Our Ithumba family got a bit bigger this month, with the arrival of a brand new wild-born family! In the early hours of 5th December, Naisula, Olare, Loijuk, and Lili arrived at Ithumba with a tiny baby in tow. Naisula had clearly given birth earlier that evening and wanted to share the joy with her human-elephant family. The group spent the night outside the stockades, waiting for everyone to wake up so the baby could make her grand debut.
Oldepe, who isn’t feeling well, slept standing the whole night. In the morning, he just drank half a bottle of milk then refused to take any more. Oldepe left the stockade with his friends from the Nursery, Neshashi and Roho. Outside the stockade Malkia and Sana Sana kept Oldepe company and walked with him together out to the bush. The two girls seemed to understand that Oldepe wasn’t feeling well and needed attention and love, which they were ready to offer.
Teleki joined the orphans out in the bush and he had the opportunity to meet the new arrivals. Neshashi, Oldepe and Roho seemed uninterested in Teleki's company however, and so moved further away. Teleki understood that they are still babies. Maramoja picked Roho to spend some quality time with feeding and bonding with. Neshashi, who is slowly settling down, kept moving about meeting everyone in the group. Oldepe was feeling the heat and didn't skip any water hole he came across to help cool himself down. Teleki stayed to accompany the orphans browsing for the entire day.
At mud bath time, the orphans had their noon milk feed and then walked back out to the bush to cool themselves down in the various small waterpans that have popped up everywhere. The orphans settled to browse east of the Ithumba Hill and the rest of the day remained quiet as the orphans concentrated on browsing.
We were taken aback when Oldepe collapsed early at dawn, exhausted after spending the whole night standing because he still doesn’t feel well. The Keepers assisted him to his feet.
After having their morning milk bottles the orphans were let out of their stockades and Oldepe followed them. Teleki joined the orphans again and checked on Oldepe, spending some time with him as it seemed as though he was trying to find out what was wrong with him. Teleki wished Oldepe a quick recovery before moving on and walking off into the bush. Kuishi took over taking care of Oldepe. Sapalan, Jotto, Mapia and Mteto came across a small pool of water which they drank water from and later took a bath. Later the orphans came across an even bigger water hole and decided to have fun by having a bush mud bath. When they were done, they browsed for another hour or so before heading for their noon milk feed, led by Sattao. They had their milk as usual and with no drama, then left to enjoy more bush mud baths. Naboishu took advantage of Jotto who was lying on the ground to enjoy climbing on him.
Oldepe was escorted back to the stockade compound by the entire herd. This was to avoid unnecessary movement because Oldepe had stopped feeding on anything today and we are getting very worried about him. After dropping Oldepe at the stockades, the rest of the herd walked back out to browse close by. The afternoon was a quiet one as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing.
The orphans left the compound as soon as they had finished their morning milk. Oldepe was left behind in order to continue with his treatment. Kamok and Ambo were the last ones to leave the compound today and they had to run to catch up with the others. Roho and Neshashi browsed together for sometime before rejoining their older friends. Today the orphans concentrated on feeding alone and we barely saw any games or shenanigans – they seemed to enjoy every moment as they moved from one green shrub to the next.
When it was time to head to the mud bath for the noon milk feed, the water boys and girls — Kamok, Sapalan, Enkikwe, Kauro, Pare, Rapa and Maramoja — were reluctant to go since they are not getting milk anymore. They saw it as a waste of time and energy since there is so much water to be found in the bush now and if they aren’t having milk, a trip to the mud bath would be a wasted one on them. After the rest of the orphans had their eleven o'clock milk bottles, Mteto led the group for a playful time on the pile of loose soil which is nice and damp and cool at the moment.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. Musiara teamed up with the two older girls Maramoja and Malkia to browse. Sapalan teamed up with Neshashi while Mapia chose Esampu and Jotto. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockades for another night.
Ex-orphans Nasalot, Nusu, Noah and Karisa visited the stockade compound this morning. Nasalot allowed her babies to have a brief interaction with the orphans before taking them away again. Nusu tried to challenge Mundusi but Rapa and Pare came to assist and drove Nusu away. Noah interacted briefly with Malkia, Mteto and Esampu. Karisa exchanged morning greetings with his old friends Kauro, Sapalan and Enkikwe, as he perhaps told them of his life in the wild. He must look forward to the day they too feel more independent and might wish to join him. Eventually Karisa bid his friends goodbye and wished them well before following his new group.
Roho joined Sapalan to browse this morning as Neshashi kept walking around finding the best greens she could to browse on. It was nice to see Sapalan being so welcoming to the new arrival, Roho. Later in the day, Ndiwa teamed up with Naboishu and Larro. Larro then moved again and joined Sana Sana while Maramoja settled to browse with Musiara and Jotto. The Vet arrived and attended to Oldepe as he is still unwell, and it is not at all clear why. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the compound for the night.
Ex-orphans Loijuk, Lili, Olare, Naisula and her new baby Nyx arrived at the stockades shortly before midnight and decided to spend the night just outside. In the morning, the dependent orphans were let out to start another new day. Maramoja, Malkia, Esampu and Mteto walked straight over to the baby to introduce themselves and become more familiar with her. Naisula didn't allow the girls to have full control of her baby however, and she stayed close by. Shortly later, Naisula and her herd parted ways with the dependent orphans and headed west, while the orphans headed south.
Roho teamed up with Larro to browse and we liked to think they were sharing their experiences of Nairobi and Ithumba. Neshashi, who is proving to be quite greedy, kept on moving from one shrub to the other. Perhaps she just likes sampling all the different vegetation here at Ithumba! Enkikwe, Rapa, Kamok, Mundusi, Kauro and Sapalan split from the main herd and disappeared, heading as if going back towards the stockade compound. But it appears these boys just wanted to confuse the Keepers; when they were out of sight, they used a different route that took them to the mud bath. Just before it was time to head to the mud bath, the Keepers tried to look for the boys but couldn't find them. The boys had already reached the mud bath and were feeding happily on the vegetation nearby when their friends and the Keepers arrived later!
Loijuk, Lili, Naisula, Nyx and Olare joined the orphans at mud bath too. Loijuk and her baby Lili got into the water and enjoyed wallowing for quite a while. Malkia followed Naisula with the intention of spending some time with Nyx. The sun was beating down however so Nyx preferred to walk under her mother, and Malkia couldn’t get that close. Later on, the dependent orphans parted ways with ex-orphans. The orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area and browsed calmly for the rest of the day.
Olsekki, Siangiki, Naseku, Oltaiyoni and Roi arrived at the stockade early before dawn and slept outside the stockade. In the morning, the orphans were let out and joined Oltaiyoni and her group. Out in the bush, Neshashi and Roho, who appears to be bonding with Larro the most, spend most of their morning browsing with her. Unfortunately, Oldepe still isn’t well so he is still staying behind at the stockade compound to receive treatment.
The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Sattao, Nabulu and Malima walked to the dam and drank some rainwater which had collected there. After drinking their fill, the three orphans walked back to join their friends. Mukkoka took a break from browsing to have fun rolling on the ground. Dololo came running over and started scratching his belly on Mukkoka. Obviously Mukkoka wasn't pleased about that and so got up, bringing his game to an abrupt end without choosing to fight with Dololo either.
Later, Jotto, Pare and Mapia came across a muddy water pool and decided to have fun rolling in the mud. Once they were satisfied that they had done enough mud bathing, the three boys followed their friends who were now heading for their noon milk feed. After finishing their milk the orphans just went back out to continue browsing, as they can have a mud bath anytime in the bush now. They settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Oltaiyoni and her team sneaked away and managed to take Enkikwe and Mundusi with them. In the evening, Larro led the first group back to the stockade compound. Mundusi and Enkikwe had still not returned by nine o'clock at night and apparently decided to spend the night out with Oltaiyoni’s herd.
Enkikwe and Mundusi in the company of Oltaiyoni’s group, known as the late-night gang, arrived shortly before dawn and decided to lie down to sleep outside the stockade compound. At six o'clock in the morning, the Ithumba dependent orphans were let out soon after finishing their morning bottle feed. The orphans joined the late-night gang and settled for lucerne briefly, before Neshashi led the way out to the bush followed by Ndiwa, who gently guided and directed her so she wouldn’t lead the herd in the wrong direction.
Neshashi settled to browse with Sana Sana while Mteto teamed up with Naseku. Perhaps Mteto was trying to find out from Naseku what life is like out in the wild, now that Naseku is living wild with Oltaiyoni and other friends. Perhaps Mteto might decide to join them one day soon! Sattao teamed up with Ndiwa to look for some nice vegetation, while Kamok had her favourite Ambo by her side. Maramoja settled to browse with Musiara and later took a break from feeding to have a soil dusting exercise.
At around nine thirty in the morning, devastatingly, Oldepe succumbed to his sudden illness. It was a terribly sad morning to lose such a vibrant young boy who fought to live until the last minute, but after several days without food, he was simply too weak to go on. We take comfort in the fact that Oldepe passed peacefully, supported and surrounded by his loving Keepers. The veterinarians will continue to try and establish what was wrong with Oldepe, but they seem as mystified as we are.
Shortly before mud bath time, the orphans were briefly joined by ex-orphans Nasalot, Nusu, Noah, Wendi, Wiva, Wema, Wimbi, Galana, Gawa and Karisa. Neshashi wanted to leave with the ex-orphans but the Keepers were alert and stopped her from running off with them, as it is still too early for her to re-join the wild.
At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk then went straight back to browsing. Larro tried her usual trick of stealing an extra bottle of milk, but it didn’t work as she mistimed herself and was so quick, she accidentally stole an empty bottle!
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. Sana Sana took a break from feeding to enjoy a soil dusting exercise. When she was done, Maramoja and her friend Musiara came and took over the same spot to indulge in the same game. Ambo teamed up with Nabulu for the rest of the afternoon, while Malima browsed with Naboishu until it was time to return home for the night.
The orphans left the stockade in a jovial mood, expressed by the swinging of their trunks from side to side. Jotto and Mapia took their jovial mood to the next level by engaging in a strength testing exercise. Their game continued for quite a while until Rapa showed up and interrupted their game. Sattao led the way out to the bush today.
Roho settled to browse close to Kamok which made all the Keepers watch on nervously, very much aware of Kamok’s bad temper with youngsters, but they were amazed as Kamok stretched out her trunk and touched Roho's mouth. We were all expecting Kamok to push Roho away, but it didn’t happen and after touching Roho's mouth, Kamok just continued to feed with Roho beside him. It seems Kamok is just picky about her company as until now she has only ever tolerated Ambo out of all the youngsters! Later, Roho moved to team up with Larro and Neshashi. Ndiwa passed by and took Roho and Neshashi with her. They moved further away from their friends and settled to browse, with Ndiwa teaching the babies about some feeding techniques and some nice vegetation options to be found at Ithumba.
At mud bath time, the orphans drank their noon milk bottles, then Rapa and Maramoja led the group for a roadside mud bath. Rapa and Maramoja rolled on the ground back-to-back. Kuishi, Ndiwa, Neshashi and Roho had a soil dusting game before getting up and moving deeper into the thicket to browse. Malima teamed up with Mapia to browse while Sattao and Musiara engaged each other in a pushing game, but it didn't last long as they wanted to get back to browsing before having to return home.
In the evening on the way back to the compound, the orphans enjoyed rolling on the ground to play and scratch any itchy spots, before Larro took the lead and guided everyone home for the night.
Soon after leaving the compound, the orphans, led by Mteto, headed straight out to browse without stopping for any supplement food today. They settled to browse in the area known as Kone; with so much vegetation to choose from at the moment after receiving some rain, the orphans settled for the grass in this area which is much easier to pull with their trunks and put in their mouth. The orphans seemed to really enjoy their morning, as they thanked the rains for bringing so much green vegetation that they have missed for so long.
Dololo and Naboishu took a break from feeding and engaged each other in a strength testing match. Kauro settled to feed with Mteto while Malkia joined Roho. The ex-orphans passed close by and managed to leave with both Enkikwe and Mundusi.
At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk and then Sana Sana led everyone back out to browse. Shortly later, Neshashi overtook Sana Sana to take the lead, followed by Roho. The orphans settled to browse east of Ithumba Hill. Mteto, Esampu, Pare and Malima took a break from feeding to have fun rolling on the ground.
In the evening, shortly before going back to the stockades, Naboishu engaged Rapa into a pushing game. Rapa didn't use his full might against Naboishu, as he understood the young bull only wanted to learn some new pushing techniques from him.
It was a wet morning following some rain we received overnight. The orphans were let out soon after finishing their morning bottles. It was still drizzling as Mteto led the way out. Nabulu and Jotto found some nice trees that they used to scratch their bellies on. Roho seemed very happy to be in Malima’s company as he continues to learn more about life at Ithumba.
Kamok, Ambo, Esampu, Maramoja, Naboishu, Ndiwa, Kuishi, Mukkoka and Pare took a break from feeding to have fun rolling on ground and smearing themselves in red mud, the colour of the soil. Naboishu took advantage of his friends who were lying down and decided to climb on them, since he can’t do it when they’re standing up because he is too small! Dololo, who was watching from a distance, rumbled to call Naboishu, as if he wanted to tell him something. Naboishu walked towards Dololo who extended his trunk to him in greeting, then the two had a light pushing game, until Dololo decided to ramp things up a bit. Dololo jumped on Naboishu's back to climb on him in the same way he was doing to his friends just a moment ago. Naboishu protested and disengaged from Dololo then turned to fight to defend himself. Things would have turned ugly were not for Rapa who emerged and separated the two boys.
In the afternoon, Neshashi settled to browse with Roho while Malkia teamed up with Kuishi. Ambo had a strength testing game with Mapia while Mundusi played with Pare. In the evening, Neshashi led the way back to the stockades.
The orphans headed straight to the browsing field soon after leaving their night stockades where they settled to browse in the Kanziku area. They didn’t make any time for fun as each elephant searched for the best and softest vegetation they could find. Later, some of the orphans chose to relax a bit, with the likes of Mukkoka and Dololo taking a break from feeding to engage in a strength testing game. Naboishu walked over to Sana Sana and had a brief conversation with her before leaving to play with Ambo. Malima had a good time with Musiara as they browsed together for nearly two hours, while Neshashi, Roho and Pare enjoyed feeding together too.
Enkikwe, Sapalan and Mundusi parted ways with their friends only to re-join them at the mud bath, before leaving again.
After having their bottles, Nabulu, Musiara and Malkia stood close by as they tried to find out if there was any milk leftover. As soon as all the empty bottles were returned to the car, the three orphans knew the answer and left to join their friends.
In the afternoon, the orphans returned to the Kanziku area where they settled to browse for the rest of the day. Kamok browsed with Ambo while Larro teamed up with Malima.
It was Larro who led the first group back to the stockades tonight. Mundusi, Sapalan and Enkikwe didn't turn up with their friends and chose to spend the night out.
It was another wet morning following some more rain we received overnight. Sapalan, Mundusi and Enkikwe had not yet reported in from their night out. It appears that the three boys met with some of the former orphans and decided to extend their stay out. Only time will tell if this is a permanent decision for the boys or if they intend on returning. And that might depend on their experience of their night out.
Despite only recently arriving at Ithumba, Neshashi led the way out to the bush this morning. Given so much vegetation everywhere, the orphans started feeding just a few metres away from the stockade compound, as they headed towards Kone area.
After about an hour of feeding, Mukkoka decided to take a break to have fun rolling on the wet soil. Some of the other bulls saw what Mukkoka was doing and decided to join in the fun too. Rapa, Roho, Pare, Ambo, Dololo and Musiara got down to roll and smear themselves with red mud. The girls, Kamok, Neshashi, Kuishi and Esampu, joined the boys later too. After having enough fun rolling on the ground, Ambo engaged Mukkoka in a strength testing exercise while Dololo tackled Musiara. Nabulu teamed up with Mteto to browse while Kuishi settled to feed with the new arrivals Neshashi and Roho. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area without any major disruptions as they continued to enjoy all the new delicious vegetation.
It rained overnight again and it was still wet when the orphans left their stockades this morning. Neshashi was the first one to come out and tried to head straight out to browse, but the Keepers whistled for her to tell her that she should wait for the rest of her friends. Neshashi turned and walked back to the others. Shortly later, it was unanimously agreed that everyone should head west, and Neshashi overtook every one and led the way.
Sattao chose to browse with Kauro, Nabulu with Neshashi and Kamok settled to browse with her favourite, Ambo. We are quite interested to see if, when the time comes, Kamok might leave for the wild with Ambo or if she will leave her young friend behind. The same applies to Maramoja who has remained a close friend to Musiara for quite some time.
The orphans decided to concentrate on browsing without making time for much fun and games right up to mud bath time, when they were joined by Naseku, Oltaiyoni, Roi, Olsekki and Siangiki. With the recent rain the mud bath is full up to the brim again, and the dependent orphans joined the ‘late-night gang’ in wallowing in what has now become almost a lake! When everyone had enough of wallowing, Esampu led the way out, trumpeting in excitement. Her trumpets roused all her friends into a charging mood and soon all the orphans were running around in the bushes, stamping and knocking down whatever came across their path. Shortly later, the excitement died away and orphans settled back into browsing. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the compound for the night.
Sana Sana woke up in a jovial mood. Soon after leaving her stockade, she expressed her joy by rolling and sitting on the ground. Neshashi, as usual, overtook everyone and ran to the front to take the lead. The rains seem to have taken a break and the orphans headed to the Kone area again where they settled to browse.
Roho, whilst wandering around in search of the best soft vegetation, happened to step on a thorn. He carefully lifted his left front foot and used his trunk to pull the thorn out, then continued feeding. Mukkoka found a nice tree that he used to scratch his ear on. Neshashi came across some nice damp soil and started playing in it, kicking at the ground with her feet and using her trunk to throw the cool soil on her back. Having seen the nice spot she found, Roho and Larro soon joined her. Neshashi left when she had enough, and Roho walked off to team up with Naboishu to browse. He didn’t stay with Naboishu long however as he started bullying him and trying to take food from his mouth. Roho moved on to browse with Pare while Neshashi teamed up with Mapia. Naboishu, Nabulu and Ndiwa walked to the Kone dam and helped themselves to water before browsing again. Pare and Musiara came across some muddy water and after playing there for a while their colour changed from grey to red before our eyes. Ambo had a disagreement with Naboishu that resulted in a fight, but Naboishu surrendered.
At mud bath time, Neshashi led the way for eleven o'clock milk feed. Soon after finishing their milk the orphans got in the main waterhole, which is huge now, and had a spectacular wallowing session. They settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill for the rest of the day.
Soon after the gates were opened for the orphans to come out, Kamok walked over and collected her favourite Ambo before happily walking out with him to the bush. On the way out, Ambo felt the urge to have a quick game of rolling around on the ground. Kamok stopped and waited for Ambo to finish his fun, then they both moved off deeper into the bushes.
Mapia teamed up with Rapa to browse and shortly later the two boys locked trunks in a strength testing exercise; the experienced Rapa carried the game! Their fun attracted Ambo and Naboishu too, who engaged each other in a pushing game that lasted for quite sometime. Eventually, Naboishu surrendered and moved on to continue feeding.
Neshashi led the first group to the mud bath; she is really enjoying her leading role at Ithumba it seems! As soon as the orphans were done with their milk, Nabulu led them all over to the mud bath to wallow. Musiara, Malkia, Malima, Maramoja and Mteto were the last ones out of the water, as the older girls patiently waited until Musiara was through with his game of sitting in the water.
In the afternoon, Sana Sana, Kamok and Esampu teamed up together and had some girl-talk before parting ways. Jotto settled to browse with Neshashi and Roho.
In the evening, Mundusi showed up at the stockade compound with Yatta’s ex-orphan herd. Mundusi, Sapalan and Enkikwe have been away for several days now, after testing some nights out away from the stockades and what life in the wild is like.
At five o'clock in the evening, Jotto led the way back to the compound.
When the gates opened in the morning for the orphans to get out, Maramoja walked over to pick up her favourite Musiara. As usual, Neshashi, who always wants to be a head of everybody, led the way out. The orphans headed over to the Kanziku area where they met with the ex-orphans Yatta, Loijuk, Naisula, Olare, Kandecha, Kasigau, Galana (and all their babies), plus their friends who left a few days ago Mundusi, Sapalan and Enkikwe. The girls Esampu, Mteto, Ndiwa, Malkia and Maramoja were very interested in getting to know baby Nyx a little more, but Nyx was quite scared of these new elephants and so opted to hide under her mother. Roho met with Yogi and engaged him in a pushing game that lasted for quite sometime. Later, playful Roho moved on to play with Lili. This is the first time Neshashi and Roho have got to play with some wild elephants, being the babies born to our orphans living wild now, and they had a lot of fun in these interactions. So much so, that when it was time to leave, Neshashi and Roho wanted to leave with the ex-orphans but the Keepers blocked them from doing so. Roho looked as though he hoped to meet up with those babies again soon, so he could spend some more quality time playing with them.
Malima settled to feed with Sattao while Sana Sana teamed up with Neshashi and Roho to keep an eye on them. At mud bath time, the orphans had a spectacular wallowing session soon after finishing their milk bottles. Malkia, Musiara, Maramoja and Ndiwa were the last ones to leave the water. They first one to leave was Larro, followed by Neshashi and Roho, as they wanted to play on the mound of loose soil instead.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. It was a quiet afternoon as the orphans enjoyed feeding on green grass for the rest of the day.
It was a cool morning and the two bulls Jotto and Mapia decided to begin their day by engaging each other in a strength- testing wrestling match. Their game attracted several other bulls who decided to imitate them. Naboishu engaged Ambo into a pushing game while Rapa played with Pare. Naboishu quit playing with Ambo and moved on to Sana Sana who, as she is older, taught him several lessons in different pushing tactics. The tough and fearless Naboishu then walked over to Mapia and tried to put into practice what he had just learned from Sana Sana, but Mapia isn’t the kind of bull to tolerate such insolence from a younger boy and he gave him a ‘knockout’ shove in the first round! It seems as if he knows that although Naboishu is younger he is big and strong and might pose a threat to his status in the near future. Jotto moved to play with Musiara and Ambo decided to come over to assist Musiara, who he shares a stockade with at night. Jotto, who graduated to the next class two weeks ago, wanted to bully Musiara, but Ambo wouldn’t allow it. Jotto decided to quit after the two boys ganged up against him. It appeared that Jotto was still in a playful mood however, as he walked off to engage Dololo in a pushing game instead. Dololo, who is always up for anything, tackled Jotto without fear.
Kamok settled to browse with Kauro and the Keepers remarked how the two orphans are the oldest in the dependent herd at the moment, and we considered when they might be ready to become more independent. The two orphans held their conversation for quite some time and we couldn’t help wishing to know what they were talking about. Already Mundusi, Enkikwe, Sapalan and Karisa have moved on and are currently with Yatta’s ex-orphan herd, as they make their first attempt to start a new life outside the stockades and all the protection it affords.
Malkia teamed up with Esampu and Maramoja and the three girls had their own private conversation. Shortly before mud bath time, Jotto engaged Rapa in a pushing game but ended up loosing to Rapa. After having their bottles, the new leader Neshashi led all the orphans to enjoy wallowing in the now deep mud bath. The orphans settled to calmly browse west of Ithumba Hill for the rest of the afternoon.
As soon as the orphans came out of their night stockades this morning, the ex-orphans emerged from the east and joined them briefly. Neshashi and Roho wanted to leave with them again, but some quick reactions from the Keepers saved the day. Roho in particular seems to have struck up a great friendship with Yatta’s baby Yogi from the last time they met, and he wanted to be with him.
The dependent orphans headed to the area known as Kone. Kamok and Ambo visited the Kone dam and had some water before joining their friends to browse. Dololo, Jotto and Musiara came across some loose soil that they enjoyed playing and rolling around in. They were later joined by Kuishi, Esampu, Sattao, Mukkoka and Larro. When they had enough fun and games, they orphans got stuck into browsing again.
Shortly before mud bath time, Musiara chose to initiate a pushing match with Pare, and because they are quite evenly matched their game ended in a draw. As she walked along, Neshashi came across a muddy water hole which she decided to cool off in. All the other orphans joined her and shortly afterwards, Naboishu led the way to the mud bath for the noon milk feed.
After having their bottles, Nabulu led her friends into the main waterhole for a swim. Neshashi was the first one to leave, followed by Nabulu and Roho. The ex-orphans Makireti, Kilabasi, Wendi, Wema, Wimbi, Sunyei, Siku, Saba, Galana, Gawa and Wanjala showed up at the mud bath and after a brief swim they left again.
While browsing to the east of Ithumba Hill, Mapia stopped to engage Rapa in a pushing game that lasted for quite some time. The game eventually came to an end when Mapia emerged as the winner.
Ambo and Musiara started their playful pushing game before the gates to their night stockade were even opened for them to come out. After all the orphans had finished their milk, the gates were opened. The ex-orphans passed by the Ithumba compound as they seemed to be on their way somewhere, meanwhile, the Ithumba orphans proceeded to the area known as Kone where they settled to feed.
The sky was clear and this signaled a hot day ahead. The orphans didn’t seem perturbed however as they focused on all the new green vegetation to be found, and the many puddles and water holes which they can use to cool themselves off if the temperature becomes too much. Kamok and Malkia visited the Kone dam for a drink and later walked back to join their friends.
The orphans had a quiet day as they enjoyed feeding on the lush vegetation without any major distractions. At eleven o'clock in the morning, they headed to the mud bath for their noon milk feed. When they were done, Nabulu and Sattao led their friends in a spectacular wallowing session. All the elephants had a great time swimming and stayed in the water for some time, as it was indeed a hot day.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse on the slopes of Ithumba Hill. Sana Sana took Neshashi and Roho off away from the others and settled to browse with them. In the evening, Larro led the way back to the stockades for the night.
Soon after leaving the stockades this morning, Ambo decided to invite Mukkoka, a couple of years his junior, for a strength testing match, while Neshashi started her day by performing a soil dusting exercise. It was Kuishi who led everyone out to browse today, and as soon as they reached the area it looked like they were going to settle to browse, some of the bulls decided to have fun by rolling on the ground on top of each other. Sattao got down on his knees while Musiara came and tried to lean up against him. Pare, Naboishu, Rapa and Jotto soon joined in the game.
As the orphans walked on to browse in the Kone area, Kuishi teamed up with Dololo while Malkia joined Kauro. Maramoja settled with her little Musiara as caring Sana Sana teamed up with Naboishu. Later, Mukkoka and Naboishu came across a small pool of water which they drank heartily from as they were obviously thirsty. Just before mud bath time, Sattao and Musiara took sometime off from browsing to have a strength testing exercise. Their game attracted Maramoja and Rapa who fought fiercely until Rapa decided to surrender. Mapia had his own game of rolling on the ground.
At mud bath time the orphans had their bottles then, as usual, Nabulu led the way into the waterhole. Neshashi, Roho and Esampu were the first ones to finish swimming and left the water in an excitable mood, which was evident from their trumpeting and charging about. Pare and Musiara on the other hand were the last ones to leave, and once they were out they engaged each other in a tough wrestling match. Kauro, who was passing by, intervened by separating the two boys.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Rapa invited Mapia for pushing game but Mapia declined since he wasn’t interested in playing. His unresponsiveness annoyed Rapa who decided to provoke Mapia further by jumping on his back. Mapia tried as much as he could to disengage himself from Rapa and finally he succeeded and moved away from the boisterous bull.
Soon after leaving their night stockades this morning both Kuishi and Nabulu led the way out to the bush. It seems they didn’t want to hang around this morning, and it wasn’t long before the two girls teamed up together to get down to some serious browsing. The ex-orphans joined them briefly and Sapalan, who has been away with the ex-orphans for a few nights now, joined the dependent orphans again. It's not clear if he is coming back permanently or just greeting us before leaving again and only time will tell. Enkikwe, Mundusi and Karisa didn't show any interest in coming back to their friends however, and left again with the ex-orphans.
Ambo, Musiara, Pare and Malkia came across a small water pan and decided to roll around in the mud. Once they were done, the four orphans left, giving way to Sapalan and Rapa who got in and enjoyed smearing themselves with red mud.
Roho led the first group to the mud bath for the noon milk feed. Soon after having their milk, Nabulu, Sattao, Neshashi and Roho led everyone into the mud bath to cool off. While in the water Rapa climbed on Mapia’s back, while Kamok, Esampu and Mteto enjoyed rolling and sitting in the water. Musiara was the last one to leave the mud bath as he was enjoying the water so much. The older girls Ndiwa and Malkia stood at the waters edge waiting for him and once Musiara decided to come out, the two girls escorted him back out to browse. Kauro kept charging at two ducks that were flying about the water’s edge, and he only stopped when he got tired of charging at what he couldn't reach! In the afternoon, Pare and Malkia settled to browse together while Ambo teamed up with Ndiwa and Sana Sana. In the evening, Larro led the way to the browsing field.
For a change it was quite cloudy today when the orphans left the stockades this morning. Naboishu met with Sana Sana outside and requested her to help him learn some new pushing techniques by playing with him. Sana Sana accepted and took Naboishu through series of pushing exercises. At last, Naboishu got tired and thanked Sana Sana for her time before walking off. Ndiwa, Jotto, Ambo, Dololo and Malima decided to start their day by having fun rolling on the ground. Sapalan, who still seems to be deciding what is right for him and whether to stay dependent or leave with the ex-orphans again, teamed up with Pare and Mteto. Perhaps he was sharing what his few nights out had been like! Later, Sapalan left with Rapa only to show up again at the mud bath.
Nabulu led her colleagues into the water and they all had a spectacular time wallowing. Dololo attempted to bully Mukkoka in the water by jumping into his back. Neshashi, Roho and Esampu were the first ones to leave after having enough of swimming in the water. Pare, Musiara and Kauro were the last ones to leave the mud bath. Once Pare and Musiara were out of the water the two boys engaged each other in a strength testing exercise. Their game was brought to an end by Kauro who intervened by pushing the two boys away. It seems Kauro is interfering in quite a few pushing games at the moment for some reason!
In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Ambo teamed up with Kamok while Sana Sana took care of Neshashi and Roho. The rest of the day was quiet as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing. On the way back to the stockades the orphans passed by the mud bath for an evening cooling-off session. On the way back to the stockades the orphans encountered a buffalo. At first the orphans seemed tense but Kauro, Pare and Esampu charged and trumpeted, making the buffalo run away and allowing the orphans to continue on their way home.
Ambo and Malima came out of their stockades and had their own private meeting and we couldn’t help but wonder what they were talking about. They later walked out together to the bush together. Sapalan and Rapa engaged each other in a pushing game until Kauro once again passed by and decided to bring an end to the game his friends were playing, pushing both of them away. Sapalan was annoyed by this and walked off shaking his head, wondering why Kauro always thinks himself strong enough to bring an end to his friends wrestling matches, yet won’t join them out in the wild. Challa, Olsekki, Roi, Siangiki, Oltaiyoni and Naseku joined the orphans briefly before walking away. Sapalan decided to join the group and left Kauro and his inability to decide when it might be the right time to leave their human family. Larro settled to browse with Maramoja and later teamed up with Ndiwa.
Neshashi led the first group to the eleven o'clock milk feed and it was a moderate temperature today, so all the orphans decided to wallow after. Neshashi and Naboishu were the first ones to come out. Jotto was the only one who didn’t properly wallow today; he only washed his legs by wading through the water. After leaving the water, Maramoja, who has become a rival of Rapa, engaged him in a pushing game that ended in a draw; from the look of things however if Rapa isn’t careful, he will sooner or later be losing to Maramoja!
In the afternoon, Musiara, Mteto and Mapia moved a distance away from the rest and browsed as they headed north of Ithumba Hill. All the orphans returned safely to the stockades for the night.
Kauro and Kamok lagged behind in the morning as their friends headed out to browse. Everyone was walking in the direction of Kone where sure enough, they stopped to spread themselves out and browse on all the vegetation found there. Pare, Naboishu and Jotto visited the small dam and helped themselves to enough water before resuming browsing. Maramoja had her own game of rolling on the ground. Malkia passed by and stopped to look at Maramoja, as if she was asking if she needed any help as it appeared Maramoja was struggling to get up! Malkia soon carried on though so it seemed as though Maramoja was just having fun.
Dololo had a pushing game with Jotto and ended up losing to him. With his feelings and pride hurt, Dololo went off in search of someone he could defeat. Dololo soon came across Mukkoka and requested to have a strength testing exercise with him. Mukkoka declined the invitation as he had already read what was in Dololo's mind! He already understood that Dololo just wanted to vent his anger on someone else after suffering a humiliating defeat from Jotto.
At mud bath time, Nabulu, as usual, led her friends into the water to wallow. Dololo at last saw his opportunity and took advantage of Mukkoka rolling in the water and jumped on his back to show his dominance. Kauro was close by and came to Mukkoka's rescue by pushing Dololo off his back. Ex-orphan Challa joined the orphans briefly and wallowed with them. Neshashi, Naboishu and Roho were the first ones to come out of the water as they wanted to get back to browsing and fill their tummies before returning home.
Soon after leaving the stockades, Rapa and Maramoja, who are still trying to out do each other, locked themselves into a wrestling match. Musiara opted to play a more light-hearted game with Sattao. Sattao quit the game eventually and gave way to Pare to have a strength testing exercise with Musiara instead. Nabulu, Mukkoka and Roho teamed up to browse together. Jotto came across a muddy waterhole and he happily rolled around by himself in the mud.
Ex-orphans Galana, Gawa, Loijuk, Lili and Olare joined the orphans briefly. Roho went to play with Lili. Neshashi once again showed interest in leaving with the ex-orphans, but the Keepers intervened and called Neshashi back to follow her still dependent friends.
Larro led the first group of orphans to the mud bath while Neshashi led the second one. After finishing his milk, Roho attempted to grab another bottle from the ground but the Keepers spotted him before he could pick it up. Had he been quick enough like Larro, he definitely would have succeeded in having an extra bottle! As usual these days the orphans decided to spend their afternoon browsing to the west of Ithumba Hill. Rapa engaged Kauro in a pushing game but he quit when the going got a bit too tough.
This morning the dependent orphans decided to have a quick snack on some lucerne pellets put out for them by the Keepers before heading out to browse for the day. A wild elephant herd passed two hundred metres away with three young babies. Mteto and Esampu realized there were some youngsters in the herd and ran to meet the wild family, but they were disappointed as they got closer as it turned out the matriarch was very protective, and chased them away. Esampu and Mteto felt disheartened and sorry that they had run all the way to meet the family and didn’t get to meet the babies. The wild herd continued heading west while the orphans headed south of the compound.
Malima and Naboishu took a break from browsing to have fun rolling on the ground. Later, Ambo played with Jotto while Malima teamed up with Mapia and Esampu in browsing. Roho, Ndiwa, Neshashi and Rapa visited the Kone dam for a drink as Ambo engaged Naboishu in a strength testing exercise. Ambo emerged as the winner, prompting Naboishu to walk over to Sana Sana for some advanced training in pushing tactics. It seems Sana Sana is the go-to instructor these days! Ambo moved to play with Mapia after winning his game against Naboishu. Mukkoka rolled on the ground in his own little game.
After going through a series of vigorous training techniques from Sana Sana, Naboishu decided to test his acquired skills against Roho. Roho, who is also a tough boy, defended himself defiantly.
Neshashi and Dololo led the first group to the mud bath for the noon milk feed. Melia, her baby Milo and two wild bulls visited the mud bath briefly too. Milo got into the small mud bath but was unable to get out. As the Keepers prepared to help him out, Milo walked over to the other side as was able to get out by himself. Mteto and Esampu managed to sneak away from the Keepers and their friends to join Milo and his mother for the rest of the afternoon. It seems they were trying to make up for missing the interaction with the babies in the morning, so decided to help Melia look after Milo instead. A wild bull briefly joined the orphans to wallow in the mud bath but when he saw the Keepers walking over to the water he decided to get out and walk away. Kauro, Kamok and Musiara were the last ones to quit leave the water today.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill as usual. Mteto and Esampu showed up back at the stockades later in the evening along with Wendi and her baby Wimbi.
The orphans woke up in a happy mood today which we could tell because they were swinging their trunks from side to side as they walked out to the bush, and this always signifies a carefree and happy feeling. The boys Sattao, Roho, Mukkoka, Musiara and Ambo teamed up together. Kauro found a suitable rock that he used to scratch his buttocks against and later headed over to the Kone dam where he joined his friends who were drinking water there. After the orphans had enough water, Neshashi took over the lead. Jotto chose to browse with Kamok. Mapia came across a large puddle which was slowly drying up so it was left with a very muddy centre, and he decided to have fun rolling around in it and covering himself in wet mud.
Neshashi led her friends into the main waterhole later after the noon milk feed. All the orphans enjoyed the water so much we believe they broke their record of the month by playing in there for nearly a full hour! Esampu was the first one out as usual, and was very excited as she ran about trumpeting and stamping her feet through the bush. Esampu often likes to create a scene! Ndiwa, Sana Sana, Mteto and Pare headed for a soil dusting exercise to dry off, while Sattao engaged Dololo in a strength testing game.
In the afternoon, Ambo played with Mukkoka while Rapa played with Maramoja. A short while later, a lesser kudu sprang out of the bushes and ran past some of the orphans. This gave Roho and Neshashi such a fright, but Mteto, Ndiwa and Sana Sana surrounded them and prevented them from panicking, showing them that there was no danger at all. The rest of the day was quiet as the orphans concentrated on browsing without any further distractions.
The orphans had their first breakfast milk bottle around 6am and then came out of the stockades to begin their day. They started off by walking past the Kone dam and drinking some rainwater there. Pare started rolling on the ground playing and was soon joined by Musiara. Kauro came close to Musiara and started patting him with his trunk. Rapa and Maramoja were at it again and had a long wrestling match in the bush this morning, before all the orphans started making their way to the mud bath for their noon milk feed.
Challa chose to join the orphans at the mud bath and even got in the water to join them while they were swimming and playing. Some of the orphans, especially Roho and Neshashi, were a little scared of him because he is so big, but Challa is so friendly and they all wallowed together without any issues at all. Mundusi and Kauro started a vigorous wrestling match while in the main waterhole, which continued even after they left the water and arrived at the next muddy puddle they came across.
There is so much vegetation around at the moment from the recent rains that all the orphans looked happy and active as they browsed for the rest of the afternoon.
While the orphans were out today, Yatta and Wendi's ex-orphan herd visited the compound with their babies and two wild bulls accompanying them. Yetu and her new baby Yebo were with them and both seem to be doing well.
It was a beautiful and quiet morning today as the orphans came out of their stockade compound to begin their day. Mukkoka and Naboishu started playfighting while heading out to the bush. Wendi arrived at the compound with Yatta, Lenana, Naserian, Galana, Naisula, Ithumbah, Kilabasi and all their wild born young to say hello to the dependent orphans, before walking off again. Naisula and her baby Nyx are doing very well. Maramoja went running up to Ithumbah to greet and hopefully interact with her baby Iman, which Ithumbah didn’t mind. Eventually it was time for the orphans to begin their browsing day.
All the orphans looked active and focused this morning. Larro browsed together with Mteto while Roho was busy browsing on his own.
At the mud bath later in the morning, the orphans had their milk feed and then walked to the waterhole to wallow. They really enjoyed wallowing today and once again spent quite a long time in the water. Roho in particular was splashing about everywhere, while Mapia was trying to climb on Jotto and ride on his back.
The orphans looked very tired this afternoon after all their mud bath antics! They were happy that they didn’t have to walk as far as days gone by to find enough browse to eat. At the end of the day, they slowly sauntered back to the compound for the night with Nabulu and Larro in the lead. Enkikwe, Mundusi, Sapalan and Karisa are still out with the ex-orphans and haven’t returned to the stockades yet.
It was a good start to the day today and the orphans opted to walk straight out to the bush to begin browsing without messing about in the compound. They walked across to the Kone dam as usual to have some of the sweet, tasty rainwater. Musiara and Dololo started playfighting next to Sattao who ignored them and continued to drink. Pare decided to walk across the dam to browse on the other side. Malkia, Mukkoka and Sana Sana browsed quietly together.
The orphans played in the main waterhole for some time again after having their noon milk feed. Ndiwa was busy stretching high up into the surrounding trees to reach the greenest leaves possible. Meanwhile her friend Malima opted to browse alone. Mapia started playing with Ambo until it was time to walk back home to the stockades for the night. Enkikwe, Karisa, Sapalan and Mundusi are still out living an independent life with the ex-orphans and have showed no sign of returning anytime soon, and we feel very proud and happy for them doing so well.
It was another beautiful morning to herald the last day of the year today. The orphans came rushing out of their respective night stockades to be the first to have a snack of the lucerne supplement the Keepers were putting out. When they were done the orphans meandered out south of the stockades to begin their day.
It’s still very green everywhere and the orphans focused on browsing this morning. Roho enjoyed browsing close together with Esampu and Ambo. Malkia took a break to play and roll in a sand pit, while Mapia, Jotto and Ambo were having a group discussion away from the others.
Later on at the mud bath each of the orphans had his or her share of milk according to their age before walking over to the water to swim. They really enjoyed wallowing again with Roho rolling and scratching his neck on the wall of the mud bath. Esampu was next to him digging at the sides with her tusks. Mundusi and Kauro were busy playfighting and were some of the last orphans to come out of the water, who had to run to catch up with their friends in the bush.
When they caught up to everyone, they found Pare happy playing and messing about with Musiara. Pare then went to join Malkia and Kuishi who were browsing together. Soon Sapalan and Enkikwe showed up out of the blue to greet their friends, after spending about a week now out in the wild with some of the ex-orphans. They looked extremely strong and energeticc which was wonderful to see. Karisa seems to have joined up with Wendi's herd and is doing very well there too. We know that many of the older orphans in the Ithumba dependent herd were waiting for the rains so that they might feel more comfortable about spending more time in the wild and gaining their independence, and now that we have had some rain it is clear that is what is starting to happen.
Also of note was Kithaka's departure. After spending several months convalescing at Ithumba as his hurt leg healed, he finally felt ready to re-embark upon his wild life.
We couldn’t have asked for a more fitting end to the year than these new opportunities on the horizon for the orphans at Ithumba.