala, Barsilinga, Mulika, Mwende, Mkuu, Mala, and Moe joined the orphans in the morning for lucerne feeding. Weka settled on a nearby rock to scratch her belly while Shujaa waited patiently for his turn. Later, Kitich held a brief meeting with Shujaa and Weka.
After having enough lucerne, Muwingu, Naleku, Suguroi, Vaarti, and Mayan walked down to the water trough to drink before heading to the browsing field. The orphans settled at Kone area and had a quiet morning. Weka teamed up with Shujaa, Mageno, Muwingu, and Choka in browsing.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Kindani led the first group to the midday bottle feeds. The sun was hot, so soon after the orphans had their milk, Loldaiga led the team into a cooling-off exercise. The orphans were joined by one wild bull, which enjoyed wallowing with them. After having enough of the water, Olorien led the way out to a soil dusting exercise.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. Choka played with Vaarti while Lodo engaged Roho in a pushing game. In the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockade.
Orwa, Teleki, Mapia, and two wild elephants joined the orphans for their morning lucerne feeding. Shortly afterwards, Tumaren, Tembo, Kalama, Kapuki, Chaimu, Ndiwa, Roi, and Maramoja arrived and joined in. Weka, Shujaa, Naleku, and Muwingu were especially happy to see Kapuki and followed her wherever she went. Mayan had a brief strength-testing exercise with Vaarti. After the orphans had enough lucerne, Suguroi led the way to the browsing field.
The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. With moderate temperatures, they browsed calmly throughout the morning session. At eleven o’clock, Mageno led the way to the noon bottle feeds. After their milk, Lodo led the team into the mud bath, where Choka enjoyed riding on those rolling in the mud. Eight wild bulls were drinking at the water trough, but moved away when they saw the Keepers approaching with the orphans. The orphans had their water, then enjoyed a soil dusting exercise before returning to browse.
Mukutan engaged Esoit in a pushing game, while Bondeni played with Mayan. Weka and Shujaa teamed up with Mageno, Kitich, Kindani, Muwingu, and Loldaiga for browsing. Meanwhile, Lodo, Roho, and Vaarti split from the main herd to browse some distance away, but rejoined their colleagues in time to return to the stockades in the evening.
It was a quiet morning. The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockades. Four buffaloes were having a play fight several metres away from the compound, but the orphans were not bothered and concentrated on their lucerne. Suguroi scratched her buttocks on a nearby rock while Choka shared his pile of lucerne with Esoit. Shortly afterwards, Lualeni, Lexi, Lulu, Luki, Yatta, Yetu, Yoyo, Yebo, and Yara arrived, settling for water before joining the orphans for lucerne. Kitich, Weka, Shujaa, Mageno, and Muwingu walked down to meet the two families. The orphans surrounded Yara for morning greetings, but Yoyo quickly intervened, blocking them from familiarising with her sister.
Once they had enough lucerne, Olorien led the way to the browsing field. Naleku lagged behind, caught up in a disagreement with Yogi. After sorting things out, she escorted Luki back to his mother and then followed her colleagues. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. There, Kitich engaged Vaarti in a strength-testing exercise. Kitich lost the game, and to emphasise his supremacy, Vaarti jumped on Kitich for a free ride. The orphans continued to browse calmly as they slowly made their way to the mud bath.
At eleven o’clock, Kindani led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. After their milk, the orphans jumped into the wallowing water to cool off, before moving to the drinking trough. Mayan and Esoit were the last to leave the water. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area, feeding calmly throughout the remainder of the day. In the evening, Loldaiga led the way back to the stockades.
It was a busy morning. The stockade compound was flooded by both ex-orphans and wild elephants. The competition for the lucerne was stiff, and the orphans did not stay for long but surrendered and headed out to browse. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Kalama took her baby for a tour inside the stockade. Roho and Naleku lagged behind. Roho engaged Mkuu in a pushing game and later played with Lulu. Naleku had a brief meeting with Mambo before parting ways.
Out in the browsing field, Kinyei engaged Kitich in a light pushing game. The orphans browsed calmly as they slowly made their way to the mud bath. At mud bath time, the orphans were joined by several wild bulls who enjoyed wallowing together. After the orphans had had enough of wallowing, Weka led the way out to the soil dusting exercise. Choka then led the way back to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. The rest of the day was quiet, as the orphans browsed calmly throughout without any major observations.
It was a cold morning as the babies had their milk bottles as usual before walking out to feed on lucerne. Kinna, with some ex-orphans and wild elephants, was present, sharing some lucerne with the baby orphans. The babies later started walking to the bush to browse.
In the bush it was still very cold, but some babies like Choka were more active, playing and mounting on Shujaa. Choka was trying to monopolise Shujaa in a way, as Shujaa is still new here.
The babies later walked to the mud bath for their milk bottles. It was still cold, so after having their milk and drinking from the water trough, none of them played in the dust or the mud bath. They walked back to the bush to browse.
Back in the bush, they all looked more active. Lodo played with Suguroi, while Choka played in the dust with his trunk. Suguroi also rolled on the ground. Later, the babies started walking back home in the evening.
A group of wild elephants visited the stockades that evening to drink water before leaving. All the orphans are fine.
It was such a cold morning, with the babies first feeding on their milk bottles before walking out to share lucerne with the ex-orphans. They walked out immediately after their milk and were served with lucerne, which they all enjoyed, with Mukutan and Mayan playfighting. They stayed for some time before heading to the bush for browsing. A number of ex-orphans and a few wild elephants were also in the area today.
Back in the bush, Choka was very active and played with Esoit. Weka, Kitich, and Shujaa browsed together, and Kitich checked in on Muwingu, saying hi to her. Later, the babies started walking to the mud bath for their milk bottles.
At the mud bath, the babies enjoyed their milk bottles and then walked into the water for wallowing. They rolled and played vigorously, with Lodo being the most playful today. Choka also played well and later continued in the dust bath. The rest joined in the dust bath after wallowing. A wild bull also visited the mud bath to drink water before leaving. Afterwards, the babies returned to the bush to browse again.
In the bush, Mukutan, Kitich, and Kinyei browsed together, while Roho browsed separately before rejoining the others as they headed back home to the stockade in the evening. Suguroi was seen in the final minutes rolling and playing on the ground. The babies later walked back home for their evening milk bottles and bed.
Back at the stockades, a few ex-orphans and wild bulls came to drink water before walking away.
It was such a beautiful morning as the babies had their milk bottles as usual and walked out to feed on lucerne. They met with some ex-orphans together with wild elephants, and all began sharing the lucerne together. Kalama and Lenana were amongst them with their babies, Laki and Kapuki, who started playing together. A wild female was also present with her baby. Weka, a new orphan, began checking on Laki and kissed him. Lodo, Kitich, and Shujaa interacted closely, kissing each other, while Kitich and Vaarti started play fighting before the babies walked to the bush for browsing.
Back in the bush, they all looked more active as everyone was busy browsing. Later, they walked to the mud bath for their milk bottles.
At the mud bath, they had their milk bottles and went in to wallow. They all enjoyed the wallowing, with Loldaiga busy rolling in the mud as he played. They then walked to the water trough to drink, before heading to the dust bath. There, they enjoyed themselves with Choka being the most playful in the dust. Mukutan played with Esoit, kissing him, while Kindani scooped and tossed chunks of soil into the air and onto her back. Afterwards, the babies walked back to the bush for browsing.
In the bush, it was very hot, so many of the babies stood under the shade. Later in the evening, they came out to browse before walking back home for their milk bottles and beddings.
Back in the stockades, some wild elephants arrived with ex-orphans amongst them. They came to drink water before later walking away.
Lovely morning as we received a good number of ex-orphans today. The babies had their morning milk breakfast as usual and walked out to feed on lucerne as they interacted with ex-orphans and wild elephants. We had Mutara's group with Sities and their babies Mambo and Sunni. We also had Sunyei and Subiri. Some wild elephants came to drink water. Sunni was seen playing a lot and scratching on the rock and later nursing from his mum Sities. Mambo was close to his mum. Sunni was also sharing lucerne with Kainuk before walking away. The babies walked out to the bush to browse.
Back in the bush, they were all busy browsing. Choka was seen busy breaking down trees to get some food. Weka and Shujaa were browsing together. Roho and Esoit started play fighting and later the babies started walking to mud bath for their milk bottles.
In the mud bath, they all had their milk bottles and walked in for wallowing. They really enjoyed the wallowing and later Roho and Lodo started play fighting after wallowing. Vaarti enjoyed the wallowing as he rolled in the mud playing peacefully. The babies later walked to the dust bath and started dusting themselves. However, they all started walking back to the bush to browse again.
Back in the bush, they were all busy browsing to catch up with time. Choka started mounting on Kitich and later they started kissing each other. Naleku and Suguroi became nasty and started following Sities’ baby Sunni, which made the whole group of Mutara start running away with them. They love Sities’ baby and would wish to join that group, but the Keepers managed to return them to their group. However, the babies later started walking back home in the evening for their milk bottles again.
We also had a group of wild elephants and ex-orphans in the stockades this evening who came to drink water and later walked away.
It was such a wonderful morning with the babies waking up and starting with their milk bottles as usual. They later walked out after their milk and went to join the ex-orphans and wild elephants to feed on lucerne. They looked happy and started interacting with the ex-orphans and wild elephants. Bondeni was kissing Kitich while Muwingu watched them. The wild elephants shared lucerne with the babies and ex-orphans, with Sities and Sunni amongst them. The babies later walked to the bush to browse.
In the bush, they were all busy browsing the whole morning and later started walking to the mud bath for their milk bottles again.
In the mud bath, they came to drink their milk and later started playing in the mud wallow. Mayan and Vaarti started playing as they wallowed in the mudhole, with Lodo playing and mounting on Olorien while wallowing. A new wild bull came in and disrupted the babies a little, but we intervened and controlled him. He was new to the area and was harassing everyone, but later another wild bull came in to accompany him. The babies went to drink water, take a dust bath, and later walked back to the bush to browse. There was also a huge wild bull who is always very calm and drank water before staying around. Another bull with one tusk was also relaxing. Sities with her baby Sunni came in with Mutara and Mambo in the group.
Back in the bush, the babies were busy browsing until evening when they walked back to the stockades for their milk bottles again. We had a big group of ex-orphans still in the stockades this evening who came to drink water and left. We also had some wild bulls in the area. All the other elephants are fine and well.
It was such a cold morning with wild elephants and ex-orphans coming to the stockades for water. The babies had their milk bottles first and walked out to feed on lucerne. In the field, we had a good number of elephants with Kinna, Sunyei, Olare, Tumaren and Mwende, together with their babies Kito, Subiri, Ola, Tembo and Mala. There was also a wild female with her two babies. Choka started scratching his bottom on the rock while Vaarti was playing and kissing Ola. Sunyei was breastfeeding her baby Subiri while Muwingu scratched her belly on the rock. Naleku was scratching her bottom on the rock while Kinna posed with her baby Kito. Vaarti then started playing with Bondeni while Roho was busy play fighting with Lodo. The babies later started walking to the bush to browse.
Back in the bush, the babies were busy browsing the whole morning and later started walking to the mud bath for their milk bottles and wallowing.
At the mud bath, the babies had their milk bottles and started wallowing. They went on to drink water and later take a dust bath. A huge wild bull also visited and enjoyed wallowing. Other wild bulls were resting under the shade. Nakeku was scooping and tossing soil chunks in the air and some onto her back. The rest were busy enjoying their dust baths. Esoit and Kitich started playing as they kissed each other. The babies later walked back to the bush to browse.
Back in the bush, Weka was seen playing and rolling on the ground. Choka was playing and mounting on Kitich. Later, the babies started walking back home in the evening for their milk bottles and bedding.
It was a wonderful morning as the babies had their morning milk and walked out to feed on lucerne. There were Kauro, Ambo, and Mapia in the area. They had been out for a while and came back. The babies shared lucerne with the ex-orphans and later walked to the bush for browsing. Roho was busy digging down the roots to feed on. Esoit was too busy browsing on his own. The babies started running down the hill after they got afraid of a baboon who came running towards them. They all headed towards the mud bath for their milk bottles.
In the mud bath, they all enjoyed wallowing, with Bondeni today covering his whole body in mud while wallowing. It is very rare for him to wallow peacefully like this. Roho and Bondeni started getting a free ride on Olorien and Choka. Two other wild bulls came in to wallow as they enjoyed themselves a lot. The babies later started walking back to the bush for browsing.
However, they all enjoyed the browse with Lodo peacefully rolling down playing. Vaarti started kissing Lodo and the other babies started walking back home in the evening to their milk bottles and bedding.
Back in the stockades, we had a few ex-orphans with wild bulls. Kalama and Loijuk with their babies Kapuki, Lili, and Lisha were amongst them. They drank water and walked back to the bush for the night.
There was a big group of ex-orphans in the stockades this morning. The babies had their milk bottles and walked out to feed on lucerne. Mutara's group was amongst the ex-orphans in the area. We had Suguta, Mutara, and Sities together feeding on lucerne. Mukutan and Vaarti started playing and kissing each other. Sities was close to her baby Sunni. The baby orphans went on to drink water at the water trough and were sharing with Turkwel. Vaarti was playing and saying hi to Mayan. Kinyei and Lodo started kissing each other. The babies later walked to the bush for browsing.
Back in the bush, Esoit was playing with Choka while Mukutan was digging down into the ground to get dust to play with. The babies later walked to the mud bath for their milk bottles and wallowing.
In the mud bath, they were all very active, with some finishing their milk and walking in for wallowing. They enjoyed the wallowing so much, with Mayan, Choka, and Mukutan avoiding getting in and walking around the waterhole. Wendi and Yatta, Kinna, Olare, Chyulu, Mwende, and Yetu with their babies were around. We also had some wild bulls in the background. Wendi was almost going to disrupt the show but we managed her. Yatta took her family and walked away. The babies later walked to the bush for browsing.
In the bush, the babies enjoyed the evening browse with Kinyei playing and rolling on the ground. The rest were busy browsing. Mayan and Suguroi were browsing together and later the babies started walking back home in the evening for their milk bottles again. We had a huge wild bull in the stockades this evening who drank water and left.
We had a cold morning today as the babies had their milk bottles as usual and walked out to feed on lucerne. We had no ex-orphans today, only two wild bulls. The babies enjoyed their lucerne in peace without being disrupted by ex-orphans as usual. Two of the wild bulls started kissing each other. Vaarti, after greeting Choka, was playing by rolling down on the ground, and later the babies walked to the bush for browsing.
In the bush, it was very hot from the morning hours, and many were hiding under the shade. They had a little browse and later walked to the mud bath for their milk bottles and wallowing.
We had only one junior wild bull in the mud bath today, and he was very aggressive. The babies had their milk bottles as usual and walked into the wallow. They enjoyed wallowing peacefully, then walked out to the water trough to drink water. From the water trough, they walked to the dust bath for playing, and finally to the bush for wallowing. They really enjoyed it today.
However, it was still very hot in the bush, and many were resting under the shade. They later walked out to browse a bit before walking back home in the evening for their milk bottles and bedding. We had some ex-orphans and wild elephants in the stockades this evening, with Sunyei and Subiri amongst them. All the other elephants are doing well.
It was such a quiet and beautiful morning with the babies enjoying their milk breakfast before walking out to feed on lucerne. There were only a few ex-orphans today, and the babies were more relaxed while feeding on lucerne. The babies later walked to the bush for browsing.
Back in the bush, the babies were busy browsing in the morning hours, as the evening is always very hot and they all hide under the shade. Muwingu was playing in the dust, while Vaarti and Mayan were browsing together, with Muwingu and Choka also in the same spot. The babies started walking towards the mud bath, but came across a little water at Kone junction dam and started drinking and splashing. They later continued with their journey to the mud bath, with Muwingu leading them today.
At the mud bath, the babies had their milk as usual and walked into the mud hole to play. They enjoyed wallowing while some wild bulls were on the bank of the mud hole. The babies became much more active and excited from the wallowing and started running from the mud hole to the water trough to drink. We had some wild bulls under the tree shade hiding from the sun. They drank water and went on to the dust bath to play. Kindani was very playful. Olorien came to join her, and later Naleku and Roho. Bondeni started play-fighting with Loldaiga and then Vaarti, while Shujaa raised his trunk up as if smelling something. Later, the babies walked back to the bush for browsing.
Back in the bush, all the babies were hiding under the shade. Later they came out to browse in the last minutes of the day before walking back home in the evening for their milk bottles and bedding. There was a big group of wild bulls in the stockades this evening who came to drink water before leaving. All the rest are doing well.
The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockades. They were joined by Mutara’s team and shared the lucerne together peacefully. Olorien shared her pile of lucerne with Turkwel, while Loldaiga shared his pile with Enkikwe. Muwingu had a brief meeting with Weka, as Kitich walked down to the water trough with Sana Sana and Naboishu. Mageno and Loldaiga later joined them in drinking water.
After the orphans had enough lucerne, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. Choka started his day by engaging Vaarti in a light strength-testing exercise. Their game was cut short by Roho, who passed by and pushed the two boys away. The orphans browsed calmly as they slowly headed for the mud bath.
At eleven o'clock in the morning, Suguroi led the first group to the midday milk feeds. The sun was hot, which prompted the orphans to participate fully in the wallowing exercise. After having enough fun wallowing, they settled for a soil-dusting exercise and thereafter headed to drink water.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill and continued calmly throughout the remaining part of the day. In the evening, Weka led the way back to the stockades.
Twenty-one wild bulls were present in the morning, helping themselves to water. Two of the bulls joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. An hour later, Suguroi led the way to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse at Kone area. Kinyei browsed with Bondeni, while Kindani teamed up with Shujaa and Weka. Kitich, Mukutan, and Mageno came across loose soil, which they used to dust themselves. Lodo, Roho, Vaarti, and Mayan split from the main herd and browsed some distance away.
At eleven o'clock in the morning, Mageno led the way to the noon bottle feeds. At mud bath time, the orphans participated fully in the wallowing exercise. Only Muwingu, Vaarti, and Olorien did partial mud bathing. Choka was the last one to quit the mud bath. Upon getting out, he charged at guinea fowls that were looking for water, then ran to catch up with his colleagues while trumpeting. Shujaa decided to scratch while sitting, as Olorien, Vaarti, Naleku, and Mukutan enjoyed a soil-dusting exercise. Tomboi showed up briefly at the mud bath and later left for an undisclosed location soon after drinking enough water.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. Mageno, Kitich, and Muwingu spent some time learning how to debark trees. Later, Choka held a brief meeting with Suguroi. In the evening, Mukutan led the first group back to the stockades, while Shujaa led the second group.
The orphans settled for lucerne immediately after leaving the stockade. Shujaa had carried a leftover branch which he dropped when Mukutan tried to take it from him. Chyulu, Cheka, Charli, Barsilinga, Orwa, and a wild elephant were present during the lucerne feeding time. Shortly later, Mutara and her group emerged from the eastern side running in order not to be late for the morning lucerne feeding time.
Muwingu interacted briefly with Cheka but gave up when she saw that Cheka was not responding positively to her. Muwingu then moved to join Choka in feeding on lucerne. Sunni walked close to Olorien as he wanted to use the nearby rock for scratching. Olorien pushed Sunni away as she didn't want disturbance while enjoying her lucerne. Kitich and Choka walked down to the water trough soon when they felt that they had taken enough lucerne. The two boys joined Kuishi, Sana Sana, and a wild elephant in drinking water. Sunni walked to Naleku when he felt rejected by Olorien. Naleku walked Sunni back to his mother.
On the way to the browsing field, Choka engaged Loldaiga in a brief strength testing exercise. The orphans settled to browse at Kone area. Since it's so dry, the orphans concentrated more on browsing. At eleven o'clock in the morning, Vaarti led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. Mukutan led the second group while Mageno led the third one. The sun was really hot and so the orphans jumped into the wallowing water soon after taking their milk.
After wallowing, the orphans settled for a soil dusting exercise before heading to drink water. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. Kitich teamed up with Lodo while Muwingu settled to browse with Weka and Shujaa. In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockade.
The orphans settled for lucerne immediately after leaving the stockade. Five wild bulls were drinking water at the stockade water troughs while the orphans were enjoying feeding on lucerne. Yatta and her family checked in and joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. Kitich walked down to join the wild bulls in drinking water as one of the wild bulls walked up to join the orphans in feeding on lucerne.
After the orphans had enough of lucerne, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. Olorien took a break from feeding to have a game of rolling on the ground. Mageno passed by and decided to scratch on Olorien. Kitich played Shujaa while Mayan had a brief conversation with Vaarti and Weka. At eleven o'clock in the morning, Suguroi led the way to the noon bottle feeds.
The sun was really hot and soon after taking their milk, the orphans jumped into the water for a cooling off exercise. Choka, Naleku, Lodo, and Roho emerged as the stars of the day by having a prolonged wallowing. Mukutan spotted guinea fowls close by and decided to chase them away. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. The sun was still hot and the orphans decided to take a break from feeding and relaxed under trees with good shade. The orphans resumed browsing later, when the temperatures dropped to a favourable level.
In the evening, Weka led the way back to the stockade.