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The sky was clear again this morning as the orphans left the stockade compound. Mutara, Sities, Suguta, Kainuk, Turkwel and Lemoyian, who had spent the night outside, teamed up with orphans for lucerne soon after they were let out. Shortly afterwards, the two groups headed out together to browse. Malkia had a brief conversation with Mukkoka as she tried to find out whether or not he had a good night. Mukkoka assured Malkia that his group, those he shares a stockade with, Larro, Musiara and Naboishu, had slept well and were in good spirits. Wanjala settled to browse with Naseku while Ambo settled to browse with Musiara.

It was a quiet morning as the two groups settled to browse in the Kanziku area. On their way, the two groups were joined by Lenana, Narok, Kitirua, Kasigau, Ishanga and Lapa. Suguta, Sities and Turkwel temporarily forgot about Dololo and moved to follow baby Lapa. The entire group went to the mud bath together as Esampu and Mteto competed with Suguta, Sities and Turkwel who among them could win Lapa’s heart. Lapa decided not to accept any of the strangers' requests, but followed Ishanga and Narok instead, who are part of his herd and who are his regular nannies. Esampu and Mteto surrendered and opted to follow their friends instead.

In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Mapia and Dololo had a disagreement; we are not sure what about but poor Dololo isn’t having a good time with Mutara’s herd potentially abandoning him at any moment should a wild born baby like Lapa come along.

In the evening the orphans passed by the mud bath again to cool off. Sapalan, Enkikwe, Rapa and Galla boycotted the wallowing exercise and took a different route to dodge the Keepers and not return to the compound tonight. 

Musiara and Ambo had a warm up pushing game soon after finishing their share of lucerne, but parted ways well they felt like they had had enough. Dololo had a brief meeting with Tusuja, perhaps as he wanted to find out why he had decided to come back after spending three weeks out in the wild. Tusuja didn’t entertain Dololo for very long however, and just walked away.

Mutara and her herd joined the orphans and they had a nice quiet morning together. Malkia settled to browse with Mukkoka and Larro as Esampu teamed up with Mteto, Maramoja, Musiara and Sana Sana.

Naboishu was a little naughty at the noon milk feed today beside the mud bath. As he was running for his milk bottle, he started complaining bitterly as some of his friends overtook him. After finishing his milk, Naboishu turned and grabbed another bottle thinking that it had milk; he was disappointed when he realised that he had picked up the wrong bottle and that it was already empty! Naboishu decided not to let it go however and walked off with it. As the Keepers ran after him, he dropped it in a thicket and walked away to cool off in the mud bath.

Barsilinga and Kithaka, who have been away for some time now, showed up at the mud bath too. It was lovely to see them, although Kithaka can be a little naughty sometimes! Barsilinga and Kithaka grew up together in the Nursery as babies, and Barsilinga’s foot injury kept him anchored to the stockades for the last year or so, so it is wonderful that he is finally able to be back out in the wild with his old friend again. Later, ex-orphan Zurura showed up briefly too. In the evening, Mutara and her herd escorted the dependent orphans back to the stockade compound for the night, but slept outside.

Kibo, Kithaka and Barsilinga joined the orphans early in the morning. The orphans settled for lucerne as usual. Mundusi, who is trying hard to dominate Enkikwe, decided to challenge Enkikwe to a pushing game. Enkikwe couldn't allow a junior to defeat him simply because he has a bad leg. Enkikwe fought tooth and nail to make sure that he had taught Mundusi a lesson that disability is not inability. In the end, Mundusi surrendered and ran away, perhaps hoping to train more and try again another time.

Out in the bush, the dependent orphans were joined by Mutara, Kainuk, Turkwel and Suguta. Turkwel and Suguta walked straight to team up with Dololo. Mukkoka, Naboishu and Larro teamed up with Musiara and Maramoja, as Malkia settled to browse with Kithaka.

It was another hot day and the orphans had their milk bottles then some water from the trough, before opting for a soil dusting exercise. Although it was hot, the orphans boycotted wallowing in the mud bath for some reason! In the afternoon, they settled to browse in the Kanziku area. Enkikwe, Mundusi, Galla and Rapa left their friends and returned back early before five o'clock in the evening to the stockade compound. Mteto teamed up with the late-night gang and left to join Mutara and her herd; the group returned later shortly after six o'clock in the evening.

Kilaguni, who has been missing in action for sometime, showed up this morning and joined the orphans to feed on lucerne! It was wonderful to see him. Ambo received a light training session from Malkia. Larro, Naboishu and Mukkoka seemed to be in a hurry and led the way out to browse, since they wanted to enjoy the taste of green leaves and grass instead of dry lucerne that they haven't been used to feeding on at the Nursery. They haven’t yet been able to appreciate how important this supplement might be when it gets a bit drier! Sana Sana and Kuishi took Naboishu with them and they browsed together up to mud bath time.

At around ten o'clock in the morning, some ex-orphans showed up at the compound, including some ex-orphans who have been missing in action for a while! Chyulu, Cheka, Sidai, Sita, Silas, Chemi Chemi, Orwa, Garzi and Chaimu were all among the ex-orphans in Yatta’s herd today.

At mud bath time, only Dololo and Siangiki decided to get into the mud bath to wallow. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to feed in a different area, near Imenti.

In the evening, the ex-orphans came to the stockade compound again, just before the dependent orphans returned home. Mteto, who loves babies, completely refused to get into her stockade and instead decided to follow the ex-orphans and their wild born babies. This is not the first time she has done this!

Chemi Chemi, Barsilinga, Kithaka, Orwa and Kibo were present in the morning and joined the orphans for lucerne. Rapsu showed up briefly but then disappeared in the same direction he appeared from. Nabulu tried to share lucerne with Kamok but got a rude shock when Kamok drove her away. Nabulu was left wondering why Kamok can be such a stern female sometimes. She is supposed to be loving and caring towards her juniors but often she fights them or pushes them away. Nabulu shook her head in disappointment and left to find peace somewhere else

Later in the morning Mutara and her team joined the dependent orphans. Turkwel headed straight over to Dololo and they spent the entire morning together. Mapia teamed up with Larro and they embraced the spirit of sharing by feeding from the same shrub. Malkia, Malima and Sattao took a break from feeding and had fun by rolling on the ground. Musiara and Ambo had a strength testing exercise that ended when Siangiki intervened by peacefully separating the two boys.

Mteto, who had left the previous day with Yatta’s herd, reunited with her friends on the way to the mud bath. One wild bull was present at the mud bath but didn’t seem bothered by the orphans arriving at all. It was slightly cooler today and none of the orphans dared to step into the mud bathing water.

In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill and were joined by Kilaguni, Loijuk and Lili. Enkikwe and Sapalan dodged the Keepers and returned back to the stockades early before the usual time. The late-night gang reported back later, shortly before seven o'clock in the evening.

It was another quiet morning today with no other elephants around. The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving their stockades. Ambo, Sana Sana and Naseku decided to lie down on a soft patch of ground where the lucerne is served. It seems they wanted to lie down for a stretching exercise. Shortly later, Tusuja, Musiara, Wanjala and Jotto decided that they had enough of lucerne and walked down to the water trough to have some water before heading out to browse. On their way out, Mundusi engaged Kauro in a pushing game that ended quite quickly as Mundusi surrendered. Later, the orphans were joined by Mutara, Suguta, Sities, Turkwel, Kainuk, Namalok, Garzi, Chemi Chemi, Kandecha, Kilaguni, Lemoyian and Kanjoro. Kilaguni engaged Kandecha in a pushing game that ended in a draw. Suguta teamed up with her favourite Dololo and headed towards the Kone dam.  Sapalan, Naseku and Roi parted ways with their friends and headed north, only to re-join their friends later on the way to the mud bath.

Yatta, Yoyo, Yogi, Ithumbah, Nasalot, Nusu and Noah arrived at the mud bath and spent some time with the dependent orphans there, before parting ways. Only Kilaguni and Kanjoro decided to wallow. Sapalan pushed Nusu and Nusu didn't take this lying down; he turned and tackled Sapalan like a gentleman. Nasalot, Nusu’s mother, intervened and separated the two boys. In the afternoon, Lemoyian and Mapia had a disagreement that ended in a pushing game. Lemoyian won the game, which we knew because he climbed on Mapia and this is always the final act of defiance.

After the orphans settled to eat some lucerne grass, a wild bull appeared from northeast and briefly checked on the orphans before heading off again. Rapa, Mundusi, Wanjala, Olsekki and Pare were happy to see the wild bull and even offered to escort him. The bull didn't mind and accepted the offer. The five boys were thrilled by the kindness of the wild elephant and followed along with him.

Karisa led the rest of the orphans out to browse and they decided to settle in the Kone area. Malkia, Larro and Mukkoka went for water at the dam. They were later followed by Naboishu, Sana Sana, Ambo, Malima, Maramoja and Musiara. Shortly before mud bath time, Mukkoka and Larro had a private meeting as Naboishu spent time with Kuishi.

Three wild bulls visited the mud bath when the orphans were there. The orphans boycotted the wallowing exercise and immediately after taking their milk, they went back to browsing. They walked west of the Ithumba Hill to browse there for the rest of the day. Roi teamed up with Sana Sana and Dololo, following the absence of Suguta and Sities in Mutara’s herd who love spending time with Dololo. In the evening, Rapa and Karisa left their friends behind and returned to stockades early before five o'clock.

Enkikwe, Mundusi, Jotto, Wanjala, Roi and Dololo walked down to the water troughs soon after leaving the stockades. The six orphans settled to drink water as the rest of the herd settled for lucerne. Esampu decided to have fun by rolling on the soft grass. Once she had enough of rolling, Esampu stood up and resumed feeding. Sana Sana had enough lucerne and tossed some up on her head and looked as if she was wearing a grass hat.

Musiara engaged Ambo in a pushing game that ended when Maramoja, who happens to be Musiara's friend, showed up. Maramoja intervened by separating the two boys. Karisa, Mundusi and Wanjala teamed up and browsed together through the entire morning. Shortly before nine o'clock in the morning, the orphans were joined by a wild herd with two tiny babies. Maramoja left Musiara and went to greet the young babies. The wild herd didn't stay for long but left after interacting with the orphans briefly. Maramoja tried to follow one of the babies but changed her mind after walking for about one hundred metres or so.

On the way to the mud bath, the orphans were joined by Yatta, Yetu, Yoyo, Yogi, Nasalot, Nusu, Noah and Ithumbah. Esampu assigned herself the role of a nanny to Yogi. The ex-orphans escorted the orphans to the mud bath where they met two wild bulls. Kuishi and Naboishu opted for a soil dusting exercise. They were later joined by Mukkoka, Rapa and Wanjala. In the afternoon, the orphans settled west of Ithumba Hill.

The wild herd with two tiny babies showed up at the stockades this evening. One of the babies jumped into the water trough, prompting its mother to get in and lift the baby out with her trunk.

Some of the bulls appeared to have woken up in a playful mood today. As soon as the orphans were through with the lucerne, Mundusi settled to play with Kauro while Tusuja settled to play Wanjala. Jotto played with Pare while Rapa played with Sapalan. Kilaguni then arrived and disrupted all the pushing games the boys were enjoying. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. It was very hot and the orphans browsed under trees as they made their way to the mud bath.

When they arrived, five wild bulls were present. It appears that the number of bulls showing up at the mud bath is slowly increasing, most likely because it is slowly drying out and a lot of the water holes are drying up too. Nabulu led the first group to the mud bath while Karisa led the second one.

In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Olsekki, Kauro, Wanjala and Dololo spotted two dik diks relaxing under a tree. The boys decided that the dik diks didn't deserve to rest under the shade while they themselves were burning in the sun. The boys charged and went for the dik diks. The dik diks didn't hang around but shot off into the bush, leaving the shade vacant for the boys. The boys didn't bother following the dik diks since they had got what they wanted.

In the evening, the orphans passed by the mud bath to cool off again. After having enough of wallowing, Nabulu led the way back to the stockades for the night. There they found the ex-orphans, and Mteto had the opportunity to spend some quality time with Noah. Sapalan and Rapa threatened to push Nusu when they found him standing in their path into their night stockades. Nusu is a little rascal sometimes and likes to antagonise the orphans!

A wild herd who last visited in November last year showed up this morning. At that time the matriarch was pregnant, and today she arrived with her two month old baby. Now the matriarch has four babies and a grandchild! The herd settled to share lucerne with the orphans. Shortly later, Nasalot and Yatta’s families arrived, too. Esampu went straight to spend time with Noah while Mteto went for Yogi. Siangiki had a private conversation with Namalok. Perhaps Siangiki wanted to find out from Namalok what life is like out in the wild — and we are sure that Namalok would have told her he is having a great time! Yogi decided to accompany the dependent orphans as they started to walk out to browse, without his mother. While walking, Kamok seemed frustrated with Yogi and tried to kick him. Yogi got angry and cried out, seeking help from his mother. Yatta and her first daughter Yetu came running and collected Yogi.

The orphans settled to browse north of the stockades. Mutara and her group joined the orphans on their way to the mud bath. Lemoyian had a disagreement with Mapia that escalated into a fight. Lemoyian won the battle and to show his dominance he then climbed Mapia. The weather was cloudy and the orphans boycotted the wallowing exercise. Only five wild bulls showed up to the mud bath while the orphans were there. Sities and Suguta took Dololo for a soil dusting session, while Rapa settled for a pushing game with Lemoyian.

Mapia and Ambo had a light strength testing exercise where the orphans settled to browse west of the hill, while their friends decided to take a break from feeding and relax under a tree. In the evening, Nabulu led the way back to the stockades for the night.

Only one wild elephant showed up this morning, and then later Mutara’s herd arrived. The orphans had their lucerne as usual then joined the lone wild bull at the water trough where they shared water. Lemoyian, who was in the company of Mutara’s herd, decided to have a strength testing exercise with Mapia while Malima played with Galla. Turkwel took Dololo to a nearby rock where she settled with him to scratch their backs. Karisa, followed by Rapa, led the herd out for the day.

Sana Sana, Malkia, Kuishi and Ndiwa spend the better part of the morning feeding with Larro, Mukkoka and Naboishu. Turkwel and Suguta settled with their favourite Dololo, while Maramoja teamed up with Musiara. Sapalan, Enkikwe and Mundusi ganged up against a dik dik that was feeding quietly ahead of them. The dik dik sensed danger the moment it saw the bulls with their ears raised. The dik dik made a wise choice and scarpered into the thickets. The boys were left in a charging mood with nothing to charge at! Mundusi talked to his friends however and they abandoned their mission searching for the dik dik since it would be a waste of energy and time.

Mukkoka led the way to mud bath as Dololo lagged behind under the escort of Sities, Turkwel and Suguta. Ten wild bulls were enjoying water at the water trough.  Soon after the orphans had their milk, the Keepers asked the wild bulls to move aside for a short while so the orphans could have a drink of fresh water before heading back out to the bush.

In the afternoon, Esampu ran into trouble with Sana Sana when she inadvertently slipped and bumped against her. Sana Sana thought that Esampu did it on purpose and decided to punish her. Esampu sensed danger and quickly disappeared before Sana Sana could retaliate. In the evening Yatta and Nasalot’s families, who are still in the area, showed up at the stockades for water and left shortly before dark.

The orphans settled for lucerne as soon as they were let out this morning. One wild junior bull joined the orphans and later left together with them. Larro, who has mastered the area very well, led the way. Mapia and Jotto disagreed about something, but we weren’t sure what. Their disagreement escalated into quite a strong pushing game, but Olsekki intervened and brought an end to it.

The orphans settled northeast of stockade to browse. Some guineafowl passed by where the orphans were browsing but they were making a lot of noise, which annoyed the orphans. Mukkoka, Wanjala, Rapa and Dololo were at the front and decided to unite to bring an end to the noise — they charged and trumpeted as they ran towards the guinea fowls, who scattered and flew up into air and to a different area, which was a very happy result for the orphans who continued browsing in peace.

None of the orphans wanted to swim in the mud bath after their bottles today, as it was quite cloudy and windy. Ndiwa led the orphans in a soil dusting exercise instead, before they made their way slowly back out to the bush. Mundusi headed north where he met with some bulls coming for a mud bath. The bulls questioned Mundusi where he was heading on his own given that he was only a small boy who should be in a herd. Mundusi had no answer and so the bulls made him turn around and they brought him back to the mud bath. He teamed up with some friends there who were lagging behind and together they walked off into the bush in the direction their friends had taken. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Imenti area. Sapalan, Tusuja and Karisa sneaked away and returned to stockades early before five o'clock in the evening.

Mutara and her herd spent the night just outside the stockades and joined the orphans in the morning. A junior wild bull was present and very much enjoyed feeding on lucerne like everyone else. Bomani, who has been missing since about October last year, was also here! It appears that he arrived with the junior wild boy in the middle of the night. After finishing their lucerne, the orphans started leaving one by one. On the way out, Mundusi engaged Ndiwa in a pushing game, but there came a time when Ndiwa couldn't go on because Mundusi was playing quite rough. Ndiwa left and focused on browsing. Ambo and Kamok lagged behind as they tried to collect up every last bit of lucerne, but they joined their friends later on.

The late-night gang, Oltaiyoni, Naseku, Roi Olsekki, and Siangiki, as usual took a different direction to their friends. Enkikwe, who happens to be a long-term friend of Olsekki and Siangiki, decided to accompany them to their undisclosed location. Dololo felt very happy as he walked here and there in the company of Sities, Suguta, and Turkwel.

At eleven o'clock in the morning, Mutara’s herd escorted the juniors to  the mud bath. Yatta, Yoyo, Yogi, Yetu, Nasalot, Noah and Ithumba had arrived before the orphans and decided to relax under one of the trees in the mud bath area. The orphans had their milk then got into the water because it was quite a hot, dry day, had a soil dusting session then headed back out to brose. Some of the orphans walked towards the smaller mud bath on the roadside. Pare was over at the water trough and suddenly had some kind of disagreement with Yoyo, and started chasing after him relentlessly. Yoyo yelled out for help but no one came to the rescue from his herd, but the Keepers shouted at Pare to stop bullying Yoyo. Pare seemed quite pleased to have won against wild born Yoyo. Karisa and Sapalan enjoyed wallowing to the fullest as they remained in the water for nearly an hour after their friends had left. Yatta and Nasalot’s families didn't follow the orphans but headed in a different direction. By the time the orphans, left eighteen wild bulls had arrived at the mud bath, slowly arriving at different times in their own little groups. In the afternoon, it was still very hot and the orphans relaxed under some trees until the temperature dropped to a more favourable level.