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Sometimes Esampu can be really grumpy and a naughty girl too! The majority of orphans who are neighbours get on really well with those next to them and are friends or at least decent to each other. Little Esampu is quite different though! Ambo is her immediate neighbour and although she can be grumpy with everyone, when it comes to Ambo her behaviour is intolerable! This morning when coming out of her stable, Ambo was walking past and heading out to the forest with the others, she ran into him and knocked him down to the ground. But when Ambo got up it was his turn and he chased her as she ran back to her stable. She tried to hide inside her room but Ambo grabbed her tail and tried to pull her back out. She turned around and started pushing him and the next thing is there was a fight between the two babies! They didn't listen to the keepers when they tried to separate them and the little tough girl went on fighting Ambo! Ambo was good and listened to his keepers when they asked for peace, but not Esampu! One keeper had to hold her as the other went off with Ambo. She struggled with the keeper and managed to get away, so as all the babies were walking out to the forest she ran after Ambo and tried to push him - it took the intervention of both Mbegu and Oltaiyoni to bring peace among them. After Oltaiyoni learnt that it was Esampu trying to push her baby she wanted to discipline her - but luckily Mbegu read the situation and ran ahead to take Esampu away. Sana Sana is another baby that hardly goes down into the mud bath to wallow. But today was different and with the hot weather she couldn't stand the heat and as soon as she finished her milk she walked directly to the mud pool and stayed in there until it was time to return to the forest!

This is a happy day for Kuishi as she has been in her stockade since her arrival but today after public visiting a small group came back to the stockades and to collect her and take her out to the forest for the first time. Oltaiyoni, the herds matriarch, Roi, Ndotto, Maramoja and obviously the most caring girl Mbegu were the ones who came back to collect her. Upon their arrival Kuishi was so excited to see them and to walk out freely into the forest. Oltaiyoni kept blocking the gate with her big size but when she moved they were all happy to receive her and walk her out to join the others. Mbegu was shoving against the others so she could be closest to the new little one, as they all surrounded her. Once in the forest Kuishi immediately set about trying to find her most favourite greens to browse on. Wanjala and Maramoja were also very interested in meeting her and walked around her as she browsed. Even more interestingly Kauro also came over to meet the little one and he had been quite far away from the herd when she first came out. He patted her gently as he is such a gentle bull and it was not long before Roi, Mbegu and Dupotto came over too to confirm all was well with her. The five all stayed together until 3pm when Kuishi joined the private visit in the company of Wanjala, Esampu, Malkia and Galla - she behaved so well and her walk back to the stockades for the 5pm foster parent visit went really well too - she is truly a part of her new family herd now!

After arriving into the forest this morning and after a little while, Godoma dodged the keepers and sneaked back to the stockades. When she got there she went straight into Dupotto's pen to spend some time communicating with Kelelari in his stockade. She spent a good while interacting with him and whenever she heard anyone approaching, she his herself in the back of the pen in the corner. After that person had disappeared she would come out to speak with Kelelari again. When she was finally caught running to hide in the corner again she was taken back out to the forest but the keepers. Ukame normally spends most of her time with Malima but today she was led out to the forest by the grumpy girl Esampu and Wanjala too. These three slowly became separated from the rest of the herd as they browsed. Because the herd was altogether in the same thicket it was thought they were among them too but the keepers realised they had been browsing separately when they came to rejoin the herd from another direction. After the 9am feed this morning, Mbegu, Roi, Oltaiyoni, Tamiyoi and Ndotto went back to the stockades to escort Karisa out for the first time today! When he gate was opened it was Roi who went in first but when Karisa saw her coming in he raised his ears high to charge at her! Roi responded by blocking him from coming out and then Ndotto tried to get in too; it was only when a keeper went in too to lead him out that he looked very jovial and happy to be a part of the group escorting him out to the forest. He went on wanting to get to know everyone and came across Kuishi, Tamiyoi and Malima - he was very interested in them and especially Malima, but she kept running away from him! Generally he has a wonderful day out in the forest and gave no problems to the keepers - he is much better behaved outside of his stockade than within!

Out in the bush in the early morning, Murit had a wonderful time playing with Luggard who he has been showing very strong attachment to recently and it seems the two are becoming great friends. During the public visiting today the first group of orphans were led out by Mbegu soon after finishing their bottle feeds to the mud bath, where they all cooled down their hot bodies in the midday sun. Little Malima, Jotto, Tamiyoi, Ambo, Esampu and Kuishi were all busy bumping and sliding against each other as they spun around in the mud pool. Off to the side Rapa was busy pushing Lasayen and when Lasayen tried to get out of the mud wallow he held onto his hind leg and tried to pull him back in! Lasayen was holding onto the bank of the wallow but Rapa eventually managed to pull him back in and he landed on his hind deep in the mud. Rapa’s naughty antics captured the attention of the visiting public who thought it very funny to watch such a mischievous little elephant!

When the orphans were on their way out to the forest in the morning, Kuishi, Tamiyoi, Malima and Esampu sneaked back to the stockade area under the leadership of Tamiyoi, who led them to feed on the lucerne beside Maxwell’s gate. Kuishi started rumbling and yelling when she saw the keepers cleaning out the stockades. When she saw one of them pushing a wheelbarrow containing dirty hay, she went ran after him and started pushing him, believing the wheelbarrow contained milk bottles instead and that it was mil feeding time! It was only just after 7 o’clock though, so she really was just over excited. When she realised it was not milk, she yelled in protest, a reaction that caused Tamiyoi and the others to come over to her to see what was wrong. Then the keepers led them all back into the forest to stop causing trouble in the stockade area and browse with the others as they should be.

As soon as Lasayen and Ndotto finished their milk bottles during the public visit, they both decided to engage in a pushing game, with playful Ndotto trying to climb on his best friend Lasayen’s head. Lasayen then pushed Ndotto in retaliation and he fell into the mud bath whereupon Lasayen rushed in after him, followed by Ngilai, to continue with their pushing and climbing game. Both the boys challenged Ndotto in this game but Ndotto managed to turn it around and climb on Ngilai in defiance; Ndotto is always fond of climbing. When the orphans returned to the forest after the public visiting hour, Malkia and Esampu were very busy chasing and charging after a warthogs and its young ones who were hanging out close to the keepers waiting for some of their leftover lunch. The warthogs put up a challenge to the young elephants though, as they are very greedy pigs, and they kept coming back again to try and get some scraps. Their activity got the attention of Rapa, Ngilai and Pare but instead of chasing after the warthogs as well they came to chase after the girls! Poor Malkia and Esampu’s game was ruined as they ran to Oltaiyoni, Roi, Naseku and Mbegu for safety from the mischievous boys… something which saw the naughty young boys quickly end their chase and shy away.