February was a month of fun, games, and growth for our Nursery herd. With so many new rescues in our midst, the dynamics are ever-shifting. It has been lovely to see how well everyone has settled down and embraced their new lives. Tragically, the month was also marred by heartbreak, as we lost our beloved Ziwadi.
The Keepers always enjoy watching rescued orphans settle into their new lives at the Nursery, establish themselves among the herd, and begin to flourish.
Kitich is a case in point. Initially, he spent much of his time sheltering in the middle of the herd, standing quietly among his new friends. Recently, he has felt confident enough to become a playful young bull. After his milk feed at the mud bath this morning, he headed straight for the mud bath. In he plodded, first paddling and then rolling around and hosing himself with the muddy water. A few minutes later, he was joined by water baby Kerrio. They wallowed together and then played the pushing game, splashing and pulling each other all over the mud bath. Clambering out, Kerrio decided to roll around in the dust, scratching her body with gusto — that is, until Kitich play-mounted her, hugging her with his front legs as they covered their bodies with the soothing dust.
Elerai is also settling into his new life. Today, he led the first younger group away from the mud bath before the second older group arrived. He used to head off on his own into the bush. Nowadays, he is a fully-fledged member of the orphan herd, choosing to stay close to his friends and even to lead them out to browse.
Later in the afternoon out in the forest, Mzinga, Nyambeni, Choka and Kerrio were doing far more playing than browsing, twisting trunks and pushing and climbing all over each other. Mzinga ended up on the ground as her three friends cavorted around her. Nearby, Bondeni stood close to a Keeper, draping his trunk affectionately and ignoring the babies.
Shy Ahmed made the Keepers smile this morning. Soon after the orphans had headed out to the forest, Ahmed quietly sneaked back to the stockades and meandered from one room to the next, looking for leftover lucerne cubes. As soon as she was found out by the Keepers, she lifted her head and trunk and trundled out obediently to join the herd.
Later in the morning, as the herd were busy browsing on green leaves in the forest, two male impalas appeared. They darted up to the orphans and started sparring with each other, giving many in the herd a fright. Rafiki was the most surprised. He charged off at full speed in the direction of the mud bath, trumpeting loudly and flapping his ears in alarm. Poor boy. When he arrived at the bath, he found two large warthogs wallowing in the mud. He about turned and headed for home. The Keepers found him standing in the stockade area, relaxing in his safe place.
In the afternoon, Bondeni and Lodo were playing the pushing game next to the mud bath. The evenly matched bulls sparred against each other for quite a while, clashing heads and twisting around and clashing again as they attempted to subdue each other. Their friends stood quietly by on a particularly hot day – no one else had the energy for rowdy games!
A feisty young bull, Mukutan likes to assert himself, especially when bottles of milk are involved. This afternoon, his young friend Mageno (who is not yet two years old) was imitating the elder elephant’s behavior. During the milk feed at the mud bath, Mageno gave Kitich a shove in an attempt to wrest his bottle away from him. Mageno and Kitich are close friends and agemates, but Kitich is not as strong. In response, the little boy ran away trumpeting in annoyance. A Keeper came to the rescue, pointing his finger at Mageno and telling him to relinquish the bottle. Reluctantly, he did as he was told and marched off, ears flapping. Kitich gulped down the bottle in seconds. In the background, cheerful Esoit was trundling around, chasing the warthogs away and never quite managing it – as quickly as he saw them off, they darted back to the mud bath.
Although Elerai has settled in well, today he was up to his old habit of wandering away from the herd. In the afternoon, good friends Elerai and Iletilal disappeared into the bush for a couple of hours. The Keepers found them browsing happily very close to the stockades and led them back for the night.
After the morning milk feed, Iletilal went walkabout in the forest for an hour or so. It is unusual for him to wander off so early in the day. A Keeper went after him but there was no need as the young bull returned to the herd in time for the next milk feed at the mud bath. He was happy to see his friends – and his bottle of milk.
In the afternoon, several giraffes were browsing near the path to the mud bath – despite the dry weather, there is still lots for them to eat high up in the trees. Big boys Esoit, Bondeni and Lodo stopped and stared at the giraffes as they walked down the bath and the giraffes stared back. The three elephants were unperturbed, diverting from the path slightly but not running away.
After the orphans had finished their bottles of milk, there was lots of swimming and playing in the mud bath for the bigger ones. Buddies Taabu and Mukutan rolled around together in the water and then chilled next to each other on the edge. The little ones stood by watching. Shujaa was drinking from the water trough and sticking close to caring Kinyei.
There were more squabbles over milk today, this time involving Kerrio and Latika. (Usually sweet) Kerrio charged down the path to the mud bath for her bottle this morning, gulping it down before accosting gentle Latika who was drinking her milk more slowly. Kerrio knocked the bottle out of her mouth and the two girls started twisting their trunks and pushing their bodies against each other, trumpeting in indignation. The Keepers took control of the situation, separating the toddlers and returning the bottle to its rightful owner. Latika quietly emptied the bottle and then walked off to browse on her own. Kerrio marched off and remained in a grump for the rest of the day, imposing her mood even on the blanket babies.
In the afternoon, best friends Taabu and Choka were having a joyful time in the mud bath. They played like big puppies, splashing and rolling over and under each other in the water. Tired out by the fun and games, they clambered out and hosed themselves with soothing red dust. Kamili was chilling peacefully on the edge of the mud bath, not tempted to swim, but drinking happily from the water bucket.
Today was Loldaiga’s first day with the orphan herd! He has spent some time in his stockade, recovering from his ordeal and getting used to his new life. At noon today after the milk feed at the mud bath, the Keepers shepherded the orphans up to his stockade to welcome the young bull to the herd. They gathered outside his stockade, rumbling in excitement as they swayed their trunks around impatiently. Olorien was the first to enter his room, greeting and then touching him gently. She was followed closely by budding mini matriarchs Kinyei and Kindani who were also keen to meet the young bull. In minutes, Loldaiga was surrounded and shepherded out of his stockade by the big girls. Nervous and confused, he spread out his ears and attempted to stand tall, initially backing away but then accepting the close presence of the other elephants. The Keepers escorted the herd out into the forest. For a time, the orphans were too excited to eat, instead clustering around the newcomer, but eventually they settled down to browse. All except for the older females who stayed close to Loldaiga. The newbie initially accepted their mothering but then ran off in search of the security of a Keeper - with Kinyei, Kindani and Olorien in pursuit!
In the afternoon, one of the smaller girls was not quite so kind to the young bull during his first paddle in the mud bath. Loldaiga drank his milk quietly and then bravely wandered into the wallow on another hot sunny afternoon. Out of the blue, Muwingu pushed him from behind, knocking him over. He stood up and walked to the other side of the mud bath and she followed him. She was only trying to play but was being a bit too boisterous for his first day.
On another bright morning, the orphans woke up in jovial moods, rumbling happily, and trotted out of their stockades as soon as the doors were opened. Young bulls Bondeni and Esoit confronted each other and started wrestling and clashing heads. Many of the older females were hovering around newbie Loldaiga, keeping an eye on him and reassuring him. But clever Ahmed had other things on her mind. Noticing that a Keeper was cleaning Maxwell’s stockade and had left the gate open, she nipped in for a surreptitious snack of leftover pellets. Nearby, Mukutan was playing the pushing game with Kerrio until, breaking it off, he strolled over to Loldaiga to challenge him to a game. The newbie stood quietly, refusing to play with the older bull.
In a short while, the herd meandered out to browse in the surrounding bush. A little bewildered on his second day out, Loldaiga remained at a distance from boisterous boys like Esoit and Mukutan. He made the mistake of getting rather too close to Kitiak, was rebuffed, and returned to the sanctuary of the many nannies in the herd.
Later in the morning, many of the elephants enjoyed a cooling dip in the mud bath. The bath was full of rolling wallowing orphans waving their trunks in the air. Good friends Elerai and Iletilal drank deeply from the water trough and then hosed themselves with the water, rather than joining the others in the bath. After the wallow, the orphans settled down for a concentrated session of dusting on a day with a hot dry wind.
Today was an extremely sad day for the orphan family: It was the day that sweet Ziwadi died. The terrible incident happened at the mud bath. Many of the orphans were cooling themselves off in the muddy wallow on a hot afternoon. Ziwadi had started to enjoy swimming and the Keepers had been happy to observe the growth in her confidence. Today, she plodded into the water and lay down to relax with her friends. A few minutes later, the Keepers noticed that she was struggling and immediately jumped into the bath to help her. They pulled her out quickly but it was too late — she had stopped breathing. They tried to resuscitate her but to no avail. Everyone was shocked and sad at the loss of such a special orphan.
The orphans were shepherded away as soon as the Keepers realised that Ziwadi was in trouble. Although they did not witness her final moments, they sensed that something had happened. They were jumpy and uncomfortable out in the forest in the late afternoon, hovering around the Keepers and not settling down to browse.
Matters were made worse when Rafiki encountered a group of buffaloes in the bush. He trumpeted in alarm and sprinted back to the herd, further upsetting them. Brave Kinyei took it upon herself to drive away the buffaloes, charging at them with her ears flared. They wandered away. A short while later, the Keepers returned to the stockades with their charges who obediently went into their individual rooms and settled down for the night.
Choka is becoming a cheeky chap. The orphans visit the mud bath in the mornings in two groups – the younger ones followed by the older ones. Today, Choka sneaked away from his group (the second one) to tag along behind the first group as they trundled down the path for their bottles. The Keepers herded him back to his peers. Again, he ran off to join the first group, this time taking Lodo and Sileita with him on his escapade. The Keepers succeeded in stopping his two friends but could not stop Choka before he got to the mud bath and quickly downed a bottle of milk. The feisty young bull proceeded to knock into poor Latika who was peacefully dusting herself as he headed for the wallow.
Nearby little Nyambeni was also having a dust bath, rolling around on a heap of soil as a Keeper shoveled soil on to her back (as she is too young to manage this herself) — until Muridjo got in the way. She arrived in a flurry and started play mounting her. Nyambeni cried out for help and a Keeper came to the rescue, ordering the little girl to leave her alone.
Nowadays, Kitiak is always seeking attention from the Keepers, especially during feeding time at the mud bath. Today, once he had finished his bottle, he wandered along the line, greeting the visitors and happily allowing them to touch him. He was also sucking a Keeper’s dust coat and trying to suck the rope cordon!
When Kitiak first arrived, he used to walk behind the Keepers after finishing his own bottle of milk, threatening to grab bottles being given to the other orphans. No longer - he has learned some manners! Greedy orphans Mukutan and Choka are also learning to mind their manners, doing as they are told rather than disobeying the Keepers. Choka used to follow a Keeper after drinking his two bottles, coming very close and then shaking his head to demand more. Mukutan used to follow a Keeper in a similar way, but he would raise his trunk to communicate his demands and generally cause trouble. The toddlers are growing out of their tantrums!
Just as the older ones’ behavior improves, the blanket babies are turning into toddlers. Little ones Muridjo, Nyambeni and Kitich are not as docile as they were. They are becoming naughty babies who like to demand more milk. Today, Muridjo had a temper tantrum, flapping her ears and trumpeting as loudly as she could when her Keeper refused to give her another bottle.
In contrast, the quieter boys are less prone to tantrums. Out in the forest in the early evenings, Rafiki, Iletilal, Tingai and Elerai feed peacefully together in a mini herd. Sometimes they choose to be on their own. They are kind and reserved young bulls who don’t like to be disturbed when browsing and who rarely indulge in silly antics like the pushing game.
There are a lot of thirsty babies in the herd at present! Today, it was Weka’s turn to behave like an indulged child. She gulped down her milk and then starting trumpeting as she backed away from the wheelbarrow. She is not confident enough to follow a Keeper and ask for more, so she expressed her demand by reversing away with her tail up and her ears out! Her behavior is not unusual – in recent days, Muwingu, Mageno, Kitich and Muridjo have all done the elephant equivalent of stamping their feet to express their desires. The Keepers may find their tantrums trying but are also happy to see how settled the relative newcomers have become.
This afternoon at the mud bath, many stood browsing on the supplementary lucerne on a cooler afternoon. Mini matriarchs Olorien and Kinyei got into a squabble over the lucerne, shoving and grabbing branches from each other. Peace was restored later in the bush as Olorien, Kinyei, KIndani and Kerrio tended the blanket babies, standing so close that they were touching.
Out in the forest in the early evening, hungry Lodo was rubbing his trunk against a tree, doing his best to remove some bark to eat. Nearby, Shujaa and Nyambeni stood close together – the little boy was lying his trunk affectionately along the little girl’s back in his own special version of a trunk hug.
Esoit is a strong bull with lots of personality. He loves playing the pushing game with other young bulls and is also happy to teach them the game. Every day he chooses someone to challenge – his favorite playmates include Taabu, Choka, Mukutan and Tingai. The five naughty boys enjoy playing with each other, especially when out in the bush or any open area. As Tingai becomes less shy and more courageous, he is happier to accept challenges and wrestle with his friends.
The babies frequently watch the big boys and sometimes imitate them. Nyambeni, Shujaa, Mzinga and Kerrio have been seen recently playing their own gentler version of the pushing game!
This afternoon, good friends Kamili and Latika were enjoying a lovely swim together. Latika has a sweet way of splashing herself – she puts her head down, then carefully goes down on her knees on the edge of the mud bath and then sucks up water through her little trunk and squirts it onto her back. Next to them, Choka and Sileita were sitting on their bottoms and then rolling around and wallowing in the mud. Even babies Nyambeni and Mzinga had a swim today, waiting until most of the bigger orphans clambered out before toddling in and lying down.
It was a cool morning and so no one was keen on swimming in the mud bath. As the orphans were browsing and playing, Taabu invited little Shujaa to join the gang of naughty boys! Shujaa does like hanging out with older elephants, but he is still very small. Taabu walked behind Shujaa, laying his trunk along his back as the plucky boy trotted over to play with Tingai, Choka and Mukutan. Lots of mounting and pushing and chasing ensued on the edge of the mud bath. Choka play mounted Shujaa and then Taabu mounted Choka and then Mukutan pushed all three down. The five elephants rolled around on the ground and lay relaxing on top of the heap of soil. As they chilled, Muridjo decided to join the game. The little girl gave Taabu a push from behind and the older boy started to chase her.
Kerrio (who is becoming a most responsible nanny) was watching the antics. Deciding that enough was enough, she ran over to them, flapping her ears and waving her trunk. She pushed Taabu away from Muridjo and the other boys away from Shujaa and then stood protectively between the two blanket babies. She checked that both were fine, laying her trunk on them in a calming manner while continuing to flare her ears. As the little ones lay down to roll around on the soil, she threw dust on their backs.
Last night, Bondeni kicked up a rumpus! He paced around his stockade, trumpeting loudly and waking up the other orphans. His behavior was infectious and soon Kerrio, Taabu and Kindani were also trumpeting. Unable to calm down, Bondeni then kicked down the wall separating his stockade from neighboring Taabu’s. Today, the Keepers decided to separate the naughty boys, moving both Taabu and Bondeni to new stockades. They believe that the reason for the unrest was the arrival of two new rescues earlier in the evening – one tiny one from Borana and a second from Amboseli.
Some orphans are at ease with human beings; others are wary and tend to react defensively if surprised. Olorien, Kinyei, Kindani, Shujaa, Ahmed and Lodo are chilled elephants who are not easily alarmed. Muridjo, Weka and Kerrio are not so laidback. This afternoon, a visitor approached Muridjo and Weka as the two friends (who sleep in adjoining stockades) were browsing on lucerne down at the mud bath. The visitor walked quickly towards the two, giving them a fright. They reacted instinctively, moving forward to push the stranger. A Keeper intervened, telling them to stop and calming them down. Kerrio is also sometimes an apprehensive little girl. If someone approaches her as she is engrossed in feeding, thus startling her, she will react by pushing the stranger away.
This morning out in the forest, close friends Muridjo, Weka and Sileita were having a lovely time. They browsed together on dry leaves in a little group, lifting their trunks on to each other’s backs as they relaxed in the shade of a tree. Weka was so calm as she munched as many dry leaves as she could forage. Shy Sileita who tends to be rather a loner was feeding close to Weka. The three girls enjoyed a most peaceful meal. Meanwhile, Tingai, Choka, Mukutan and Taabu were playing rowdy games, pushing and chasing each other as they sprinted between the trees. Kitiak was wandering around quietly on his own, seemingly thinking about joining the three girls but a little unsure.
Later in the afternoon, many of the orphans trumpeted in alarm as they ran down the path to the mud bath. The reason for all the commotion was a small group of buffaloes. They are visiting every day at present in search of food and water as conditions are so dry. Most of the orphans actually diverted from the path to avoid the loitering buffaloes. Big boys Bondeni and Esoit were the least flustered – refusing to change their route and charging at the visitors with their ears and trunks aloft.
It was a really hot day. Muridjo, Weka and Sileita were rolling around and swimming together in the mud bath. Water baby Kerrio was also wallowing and Muwingu was rubbing her body against the wall. A few meters away, Lodo was playing with Kitich, pushing the young girl along the wall.
During the night, the Keepers heard Bondeni trumpeting again. This time, he was expressing his annoyance at sleeping in a new stockade!
Today, Kinyei was being very protective and caring towards little Shujaa. As they wandered out into the forest this morning, Kinyei stayed close behind him and placed her trunk along his back. The little boy felt so relaxed in her company that he squeezed himself between her fore legs, hoping that he might be able to suckle from her breasts. Olorien was also mothering Shujaa today, standing close to him and touching him. When she did so, to the Keepers’ amusement, he trumpeted and ran back to Kinyei, making his preference clear.
During the morning visit to the mud bath, many of the orphans went wallowing as it was such a hot day. Lodo and Kitiak were playing competitively, shoving each other as they rolled around. Olorien and Kinyei were also swimming together for a short while before Olorien clambered out, dusted herself off, and walked along the rope cordon greeting the guests. Kinyei then climbed out and walked over to stand next to her best friend Kindani and also Shujaa. Choka and Taabu had a great time wallowing together – they were soon joined by Mukutan who has certainly been accepted as a member of their gang.
The older orphans set off enthusiastically to browse in the forest this morning with Elerai, Iletilal, Kinyei, Kindani, Ahmed, Kitiak, Mageno, Bondeni and Esoit in the lead. Blanket babies Nyambeni, Mzinga, Shujaa and Muridjo lingered in the stockades, nipping in and out of other orphans’ rooms in search of leftover food. Nyambeni and Mzinga went into Muwingu’s room and Shujaa and Muridjo into Latika’s.
Meanwhile out in the forest as the orphans browsed in small groups, Olorien and Kerrio went purposefully from one group to the next searching for the blanket babies. Failing in her quest to find Nyambeni, Mzinga, Shujaa and Muridjo, Kerrio trumpeted her concern and charged off back to the stockades. She found her young friends and shepherded them out to join the herd in the field. Nyambeni and Mzinga trotted happily along behind her, doing exuberant little mock charges as they went. Kerrio has formed a close bond with the babies and is increasingly maternal in her behavior.
It was an extremely hot morning. In response, the orphans gathered in groups under large trees, seeking shade from the hot sun. Mageno and Kitich did not want to share their shade! The toddlers squabbled over the coveted patch of shade, but Mageno emerged the victor when he bit poor Kitich’s tail, and the little elephant ran away to find a kinder friend.
There were no stragglers this morning! The herd headed out together to browse in the forest soon after dawn. They settled in their friendship groups, looking for leaves to eat in an increasingly dry and dusty place. Bondeni and Taabu had no time for browsing - they were too busy playing the wrestling game. Recently, the Keepers have noticed Taabu doing his very best to join the big boy gang that is Bondeni, Esoit and Lodo. Younger than them but full of confidence and determination, he is already proving a challenge for Bondeni to subdue. He is also cheeky enough to dare to play mount his older friend.
Although Olorien is developing into a caring and responsible mini matriarch, her assertive habit of holding hostages on their way to the mud bath has persisted. Today, she was leading Ahmed, Sileita, Kindani, Bondeni, Tingai and Mukutan down to the mud bath for their morning bottles of milk. When the group was still a way out, she blocked the path, preventing anyone from passing her and threatening to head butt anyone who tried. A Keeper had to force her off the path so that the herd could continue. Perhaps she is practicing her leadership skills!
Today was a day for playing in the forest in the early morning. Full of energy, many of the orphans were scampering around, cheerfully bumping into and against each other. Choka and Mukutan were the first to start the wrestling game, pushing and trumpeting in excitement. Mageno and Kitich soon followed their example, testing each other’s strength until Mageno tried to play mount Kitich. Close by, Kindani and Esoit were wrestling. In contrast, Kerrio and little Nyambeni were rolling around on the ground, rubbing the soil into the bodies. Naughty Lodo and Bondeni were chasing after Ahmed and trying to play mount her. Quick thinking Ahmed sought help from Kinyei who warned off the troublemakers with a stern shake of her head.
Down at the mud wallow after the mid-morning milk feed, the younger first group downed their bottles and settled down to browse. Muridjo was in such a playful mood – she ran along the cordon, greeting the visitors and almost teasing the children. She allowed them to touch her and did tiny mock charges towards them. She was so relaxed.
Iletilal is a quiet calm boy who is friendly to all the orphans, whatever their age and gender. He especially likes to hang out with Elerai, Kitiak, Kitich and Tingai. At the same time, he is often a lone ranger out in the forest and is wary of Bondeni, Esoit and Lodo — the biggest, strongest boys.
In contrast to yesterday, today the orphans browsed quietly and peacefully in the forest. It was not a day for playing - there was lots of interacting going on but no wrestling or rolling or mock charges. It was also not a day for going deep into the forest – normally elephants like Ahmed, Sileita, Mukutan, Bondeni, Choka, Taabu, Olorien, Esoit, Muwingu, Weka, Tingai, Kitiak and Lodo are keen to wander afar and to explore. Today, they did not venture far from the stockades.
During the mid-morning milk feed at the mud bath, Murijdo was again charming the visitors with her entertaining antics. After finishing their bottles, the orphans in the first group settled down to browse on the supplementary greens quietly. But not this young lady! Facing her backside towards the water trough, she started scratching herself vigorously against the bucket. As she wiggled, the visitors cheered her on. She became excited, scratching herself so quickly and with such energy that she missed the target of the water trough, slipped over and landed on her side. The visitors were entertained but Muridjo was a little overwhelmed and waddled over to stand next to her friends in a slightly bashful way.
In the field in the late afternoon, Kindani and Shujaa were inseparable – she enjoys caring for the little boy and he likes being with her. They stood so close together that they were touching.
On another bright sunny morning, the orphans emerged from their stockades to greet each other and head out for a browse in the dry and dusty forest. Once out in the bush, they settled down to eat and of course to play. Today, Tingai and Taabu were playing the pushing game with lots of dramatic moves and sounds. Tingai used to be rather shy and fearful but is growing and growing in confidence and in physical strength. The Keepers enjoyed seeing him hold his own against feisty Taabu. Choka sauntered over to join the game, choosing to chase away Taabu (who went with reasonable grace) and challenge Tingai.
The first group trotted down the path to the mud bath later in the morning for their bottles of milk. Once again, Muridjo was being mischievous. She demanded a second bottle and, when this was not forthcoming, she started pushing everyone – orphans and Keepers – in her vicinity. She was full of indignation! Mageno stepped in to tell her off and restrain her.
Later in the afternoon, the orphans returned to the mud bath for more milk and a cooling wallow. All except for crafty Iletilal who hid from the Keepers and then sneaked back to the stockades to find some extra food in other orphans’ stockades. His plan was foiled when a Keeper sent him back out to join the herd.
The orphans emerged cheerfully from their stockades and gathered in small groups to wander out into the increasingly dry and dusty forest. Close friends Kitiak and Iletilal love walking off in their own directions rather than remaining with the herd. Today, they started running away when a Keeper directed them back to the others. Three Keepers surrounded the naughty orphans and shepherded them back to browse with their friends.
Loldaiga is the newest member of the herd – he was only allowed out of the taming stockade two weeks ago. A calm boy, he is making friends and interacting lots with the other babies. He especially likes hanging out with new friends Muwingu and Weka.
Shujaa was kicking up a big fuss at the mud bath this morning. He is a creature of habit who likes to drink from the water trough every day as soon as he finishes his bottle of milk. Today, mischievous girls Kerrio and Latika blocked his path to the bucket of water, pushing him away for no apparent reason. Outraged, he trumpeted as loudly as he could. Eventually, Kerrio relented and allowed the little boy to drink freely and in peace. He was quite disgruntled afterwards and rebuffed his friends for the remainder of the day.
Soon after dawn on a beautifully clear morning, the orphans were ready to head out into the forest to browse. Except for Olorien and Esoit who were playing hide and seek with the Keepers. They were darting in and out of all the stockades, looking for tasty leftover cubes and sugar cane to eat. When a Keeper found them in one stockade, they ran out and into another one. They ended up outside the stockade of the recent rescue, stretching their trunks though the gaps in the walls in their attempts to pinch some food. The Keepers had had enough! They surrounded the naughty pair and ordered them to join their friends. The two friendly elephants happily complied, trotting off to the bush with their heads held high.
Later in the morning at the mud bath, the first group of younger orphans trundled down the bath in groups of three and four, racing to reach a Keeper with a bottle of milk. Bottles emptied, several babies plunged into the mud bath on a swelteringly hot day. Including Latika! She does not often swim but today she made an exception. She paddled in and did her best to splash water on her hot body with her little trunk. She could not squirt enough to cool herself and so she lay down and slowly rolled over and over. Standing up, she tried again to use her damaged trunk as a hose but it was no good. Sweet Kerrio came to her rescue, sucking up water in her longer trunk and then kindly hosing down her friend. A Keeper joined in too. Eventually, Latika decided she was cool enough and trundled quietly away. She stood almost still a few meters away with her back legs crossed.
Further afield in Nairobi National Park, we were treated to a rare sighting of Solio and her offspring, Sultan and Savannah! The KWS Corporal assigned to the Nairobi National Park Rhino Monitoring Team spotted them during a patrol. It is very special to see all three together — a perfect family portrait, and a picture of health.
It was so hot today that several orphans had an early morning dip in the mud bath, paddling and hosing themselves with water in preparation for a hot walk in the forest. Kitich, however, had other things on his mind. He was playing with the warthogs, chasing them away in delight whenever they tried to sneak into the mud bath. Soon the little pigs gave up and sprinted off towards a bush. Kitich followed them, ears flapping as he ran round the bush and straight into a herd of buffaloes. He got such a fright! Screeching to a halt, he turned around and charged back to the herd, trumpeting and trumpeting. Some of the other babies then joined in. It took a while for the older females and the Keepers to calm everyone down.
Having been a very small baby herself not so long ago, Kerrio is relishing her new role of protector and friend of youngest babies Nyambeni and Mzinga. This afternoon in the forest, feisty Choka snuck up behind Mzinga and climbed on top of her. Kerrio was not going to tolerate this behavior! She ran over and pushed the big boy off. Then she scooped up the two little girls and took them a short distance away where they could browse in peace. The three orphans are often found together.
The orphans wandered out of their stockades and headed out to the forest in a straggly line led by Olorien. To the Keepers’ surprise, Muridjo and Shujaa came out of their stockades happily enough but refused to go to the forest. The reason was the new rescue who was sleeping in the room next to Muridjo’s. The two little elephants hovered outside the stable door, lifting their small trunks over the top in an attempt to greet the newbie who has not yet finished her training and joined the herd. They were keen to make friends! Olorien returned to scoop up the two babies and take them out to join the others.
In the afternoon at the mud bath, Nyambeni was being naughty. She gulped down her milk as usual and then toddled over to Kitiak (who is not as confident as she is). Notwithstanding the fact that she is the youngest in the Nursery, she gave him the biggest shove she could manage. Kitiak’s reaction was to trot away to the other side of the mud bath, rather than stand up to the little girl.
On another hot afternoon, the mud bath was soon full of elephants wandering in and out contentedly. Several lay on the soil around the bath, some on their sides and others on their bellies. A couple rubbed their backsides against the edges. Swimming over, it was time for a thorough dusting before the herd headed out for an early evening browse.
Mukutan loves playing with anyone, no matter their size or gender. During the morning milk feed at the mud bath, he challenged boisterous Bondeni to play the pushing game with him. Brave move! He held his own for quite a time, but the older stronger orphan emerged the clear winner. Never mind – Mukutan had had fun.
On a hot and windy afternoon at the mud bath, the small babies were drinking lots from the water buckets. Sweet Mzinga stood quite still with her head in the bucket and her front leg bent. The blanket babies are growing in confidence – today they were trundling around the mud bath happily before the bigger ones arrived, greeting each other and flapping their ears to keep cool. On hot afternoons like today, the orphans’ trunks and also ears are rarely still. Nyambeni was paddling and then she lay down – she was joined by some older friends and remained on the edge of the bath having a relaxing time. Nearby, Muridjo was spreadeagled on the soil eating lucerne and rubbing her body against the soil (at the same time!) with her little legs sticking out. Shujaa followed her example, lying down next to her for a munch and a rub.
Later in the day out in the forest, good buddies Muridjo and Mzinga were really tired after a busy day of browsing and swimming – they stood quietly together with their trunks draped over each other.
A Keeper led the orphans out this morning to browse in the surrounding forest. They were meandering around rather than heading straight out as they normally do. Sweet Weka was hanging around the stockades, pottering up and down. Muwingu, Kerrio, Mageno and Kitich were also hanging back from the herd. When a Keeper pointed his finger at Weka, telling her to head out, she obeyed and started running out to catch her friends. The other four charged along behind her, trumpeting loudly with their ears flared. They ran into the herd, pushing several orphans including gentle Kamili in their excitement, and causing chaos. Lodo and Kinyei took control, calming everyone down and telling off Mageno who had given Kamili a hard shove.
In the afternoon, the orphans plunged into the mud bath. Water baby Kerrio was first, followed closely by Mageno and Choka. Muwingu was kneeling on the edge with her front legs in the water and her trunk in the water. Today, young and not so young ended up frolicking in the mud bath together, as three impalas watched impassively from the sidelines. Latika did not join the others but stood with her back legs crossed gazing in the opposite direction. Elerai attempted to wander off towards the stockades, but a Keeper intercepted him and pointed him back towards the herd.
Loldaiga has changed since his arrival at the Nursery. Initially, he was aggressive and withdrawn; now, he is friendly to the other orphans and also to the Keepers. Nonetheless, this independent boy still likes to head off on his own when out in the field. Today, Loldaiga and Iletilal purposefully strolled some distance away from the herd – they settled down to browse among several buffaloes and many baboons and impalas. The Keepers left them for a short time before shepherding them back to join their friends.
Kerrio was being protective to the blanket babies again today, in particular Shujaa and Muridjo. The two babies spend much of the time glued to the older girl, feeling safe and happy in her presence. This afternoon, naughty Mukutan tried to mount Shujaa on the edge of the mud bath. Immediately, Kerrio gave him a big shove – Mukutan trumpeted his displeasure and wandered away in a grump. He was not going to stand up to this feisty young girl!
Meanwhile, Taabu and Bondeni were wallowing and playing in the mud bath – the two bulls were twisting their trunks in and out of the others as Taabu knelt on his belly on the edge and Bondeni stood in the water. Nearby, Ahmed and Esoit were also playing – after lots of rolling around together, she leant her head on his back as he relaxed on the edge of the bath.