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Kithaka and Orwa started the day’s activities by scratching their buttocks against the nearby trees. Vuria and Bongo enjoyed their usual strength testing games which resulted in a draw. In the browsing field the juniors were joined by Kilaguni, Chaimu, Kilabasi, Kasigau, Ishanga and Makireti who were all welcomed by Orwa who engaged Kasigau in a pushing game. The partially independent browsed with the juniors for almost two hours before heading further into the park. At the mudbath the juniors were joined by big ex orphans bull Orok who went straight into the mudwallow. Despite it being a hot day only Kanjoro joined Orok for a mudbath. Orok started to mount Kanjoro who was not in the mood to carry Orok’s weight and was quick to leave the mudbath. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at the Kanziku area together with Orok who stayed with them for an hour before heading off to look for the other partially independent group to join up with them. In the evening, Orwa and Barsilinga dodged the keepers which meant that the group returned to the stockades later than normal as they were busy looking for the two naughty boys who had made their own way back to the stockades where they were eventually joined by the rest of the orphan herd..

After leaving the stockade Vuria went to stand at Barsilinga's gate and tried to stop him from coming out by blocking his exit. Barsilinga fought back pushing Vuria until he was able to get past. Chaimu who had spent the night just outside the stockade entwined her trunk with Bomani in greeting as he exited the stockade. In the browsing field Vuria decided to engage Barsilinga in a strength testing and pushing game which Vuria won after Barsilinga conceded defeat and gave up. Barsilinga then went to mount Orwa who was enjoying rolling around on the ground playing and dustbathing. Teleki challenged Chaimu to strength testing games. Teleki gave up when he saw that it would be difficult for him to win and withdrew and resumed his browsing activities. Before the orphans made their way to the mudbath they were joined by Kilaguni, Ishanga, Kanjoro, Mutara and Suguta. Orwa was happy to see his older friends with whom he enjoyed playing pushing games. He first engaged Kilaguni in a game before taking on Kanjoro and later Ishanga. At the mudbath Bongo, Kilaguni, Kanjoro, Teleki, Ishanga and Garzi were the only ones who enjoyed wallowing while the others entertained themselves with different activities. Most of the group enjoyed soil dusting while Barsilinga scratched against the nearby trees and Kithaka relaxed in the shade. Chaimu led the group back to the browsing fields for the afternoon where they came across a drying pool where they enjoyed a mudbath. Kithaka led the way back to the stockades in the evening.

Early in the morning, Makireti, Kasigau, Kilabasi and Kilaguni were at the stockade compound. It appeared that the four ex-orphans reported late during the night and were tired and so decided to spend the night just outside the stockade. As Makireti group’s waited for the juniors to come out, Kasigau and Kilaguni kept themselves busy by pushing one another. Kilabasi was the first one to go into the stockades when the gates opened to welcome the juniors out. Kilabasi met with Narok and they exchanged morning greetings. Once she got into the stockade she forgot about greeting the other juniors and so concentrated on looking for what they might have left for her to feed on. Since there wasn’t much left for her to feed on, Kilabasi turned and followed the juniors out. In the stockade compound Orwa busied himself by engaging Kilabasi in a pushing game. Kasigau, who was standing close by, stepped forward and ganged up with Kilabasi to fight Orwa who appears to be a threat to them in the near future. Orwa had no option other than to surrender because he could not withstand the combined strength of the duo. Kilabasi went to play with Teleki. Later the group led by Makireti headed to the browsing field. At around nine o’clock in the morning, Olare and her herd visited the stockade and as soon as they had enough water, the group left to an undisclosed location. In the browsing field Garzi spent some time feeding with Sities while Lemoyian soil dusted as Orwa engaged Kilabasi in a strength testing game. At mud bath time, Tomboi arrived moments before the juniors. As soon as the juniors arrived, they drank their milk then, Bongo, Teleki, Kilaguni, Kilabasi, Makireti, Kasigau, Vuria and Turkwel joined Tomboi in wallowing. The rest opted just to dust themselves on the sidelines. Barsilinga stepped on Laragai’s trunk by mistake which annoyed Laragai. Laragai didn’t understand that Barsilinga had done it by mistake and Laragai pushed him hard. Barsilinga didn’t retaliate as he knew he would only take the issue from bad to worse. He left without a word! Laragai is feared by the younger boys because she is strong and never surrenders. An hour later, the group in the company of Tomboi headed south of the mud bath. A short while later Rapsu and Taita passed by the mud bath as they searched for Tomboi. In the evening, Makireti and her group parted ways with the juniors. Soon after returning back to the stockade, Bongo started bullying Narok and knocking her down for no apparent reason, an action that earned him an immediate transfer to join the older girls Shukuru, Turkwel, Sities and Kainuk who would dole out some much needed discipline.

Makireti, Ololoo, Kilaguni, Kilabasi, Kasigau, Mutara, Suguta, Kanjoro and Ishanga were at the stockade compound early in the morning. Ishanga, the wanderer, was back again in Makireti’s group. Last time she had been spotted with Yatta’s group. It is only her who can tell us which group she might join when she tires of Makireti’s group. The weather was chilly and the boys engaged one another in a strength testing game to warm up. Orwa started it with Ololoo which he lost and thereafter lowered himself to play with Kithaka. Ololoo moved on to a higher league and engaged Kasigau in a pushing game which went on for quite some time. Their game reached a climax when Ololoo mounted on Kasigau which meant that Kasigau had lost the play fight. In the browsing field the juniors were joined briefly by Makena, Mwende and Mulika. Mwende engaged Mutara in a pushing game as Kilabasi played with Orwa. Barsilinga found a suitable tree that he used to scratch his buttocks on. Kainuk, who was feeding nearby, became jealous of Barsilinga’s good scratch and came over to push him away. Later Turkwel came and pushed Kainuk away from the tree so she could then scratch herself. Barsilinga moved to feed close to Kasigau until Teleki came over and had a brief strength testing game with Kasigau. At mud bath time, the sun was hot but only Kilaguni, Makireti, Bongo, Kanjoro, Mutara and Kasigau participated in wallowing. As the orphans were leaving the mud bath, Buchuma, who has been missing for some months, reported at the mud bath looking slightly thin. He headed straight to drink water as the orphan herd headed north of mud bath. Two hours later Makireti and her group parted ways with them after having an evening mud bath together.

Olare’s group was outside the stockade waiting for the juniors to come out. Chaimu appeared to have disbanded her group since Kilaguni was not with her; she is probably clinging to Olare’s group as she ponders her next move. When the gates opened Olare walked into the stockade to find out if there were any leftovers she could eat. She was lucky as she picked up a few branches which she happily chewed on as she walked out. Outside the stockade, Chemi Chemi was engaging Teleki in a pushing game. Teleki lost the game to Chemi Chemi and Chemi Chemi used the opportunity to bully Teleki and started chasing him around attempting to mount on him. When he finished chasing Teleki he went to play with Tumaren, as Orwa played with Mutara. Later Orwa engaged Chemi Chemi in a pushing game as Garzi held a brief discussion with Kibo. Kibo left Garzi and walked to help Chemi Chemi push Orwa away. Kanjoro engaged Olare in a pushing game but he was overpowered by Olare and quit the game. In the browsing field Lemoyian teamed up with Chaimu to browse. Barsilinga came across a suitable rock that he used to scratch his belly on. At eleven o'clock in the morning, Chaimu led the entire group to the mud bath. Soon after mud bath, the group returned back to the browsing field. In the evening, for the first time since the rains, a herd of ten wild elephants reported to the stockade compound for water. We took this as a sign that the water holes are already beginning to dry.