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Stepping out of her stockade at first light, Murijdo headed straight for Kipekee’s stable. Checking on the little girl in the morning has become her daily habit! We opened the door, Kipekee toddled out, Muridjo rumbled and escorted the baby up the path.

Although mini matriarch Kerrio is always there in the background keeping an eye on everyone in the herd, Muridjo is doing more and more looking after of little ones. She is especially attached to Kipekee. Our new baby seems so comfortable whenever she is surrounded by nannies Muridjo, Nyambeni and Mzinga.

The herd ambled out to the forest where they settled to browse and then play. After filling their bellies, Olomunyak and Pardamat had a wrestling match, pushing heads and clinking tiny tusks. Despite being the youngest boy in the herd, Olomunyak rarely gives up - it seems that wrestling is his hobby!

In the afternoon, the orphans visited the mud bath for another milk feed. Kerrio is often the first to climb into the wallow and today was no different. She gulped down two bottles of milk and went straight to the pool. She stood splashing herself on the edge for a few minutes and then climbed in and lay down in the mud.

Taroha and Talek plunged in after her with several others including Weka in their wake. Soon the wallow was full of splashing elephants. When Shujaa paddled in to join the herd, the others got out of the pool and he was left swimming alone – they were not comfortable in the water with him because he sometimes plays rough.

Translocation training for Shujaa and Weka is ongoing and both elephants are in the swing of the new routine. They are given most of their milk feeds – and extra treats of sugar cane and pellets – in the training truck in preparation for their graduation from the Nairobi Nursery and their journey to the Ithumba Reintegration Unit.

This morning, Kerrio went straight to the truck as soon as her gate was opened where she met Shujaa. The bull walked up the ramp into his compartment and she walked into Weka’s compartment. The two orphans enjoyed their breakfast of pellets and sugar cane. Weka was late reaching the truck because she was busy fussing over Kipekee – and clever Kerrio was taking advantage of her absence!

On her way out to the forest this morning, Mzinga stopped off to say hello to Maxwell, our blind black rhino. She stood by his gate, rumbling while she pushed her head against it, making a clinking sound. The noise made Max excited – he roamed around his enclosure, trotting in circles with a spring in his step. The elephant and the rhino stood one on either side of the gate for a quiet moment before Mzinga padded up the path to join the herd.

Olomunyak was once again in a playful mood today. In the early morning, the herd walked out from the stockades and settled to browse in small groups in a forested area quite close to the stockades. Olomunyak and Pardamat began pushing heads. The older bull, however, was not interested so he kept trying to turn his back and walk away from his annoying little brother. Olomunyak, however, was not taking no for an answer and kept pestering Pardamat, following him and nudging him from behind.

Eventually, Olomunyak got the message and turned his attention to a new playmate – Wamata! They twisted trunks and played a gentle pushing game. All went well for a time until the naughty boy mounted the younger girl. That was a big mistake! Latika – Wamata’s devoted nanny - was watching on and she was not happy. She pushed Olomunyak to the ground and disciplined him sternly. He climbed to his feet and walked away with his head down while Latika stayed close to Wamata. She does not like any of the bulls around her baby.

Shujaa is very used to the training truck. In the afternoon, with Mzinga in tow, he sneaked back from the forest before the time for a milk feed. The two friends padded silently into the truck for extra pellets and sugar cane!

Little Kipekee is only three months old – over a year younger than Wamata, the second youngest in the Nursery herd, who is close to two years old. It is no surprise, therefore, that Kipekee has many besotted nannies who look after her so well.

This morning in the forest, Weka was on Kipekee duty, browsing with the little girl and trunk touching her between mouthfuls.  When Weka went back to the stockades for a milk feed in the truck, Kipekee was left on her own for a minute. Spotting an opportunity, Wamata walked over and gave her a jealous shove. In response, Kipekee trumpeted.

The nannies reacted in seconds, running in her direction to tell off poor Wamata. We smiled to see Kamili at the forefront of the rescue party as we expected Nyambeni, Mzinga and Talek to gather round, but not our independent girl. Kamili was the first to reach Kipekee and touched her all over protectively. Seconds later, she was surrounded by several rumbling nannies. All the girls love the newbie - with the exceptions of Latika and Wamata.

Predictably, Wamata took refuge with Latika, who remains devoted to her and shows little interest in Kipekee. The two browsed together for most of the morning.

A new rescue arrived at the stockades in the evening. The one-year-old bull is traumatised but in reasonable physical shape. He accepted a bottle of milk pushed through the gaps in his stockade wall but is very wary of the Keepers.

It is almost as if Shujaa knows the time has come for him to move on from the Nursery. He used to be so polite but he has become a rough boy. This morning at the mud bath, several of the girls gathered for a dust bath on the mound of dry soil. Nyambeni rubbed her face on the ground while Talek and Kerrio lay on their backs and Mzinga squatted on her backside. Shujaa mounted one and then another and then another – he would not leave the girls alone. We intervened and pushed him away to the other side of the wallow.

Minutes later he was making more mischief, this time with Taroha. Shujaa challenged the younger bull to a sparring game and the two bulls pushed heads. The old Shujaa would have held back but the new one just wants to show off his strength. Poor old Taroha was pushed along the rope cordon and, again, we intervened to shepherd our feisty bull away.

The next mischief-maker was Pardamat. As Nyambeni continued to roll around on the ground, he clambered on top of her. She is wary of standing up to Shujaa but not Pardamat. Nyambeni struggled to her feet, pushing him off, and took her revenge. She started a fight with Pardamat and Mzinga piled in to help her best friend. The two girls pushed him in a pincer movement and Pardamat knew that he was beaten. He moved away and left the girls in peace.

The new rescue remains in his stockade. He is still behaving aggressively but is eating well. One of us is with him all the time and we are confident that he will calm down soon.

Today was graduation day for Weka and Shujaa. Orphans leaving the Nursery always set off very early in the morning so that they travel when the roads are quiet and arrive in time for a morning milk feed. Two Keepers accompany them, and one stays until they have settled into their new home.

All went well. Shujaa walked into the truck with minimal persuasion. He strode up the ramp and began browsing on pellets. Weka was suspicious, sensing that something was different, and we had to tempt her into the truck with sugar cane and a bottle of milk. While we were doing this, Shujaa nipped into her compartment and pinched some of her pellets! Minutes later, we all pushed the door shut and bade farewell to the two elephants.

Weka was trumpeting while she was being persuaded into the truck. The herd was awake anyway and aware of what was happening. Her trumpeting sparked a reaction – Kerrio began trumpeting while Mzinga and Nyambeni walked back and forth in their stockades. After the truck left, we spent time calming our older girls and, eventually, the orphans went back to sleep.

In the morning, the herd headed out to the forest as usual. They knew that Weka and Shujaa had left but behaved normally and seemed to accept the change. They browsed in the forest, visited the mud bath for milk feeds and dust baths, and returned to the stockades in the late afternoon.

In recent days, Weka was spending lots of time with Kipekee, making the most of being older than many of the other females. Her departure has left a vacancy for the role of chief nanny – since neither Kerrio nor Latika are interested in this position. Today, we expected Muridjo to take charge but, to our surprise, it was Kamili who stepped up! Kipekee spent the morning happily browsing with Kamili - and Kamili spent some of the morning pushing away Muridjo, Nyambeni, Mzinga and Talek while monopolising the little girl!

Friendships are certainly dynamic within our Nursery herd. Shujaa used to play pushing games almost every day with Mageno and Kitich. When they graduated earlier in the year, he shifted his focus to Taroha and the two bulls became daily playmates. Following Shujaa’s departure yesterday, Taroha was rather lost today. He was missing his sparring partner. During the day, we saw him challenging Mzinga, Nyambeni, Talek, Pardamat and Olomunyak to wrestle with him – in a quest to find a new playmate.

After a day of browsing and playing, the herd returned in the late afternoon and padded into their stables and stockades for the night. In the evening, Pardamat was pinching greens from his neighbour’s room. He stood close to the partition, stretching his trunk through the gaps to pinch Talek’s pellets! When he had eaten the ones closest to the partition, he went down to his knees to stretch his trunk even further into her room. Talek knew what he was up to but allowed Pardamat to continue filling his belly. Maybe she was not very hungry!

Our girls are squabbling every day over little Kipekee! When she toddled out of her stable this morning, Mzinga and Nyambeni both made a beeline for her. Standing next to her, first Mzinga pushed Nyambeni and then Nyambeni pushed back. On and on went the pushing as they competed for the prize of escorting Kipekee out to the forest. Eventually, the little girl cried out in protest – as she was squashed between the two older females and unable to move!

Kamili and Muridjo ran to her rescue. They shoved Nyambeni and Mzinga away, trunk hugged the baby, and led her out to the field, rumbling along the way – as victory had been theirs!

Later in the morning at the mud bath, Talek and Pardamat (who are best friends at night as they sleep in neighbouring stockades) began fighting next to the wheelbarrow full of bottles of milk. The two orphans drank their milk and then hovered next to the wheelbarrow, hoping they would not be noticed. Talek was hoping for the leftover drops in the bottom of the wheelbarrow and Pardamat for a bonus bottle. Neither would tolerate the other’s presence as they wanted pole position for themselves. A squabble began and we had to separate the siblings.

When the orphans walk out of their rooms in the mornings, many greet each other or stand quietly in groups or drink from the water trough while waiting for us to whistle that it is time to head out to the forest. While our herd waited peacefully this morning, two young bulls began a wrestling match. Olomunyak and Pardamat set to in a contest of strength as soon as they emerged and kept up the match all the way up the path and into the field.

The others kept out of their way as they pushed heads and pulled apart and set to again. When Taroha wandered over, however, the game came to an abrupt end. Our gentle bull is a few months older than feisty Pardamat and a year older than stout Olomunyak. He walked between them and the boys walked away in different directions. With the departure of Shujaa, Taroha has become the oldest bull in the herd.

Latika seems to find bull elephants rather annoying. She used to tolerate them but, since the graduation of Sileita, Sholumai, Mushuru and Muwingu, she has become less tolerant. This morning, when Olomunyak, Pardamat and Taroha tried to run down the path to the mud bath for their milk feed, Latika blocked their way. We intervened and she allowed them to pass, but then gave each boy an unwarranted shove several minutes later. Latika usually likes taking care of Olomunyak but today only Wamata had her approval.

In the afternoon, the herd returned to the mud wallow. The weather was cool and cloudy and the elephants were subdued. They stood around quietly browsing on greens, with Muridjo and Kamili also keeping guard over Kipekee.

Kerrio is the current mini matriarch of the Nursery herd – and a most responsible leader. In the mornings, she briefly checks on every member of her herd when they walk out of their stockades. Usually, it is Kerrio who leads the herd out to the bush. She ambles slowly up the path and chooses where to stop and browse.

Once out in the field, she hands care of and responsibility for little ones like Kipekee, Olomunyak and Pardamat to deputy nannies Muridjo, Kamili, Nyambeni and Mzinga. Predictably, Wamata is looked after by Latika. Kerrio then browses a small distance away but stays close enough to intervene if there is a problem.

This morning, as the orphans settled back in the forest after visiting the mud bath, Kerrio disappeared into the bush with Taroha, Pardamat, Olomunyak, Talek, Latika, Wamata and Kamili following in her wake. Muridjo, Mzinga, Nyambeni and Kipekee remained close to the Keepers. We soon realised that Kerrio and friends were missing but could not see them as we were surrounded by trees. Muridjo found them for us! When we whistled to her, she led us to Kerrio and her mini herd who were browsing happily in a nearby clearing. 

Wamata is adjusting to the upheaval in her family! When little Kipekee arrived at the Nursery and stole the hearts of big girls like Kerrio, Muridjo, Nyambeni and Mzinga, Wamata was no longer the baby of the herd. Becoming the ‘second born’ was difficult for her and she was jealous of Kipekee. However, with time, Wamata has realised that Kipekee is a very young baby and her behaviour has changed. Today, out in the field, Wamata was calmly checking out Kipekee with tender trunk touches and even playing with her. She lay on the ground next to her and rolled around and allowed Kipekee to headbutt her belly!

In the afternoon, the sun was shining when the herd visited the mud wallow for a milk feed. Talek, Taroha, Olomunyak, Mzinga, Nyambeni, Kerrio and Wamata quickly gulped down their milk and ran into the muddy pool to cool off. We shepherded naughty ones like Kamili, Pardamat and Latika, who sometimes like to push the others, away from the wallow so they could play and swim in peace. But they did not stay away for long. We knew that they also wanted to wallow and allowed them to run back a few minutes later to join the others in the muddy water.

Kipekee is a little girl who has a good appetite not only for milk but also for greens – and who is becoming full of confidence. Of late, when she steps out of her stable in the mornings, rather than waiting for the company of the older girls, Kipekee heads for her own special morning browsing spot. Behind the stockades to the left of the path out to the forest, there is a small area of bush surrounded by a fence. She likes to pop under the fence and to hide in the bushes while browsing on soft greens. Initially, she would vanish in the early morning and we were not sure where she was – but soon we discovered her special spot.

This was where we found her this morning. Kipekee is so small that she can easily hide in the bushes if she stands still and makes no sound. But Muridjo and Mzinga knew where she was. As soon as they emerged from their stockades, she padded straight to the fenced area, calling for Kipekee with rumbles and trumpets. She responded with a low rumble and toddled out from behind a bush.

Later in the morning, we decided that today was the day for our new rescue to join the herd. He has calmed down so much since he was rescued a week ago and we knew that he was ready to move out from his stable and browse with the others. We escorted Kerrio, Nyambeni, Mzinga, Talek and Olomunyak back to the stockades and opened his door. The others stood outside while Kerrio – as the mini matriarch – walked in, trunk touched him and shepherded him out. Olomunyak and the girls gathered around with trunk touches and rumbles. They walked him out to the forest and settled to browse next to him. The new boy was calm and quiet and soon began browsing with the herd. His arrival is another challenge for Wamata - as now she is the third youngest in the herd. She was not as welcoming as the others!

After a successful afternoon with the other orphans yesterday, this morning the new bull headed out to the forest again with the herd. Two Keepers and the newbie led the herd with Kerrio just behind and then the rest. 

When orphans graduate, those left behind sometimes change their behaviour and take on new roles. Since Mushuru and Sileita left the Nursery, Kamili has started showing interest in taking care of and protecting the younger ones, and Kerrio has started encouraging Muridjo, Mzinga and Nyambeni to lead and look after the babies. With the arrivals of Kipekee and the new bull, we expect more shifts and developments.

Today, while most of the other girls gathered around the new boy, Kamili and Latika took responsibility for Wamata and Kipekee. In recent days, Wamata has spent more time with Kamili – this morning, Kamili walked out with her, nudging her backside along the way, and stood close when browsing in the forest.

Meanwhile, Kerrio, Mzinga, Muridjo and Nyambeni were making sure that no one was tempted to push the newbie in the forest. It was not long, however, before the three younger girls ambled over to check on Kipekee.

The young bull is not yet visiting the mud bath but spent most of the day with the herd in the bush. He walked back with Kerrio and Olomunyak in the late afternoon, padding calmly into his stockade. He has already changed so much since he was rescued.

Mzinga is making two stops every morning on her way out to the forest. The first one today was to the new bull’s stockade just to check that he was fine. She stretched her trunk through the gate to greet him while taking advantage of the opportunity for an extra snack by picking up some pieces of lucerne. Her next stop was the store to check for spilled pellets on the ground. This morning she was in luck as there were quite a few – so she settled down to scoop up every last one. Her extra breakfast was interrupted by a call from Kipekee who was on the other side of the stockades. Immediately, Mzinga abandoned the pellets and ran towards the baby.

Later in the morning at the mud bath, Mzinga had a wonderful time showing off to the guests. Often it is Olomunyak who chooses to showboat in front of visitors but, today, Mzinga stole the show. It was not a smooth performance, however, as Pardamat was being very annoying. Like many young bulls, he cannot resist mounting young females if they are lying on the ground. Mzinga was lying on the mound of dry soil, rolling on her back with legs aloft and trunk twirling while blowing clouds of dust in every direction. Pardamat kept trying to climb on top of her and she kept driving him away, only for him to return a few minutes later.

And then Kamili intervened! She took control and shoved Pardamat away so Mzinga could dust bathe in peace. Later in the day, he made the mistake of trying to mount a prone Latika – but was rewarded by a strong push from the older female that knocked him off his feet.

Taroha – our star water baby – reminds us of a younger Kerrio. He has always loved mud bathing and is usually the first to take the plunge. Kerrio used to be the same – whatever the weather, we would often find her in the water. But the older Kerrio is not quite so keen, sometimes choosing to watch the others from the sidelines rather than splash in the middle of them.

Taroha, Olomunyak, Talek, Mzinga and Muridjo had a wonderful mud bath this morning. After downing his bottle of milk, Taroha ambled over to the wallow. He stood on the edge for a time, using his trunk to slap water on both sides of his body. Then, he bent down and climbed into the water for a wallow. Moments later, playful Olomunyak joined him, followed by Mzinga, Talek and Muridjo. The five friends played in the water until it was time to return to the forest.

Kipekee, and several Keepers, led the herd back to the bush. Ahead of the line of elephants, three giraffes were licking salt from the rocky area to the right of the path. Spotting the giraffes and knowing that Kipekee was ahead of them, Nyambeni, Mzinga and Muridjo ran ahead to clear away the possible threat for the little one. But the giraffes stood their ground, unbothered by the trumpeting girls.

It was time for the big guns! Kerrio and Latika took over the frontline. As they ran in their direction, the giraffes lifted their long necks and wandered away from the rocks – and Kipekee toddled on with a security escort of at least five nannies!

Later in the afternoon, the sun was still shining so Pardamat, Latika, Mzinga, Muridjo and Wamata had a lengthy mud bath in a large puddle of standing water in the forest, rubbing faces and bellies in the mud while climbing on and off each other.

Our recent rescue is adapting fast to his new family. Already, the young bull is keen to lead the herd out in the mornings. Either by his side or behind him will be Mzinga, Nyambeni or Muridjo. This morning, he walked out at the front with Nyambeni by his side and the others in his wake.

The orphans were full of energy in the forest today. While Kerrio was busy taking care of Kipekee and the new boy, the others were busy playing. Older girls Kamili and Latika were playing the pushing game while cheeky Olomunyak was taking on Taroha and Pardamat in a wrestling match. Talek and Wamata were lumbering around between the trees, playing a sort of hide-and-seek game.

Pardamat was at his most mischievous later in the morning at the mud bath. Today, he targeted Olomunyak and then Talek. One of the first to arrive at the wallow, Olomunyak finished his milk and settled to browse on supplementary greens. Pardamat – who likes to hold his bottle with his trunk – was walking around while drinking his milk. Still holding his bottle, he headbutted the younger bull and pushed him to the ground. A minute later, he pushed Talek, again for no reason that we could see.

Budding mini matriarchs Nyambeni and Mzinga got to him before us and disciplined the growing bull. He walked off into the bushes and the girls checked on Olomunyak and Talek.

Later in the day, star boy Olomunyak spent a long time with the newbie, showing him the best browsing places in the forest!

In the night, there was a heavy downpour of rain. Many orphans do not like rain falling on the roofs of their stables and, last night, several were upset and slept very little. For once, Olomunyak stayed calm but not his neighbour Wamata. She was walking around in circles, pushing her head against the door and trying to climb over their shared wall into his room! She was rumbling over and over, making a low sound.

When Mzinga and Muridjo heard her, they responded with rumbles and began pacing around in their stockades. Taroha, meanwhile, who always struggles with heavy rain at night, was not happy. He was also pushing at his gate and trying to climb over his wall to be with Mzinga. It was a noisy night and no one slept well!

In the morning, everyone was in a hurry to get to the forest, perhaps to celebrate the rain. Wamata was first. She ran out of her room and up the path, trumpeting loudly and attracting everyone's attention! Muridjo, Nyambeni, Mzinga, Taroha and others followed along behind. Many of them were trumpeting too.

After Latika, Kerrio and Talek joined the group, they decided to chase away all the impalas and baboons in the area. The three girls lumbered around and the animals moved a short distance away. Eventually, the herd settled to browse. In the afternoon when a warthog walked up to the mud bath, Nyambeni and Mzinga chased away the innocent pig while the others continued to browse or drink from the trough.

Pardamat is more than just a naughty character – he has many sides to him and is playful and adventurous. Pardamat, Olomunyak and Taroha play together most days in the forest and Pardamat has been known to go exploring.

The herd headed out as usual this morning to the forest. As it was a cold day and rain was falling, most of the herd avoided the wet thickets and browsed instead on the path. Pardamat opted to go his own way and disappeared into the bush. Kamil tried to follow him but turned back to browse with the herd. Instead, she had fun with Talek and Latika rolling on the muddy ground.

An hour later, we gathered the herd in the waiting area in preparation for sending them down to the mud bath for a milk feed. At the moment when we realised that Pardamat was not there, we heard loud yelling and trumpeting from the forest. It was Pardamat! Our bullish bull could not find the herd and was making an enormous fuss. Immediately, Kerrio and Muridjo went back to fetch him and restore calm.

Later in the morning, it was still raining when the orphans returned to the wallow for another milk feed and a wonderful time in the muddy water. (Kipekee stayed back at the stockades because of the wet weather but the new boy was with them because he is older.) As usual Taroha was first to clamber into the pool followed by Olomunyak, Mzinga and Nyambeni. A few minutes later, everyone except the newbie was in the wallow. The herd splashed and slid and climbed over each other, remaining in the mud until the end of the session.

Maxwell, our blind black rhino, enjoyed an early morning mud and dust bath. The ground was dry and so he splashed water from his trough onto the ground and lay down on his back, covering his body with thick wet mud. Afterwards, Max kicked up clouds of dust with which to finish off his skin treatment!

The weather was warmer today and so Kipekee joined the herd in the forest in the early morning. Mzinga and Nyambeni were browsing with Olomunyak and the new boy in a clearing, while Kamili, Muridjo, Talek, Pardamat and Taroha explored the forest in search of fresh green browse, and Kerrio, Latika, Wamata and Kipekee massaged their backsides against tree stumps.

Kipekee is growing in confidence and strength. When she first joined the herd, she sought refuge with one of the older girls and rarely moved even a few steps on her own. This morning, she padded down the path to the mud wallow behind Latika and Wamata. They were the last group to arrive at the wallow. After drinking her milk, Kipekee stood by the wheelbarrow and refused to budge – she wanted an extra bottle! When one was not forthcoming, the little girl trumpeted in protest and even tried to push the Keepers.

Luckily, Mzinga was nearby. She scooped her up, calmed her down with trunk touches, and shepherded her to the pile of greens on the other side of the wallow.

With the departure of Shujaa, our herd of 13 elephants has only four bulls: Taroha, Pardamat, Olomunyak and the new boy. Taroha, at the age of three-and-a-half, has become the oldest bull.

Our new dominant bull is not an assertive chap, however, and does not throw his weight around. Taroha, Pardamat and Olomunyak play daily rounds of the pushing game – Taroha often has the upper hand but is careful not to hurt his friends. In his position, Pardamat might well throw his weight around but he has just turned three and is not as strong as Taroha.

Pardamat was misbehaving at the stockades today. On some days, he obeys the Keepers and, on other days, he does not. In the early morning, the elephants gathered in small groups before heading out to the forest. While the others greeted each other, Pardamat decided to pop in and out of every room, looking for leftover pellets or lucerne. When the Keepers whistled, he ignored their calls and began running in and out of rooms.

Coming across Olomunyak blocking his way (by accident), he shoved him hard from behind, catching him unawares. Olomunyak trumpeted, turned around and challenged Pardamat to a sizing up game. The contest quickly became quite serious and so we separated our feisty pair of bulls.

Kamili still likes to mind her own business but not as often as in the past. With the departure of four older females in recent months, she has become more sociable. Kamili may not be a natural leader but she surprises us on occasions! Today was one of those days.

Elephants are more likely to wallow on hot days (and sometimes on rainy ones too). Today, the sun was shining when the orphans padded down the path in groups or three or four for a morning milk feed. Kamili, rather than waiting for Taroha or Olomunyak to take the plunge, led the herd into the muddy water. In she climbed with Mzinga, Nyambeni, Taroha, Pardamat and Latika joining her moments later.

The mud bath was full of orphans with no space for any more. Kerrio, Muridjo, Talek and Olomunyak made the most of standing on the edge by spraying themselves with water and slapping mud onto their sides. Kamili was in the middle of the wallow with orphans splashing and rolling and mounting each other around her. One of our best divers, Kamili lay with her whole body in the mud and only her trunk sticking out!

The group wallow was brought to an abrupt end when a turtle approached the pool. Every elephant, rumbling and trumpeting, immediately climbed out!

This morning in the forest, three giraffes were grazing near the herd. On some days, the elephants are content to share their space with other animals but not today. Two of the giraffes were sizing up, pushing each other and swinging their necks. Perhaps this was what upset Muridjo. With ears flared and trumpeting in alarm, she charged at the giraffes, hoping to chase them away. The giraffes ignored her and continued their game. Muridjo ran back to the Keepers and the herd.

When Muridjo continued running around, the rest of the herd decided to do the same and soon the forest was full of agitated elephants. Eventually, we calmed them down and they settled to browse again. By this time, the giraffes had wandered away.

The remainder of the day was peaceful. The orphans visited the mud bath in the afternoon to enjoy their bottles and browse on supplementary greens. No one went in the wallow today. The new boy was with the herd – he is much calmer but still unpredictable, tending to react aggressively if he is surprised or if he wants something. It will take time for him to recover from his ordeal. When it was time to return to the forest, he pushed his way in front of the others and then ran back to Kerrio who was bringing up the rear.

This morning, Latika, the elephant with the shortest trunk, was being overprotective towards Wamata, her very favourite baby. Wamata was standing next to the rope cordon when Latika arrived at the mud bath. The older girl drank her milk and made a beeline for the younger girl. When a visitor dared to touch Wamata, Latika stood tall, opened her ears and trumpeted, giving everyone a fright!

We intervened and calmed her down and everyone went back to browsing. A few minutes later, Latika started kicking out with her back legs and whipping her tail from side to side. She was not in a good mood – but cheered up when little Wamata came close and stood under her head and scratched herself against her big sister’s belly. The two elephants stood quietly, leaning against each other.

The herd browsed quite close to the stockades in the afternoon. Today, Wamata stayed close to Talek for a time before joining Muridjo and Mzinga who were energetically rubbing their faces and the undersides of their trunks on a patch of dry soil. After a quick face massage, Wamata walked over to join Kamili and the new bull. Kamili was being affectionate towards him, regularly trunk touching the little boy. 

Taroha may be the oldest bull in the Nursery herd but he is the gentlest and most protective bull too. He is an unusual boy because he keeps an eye on the younger orphans and will step in to protect them if they are under threat. At the mud bath this morning, he was trunk touching Kipekee while standing close to her! Our confident baby enjoyed the attention from the older bull, standing calmly next to him.

Talek and Pardamat sleep in neighbouring stockades and are best friends most of the time. They often choose to browse together and play games almost every day. Today, they were playing the pushing game in the forest, sizing up to see who was stronger. When Pardamat began taking the game seriously and pushing Talek hard, she persevered, pushed back and won the fight, even though she is a few months younger than her friend!

Our two oldest girls, Kamili and Latika, are good friends. In the afternoon, they were relaxing in the forest together, dust bathing and playing a trunk-twirling-and-twisting game. They lay on their bellies, rubbing dry soil on their bodies, while pushing heads and clinking tusks. For once, neither Kipekee nor Wamata were nearby! 

This morning, as they often do, Mzinga and Taroha stopped off at Maxwell’s gate on their way out to the forest. While he stood still on one side of the gate, the two elephants stretched their trunks through the gaps in the gate and draped them over his head. A minute later, they carried on up the path, leaving a happy Max behind. The enormous rhino cantered around his enclosure, kicking up clouds of dust, and then settled to graze on his pile of pellets with three warthog friends.

When Kipekee first became part of the herd, Wamata was jealous. She was no longer the spoilt baby and this was a difficult adjustment for her. When the older girls were not looking, Wamata would occasionally push little Kipekee for no good reason. But weeks have passed, and our little girl has adjusted to not being the littlest. Nowadays, Wamata is kind and caring towards Kipekee and even invites her to play.

This morning in the forest, someone else was jealous of the new baby – Olomunyak! As the second youngest in the herd, until Kipekee and the newbie arrived, he has also enjoyed lots of attention from the big girls. While the herd was browsing quietly in a clearing, Olomunyak pushed Kipekee over, for no good reason! She trumpeted, Kerrio intervened, and Olomunyak was sent to the naughty corner!

These days, Kerrio is becoming a mind-her-own-business kind of elephant. She is still a responsible mini matriarch and a cool calm girl who always keeps an eye on her herd. But she is often to be found on the fringes rather than fussing over individual elephants. It is as if she leaves the daily business of looking after the babies to her band of assistant nannies and only gets involved when the situation is serious.

On the way back to the forest from the mud wallow this morning, we came across a group of warthogs playing a fighting game. When Kerrio saw them, she decided to chase them away. She lumbered along after the nimble pigs who darted in and out of bushes. Mzinga soon joined the chase. Two minutes later, many others did too and then everyone was trumpeting. The noise was so loud.

As the kerfuffle was going on, Kipekee walked over to stand close to a Keeper, lifting her trunk in greeting. She was not taking any chances and wanted to feel safe. For once, the older girls were not thinking about looking after the baby!

Later in the day, Olomunyak and Talek were playing in the forest. First, they played a standing-up pushing game and then, when Talek lay down on the ground, Olomunyak climbed on and off her with trunk waving in circles. She tolerated the game – because she is an easy-going girl and also because he was not putting much weight on her.

Could Kipekee be turning into a spoilt baby already? The youngest, sweetest baby in the Nursery herd is everyone’s favourite and never without at least one fussing nanny. Very quickly, Kipekee has grown not only in strength but also in confidence!

This morning at the mud bath, the little girl drank her bottle and then stood next to the wheelbarrow demanding a second. She stood still and refused to move on to the wallow. The Keepers, with help from Kamili, persuaded her to walk on to the greens on the other side of the wallow, but not before they were pushed by this cheeky girl. Kipekee may be only three months old but she is behaving like a confident older elephant – perhaps because she has the backup of many nannies!

In the afternoon, Kamili and Kerrio found a patch of thick mud in the forest and lay down for a mud bath. Kamili covered herself in mud and wandered away to browse some more. Her place was taken by Taroha and Olomunyak – and our three water babies had a wonderful time rubbing mud all over each other. Even when Kerrio and Olomunyak decided to lie still for a rest, Taroha carried on with his mud bath.

Shujaa was the dominant bull for a short time before he graduated and left for Ithumba. Our three bulls are competing for the role of leader, but only half-heartedly as Olomunyak and Pardamat know that Taroha is the oldest and strongest.

Olomunyak is the most playful bull in the Nursery herd. Our stout boy will play with anyone, no matter their size or age or gender. This morning, Olomunyak and Pardamat entwined trunks and pushed heads and began a contest of strength. What began was a good-humoured game turned into a proper fight and so we separated the boys and led them away from the others. Two minutes later, the contest began again! What Olomunyak lacks in size, he makes up for in determination. Today, however, Pardamat had the upper hand and the younger bull had to concede the game.

Muridjo has always been a playful girl who likes to dance to her own tune. In the afternoon, Latika and Muridjo wandered around in the bush with little Kipekee sandwiched in between them. After browsing for a long time, Muridjo headed off for a solitary dust bath. With her backside in the air, she enjoyed a face massage and then a belly rub – before eventually rejoining the herd.

After weeks of cloudy cool weather, the sun was shining today and the orphans went swimming. Nyambeni was first to paddle in the muddy water and she was soon joined by Olomunyak, Mzinga, Talek and Taroha. Soon the mud bath was packed with elephants. Some were standing, some were lying down and some were using their trunks to slap mud on their bodies. Mzinga was kicking mud in every direction while Pardamat did his (unsuccessful) best to mount Kerrio in the wallow.

Only Kamili, Kipekee and the newbie stayed away from the wallow, opting instead for a dust bath. Kamili is wary of crowds because of her character and the two little ones are wary because of their size. A helpful Keeper shovelled soil onto Kipekee and the boy while Kamili hosed herself happily.

A family of warthogs brought the group wallow to an abrupt end. When they trotted in to drink from the pool, the herd made a beeline for dry land. No one likes swimming with pigs!

Later in the morning, girls and boys were hanging out together in the forest. Mzinga, Muridjo, Taroha and Pardamat are age mates and good friends. The four orphans wandered along, twisting up clumps of browse, and then stood relaxing side by side. 

Our new boy is settling down. He was so shy when he first arrived but he has made friends with the Keepers. He is often found standing next to or walking along behind a Keeper. He is not so obedient, however, when bottles of milk are involved. This morning, he drank his milk and then demanded another. Trumpeting, he pushed the wheelbarrow hard. We distracted him with an empty bottle and, moments later, he settled to browse on greens.

Today, Wamata and the newbie played on the mound of dry soil together. The two babies rubbed their faces and rolled on the soil while two Keepers helpfully shovelled dust on their bodies. The muscles in their trunks are not strong enough to spray dust any distance.

Later in the afternoon, the orphans browsed in small groups in the forest. The bush is drying out but there is still plenty of green browse. Talek, Kipekee, Nyambeni and Wamata were browsing together. Kipekee cannot reach green shoots on large bushes and so she stood between Nyambeni’s front legs twisting up pieces of grass. After browsing for a time, Wamata rested her trunk along Kipekee’s back in a gesture of affection rather than jealousy. Our big baby seemed to have accepted her new baby sister!

Latika, Nyambeni, Mzinga, Kerrio and Muridjo are facing competition on the nanny front from Kamili! Our independent girl really wants to look after Kipekee. This morning in the forest, she kept trunk touching the baby and gently pushing her between her front legs. Kamili did not want to share her baby and so she was pushing the other girls away. Mzinga would not move away, however, and kept sidling up to Kipekee. At last, Kerrio stepped in, pushed the squabbling nannies apart, and shepherded the baby away.

In the afternoon, when the herd returned to the forest from the wallow, the new boy insisted on leading the orphans through the bush. He is certainly settling into his new family!  

Arriving at a clearing, the herd spread out to browse on a sunny day. Latika, Mzinga and Kamili were looking after both Kipekee and the new boy. The five orphans browsed peacefully together for a long time, with the little ones plucking up grasses and small plants while the older girls pulled down branches from shrubs and trees.

When it was time for the herd to return to the stockades, we gathered them together in the forest and sent them back in groups of three or four. Mzinga, Nyambeni and Muridjo were in the first group, followed by Kerrio, Olomunyak and the new boy, then Latika, Kamili, Wamata and Kipekee, and finally Talek, Pardamat and Taroha. All padded into their rooms with trunks held high in anticipation of delicious milk and a warm bed of hay.