December began on a peaceful note. When the rains arrive, ex orphans and wild elephants tend to vanish. They know that Tsavo has transformed into a delicious, green buffet, so they are eager to travel further afield. This brings about a nice change of pace for our dependent orphans, too. The Ithumba herd enjoyed quiet mornings, browsing on lucerne without any competition or bother from other elephants.
It was a cold and quiet morning as the babies looked active and excited for their milk feed. They all started taking up position ready for their bottles before the Keepers were even ready yet. They lined up and each got his or her share, and then walked down to the lucerne feeding area.
The orphans enjoyed the lucerne supplement food provided by the Keepers in peace and quiet again, as there were no ex-orphans or wild elephants around today. Barsilinga, Tusuja and Gala did not appear last night and didn’t pitch up this morning either. We had Oltaiyoni, Roi, Naseku, Siangiki and Olsekki with us, and even though they are weaned off milk, they are still coming back in most nights.
Out in the bush, it was very cool. The orphans were enjoying the weather. They were busy browsing without it being too hot and having to seek shade. Some, like Esampu and Jotto, enjoyed feeding on the fresh green shoots sprouting on the trees after the rain. Siangiki was browsing with Ambo, while Naseku was busy playing in a muddy pool she came across. Dololo and Jotto started playing and rolling on the ground together. The rest of the group found a small mudhole and started playing in it, splashing about. Kamok was digging down on the ground with her tusks, digging up some nice cool soil to play with. Rapa enjoyed relieving an itch on a nearby tree and then the orphans started to make their way for their noon milk bottle.
When the orphans arrived at the mud bath, it was drizzling, and no one wanted to swim. They all just had their milk bottles then walked back out to the bush to continue browsing. No other animals were at the mud bath either.
Out in the bush, all the orphans were all busy finding something to eat. The Kalovoto river was flowing with a bit of water, as it is a seasonal river and now that we have had some rain, it is flowing lightly. Some of the orphans crossed over and browsed on the other side before crossing back. Later, the orphans walked back home to the stockades for their evening bottles and to go to sleep for the night.
No other wild animals visited the stockades today either; it was very quiet. Barsilinga, Tusuja and Galla didn’t appear this evening either, but we are sure they are well and with the ex-orphans, enjoying their time in the wild now that it has rained and the conditions are less harsh.
The orphans stayed to enjoy their lucerne this morning even though there is nice fresh new vegetation out in the bush since it has rained a bit. When they were done with their lucerne everyone started to walk out to browse, enjoying the new fresh green shoots. Enkikwe and Maramoja were browsing together from the same tree. Ambo and Musiara were together - Musiara spent time scratching his belly while Ambo scratched his bottom. The rest were busy browsing until it was time for the orphans’ noon milk bottle.
None of the orphans bothered to wallow in the main mud bath again today, but a few like Enkikwe, Jotto and Naseku decided to play in the smaller waterhole full of rainwater, and later joined their friends in the bush to continue browsing.
All the orphans were enjoying the fresh shoots. Nabulu was particularly excited to feed on the greenery. It hasn’t rained since she arrived at Ithumba, so she has never tasted the delicious new shoots here before. Nabulu arrived at Ithumba from the Nursery in June, and it was already quite dry by then, so she’s happily enjoying the new vegetation. Esampu led the herd back home in the evening for their milk and to go to bed. We didn’t see anyone in the stockade today. Class Five, comprised of Oltaiyoni, Roi, Olsekki, Naseku and Siangiki, arrived an hour after the other orphans. Barsilinga, Tusuja and Galla still haven’t appeared. Today is the fourth night for them to sleep out in the bush and they must be really enjoying themselves. We recorded 34mm of rainfall today.
It was another quiet morning, with only the dependent orphans feeding on lucerne. They didn’t stay long today and walked out to the bush to browse fairly early.
The orphans looked happy and active as they enjoyed the new fresh vegetation everywhere they walked. Sattao and Musiara started playing next to Malkia, who was stretching to reach green leaves from the tree branches above. Kamok was also busy stretching to reach some good and green leaves. Kamok and Maramoja started browsing together, while some of the others found a big pond of rainwater and started playing in it. Kauro was left alone playing there, while the others started to walk to the mud bath.
Once again, the orphans had their noon milk feed and decided not to wallow and continue browsing instead. A little while later, they found a small pool and started playing in it. They don’t like playing in the main mud bath, as it has a lot of water at the moment, and they find it too cold! They prefer these warmer, smaller pools instead. Sapalan found his own puddle in the bush and was playing in it alone.
Later, the orphans made their way back to the stockades for the night. We still haven’t seen Barsilinga, Galla and Tusuja, who are enjoying their time out in the wild. We didn’t have any rain today and didn’t see any ex-orphans or wild elephants either.
The Ithumba babies had their milk bottles before walking down to feed on lucerne as usual. Dololo scratched his bottom on a rock while Ambo climbed on Sattao.
Out in the bush, the orphans were very playful. Malkia and Jotto were being very affectionate towards one another and then started to include Musiara too, sweetly patting him with their trunks. Musiara then went over to Maramoja and put his trunk in her mouth to find out more about what she was eating, as Maramoja stretched high to reach some nice green leaves. Some of the other orphans found a nice small pool of water and started playing in it, before heading for their noon milk bottles.
The orphans are still finding the main mud bath too cold to swim in, so after having their bottles they decided just to continue browsing. Malkia was being affectionate towards to Musiara again, trying to pat him with her trunk and hug him close to her. Wanjala, on the other side of the herd, was running about and enjoying browsing from bush to bush. Malkia, Musiara and Maramoja later walked to a muddy puddle and started playing in it. Kauro was playing and rolling on the ground by himself, while Nabulu also browsed separately on her own.
When the orphans made their way back to the stockades in the evening, Class Five joined them except for Barsilinga, Galla and Tusuja, who haven’t come back yet.
It was a quiet morning today. The orphans left their stockades early as usual and briefly settled to feed on some lucerne. Kuishi led the way out for the day, but Karisa and Mapia decided to hang back and enjoy a scratching exercise. Malkia, Sattao, Pare and Jotto competed to see who could reach the nice green nice leaves towards the tops of trees. We have had quite a few nice showers over the past few weeks, so green leaves are shooting up everywhere it has rained. Later, Mteto, Malkia and Enkikwe came across a puddle of water where they had a lot fun before heading to the mud bath for the noon milk feed.
The orphans had their milk bottles and went straight back to browsing. They had a fun day and didn’t seem too stressed about anything as they browsed and took breaks to play and frolic in the puddles.
As the orphans were feeding on lucerne this morning, suddenly they spooked and stampeded, all running together towards the east. We weren’t sure what caused the panic, but elephants always spook easily! The Keepers whistled and called their names while following them, and eventually the orphans calmed down and started browsing.
As time progressed, Sattao and Musiara took a break from feeding to have a strength testing exercise. Sattao emerged as the winner. Enkikwe, Mundusi, Sana Sana, Ndiwa, Maramoja, Kuishi, Malima and Rapa had fun by digging at the ground using their small tusks then dusting themselves with the cool soil. Ambo took advantage of Malima lying on the ground to play and climb on her which she didn’t mind.
On the way to the mud bath, the orphans came across a small water hole and had a wallow there before heading for their noon bottle feed. Soon after having their milk, Ambo engaged Mapia in a pushing game. When the going got tough for Ambo, he had no option but to surrender and run away, perhaps hoping to try again another day! Later in the afternoon, Ambo had a private conversation with Malima that lasted for quite some time. Just before 5pm, the orphans made their way back to the stockades for the night, except for Barsilinga, Tusuja and Galla, who are still enjoying their time out in the wild.
The sky was clear this morning. Kauro and Mundusi decided to have a morning warm up exercise in the form of a pushing game. Later, the two boys settled to browse. Musiara decided to have fun by rolling on the ground. Shortly after his rolling fun, Musiara tried to engage Pare in conversation, but Pare didn’t seem that interested in chatting and walked away! Siangiki, Olsekki, Oltaiyoni, Roi and Naseku decided to spend the day with the young ones. Barsilinga, Galla and Tusuja appear to have moved on with life without turning back! They are out there exploring and getting used to their new life in the wild.
Given that there are so many water holes in the bush, the orphans continue to enjoy wallowing in them whenever they feel hot and come across a little puddle. Wanjala, Rapa and Maramoja led the first group to the noon milk feed. The orphans all drank their bottles very quickly and decided not to waste any time at the mud bath. As soon as they had their milk, Ndiwa led the way back out to browse. The afternoon was quiet as the orphans concentrated on browsing without any major distractions. In the evening, Olsekki, Naseku, Roi, Siangiki and Oltaiyoni returned early before the others and went into their night stockade to feast on the branches the Keepers had put for them there.
The orphans left the stockades early, as usual. Ambo, Dololo and Malima were the first ones to leave their night stockade. As soon as the orphans settled for lucerne, Sapalan ran into trouble with Kamok when he inadvertently stepped on some lucerne Kamok had her eye on. Kamok pushed Sapalan hard, making him yell out loud. Sapalan was annoyed by Kamok's unbecoming behaviour, since this was not the first time she has pushed him without proper cause. Perhaps Sapalan hoped that a time would come when Kamok's rough and bullying behaviour might come to an end.
Out in the bush, Jotto and Mapia entertained their friends by engaging in a pushing game that lasted for quite some time. Ndiwa, Sana Sana, Malkia, Kauro and Wanjala took a break from feeding to have fun by rolling on the ground. After mud bath time, the orphans headed west of Ithumba Hill where they met with Kithaka, Barsilinga, Tusuja, Kilabasi, Yatta, Yoyo and baby Yogi. Naseku, Roi and Esampu tried to nanny little Yogi. In the evening, Yatta escorted the dependent orphans back to the stockades. Barsilinga and Tusuja refused to be locked in the stockades and so left with Yatta and they all walked off into the night.
Barsilinga, Kithaka and Tusuja joined the orphans in the morning to feed on lucerne. We saw Yatta, Yogi, Yoyo and Kilabasi in the distance, passing by and heading west. The orphans detected Yatta and her small group and this made them change their direction as they walked out to browse. Usually, the orphans love heading east every morning, but today they headed west to catch up with Yatta.
Later in the morning, Karisa came across a mound of soil that he climbed on with his front legs. Shortly later, he was joined in his game by Malima and Pare. Esampu, Malkia, Roi and Naseku decided to feed close to Yoyo. Kauro engaged Tusuja in a strength testing exercise that ended when Barsilinga intervened.
Yatta decided to escort the dependent orphans for their noon milk feed and thereafter left with the Class Five members. The rest of the dependent orphans settled east of Ithumba Hill to enjoy the flourishing variety of vegetation since we have had a bit of rain. Out of the Class Five members, only Naseku returned to the stockades very late in the evening, and the others evidently chose to stay with Yatta’s group.
It was a quiet morning. The orphans settled for lucerne and then Karisa led the way out for the day. As the orphans were coming down the side of a big rock face, Kauro tried to block the way for Jotto. Jotto decided to wait for as long as it took for Kauro to get tired and move. At long last, Kauro got tired and left, making way for Jotto. The orphans settled to browse around the hill behind the stockades and enjoyed the flourishing vegetation. Kauro, Galla, Enkikwe, Rapa, Maramoja and Sapalan came across some water that had collected at the bottom of a rock and decided to have fun there, splashing water behind their ears.
Sattao, Nabulu, Dololo and Musiara were in the first group to head for their noon milk bottles. After having their milk, the orphans settled not far away from the main water pool, to wallow in a smaller pool and enjoy a soil bath. Kuishi, Malkia, Rapa and Esampu decided to cool off in a nearby water hole. Ambo, Kamok, Maramoja, Malima, Sapalan and Mundusi settled to have a dust bath. Malima decided to scratch against Maramoja who was rolling on the ground. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area and later in the evening, as the dependent orphans returned home for the night, all Class Five members chose not to report back to the stockades today.
As usual, the Ithumba dependent orphans settled for lucerne this clear morning before Karisa led everyone out for the day. Barsilinga, Oltaiyoni, Olsekki, Siangiki, Roi and Naseku arrived in the morning and joined their friends to feed on lucerne. Kithaka and Tusuja also met up with their younger friends later, out in the bush. Sapalan teamed up with Rapa to browse while Kamok settled to browse with Ambo. Enkikwe teamed up with Jotto, while Malkia paired up with her friend, Sana Sana. There was a moment of unrest when a lesser kudu ran past at high speed. The orphans didn’t know why the kudu was running, so they stood to attention with their trunks up, listening and smelling. They hurriedly walked to their Keepers for safety as they determined if there was any danger about. After a while, they sensed there wasn’t anything wrong, so they calmed down and resumed browsing.
When the orphans went for their noon milk bottles, they drank their milk then left immediately to resume browsing, without swimming. Pare, Mapia and Wanjala decided to have a bush mud bath instead in one of the puddles they came across. They were later joined by Rapa, Maramoja, Enkikwe, Malima, Dololo and Ambo. Ex-orphan Rapsu was spotted a distance away, but didn't come close to say hi to the orphans. In the evening, all the orphans returned safely to the stockades for the night.
Sana Sana led the way to the browsing field. Musiara teamed up with Dololo, but minutes later they had a disagreement, we are not sure what about. The two had a pushing game that ended when Musiara decided to surrender. Kauro and Mundusi started their own pushing game in which Kauro emerged as the winner. Mundusi couldn't withstand the embarrassment brought about by Kauro when he chose to climb on him in the presence of the others, and he decided to leave and join the junior boys. Karisa and Pare came across a nice rock that they used to scratch their bellies on. Jotto, Galla and Enkikwe had fun rolling on the ground. Later, Jotto had a pushing game with Galla that lasted for quite a while. Mteto was busy trying to pull a root from the ground with her trunk and then directly with her teeth by kneeling, and the moment she succeeded, she shared it with Kuishi who stood close by watching her. Later, Jotto settled to feed with Rapa.
At mud bath time, Musiara led the first group for the noon milk feed. In the afternoon, Sapalan, Ndiwa and Musiara came across a small water hole that they wallowed in, in order to cool themselves down, as Esampu settled to scratch her neck against a tree.
Nabulu led the way out to browse this morning, soon after the orphans had finished feeding on lucerne. She took them east of the stockades. Mundusi, who had lost a wrestling game with Kauro, decided to see if he could prove himself by defeating Kauro. Kauro was fully prepared, however, and didn’t allow Mundusi to win! And so, the two boys were engaged in a pushing game that lasted for quite a long time. In the end, Mundusi opted to surrender and settled to browse to get more energy to try his luck another day. Nabulu teamed up with Wanjala to browse, while Rapa settled to feed with Dololo. Olsekki and his longtime friend Siangiki browsed as they discussed between them which way to go. Shortly later, they were joined by Enkikwe, but he appeared to disagree with their decision as he left immediately and followed the other orphans.
At around ten o'clock in the morning, the weather changed and by eleven o'clock, it started raining lightly. The orphans drank their noon milk feed and returned to browsing. In the afternoon, they settled to browse in the Kanziku area. Shortly before five o'clock in the evening, heavy clouds built in the air, and we heard cracks of thunder. As the orphans were reporting back to the stockades for the night, it started raining again.
It was wet in the morning following the rain we received yesterday. The orphans settled for lucerne as usual before being led out by Dololo. The orphans headed southeast and settled to browse in the Kone area before changing direction and heading to mud bath area. The orphans enjoyed the cool weather and Mteto, Karisa, Jotto, Malkia, Esampu, Kuishi, Galla and Rapa decided to have fun by rolling on the wet ground to smear themselves with red mud. After having their fun, Malkia and Jotto decided to team up to browse together. Enkikwe, Kuishi, Wanjala, Maramoja and Sapalan snuck off with the Class Five members and failed to turn up at the noon mud bath. The rest of the dependent orphans had their noon milk feed and turned back to go and look for their friends who had decided not to turn up for their bottles. They reunited two hours later. In the afternoon, Jotto and Pare came across a small puddle that they used to cool themselves down in, then later had a pushing game.
It was another wet morning following the light rain received overnight. The orphans didn't stay long to feed on lucerne as they were in a hurry to get out into the bush and feed on all the fresh vegetation around following the rains. Rapa and Malima helped themselves to some clean rainwater that had collected on the rocks around them – the orphans love drinking rainwater, as it tastes quite sweet. Jotto settled to scratch against a rock he came across. Shortly later, Rapa decided to have fun rolling on the ground. Mteto saw some dry soil underneath a rock and stretched her trunk to get it and throw it on her back to keep cool. She enjoyed dusting herself with the dry red soil before returning to browse.
The rest of the herd behaved and browsed calmly throughout the morning. The orphans continue to enjoy their own company, as the rains and lots of green vegetation around mean that the ex-orphans and wild elephants wander off. Visitors haven’t been seen for a few days now, and perhaps we won’t see them for some time, depending on the rains! The orphans were reluctant to go for their noon milk feed, since they were enjoying the tasty vegetation so much. In the afternoon, they settled to browse in the Kanziku area. Given that there is so much water around, the orphans had a series of mud baths in the bush throughout the day, in all the small puddles they came across. In the evening, they returned safely to the stockades for the night.
It was drizzling in the morning. The ground was slippery and the orphans walked carefully out of their stockades to avoid slipping and falling. Esampu was unlucky however as despite walking as carefully as she could, she slipped and fell. She felt embarrassed as Sattao and Dololo, who were following closely behind her, saw what happened and she felt like they were laughing at her. Esampu, the iron lady, turned and confronted the two boys. Dololo and Sattao ran away and hid behind some of the other orphans so as to avoid Esampu’s temper.
The rain increased and fell harder, so the orphans enjoyed playing in the running water. At around 7.30am, the rain stopped, and a few minutes later, the orphans also stopped playing and resumed browsing. At mud bath time, it was still wet, and they walked through the marshy grass as they headed for their noon milk bottles.
In the afternoon the orphans had fun rolling on the damp edge of road. Later, Nabulu decided to go it alone by playing in a mud puddle alone, as the rest were busy feeding. In the evening Barsilinga and Tusuja teamed up with Kithaka and didn't return to the stockade with their friends.
The Ithumba dependent orphans left the stockades early as usual. Led by Maramoja, the orphans headed west, where Maramoja and Kauro decided to begin their day by scratching against some trees. Pare settled to browse with Enkikwe. It was a quiet day, as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing. Later, they came across a large puddle where Rapa, Karisa, Dololo, Mundusi and Mteto helped themselves to some drinking water.
The orphans seemed reluctant again to go for their noon milk bottles, as they were having so much fun out in the bush. The Keepers persuaded them to go for their milk, however, and finally they accepted.
In the afternoon, Jotto, Sapalan, Dololo, Pare, Malima, Galla, Enkikwe, Ambo and Sattao had a lot of fun rolling on the ground and smearing themselves with damp soil. In the evening, Mundusi engaged Kauro in a pushing game that lasted for quite a while. At five o'clock, Nabulu led the first group back to the stockades for the night.
We didn’t have any rain yesterday and we were left wondering if they have just taken a break or if that is our lot now. Often the rain will just disappear, and we are left none the wiser than the last rainfall was the last for a while. Only time will tell! Karisa led the orphans out to browse this morning as Nabulu, Musiara and Maramoja followed.
There is so much fresh vegetation everywhere at the moment, so the orphans enjoyed sharing all the different shrubs. Kuishi teamed up with Naseku while Ambo browsed with Kamok. As the orphans were browsing comfortably, another lesser kudu ran past them, disrupting the peace the orphans were enjoying! It was a tense moment as the orphans couldn't figure out why the lesser kudu was running. Led by Mteto and Sana Sana, the orphans ran towards their Keepers. The Keepers managed to calm them down and with their reassurance the orphans soon resumed browsing. Wanjala decided to have fun rolling around on the ground and dusting himself, while Mundusi settled to feed with Mapia. Musiara teamed up with Malkia while Jotto teamed up with Dololo.
Later in the afternoon, Musiara and Dololo had a misunderstanding, and we weren’t sure why. The boys engaged in a pushing game for a very long time until the Keepers intervened by separating them. On the way back to the stockades, their fight continued, and Dololo tried to block Musiara. Again, the Keepers cautioned Dololo to stop being mean to Musiara and Dololo listened to them, allowing Musiara to pass.
As soon as the stockade gates were opened this morning, Karisa led the orphans past the lucerne area and straight out to browse. The orphans are really enjoying feeding on the fresh grass growing everywhere and were willing to sacrifice their lucerne feed to head straight out to do that. Jotto and Musiara had a brief dispute that ended when Musiara surrendered.
Out in the bush, the orphans were briefly visited by ex-orphans Nasalot, Nusu, baby Noah and Makireti. Malima, Nabulu, Wanjala, Mundusi, Malkia, Mundusi and Sana Sana surrounded Nasalot and her children, admiring how fast Noah has grown. After Nasalot had allowed the orphans to interact with her calves for a while, it was time for her to be on her way. She led her children with their nanny Makireti away, walking west. The orphans bid goodbye to Nasalot and her children and hoped that they would be able to meet up again soon, as they love playing with other wild calves.
When it was time for the noon milk feed, Sattao led Jotto and Kauro in the first group. After having their milk, the orphans, for the first time since it rained in the area, decided to test the mud bathing water. They jumped in but came rushing out after realizing that the water was much colder than the small puddles they have been playing in recently. The orphans headed to the slopes of Ithumba Hill where they settled to browse for the rest of the day.
It was drizzling in the morning as the orphans left the stockades. They were welcomed outside by Challa, who had arrived at the compound about an hour earlier. Challa interacted briefly with the dependent orphans under the acacia tree before leaving. Wanjala, Mundusi, Rapa, Dololo and Kauro wanted to leave with Challa, but then they had second thoughts, after they realised they didn’t know how far Challa would walk and how long it would take for him to come back again. They weren’t quite ready to leave the fold, so they returned to their friends who were walking off to browse for the morning.
Moments later, it stopped drizzling and Mteto, Sapalan, Musiara, Pare, Ambo, Ndiwa, Malima and Nabulu decided to play in the wet soil and rolled around on the ground. They resumed browsing after having enough of their rolling game.
At mud bath time the orphans had their midday milk bottles and immediately went back to browsing without giving the mud bath a second thought! The afternoon was a quiet one as the orphans browsed calmly throughout the rest of the day.
The orphans headed straight out to browse after finishing their morning milk bottles. Challa passed by a short distance away, but didn't show any interest in joining the orphans. The orphans only raised their trunks up like they were waving and greeting Challa, then wished him a good day. Nabulu settled to browse with Kamok, as Wanjala played with Rapa. Enkikwe decided to stretch and exercise by lying down. As it is still a bit wet and slippery in the area, Kauro stood close to Enkikwe in case he had any trouble getting up. Kuishi moved away to be on her own and she enjoyed feeding by herself without any of her friends around. Roi teamed up with Dololo and had a brief discussion with him before parting ways. Mundusi and Galla had a misunderstanding that ended in a fight. Mundusi surrendered since his strength and tactics couldn't match those of Galla!
The orphans were reluctant to go for their noon milk bottles as they were enjoying all the green vegetation around. They ended up arriving for their milk half an hour late! Galla, Ndiwa and Rapa didn't even bother coming for their milk as they teamed up with Siangiki, Roi, Oltaiyoni, Olsekki and Naseku, who are all weaned off milk now. In the afternoon, Mapia settled to browse with Rapa while Mundusi played with Enkikwe. Mundusi finished playing with Enkikwe and moved to play with Kauro. Mundusi lost the game to Kauro then moved to try his hand on Pare, but ended up losing again. Maramoja briefly played with Malkia and then went back to browsing.
In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockades with the exception of Siangiki, Oltaiyoni, Olsekki, Naseku and Roi.
The orphans left stockades early as usual. The rains have brought much joy to all the orphans! The ex-orphans and wild elephants have disappeared off into the Park, safe in the knowledge that there is more food and water around now, allowing the areas they have been browsing in during the dry season to recover. Swinging their trunks from side to side, expressing their joy, the orphans headed straight out to browse today.
Karisa led the way followed by Dololo, and all the orphans enjoyed feeding on the fresh grass they found. Grass is the only vegetation they seem to like and enjoy at the moment, having gone without it for some time. Sattao teamed up with Sana Sana to browse. The orphans browsed around the Kone Dam, which actually doesn't have much water, despite the rain we have had.
Mundusi and Kauro, who like sparring, engaged one another in a pushing competition that lasted for quite some time. In the end, Mundusi surrendered. The sun was shining brightly as Jotto decided to take a break from feeding to have fun rolling on the ground. Ambo watched over Jotto playing, but didn't fall for his tricks, as he very well knew that if he joined him, Jotto would try and climb on him. Pare came over instead and joined Jotto. Pare, who is senior to Jotto, knew that Jotto would never try and climb on him! Ambo walked away when Pare arrived. Sapalan had a brief conversation with Mapia but we weren’t sure what they were talking about.
The orphans went for their noon milk feed at the mud bath area and then went back to browsing. They came across a small puddle later in the afternoon and decided to have a mud bath there instead. After the bush mud bath, Pare engaged Dololo in a pushing game that ended when Rapa arrived and pushed both of them away. The remainder of the day was quiet as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing!
The sky was clear in the morning as melodies of songbirds filled the air. The dependent orphans, led by Karisa, appeared to be walking along to the same tunes the birds were singing. Kauro decided to try and prove his might to Mundusi by attempting to climb on him. Mundusi resisted strongly by turning and facing Kauro head on.
Ambo couldn't get anyone to play with him, so decided to dig down at the soil using his tusks, but just when he had made enough soil to play with, he abandoned his game, as he felt that he just really needed someone to have a strength testing match with. Ambo met with Malkia who seemed to advise him that it was too early for such games, and he should first concentrate on feeding then later he could play with whoever he wanted to. Ambo heeded Malkia's advice and went back to browsing. Malkia then developed an itchy belly and decided to scratch against a tree.
Later, Sapalan, Malkia, Kuishi, Ambo, Malima, Rapa, Dololo and Esampu came across a large puddle and decided to play in it. As soon as they had enough, the orphans left the water and resumed browsing.
After having their midday bottles, the orphans carried on feeding rather than going to enjoy the mud bath. It was a hot afternoon, but the orphans have so many choices of places to cool off out in the bush, so they didn’t want to go in the main mud bath. The elephants had a peaceful afternoon and returned to the compound later in the evening for the night.
It was another clear morning! Roi, Naseku, Olsekki, Siangiki and Oltaiyoni, who arrived just past midnight last night, joined the other orphans in the morning after spending the night just outside the stockade compound. Led by Kuishi, the orphans headed east of the stockades. Ambo and Ndiwa came across an anthill and decided to play on it. Esampu, Dololo, Musiara, Malima, Pare and Sana Sana saw Ambo and Ndiwa and ran over to join them as they saw how much they were enjoying playing. Maramoja came over too, but couldn't fit in due to the limited space on the anthill, so she found her own nice area where she started rolling. Kauro, who was passing by, couldn't resist the temptation to climb on Maramoja. Maramoja saw Kauro approaching and must have read his mind, for she was up like a shot so as to prevent him from ruining her fun! When Kauro realised that his mission had failed, he moved off to play with Enkikwe instead. Enkikwe seemed to have anticipated this as he was fully prepared to tackle him, and they enjoyed a pushing game that lasted for quite a while. Roi, Malkia and Pare teamed up to feed together while Sana Sana and Ndiwa found a suitable tree that they used to scratch the side of their bellies.
At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk bottles then walked away without swimming in the main waterhole. Sapalan decided to come back and check whether all the milk bottles were finished or if there was any left. He ‘tiptoed’ over to the milk vehicle, walking very carefully as the Keepers were having their lunch, to check if there was any opening for him to put his trunk through and rummage through the bottles. His quest was completely ruined however by Maramoja, who came running over to check if the Keepers had actually called Sapalan for an extra bottle. The Keepers stood up to check why Maramoja was running over and found Sapalan at the back of the milk vehicle, trying to access the milk crates! Seeing his plan had been thwarted and the Keepers walking over, Sapalan left quietly as he knew he wouldn’t get any further now. In the afternoon, the orphans had a nice bush mud bath before returning home for the night.
It was wet when the orphans came out of their stockades this morning, as it had rained just before dawn. It was a good start to our Christmas Day! For many years, Christmas Days have been dry but green. It was a blessing indeed to receive rain today. Karisa navigated the orphans towards the north-east, where they settled to browse. Wanjala, Pare, Mundusi and Sapalan teamed up to browse, while Enkikwe engaged Roi in a pushing game. Nabulu disagreed with Sattao when Sattao tried to push her out of the way. Nabulu turned to defend herself and informed Sattao that he should not look down on her simply because she is girl! After Nabulu stood up for herself, Sattao didn't react at all but walked away and might think better of messing with Nabulu again. Mteto and Esampu decided to take a break from feeding to have a game of rolling on the ground. Their game also attracted Nabulu, Naseku, Rapa, Kuishi, Kamok, Malkia and Ndiwa.
Shortly before mud bath time, Enkikwe engaged Wanjala in a pushing game that ended in a draw. After drinking their eleven o'clock milk bottles, the orphans headed west of Ithumba Hill where they settled to browse for the rest of the day.
It was another wet morning today! The orphans, led by Karisa again, headed south-west but minutes later, they changed their mind and changed direction after realising that they had chosen a route that the majority didn't like. Instead, they headed northeast of the stockades.
Naseku and Mundusi started their morning activities by playing a rolling game on the ground. As soon as Mundusi had enough of rolling, he felt the need to have a pushing game with whoever was interested. Mundusi met with Enkikwe and thought that he might be the right elephant because he has a bad leg, and that the pushing game would be a walkover. When the game started, Enkikwe proved Mundusi wrong straight away by defeating him in the first round. Mundusi chose not to go on because he didn't want to be humiliated any further by Enkikwe! Siangiki teamed up with Oltaiyoni, Olsekki and Kauro who were browsing as a trio off to the side, as Naseku continued to enjoy her game of rolling on the ground. Kuishi browsed with Pare while Mteto briefly engaged Jotto in a pushing game that ended when Jotto surrendered. Later, Enkikwe played with Kamok before heading off to the mud bath.
After having their noon milk feed, the orphans headed up the slopes of Ithumba Hill where they settled to browse. Roi was rolling on the ground, so Mundusi decided to come over and lie on her. Later in the afternoon, Mundusi, the only bull who is trying to challenge everyone at the moment, decided to go for Kauro. Kauro didn't mind though, since he knows his character. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockades.
Mist covered the top of Ithumba Hill as the orphans left the stockades, swinging their trunks from side to side, expressing their joyful mood. Led by Roi, the orphans headed straight out to browse. The orphans scattered across the field as each tried to get the best of the best greenery. There were no funny games or antics as each elephant concentrated on browsing. Musiara nearly got left behind, as he had gone off on his own browsing tangent, but once he realised he was on his own, he let out a loud trumpet and Malkia went to collect him.
The orphans went to the mud bath for their milk at eleven o'clock then went back to browsing. In the afternoon, Karisa and Dololo joined the late-night gang that report back at whatever time they feel is best for them. This group included Olsekki, Siangiki, Oltaiyoni, Roi and Naseku. Tusuja, Barsilinga and Galla left with Kithaka over a week ago on an adventure and exploration of the wild. When it was time to gather all the orphans to take them back to the stockades, the Keepers discovered that Karisa and Dololo were missing. They started to look for them but at around 8pm, Karisa and Dololo reported back safely for the night with the late-night gang.
The orphans stood by the gates, eager and ready to begin their morning as soon as they finished their milk. Ambo and Dololo kept themselves busy with a pushing game. After the gates opened, the orphans walked down to the water trough, where they had a drink before Malkia led the way towards the Kone area, where the orphans settled to browse. Malkia teamed up with Sana Sana, while Mundusi settled with Kauro. Later, Mundusi engaged Rapa in a pushing game while Ambo played a game with Mapia, which Ambo lost. After losing, Ambo walked over to Malkia and seemed to seek advise. Malkia took Ambo through a session of training on how to handle his fellow boys. Ambo was happy to have received such a training and walked off swinging his trunk and running about in excitement. Mundusi lost his game to Rapa then moved on to play with Jotto; their game ended in a draw.
At mud bath time, the orphans had their bottles then headed towards the slopes of Ithumba Hill for the afternoon. In the evening, shortly before the orphans came back to the stockades, ex-orphans Yatta, Yetu, Yoyo, baby Yogi, Kinna, Kaia, Kama, Nasalot, Nusu, baby Noah, Naserian, Njema, Galla, Teleki, Naisula and two junior bulls showed up briefly at the stockade compound. After their inspection, the herd headed east and back off into the Park.
The rains continue, but they are starting to get lighter. We received very light drizzle overnight. In the morning, there was only dew on the grass. Karisa led the way out once more, and the orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Mundusi and Kauro, who never seem to have a clear winner between them, engaged in a pushing game that lasted for quite a while. Their game attracted Pare and Karisa, who locked their trunks in a tussle. It’s not clear how Pare learned that we were planning on moving Karisa to Class Four to join him; it’s as if Pare was warning Karisa that when he moves, he should have some respect for him. Olsekki concentrated on breaking branches from some tall trees to enjoy, as Rapa decided to have his own game of rolling on the ground. The rest of the morning was quiet as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing.
The orphans had a roadside mud bath after their noon milk feed today. For the past few days, Jotto has been uncharacteristically causing an ugly scene in the evening by bullying Sattao and Dololo. This behaviour earned himself a ticket to move up to the next class. Mteto, Karisa and Mundusi moved up to Class Four, while Kamok, Kauro and Enkikwe were promoted to the final Class Five to replace Barsilinga, Tusuja and Galla, who are enjoying life out in the wild for now.
Mist covered the top of the Ithumba Hill this morning, an indication that the rains have taken a break, if they have not gone completely. Kauro and Mundusi greeted each other this morning by starting a pushing game. Ambo wrestled Sana Sana not only for fun, but to learn some pushing tactics from her. Due to his smaller size and age, Sana Sana only tackled him lightly. Later, Ambo had fun rolling around on the ground as Maramoja and Kamok watched over him, in case he needed any help getting up.
As the orphans were browsing peacefully, Esampu spotted a lesser kudu and trumpeted at him trying to scare him away from the herd. The male kudu stood its ground however, prompting Esampu to charge towards it. Mundusi, Rapa, Dololo, Sattao and Mteto joined Esampu charging and eventually the lesser kudu ran away once he realized he was outnumbered. Maramoja settled to browse with her favourite, Musiara, as Kauro decided to climb on Mundusi who was playing on the ground.
The orphans had their noon milk feed then went to cool off in the main mud bath, their first swim in the main waterhole for awhile. Jotto, who was hesitant about getting in the water, got a rude shock from Sana Sana. She had been watching his tricks of trying to avoid getting in the water, and just as Jotto was walking along the edge, Sana Sana tiptoed from the side and knocked into Jotto, who fell like a log into the water! Sana Sana felt happy after making sure that Jotto got wet just like her and the others. Esampu and Mteto were the first to finish wallowing and came out of the water in a charging mood, and disappeared into the thicket. The rest of the group followed later. In the afternoon, Nabulu teamed up with Sattao and Malima to browse. In the evening, the late-night gang lagged behind and reported back to the stockades later in the evening.
Malkia escorted Musiara out into the bush soon after leaving the stockades. Maramoja showed up later and took over looking after her favourite, Musiara. Malkia had no option other than to let Musiara go, for she didn't want any trouble with Maramoja. Ndiwa teamed up with Malima to browse from some nice green shrubs.
A bit later, Yatta’s ex-orphan herd joined the orphans briefly, before disappearing again. They appeared to be in a hurry and didn't stay for long. The orphans didn't bother greeting the ex-orphans too much and continued to browse uninterrupted.
Everyone was very well behaved today. At eleven o'clock in the morning all the orphans attended the mud bath as usual. Soon after their midday milk feed, Dololo led the way back out to browse. Enkikwe peeled off with his longtime friends, Olsekki and Siangiki. We call these three the ‘late-night gang,’ because of their habit of returning to stockades very late.