The reintegration process unfolds differently for each orphan, as they all have their own histories, personalities, and life experiences to take into account. Since Nelion’s lion attack, Kenia’s older herd has chosen to return into the dependent fold and remains anchored to their Keepers. They weaned off milk long ago and spent much of last year exploring a wild life, but the loss of their friend clearly shook them.
It was early morning as the milk dependent orphan elephants left their night quarters for their morning milk bottles which they finished very quickly. Mweya and Edie’s ex-orphan herds arrived at the stockade compound and headed straight to the water trough for a drink of clean water. The Keepers were happy to see Laikipia among the group too. Laikipia stood tall, lifting his trunk in greeting as little Mwtiu stood by his side, looking up at Laikipia who must look like a very impressive bull to the little one year old.
The ex-orphans left for the Park with the stockade dependent orphans following in their tracks. Once out in the bush, the two groups separated as they headed in different browsing directions. The juniors arrived at the baobab tree waterhole at noon for their milk bottles after which they had fun playing in the water.
Godoma had fun rolling around in the water showcasing her wallowing techniques until Ndotto came to lie on her, preventing her from moving around. Embu and Pika Pika were on the other side of the waterhole where they were also having fun rolling around in the water, until Arruba came in and stole Pika Pika away from Embu.
It was another wonderful beginning to the day with Pika Pika, Emoli and Godoma running as fast as they could to get their morning milk bottles. They finished them very quickly before joining their older friends at the Lucerne pellet feeding area. After the milk and supplement feeding, the orphan elephant, zebras and buffalos headed out to the Park to begin their day’s browsing activities.
The orphans browsed their way to the baobab tree waterhole where they had their noon milk feed and a drink of water at the water trough before wallowing. It was a slightly cloudier day today and as such Pika Pika chose to avoid the water and enjoyed a soil bath beside the waterhole instead, together with Ishaq-B.
A wild elephant herd came to join the orphans at the waterhole and Tundani, Murit and Rorogoi being the first to welcome them. The wild herd made their way to the water trough where they encountered Ivia and Cheza, the buffaloes, who were already there having a drink. The wild elephants tried to chase the buffaloes away but when they saw that they weren’t going to budge they settled down and had a drink with them.
The orphan elephants finished wallowing and left the waterhole to resume their browsing activities, leaving the wild herd to enjoy their time at the waterhole.
The morning began with the usual stockade activities of milk and supplement feeding after which the group followed Ndoria, Mashariki and Mudanda halfway up Msinga Hill for the morning browsing session.
As noon approached the group made their way down and to the baobab tree waterhole where they had their noon milk bottles and headed to the mud bath. As it was a cold and overcast day the orphans chose to stay at the edge of the waterhole where some just splashed some water over their bodies before heading back to their browsing activities.
Emoli and Godoma stayed at the water hole a while longer where they continued to play before catching up with their friends who were busy browsing nearby.
Ngilai kept following Ivia trying to engage his buffalo friend in a sparring session but Ivia wasn’t interested today and kept avoiding his advances. Once Emoli rejoined the group Ngilai quickly engaged him in a sparring game after which the two resumed their browsing activities for the rest of the afternoon.
The orphans were full of energy this morning as they came running out of their night stockades ready to begin their day. They quickly grabbed their milk bottles, downed the contents in a matter of seconds, before engaging in fun and games around the stockade compound.
The orphan herd followed Mashariki and Mudanda out to the Park for the day and they settled on the eastern side of Msinga Hill for the morning browsing session. Mbegu, Tagwa and Tamiyoi kept the younger members of the orphan herd together with Godoma, Lasayen, Ngilai and Murit browsing halfway up the hill.
The orphans made their way to the baobab tree waterhole for the noon milk feed and mud bath. Today the orphans all enjoyed scratching games around the waterhole with Ishaq-B using her trunk to scratch behind her ears, showing off her tusks to Emoli and Rorogoi who were watching what she was doing. Godoma used one of her back legs to scratch the other making for a rather funny pose.
Once all the mud bath activities were over the orphans resumed their browsing activities, spending the afternoon feeding close to the waterhole before returning to the safety of the stockades for the night.
The morning was good with Panda arriving at the stockade compound on her own to join Kenia and Mbegu’s herds as they headed out to the Park for the days browsing activities. The Keepers had their suspicions as to why she was alone, feeling that she may have stayed behind if Mweya and Edie’s herds moved away from Msinga Hill, or perhaps she was trying to keep away from wild bulls that had been trying to mate with her.
The orphans visited the baobab tree water hole at noon where they downed their milk bottles before making their way to the waterhole where they all enjoyed mud bathing. Mbegu, Rorogoi and Pika Pika remained in the water longer than the rest of their friends. Lasayen and Godoma enjoyed a dust bath on the soil mounds, with Lasayen showing off a naughty side as he moved behind Godoma and started to push her.
The afternoons browsing session took place on the western side of the waterhole with Sagala and Tamiyoi leading the herd back to the safety of the stockades in the evening.
It was a wonderful beginning of the day with the orphan elephants playing happily around the stockade compound after the milk feed and dairy cubes supplement feeding was over. They then made their way out to the Park, settling on the eastern side of Msinga Hill for the morning browsing session. They remained browsing on Msinga Hill and had their milk bottles there at noon. Later, towards 3pm, the orphans came down and headed to the baobab tree waterhole.
At the mud bath they all enjoyed playing in the water. Sagala was naughty and sat on Emoli’s head making it difficult for him to get up. Ndii, Ishaq-B, Mashariki and Mudanda all saw what was happening and came to Emoli’s rescue, while at the same time bringing an end to the wallowing session. Once the orphans had left the water they were joined by a teenage wild elephant bull that enjoyed a sparring game with Kenia.
The orphans left the mud bath and resumed browsing for what was left of the afternoon and the little time they had until they needed to return home for the night. Ndoria stayed at the waterhole with the wild bull for a while before catching up with the rest of her friends, leaving the wild bull to rejoin his herd that had by then arrived at the waterhole for a drink.
It was another wonderful beginning to the day with the stockade dependent orphans finishing their morning milk bottles in record speed before settling to enjoy the dairy cubes that the Keepers had put out for them. There were some brief games around the compound, after which the orphans headed out to the Park to begin the days browsing activities.
The ex-orphan herd did not come to the stockades today and as such Panda has now been absorbed back into the dependent-orphan herd, and she joined them for the morning browsing session. Kenia and Ndii did not seem interested in Panda, while Pika Pika kept going towards Panda to smell and investigate her older friend, while still keeping a respectful distance.
The milk-dependent orphans arrived at the baobab tree waterhole in the afternoon in groups of four for their noon milk feed, before joining their older friends at the mud bath where they all enjoyed wallowing. Godoma went into the deepest part of the waterhole where she lay down to showcase her mud bathing skills, until Lasayen came and lay on her stomach, preventing her from wallowing properly. Mbegu was seen coming to Godoma’s rescue but was prevented from getting to her by Ndotto, who engaged Mbegu in a sparring session. Pika Pika was having a lovely time in the water where she was watched over by Ishaq-B and Arruba who made sure that no one bothered the youngster.
Soon after the orphans left the water a wild herd of elephants came in for a drink of water and Suswa had a lovely time interacting with the wild group, before rushing off to catch up with her friends who had resumed their browsing activities. Later in the afternoon it began to rain and in total we received 7mm of rain.
After the morning milk and supplement feeding, Ngilai and Emoli took part in their daily morning sparring games and the two really enjoyed playing with each other. Pika Pika headed to the stockade waterhole, hoping to have a mud bath, but decided against doing so as it was a chilly morning and the water was cold. The orphans soon left for the Park where they spent the morning browsing in single file.
Panda, who has rejoined the dependent orphan herd for the time being, following a year as part of Emily’s herd, continues to chase the buffaloes Ivia and Cheza away from the orphan elephants as she is not used to having them around, despite the fact that the two have been absorbed into the eclectic orphan herd by everyone else. At 10am it started drizzling and this slowed the orphans browsing pace as they stopped to enjoy feeding on the moist grass around them.
At noon the orphan elephants visited the baobab tree waterhole where they had their milk bottles and a drink of water but did not wallow as they were already wet and cool from the morning’s rain.
Ngilai went and stood on top of the soil mound where he tossed soil in the air and it wasn’t long before Ndotto and Rorogoi came to join him playing there, at which point he came down and made a bee line for Emoli to engage his friend in a sparring game. The afternoon browsing session took place to the east of the waterhole.
After the morning milk feed the orphans settled to feed on Lucerne pellets. Godoma stood on the top of the terrace wall to feed before following Sagala and Tagwa out to the Park. Pika Pika remained in the stockade compound with Kenia, who was busy browsing on greens, and the two headed out to catch up with the rest of the group.
On the way out to the browsing grounds Ndotto, who was leading, stopped as he was walking along the path next to the rocky side of Msinga Hill, bringing the rest of the group to a grinding halt behind him. Tahri, who was low on patience today, pushed past Ndotto, pushing him out of the way in the process and the group continued to browse around Msinga Hill as they fed on green acacia leaves and vegetation.
At noon Murit led the group to the baobab tree waterhole and together with Emoli, Pika Pika and Tagwa, was the first to arrive for their noon milk bottle. Once everyone had downed their share of milk they headed to the mud bath for a wallowing session. Mashariki, Pika Pika, Godoma and Arruba all stood at the edge of the mud bath and splashed water over themselves while Ndotto, Tundani and Panda headed off to begin the afternoon browsing session.
The orphans were out of their night quarters early this morning and were enjoying feeding on Lucerne pellets and playing games around the stockade compound. Godoma lay on the ground rolling around which caught Emoli’s attention, and he ran over to engage Godoma in a sparring session which was soon interrupted by Tahri. While this was going on Ngilai was busy picking up every last pellet from the ground, before the entire group followed Tagwa and Tamiyoi out to the Park. On the way out Ndotto stopped at the foot of Msinga Hill where he enjoyed browsing, before moving further up the hill in an effort to get to some greener and fresher vegetation.
After the noon milk feed near the baobab tree waterhole the orphans walked down to the water trough near the mud bath to quench their thirst, before splashing around in the water. Ndoria found a tree stump near the baobab tree which she enjoyed scratching on before joining her friends who were making their way to the open grasslands for the afternoon browsing session, after which they returned home for the night.
The milk dependent orphan elephants were enjoying hanging out around the stockade compound following the morning’s milk and dairy cube supplement feeding. Mudanda, perhaps copying what Tundani has been doing recently, stretched her trunk through the stockade fence lines to get to some very green and palatable grass on the other side. She enjoyed feasting on the tasty grass. Lasayen enjoyed scratching against the orphans’ favourite rock, while Tamiyoi walked around swinging her trunk from side to side, before enjoying taking the lead of the orphan herd out to the Park for the day.
Once out in the Park the weather changed and it turned cloudy and started drizzling, which the orphans didn’t mind as they enjoyed feeding on the moist vegetation around them. They visited the baobab tree waterhole at noon for their milk feed and a drink of water. As it was a cold and wet day they chose not to wallow in the mud bath, opting instead to return to their browsing activities once they had quenched their thirst.
The day began as usual with the milk dependent orphans downing their morning milk feed after which the stockade-dependent orphans all gathered for the dairy cube supplement feeding before engaging in games around the stockade compound.
Today, Tagwa and Tamiyoi took the lead of the orphan herd to the browsing grounds together with Panda, who has remained with the stockade herd after being left behind by Edie’s ex-orphan herd, and she has embraced being part of Kenia’s group. Kenia, Ndii and Ishaq-B seemed to be a bit worried about having Panda with them, thinking that she may try to steal away their adopted baby Pika Pika, and as such they have been seen doting on the youngster more than usual.
The orphan elephants, buffalos and zebras had a lovely time browsing this morning and at noon made their way to the milk feeding area near the baobab tree mud bath. Diria and Nzuki, the two zebras, started running behind the pickup which carried their milk. When they reached the vehicle as it came to a stop, the Keepers who had their milk bottles jumped out and they enthusiastically downed the contents of their bottles in a matter of seconds. The orphan elephants arrived at the milk feeding area in groups of four and once they had finished their bottles they made their way to the waterhole for a drink of water.
As it was drizzling on and off all day none of the orphans entered the water. Ngilai called upon Godoma to come and join him for a sparring session against Ivia. When they were done playing with their buffalo friend they rejoined the orphan elephants for the afternoon browsing session.
It was an early morning start as usual for the orphans who began their day with the milk and supplement feeding before engaging in fun and games around the stockade compound. Ngilai sought out Murit for a sparring session but Murit wasn’t interested and snuck away from Ngilai to avoid playing with him. Ndotto climbed down the stockade terrace before following the rest of the orphans who were heading out to the Park under Sagala, Tamiyoi and Tagwa’s leadership.
Tagwa loves her leading role; when she first returned from her stint back at the Nairobi Nursery she was unsure of her position, having been a matriarch herself for some time, and it took a while for her to settle in and with the help of the other orphans like Mbegu, she was able to get back into a leading role which made her very happy.
In the afternoon, Mashariki enjoyed playing in a small hole where she lay down to play and scratch her head and trunk. Ndoria approached Mashariki wanting to join her but Mashariki was at the end of her game and got up and left the hole, so that Ndoria took her place to play for a while. It seems there was a queue forming behind her, as Tahri and Araba patiently waited to each get a turn once Ndoria was done too.
The afternoon browsing activities took place close to the waterhole with the orphans enjoying their time in the Park before returning to the safety of the stockades in the evening.
After a very wonderful and peaceful morning feed, the stockade-dependent orphans engaged in games around the stockade compound as they dust bathed, scratched and sparred with one another. Ndotto sat against one of the stockade terraces where he scratched his bottom before rushing to catch up with his friends who had started the journey out to the Park for the day.
At noon the orphans headed to the baobab tree waterhole where they had their noon milk feed before walking down to the mud bath for a drink from the water trough. Arruba, Mashariki, Panda and Mudanda lined up around the water trough to drink with the zebras Diria and Nzuki coming to join them. Ndii was busy playing in the water hole as she charged around from one side of the mud bath to the other trumpeting loudly. Ishaq-B left the water and headed to the soil pile where she dug at the soil with her curved tusks to loosen some up to play with. Mbegu also enjoyed dust bathing today as she rolled around on the soil following a sparring session with Ndotto.
Ishaq-B then returned to the water where she was welcomed by Tundani who engaged her in a sparring session. Arruba had fun at the water trough as she swirled her trunk around in the water while Godoma and Suswa finished the noon games with a dust bath, before joining the rest of the orphans for the afternoon browsing session on the western side of the baobab tree waterhole.
The morning began with Pika Pika, Godoma and Emoli running out of their night quarters to the milk feeding area where they grabbed their morning milk bottle downing the contents in a matter of seconds, before moving aside to let their friends have their share. After the supplement feeding the orphan elephants engaged in the usual games around the stockade compound before leaving for the Park to begin the days browsing activities.
The orphan elephants settled on the lower northern side of Msinga Hill for the morning browsing session, feeding until 10:30am when they were approached by a wild elephant herd. Pika Pika and Tahri ran up to meet the wild group, with Rorogoi, Arruba, Ndotto, Murit, Lasayen and Araba hot on their heels to bring the youngsters back to the orphan herd. They managed to get Pika Pika back but Tahri was already with the wild herd and they had run off with her. As Tahri is still milk-dependent the Keepers did their best to get her back but the wild herd would not allow her to leave, with two wild females standing firm by her. The Keepers wondered if this herd may be some of Tahri’s lost family members as she is from the area and she appeared to be very settled with the wild herd? As we could not access Tahri we had to resign ourselves to the fact that for the time being she would remain with the wild elephants.
It was a bright morning as the elephants exited their stockades ready to begin the day. They enjoyed their morning milk bottles after which they settled to feed on the supplement food put out for them by their Keepers. Pika Pika was busy enjoying a private pile of dairy cubes before her friends realized and came to join her.
The orphan herd left the stockade compound once the milk and supplement feeding was over, as we all wanted to see if we could catch up with Tahri who had spent the night out with a wild herd. We were unsure if they were still nearby or if they had moved further afield. Although Tahri is still milk-dependent she is always very comfortable with wild elephant herds and always enjoys their company when meeting up with them at the baobab tree waterhole.
It was a fairly cold day and as such none of the orphan’s elephants wanted to wallow today at the mud bath, choosing instead to have a drink of water from the water trough after the milk feed. Ngilai and Ivia the buffalo had a lovely time showcasing their sparring tactics as they became engaged in their usual games which the rest of the orphans enjoyed watching. The afternoon was spent browsing until it was time to return to the safety of the stockades for the night. We didn’t catch up with Tahri today who is still with the wild herd it seems.
It was a wonderful beginning to the day with the milk-dependent orphan elephants getting their morning milk bottles before joining their older friends at the supplement feeding area where they all enjoyed munching on dairy cubes. Araba, who has been weaned off milk since she is now part of Kenia’s older group, came to the milk feeding area to try and suck up every last drop of spilled milk that she could find on the ground, as the youngsters were greedily downing their bottles.
The orphan elephant herd left the stockade compound for the Park so that they could begin the days browsing activities. Rorogoi was in the lead today with Pika Pika rushing to catch up with Rorogoi and share the lead with her.
Tahri is still missing since she left with a wild herd a couple of days ago. The Keepers have been going out on patrols to see if they can see her as the group she joined has not been seen since, having perhaps moved further into the Park. Our aerial teams patrolling in the area are always on the lookout too, and would report any young elephant spotted on their own, so we do believe that Tahri is safe and well however, and must be very happy with the wild herd and is settled with them, otherwise she would have returned.
Emoli and Godoma came running out of their stockade to be the first to arrive for the morning milk feed. Once the milk-dependent babies had finished their bottles they joined their older friends for the supplement feeding. Tundani then enjoyed browsing on greens that he found by reaching under the electric fence. Tagwa and Tamiyoi enjoyed a scratching session against a tree in the stockade compound while Sagala had fun climbing the stockade terraces.
Godoma was the last to leave the stockade compound this morning as she remained at the supplement feeding area making sure to grab every last dairy cube so that there would be none left by the time she headed out to join the rest of the orphan herd, all of whom had settled to browse on the lower side of Msinga Hill.
At noon the orphans made their way to the baobab tree waterhole where they had their milk feed before walking to the mud bath where they had a drink from the water trough. Murit then entered the mud bath and began rolling around in the water showcasing his wallowing tactics, while Araba played at the other side of the wallow. Kenia and Ndii were busy scratching against the baobab tree after mud bathing while Godoma and Mbegu led their friends in a successful mud wallowing session. Godoma then engaged Emoli in a sparring session before joining the rest of the orphans who were preparing to return to their browsing activities. Arruba remained at the mud bath where she was having fun running back and forth in the water, splashing and charging around. The afternoon browsing session took place on Msinga Hill.
It was a wonderful beginning to the day as the orphans spread out to enjoy feeding on Lucerne pellets following the morning milk feed. Arruba went up to Mashariki and grabbed some pellets directly from her mouth, thinking that they may magically taste better than the ones on the ground. Ngilai had fun engaging Ivia in a sparring session at the stockade compound, only stopping when it was time to head out to the Park for the day.
At noon the orphans visited the baobab tree waterhole where they had their milk and enjoyed a mud bath. Ngilai engaged Ivia the buffalo in a sparring session again, a continuation of the mornings game. Tundani enjoyed a private bathing session as he had fun playing on the banks of the waterhole while Godoma and Emoli teamed up for a wallowing session as they rolled around in the water. The two were having a lovely time playing until Rorogoi came and interrupted their game, getting in the way long enough to bring an end to their fun. Sagala anchored herself against the baobab tree where she enjoyed a scratching session before joining the rest of the group who were ready to leave the waterhole to resume their browsing activities.
The orphans’ milk bottles were ready and waiting for the milk-dependent babies when they exited their stockades this morning. They came running up, one behind the other, for their share which they downed in a matter of seconds, before joining the rest of their friends at the Lucerne pellet feeding area. Arruba’s new activity seems to be stealing Lucerne pellets directly from her friends’ mouths for some reason! Yesterday she stole pellets from Mashariki and today she stole them from both Araba and Rorogoi.
The orphan elephants left the stockade compound for the Park with Panda in the lead and Suswa bringing up the rear. After the noon milk feed the orphans moved to the waterhole where they had a lovely time wallowing. Ivia the buffalo saw the fun that the elephants were having in the mud bath and wanted to join them, but was prevented from doing so by Godoma who made sure to block Ivia’s attempts to get into the water.
The afternoons browsing activities took place along the southern side of the waterhole and the orphans enjoyed browsing until it was time to return to the safety of the stockades for the night.
After the morning milk feeding the stockade dependent orphan elephants gathered for the Lucerne grass pellet feeding before engaging in their usual games around the stockade compound. The orphans enjoyed a game of hide and seek before making their way out to the Park for the days browsing activities.
At noon the orphans visited the baobab tree waterhole where the milk dependent babies downed their milk bottles before the entire group headed down to the mud bath where they all enjoyed wallowing.
Ndotto seemed to be intent on spoiling the mud bathing games today, by climbing on some of the other orphans’ backs as they were wallowing. He first went and put his front foot on Arruba’s back, which made Emoli, who was playing with her, move away to prevent becoming Ndotto’s next victim. He then moved onto Mbegu and did the same thing to her while Emoli returned to Arruba and copied Ndotto’s actions, standing on her back, which had the older girls reprimanding Ndotto for teaching Emoli bad habits. Arruba engaged Ndotto in a sparring session and when she was done, Mbegu did the same, which had the intended result of tiring Ndotto out sufficiently that for the rest of the afternoon all he did was concentrate on browsing.
The Voi orphans came rushing out of their stockades as soon as their gates were opened this morning. The milk dependent orphans headed to the milk feeding area with Godoma and Emoli being the first to get to their bottles which they finished before moving to the supplement feeding trough for Lucerne pellets, where they were joined by Ngilai, Sagala, Tagwa and Tamiyoi.
The orphans hung around the stockade compound playing before following Tagwa and Sagala out to the Park for the day. Mashariki and Ngilai headed further up Msinga Hill in sear of greener vegetation to feed on, while Kenia led the rest of the orphan herd in the morning browsing session at the foot of Msinga Hill. Suswa and Tundani were the slowest movers of the day, bringing up the rear as they sluggishly browsed in no hurry to move with the rest of the group.
At noon, the orphans made their way to the baobab tree waterhole where they had their milk feed before walking down to the mud bath. Pika Pika and Ndii had a bath then stood at the edge of the water while Arruba enjoyed dust bathing in some loose soil nearby. Ngilai used his tusks to dig the banks of the mud bath, after which he joined up with his friends who had begun browsing nearby.
The morning began with the usual fun and games around the stockade compound. Mbegu and Sagala were enjoying the Lucerne pellets over the terrace wall where they were joined by Ngilai, Mudanda and Mashariki. As the orphans were gathering to leave for the Park, Ngilai stopped to enjoy a scratching session against the terrace before joining the rest of the orphan herd.
The orphans spent the morning browsing at the foot of Msigna Hill. At noon they walked down to the baobab tree waterhole where they had their noon milk feed before heading to the mud bath. Panda stopped at the water trough for a drink of water before entering the mud wallow. The orphans all had a lovely time wallowing with Emoli trying to ride on Pika Pika, but she managed to shake him off. Arruba enjoyed scratching against Godoma while Mbegu and Suswa enjoyed a private mud bath, with Mbegu rolling in the water while Suswa splashed around at the edge.
In the afternoon the zebras Diria and Nzuki, who had been busy browsing nearby while the elephant orphans enjoyed mud bathing, were rejoined by the elephant orphan herd who split up into groups to browse. Godoma and Tagwa were enjoying browsing in one another’s company until Mbegu came to join them. Lasayen then came between them all and embraced Mbegu who then moved on to embrace Ndotto, showing how affectionate the orphans are with one another.
It was a cold start to the day for the orphans who exited their stockades for their morning milk bottle and supplement feeding. Ngilai seemed to be on guard duty today and was busy chasing baboons away from the orphans’ dairy cubes. They enjoyed dust bathing games in the compound before following Embu and Sagala out to the Park for the day.
The orphan zebra, buffalo and elephants spent the morning browsing in single file before heading to the baobab tree waterhole, arriving in groups of four for their milk bottles, after which they assembled at the water hole. Ngilai engaged his friend Emoli in a sparring game in the water until Emoli snuck away leaving Ngilai to play with Pika Pika, while Emoli climbed on Mbegu’s back as she lay in the water. Ndotto was the star of the mud bath, show casing his wallowing tactics as he rolled down the embankment into the water.
When the orphans were ready to leave the waterhole a group of wild elephants came for a drink of water and a wallow. Suswa, who was at the back of the orphan herd, saw them coming and waited to greet the wild herd. Nguvu, who has left Edie’s herd and headed off on his own, was among the wild herd. The Keepers were thrilled to see him as was Panda, who went up to him and tried to get him to rejoin the orphan herd, but he seemed to be very happy where he was and left with the wild herd again.
The Voi orphan elephants exited their stockades this morning and the milk-dependent orphans enjoyed their milk feed before joining their older friends for the Lucerne grass pellet feeding. Once the milk and supplement feeding was over the orphans all enjoyed playing on the red earth piles before heading out for the day.
Once out in the Park the orphans settled to browse on the eastern side of Msinga Hill before Mashariki took over the leadership role and led the group to the lower plains to browse.
At noon the milk-dependent elephants arrived in at the milk feeding area in groups of four before the entire group headed to the waterhole. Godoma kept circling the mud bath in order to prevent Ivia the buffalo from entering the water. Ngilai then came up to engage Ivia in a sparring session which attracted the attention of everyone around them. Ishaq-B watched their game and then tried to engage Tundani in a sparring game but theirs was not as successful, or as observed, as Ngilai and Ivia’s. Emoli then came and got between Ngilai and Ivia so that he could play a strength testing game with Ngilai. Once all the fun and games were over the orphans spent the afternoon browsing around the southern side of the waterhole.
The gates of the stockades were opened this morning and the orphan elephants came running out excited to begin their day. The milk-dependent babies lined up for their morning milk bottles which they chugged before joining their older friends for the supplement feeding. Kenia, Ndii, Ishaq-B, Arruba, Mudanda and Mashariki were the first to arrive for the Lucerne pellets. Once the morning milk and supplement feeding was over Sagala, Tagwa, Tamiyoi and Embu took the lead of the group to the Park and the orphan herd settled to browse on the northern foot of Msinga Hill.
A few minutes after arriving at the waterhole at noon, Ngilai engaged Ivia in a sparring game with Ngilai striking a pose on the ground. This caught the attention of Sagala who approached the two to get a better look at what Ngilai was doing.
After her mud bath Rorogoi took on Lasayen for a push and strength-testing game while Sagala and Murit enjoyed rolling around in the water along the banks of the mud bath before joining their friends for the afternoon browsing session.
It was a wonderful beginning to the day with the orphan elephants exiting their stockades ready for their morning milk bottles and supplement feeding before heading out to browse. The orphans browsed in single file with Ishaq-B, Panda, Ndii and Pika Pika browsing together while Kenia browsed next to Araba.
At noon the orphan elephants, zebras and buffalos visited the baobab tree waterhole where they had a lot of fun playing mud bathing games following the noon milk feed. Emoli climbed on Mbegu’s back as she lay in the water. Ngilai left the water and went to the soil mound where he enjoyed rolling around before happily charging around trumpeting loudly. Rorogoi also visited the loose soil where she sat down, enjoying the warmth emanating from the ground.
Ndotto and Lasayen started a strength testing competition with one another while Arruba enjoyed rolling around in a small hole enjoying a private dust bath. Ivia and Cheza, the orphan buffalos, were given a bit of a hard time by the elephant orphans today who kept hitting them with their trunks while interacting with them.
The morning began with the usual milk and supplement feeding after which the orphans enjoyed pushing games around the stockade compound. Tagwa, Tamiyoi and Sagala led the orphans out to the Park for the day. Once on Msinga Hill, Mashariki, Arruba and Mudanda maneuvered their way around in search of fresh green vegetation while the rest of their friends settled to browse at the foot of the hill.
The orphans had their noon milk feed near the baobab tree waterhole before walking down to the mud bath. Suswa had a drink at the water trough before entering the mud bath where she splashed around while Godoma dug at the edge of the mud wallow with her tusks. Ngilai invited his favourite playmate Ivia for a sparring session near the baobab tree before walking to Sagala to play a strength testing game. Rorogoi headed to the loose soil for a dust bath and got left behind by the rest of the orphan herd as they headed off to resume their browsing activities.
Tahri has not been seen since she headed off with the wild herd but that is not unusual as many of the wild elephants that visited the baobab tree waterhole have naturally migrated to other areas of the Park.