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On a wonderful morning at the Voi stockades, the orphans emerged from their shared enclosures at first light. The younger orphans enjoyed another delicious milk feed - during which Ashanti knocked down Baraka for trying to steal her bottle – and then joined the older elephants at the feeding trough or around the pile of lucerne.

The orphans spent the morning browsing on the slopes of Msinga Hill. After staying out for the night with Mweya’s herd of ex-orphans, Ndotto, Ngilai and Tagwa rejoined the herd later in the morning. Meanwhile, Mweya, calves Mwitu and Mwangaza, Panda, Mbirikani, Kihari, Pika Pika, Arruba, Rorogoi, Sagala, Mudanda, Naipoki and Ndii wandered over the other side of the hill.

In the afternoon, we brought our orphans back to the stockades as some students were visiting to learn about conservation and the work of Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. After wallowing in the mud, Itinyi clambered up the terrace wall, scratched himself on the rock, and enjoyed a sparring match with Rokka.

Later in the day, the orphans browsed on the western side of the hill. Mbegu, Busara, Juni, Tagwa, Manda and Itinyi had a good time rolling around together on the dry soil in an erosion gulley.

In the morning, as usual, the dependent orphans lined up belly to belly at the feeding trough after the milk feed. Standing next to Mbegu, Ashanti knelt on her forelegs so that she could scoop cubes into her mouth. Afterwards, some elephants ambled over to the supplementary lucerne while others chose to browse on the hill overlooking the stockades.

Sneaking away from Mweya’s ex-orphans, Mudanda spent the morning browsing with our orphans on the slopes of Msinga Hill before returning to her independent herd - Mweya, calves Mwitu and Mwangaza, Panda, Mbirikani, Kihari, Pika Pika, Arruba, Rorogoi, Sagala, Naipoki and Ndii.

In the afternoon, the orphans had their milk feed and ran down to the baobab tree water hole. Today, they paddled into the smaller mud wallow close to the baobab tree rather than the larger, colder pool. Emoli wallowed with Ushindi, Godoma and Hildana, while Mbegu, Juni, Busara and Dabida stood splashing on the edge. Tamiyoi and Kilulu joined the wallowing party as others browsed on the green vegetation around the water hole.

On a cool and misty morning, the dependent orphans walked out of their stockades and stood around quietly in groups. The weather was not favourable for playing. Rokka, Lemeki, Losoito and Manda led the herd out to the browsing grounds with Ndotto and Ngilai following slowly behind. Mbegu stopped off to massage her bottoms on a boulder and then caught up with the herd.

In the afternoon, Hildana gulped down his milk and tried to grab Epiya’s bottle - we ordered Hildana away so that Epiya could enjoy his bottle in peace. As the weather was still cloudy, the orphans drank from the water trough but did not have a mud bath. Kenderi itched himself against the baobab tree while Emoli massaged his neck against Kenderi’s back. The two friends then joined up with the herd as they ambled back out to browse.

It was a cloudy morning at the Voi stockades. The orphans gathered as usual for breakfast of milk, range cubes and lucerne. This morning, cheeky Hildana set his sights on Kenderi! He drank his milk quickly and tried to snatch his friend’s bottle. Kenderi, however, is not the type to give up easily and fought back – so Hildana walked away to try his luck with Baraka at the feeding trough.

The orphans spent the morning browsing over Msinga Hill, while Tagwa, Ndotto and Ngilai browsed on the open savannah, wandering in the same direction as the herd.

In the afternoon, we sent the orphans down in groups for a milk feed and a visit to the baobab tree mud wallow. As the day was still cool, the elephants opted for the smaller pools of water rather than the main wallow. Ndotto and Mbegu rolled and splashed in one large puddle as the others stood by waiting their turn. When the two orphans climbed out, Manda and Rokka took their place while Itinyi, Ushindi, Busara, Juni and Losoito continued to stand patiently on the sidelines.

The orphans later resumed browsing with Ndotto and Ngilai on the hill. Before dusk, the dependent herd - including Tagwa - returned to the stockades for the night, leaving the two bulls on the hill.

On a cool morning, the orphans waited patiently in their enclosures while we prepared the milk bottles. A stubborn Ashanti stood right by the door, refusing to move even when Epiya and Losoito tried to push her away. When a Keeper opened the gate, Ashanti was first to rush down the path to the feeding area with Epiya, Baraka, Busara and Losoito (full of indignant rumbles) in hot pursuit. When Mbegu heard the rumbling, she banged her head on her stockade gate, demanding to be let out so she could check on the babies.

After breakfast, the dependent herd spread out over Msinga Hill, browsing on delicious acacia branches. Mbegu browsed at the foot of the hill with Busara, Tagwa and Dabida, while the rest of the herd followed Tamiyoi up to the top.

In the afternoon, the orphans had their milk feed and padded on to the mud wallow as usual, stopping off to drink from the trough before walking into the pool. Juni, Busara, Epiya and Ushindi opted for a smaller pool next to the main wallow. The others cooled off in the wallow and then climbed out to play in the smaller pools, clambering all over each other and splashing mud in every direction.

The dependent orphans headed out to the hill early this morning. Itinyi, Hildana, Lemeki and Godoma pulled down an acacia sapling not far from the stockades as the others browsed around them. After a restless night, Rokka lay down for a nap on a lower slope with Ushindi watching over her. Seri massaged her backside against a desert shepherd tree and then Losoito led the herd over to the rocky side of the hill.

In the afternoon, the elephants visited the mud wallow as usual but did not go swimming. Instead, they stood around the pool in small groups, browsing or drinking or scratching their bodies against trees. Busara and Kilulu played several rounds of the pushing game before the herd wandered back to the safety of the stockades for the night. 

This morning, Ngilai and Ndotto joined the herd for breakfast after spending the night on Msinga Hill with Mweya’s herd of ex-orphans. Losoito and Lemeki led the way out to the browsing fields on the north side of the hill.

In the afternoon, Ndotto took centre stage, rolling and wallowing in the baobab tree mud wallow where he was soon joined by Losoito and Emoli. Some of the others were waiting for a dip in the smaller water hole which many prefer because it is warmer and muddier. Busara and Ushindi stood next to the large puddle for a long time waiting their turn. They lay down in the mud with show-off Tamiyoi who rolled around and dug down into the mud with her tusks. Baraka scratched herself against Mbegu as she lay motionless on the edge.

While Kilulu continued to roll around on the mound of soil and Tamiyoi, Dabida and Ndotto rubbed their bottoms against the peacock tree, the orphans began ambling away from the wallow in the direction of the hill. 

Our ex-orphans visited this morning. Mweya, babies Mwitu and Mwangaza, Panda, Mbirikani, Kihari, Pika Pika, Arruba, Rorogoi, Sagala, Mudanda, Naipoki, Ndii and a wild bull arrived at dawn and gathered around the tree. Our dependent orphans soon joined them and the two groups mingled around the feeding trough and supplementary lucerne.

The resident herd headed out to browse on the slopes of Msinga Hill. Mbegu was browsing with Juni, Thamana and Dabida, who were trunk hugging each other as they wandered along. Ushindi, Akina, Hildana and Seri were spending time together. Busara joined the small group, draped her trunk over Ushindi, and settled down to browse next to her. Legs waving in the air, Kilulu was rolling around in the erosion gulley. Juni and Busara clambered into the gulley to play in the dust as well.

Later in the afternoon, the orphans visited the mud wallow. Some swam and others dusted themselves with dry soil while Kilulu and Kenderi enjoyed an exciting sparring game.

The sun was shining in a clear sky when the orphans emerged from their stockades this morning. Godoma scratched herself against the boulder next to the water trough while Losoito rolled around on the dust pile. Kenderi and Kilulu also enjoyed an early morning dust bath and then another sparring match.

The elephants spent most of the morning browsing over the hill. In the afternoon, we gathered the milk-dependent orphans – Akina, Ashanti, Baraka, Busara, Dabida, Epiya, Hildana, Itinyi, Juni, Kenderi, Kilulu, Lemeki, Losoito, Manda, Rokka, Seri, Thamana and Ushindi – and sent them down in groups for their bottles of milk.

On a hot day, most of the herd cooled off in the wallow, submerging their bodies in the thick mud. Afterwards, they wandered deep into the woods to browse before returning to the stockades for the night.

In what is becoming their routine, Ndotto and Ngilai arrived at the stockades in the morning for breakfast after spending the night on the hill. Ashanti was in the first group padding down the path. She gulped her milk and sprinted to the feeding trough full of pellets, keen to secure a good position and scoop lots into her mouth before the others crowded around her. The rest of the herd soon gathered either at the trough or around the lucerne. Kenderi and Itinyi were playing on the upper terrace, Ndotto was trunk kissing Tagwa, Mbegu was massaging her bottoms against the famous rock, and Thamana was scratching himself against the terrace wall. After the game, Itinyi rubbed his face and body on the dry soil,

Tamiyoi led the way out to the browsing fields. The orphans made their way over the rocky Msinga Hill to the open savannah where they spent the morning. Tagwa and little Busara hung back to browse on delicious acacia branches on the slopes of the hill.

In the afternoon, almost the whole herd plunged into the mud wallow. While Itinyi and Kilulu sparred in the muddy water, Ngilai struck impressive poses next to the water trough. Busara climbed out of the pool and joined Losoito for a massage against some rocks and then a dust bath. After cooling off, Ngilai scratched himself on the peacock tree and Thamana on the baobab tree.

In the early evening, the herd browsed over the summit of the hill while matriarch Mbegu and favourite baby Busara remained at the bottom.

On another wonderful morning, the dependent orphans gathered in the area in front of their shared stockades.

Losoito, Tamiyoi, Lemeki and Rokka then led the herd out to browse on the northern slopes of Msinga Hill overlooking the water hole. Godoma and adopted baby Baraka browsed deep in the woods while the rest remained on the hill.

In the afternoon, the orphans had their milk feed as usual and ran down to the mud wallow. Lemeki is often last to come down the hill. Today, little Losoito waited so nanny and baby could walk down together after spending the whole morning apart.

Most of the orphans stopped off to drink from the trough before padding into the mud wallow. Once again, Itinyi and Kenderi played a water sparring match, clashing tusks and mounting each other while orphans wallowed peacefully around them. Ngilai relaxed on the mound of soil after his swim while Baraka stood close to Godoma, draping her trunk along her back.

The elephants returned to the hill later in the afternoon and then to the stockades, leaving Ndotto and Ngilai behind. 

On a cool morning, the dependent orphans lined up at the feeding trough or around the pile of lucerne. The ex-orphans did not visit and our orphans fed peacefully with their friends.

Amid a drizzle of rain, the herd left the stockades as usual and ambled over Msinga Hill, browsing on acacia branches along the way to the open grasslands. Tagwa took advantage of Mbegu spending time with Dabida and Juni and browsed close to Busara.

In the afternoon, the dependent orphans visited the water hole. They did not climb into the wallow today due to the cool weather. Afterwards, they browsed deep in the woods before returning to the stockades in the early evening. Some paddled and splashed in the stockade mud wallow and then walked quietly into their shared enclosures.

In the morning, Losoito and Rokka led the herd out to Msinga Hill. The orphans spread out to browse peacefully on shrubs and grasses. After spending the night on the hill, Ndotto and Ngilai browsed first with Tagwa and Emoli and then mingled with the rest of the herd.

In the afternoon after the milk feed, the herd wallowed and frolicked in the water. Thamana and Ndotto rubbed up against each other in the small mud wallow. Moments later, Losoito and Ngilai climbed in and pushed Thamana out. In the main pool, Mbegu, Baraka and Epiya dug into the mud with their tusks and kicked splashes of water in every direction. After standing on the sidelines, Ushindi joined the party and stole the show with Busara, Kilulu and Dabida. Godoma and Baraka swam next to each other and then stood trunk hugging on the edge.

In the evening, a new rescue arrived at the stockades. The young bull was found with a spear wound on the lower joint of his left foreleg in the Galana area. He was rescued because he was unable to walk and therefore vulnerable to attack by a lion or other predator. 

On a sunny morning, the elephants gathered soon after dawn in front of the stockades, filled their bellies with pellets and lucerne, and headed out to Msinga Hill. The new rescue remained in his stockade - with Thamana for company and reassurance.

The herd browsed over the hill above the compound and then returned to the stockades in the afternoon for another milk feed and mud wallow. Rokka, Manda, Itinyi and Kenderi lay down on the mound of soil as the rest of the herd wallowed in the mud hole. When Baraka and Juni joined the dust bath, Rokka walked away to scratch herself on the tree. Meanwhile, Busara and Lemeki massaged their bottoms on the famous rock, Tamiyoi rubbed her backside on another rock, Losoito wiggled against another boulder, and Itinyi showed off by the water trough.

In the late afternoon, Laikipia arrived at the stockades after an absence of many months. His arrival coincided with the return of the herd from the hill. The mature bull drank from the trough and stood under the tree. Lemeki welcomed him with a trunk touch and a flirtatious wiggle. Laikipia merely greeted her, hung around for an hour or so, and wandered back to the bush as soon as it was dark.

The elephants emerged as usual from their stockades on a cool morning at the stockades. Kilulu posed at the trough while Epiya raised his trunk in front of the pellet store asking for more (which we gave him). Juni hung out with Baraka, Ngilai and Busara played a gentle version of the sparring game, and Kilulu and Kenderi showboated and sparred excitedly on the mound of dry soil. Ngilai and Emoli pushed heads and entwined trunks while standing close – they were soon joined by Mbegu.

When the herd headed out to Msinga Hill, Ndotto stood back for a few minutes on his own, deciding whether to head off on his own or follow the herd. Today, he decided to stick with his old family. The orphans spent the morning browsing over the open fields at the foot of the hill.

In the afternoon, the dependent orphans quickly drank their milk and rushed down to the mud wallow. Emoli and Ndotto took centre stage today – the two bulls cavorted in the middle of the pool, splashing water in every direction. Meanwhile, Busara wiggled her backside against Mbegu while she lay unbothered in the mud and Dabida rolled up against Godoma.

On a sunny morning, the dependent orphans waited patiently in their stockades and Ndotto stood by the feeding trough, also waiting after spending the night on the hill. We filled the trough with cubes and opened the doors of the orphans’ enclosures.

Led by Losoito followed by Lemeki and Rokka, the herd set out to browse on the slopes of Msinga Hill. Ashanti was having a dust bath splashing and rolling in the erosion gulley. Kenderi checked that she could clamber out of the gulley and then challenged Kilulu to a wrestling game.

In the afternoon, the orphans returned to the stockades for another milk feed and played in the mud hole and on the dust pile. Kenderi and Itinyi sparred over the terrace wall while Tagwa and Juni wallowed on their own in the wallow. Tamiyoi scratched herself on the famous rock and Kilulu used the terrace wall. Ashanti kicked dust all over the place while playing on the mound of soil. The orphans spent the rest of the afternoon browsing on the hill

Mweya’s herd of ex-orphans visited their former family this morning. They arrived at dawn, drank from the trough, ate pellets and lucerne with our elephants, and disappeared into the bush. It was a cool morning and the herd was subdued, standing quietly in front of the stockades in small groups. Losoito enjoyed a dust bath while Rokka stood waiting to head out in the walkway. The orphans spent the morning in the open fields to the south of Msinga Hill.

In the afternoon, the elephants visited the baobab tree mud wallow. As the sky was still cloudy, they paddled and splashed in the water but did not lie down in the mud. Kenderi and Kilulu sparred on the edge of the pool. Emoli scratched himself on the peacock tree and then the baobab before catching up with the herd as they wandered away from the wallow.

On a wonderful sunny morning, the dependent orphans were out having breakfast as usual. Ashanti knelt at the trough to scoop up pellets while Losoito and Rokka chose to eat range cubes on the uncrowded terraces. Hildana was trunk kissing and hugging Godoma while Ndotto was showing off around the compound. The herd soon headed out to the browsing fields.

After the milk feed in the afternoon, the orphans walked on down to the mud wallow. A bull from a wild herd resting under a nearby tree approached our herd as they stood around the wallow. The orphans interacted with the teenager while we watched on from a distance. Ndotto invited the bull to a sparring game but he was only interested in checking on the girls.

The orphans soon left the wallow to wander up Msinga Hill in search of fresh pasture. Ndotto, Ngilai and Emoli walked off towards the northern side of the water hole but returned in the evening when the herd were already in their stockades.

Our dependent orphans left the stockades immediately after the morning milk and range cubes feed. They met up with ex-orphans Mweya (and calves Mwitu and Mwangaza), Panda, Mbirikani, Kihari, Pika Pika, Arruba, Rorogoi, Sagala, Mudanda, Naipoki and Ndii who were browsing on the rocky side of Msinga Hill not far from the compound.

Current and former orphans browsed peacefully together. When Dabida and Ushindi approached baby Mwangaza, protective mother Mweya pushed them away. Later in the morning, Mweya’s herd headed off to the water trough on the hill and then on in the direction of the Voi River circuit. 

In the afternoon, our orphans came down to the mud wallow as usual after the milk feed and paddled into the pool for a cooling swim. Kilulu and Emoli stopped off to drink at the trough and then played a water sparring match. Godoma submerged her body in the middle of the pool while Manda splashed water with her feet and climbed out for a massage on the peacock tree. Ngilai hosed himself with red soil and dug into the mound of soil with his growing tusks.

Later in the day while the herd was browsing once again, Itinyi and Kenderi enjoyed a noisy contest of strength, clashing heads and tusks. 

On another wonderful sunny morning, the orphans spread out in the area in front of the stockades. Ndotto was showboating at the entrance while Ushindi was trunk kissing Tagwa, Ashanti, Thamana and Kilulu in the walkway, and Epiya was hanging out with Baraka and Dabida.

As the sun rose in the sky, Losoito enjoyed an early morning dust bath and Thamana lay relaxing on the mound of red soil while best friend Lemeki and Baraka took turns to stand guard. When Thamana stood up, Lemeki took his place and splashed dust all over herself. Meanwhile, Kilulu was scratching on the famous rock and showing off her poses. When the herd headed out to the bush, Mbegu remained behind for a short time with Manda and favourite baby Busara.

In the afternoon, two wild elephants joined the orphans at the mud wallow. As our babies frolicked in the mud, a mature bull and a teenager strolled up to the water trough. Godoma and Manda climbed out of the water, greeted the teenage bull and played a sparring game with him. When the older bull paddled into the wallow, Itinyi followed him and splashed next to him. Afterwards, an excited Itinyi displayed at the water trough.

When the herd ambled away from the pool, the wild bulls followed them for half an hour before walking away in a different direction. 

Ndotto, Ngilai and Tagwa arrived after dark and spent the night around the tree near the entrance. Mweya’s herd of ex-orphans spent the night close to the stockades and arrived at dawn. The ex-orphans filled their bellies with range cubes and then left before our orphans emerged from their stockades. Ndotto, Ngilai and Tagwa stayed back to spend time with the dependent orphans.

The orphans were in playful moods this morning. As Ashanti and Dabida lay together rubbing bodies on the mound of soil, little Baraka clambered on top of Ashanti while waving her trunk. Then Lemeki had her turn to hose herself with red soil. Ngilai cooled off in the stockade water hole and then scratched his neck against Thamana’s back. Thamana took refuge in the wallow but was mounted by Itinyi as soon as he lay down in the mud. Seri and Emoli played a wrestling match with the younger orphan pushing as hard as she could and the older one being gentle. Soon, Losoito and Busara were also playing the pushing game.

After all the games, the herd browsed peacefully for most of the day, ambling all the way to the summit of Msinga Hill.

The orphans walked out of their rooms soon after dawn to feed on range cubes and lucerne and play with their friends on the terraces. Itinyi challenged best friend Kenderi to an early morning wrestling game.

Tamiyoi and Tagwa led the herd out to browse on Msinga Hill. They spread out around the hill enjoying the plentiful green browse. In the afternoon, the orphans visited the baobab tree water hole. They drank from the trough but did not climb into the wallow due to the cloudy weather. Emoli massaged his rump on the peacock tree while Itinyi and Kenderi sparred once again next to the water trough. Crafty Itinyi climbed onto the wall of the trough to give himself an unfair advantage. When we whistled, the herd obediently followed us back out to the bush.

Mweya’s herd of ex-orphans – with Ndotto, Ngilai and Tagwa in tow - arrived in the night and left at first light while the current orphans were still in their stockades. Ndotto, Ngilai and Tagwa stayed behind, choosing to line up at the feeding trough with Mbegu’s herd. The orphans were not in playful moods today and chose to head out early to the browsing fields.

On the western side of Msinga Hill, Baraka took a break from browsing to scratch her neck against a tree trunk. Kilulu watched her with interest and, when Baraka moved away, took her place at the tree. Mbegu stood close to Busara and Rokka, following behind and touching her adopted babies regularly with her trunk. Luckily, the two elephants are good friends and so are happy to share the matriarch’s love and protection.

In the afternoon, a wild herd took their place after our dependent herd left the mud bath. Ngilai came back to join the wild herd. He remained with them for a time before lifting his trunk to locate his family and jogging off to catch up with his friends.

Mweya’s herd of ex-orphans – with Ndotto, Ngilai and Tagwa - arrived in the night again and left at first light while our orphans were still in their stockades. Ndotto, Ngilai and Tagwa stayed behind. We noticed that Tagwa had a small wound on her hind quarters that looked like a tusk puncture. We suspect that Tagwa was hurt by one of Mwangaza’s many over-protective nannies!

The orphaned elephants later left the stockades at the beginning of a busy browsing day. On arriving at the foot of Msinga Hill, Hildana took a break from browsing to massage his rump against a boulder before catching up with the herd.

In the afternoon, the herd visited the mud wallow but did not get wet as it was a cloudy day. They drank from the trough and stood around in small groups while Busara and Kilulu played several rounds of the pushing game.

On another sunny morning, the orphans spent time in front of the stockades and then ambled out to browse on the green vegetation around Msinga Hill. Mbegu was browsing close to and trunk hugging adopted babies Busara and Rokka who have become inseparable.

After a brief visit to the mud bath, the herd returned to the hill with many of the older elephants walking up to the summit. Itinyi, Dabida and Ushindi became separated from the herd. Unaware of three Keepers standing in the shade of a tree, the three orphans became agitated and ran down the hill, trumpeting as they searched for their herd. We caught up with them, calmed them down and shepherded them back to the others. Hearing the noise, matriarch Mbegu had already led her herd down the hill.

The dependent orphans spent the morning browsing on the western side of Msinga Hill.

In the afternoon, we sent them down the hill in groups for another milk feed. The younger ones were excited today and sprinted towards their Keepers. Unable to keep up with her group, stout Losoito trumpeted loudly, warning the others not to touch her milk bottle!

The orphaned elephants then paddled into the water hole. Godoma stood on the edge, splashing water in every direction, Kilulu played with water in the trough, and Losoito and Busara had a strength competition, pushing heads and tiny tusks together. Realising that Busara was about to win the pushing game, Losoito broke away and pretended to chase something in the tall grass. Lemeki followed to check on her little sister and bring her back to join the herd. 

The orphaned elephants drank their milk as usual and played on the terraces in front of the stockades. Itinyi was being assertive today as if wanting to prove that he was the strongest in the herd. First, he had a tough wrestling match with Hildana and then he challenged Kilulu, while he was scratching on the famous rock, and finally he played with older bull Emoli.

The herd browsed for the rest of the morning before visiting the mud wallow in the afternoon. They cooled off in the muddy pool and then covered themselves in dry soil. Tamiyoi was first to lie down and roll around on the pile of soil. She was soon joined by Ushindi and Godoma and then many others. The elephants rubbed against and climbed on each other. At last, Mbegu, Busara and Rokka led the herd back out to browse in the bush. 

The dependent orphans relaxed for a while outside the stockades after feeding on milk, lucerne grass and range cubes. Godoma was the only one in a playful mood today – she lay on the mound of soil and rolled around with legs in the air while Seri stood next to her. Losoito sprayed trunkfuls of soil all over the place, covering herself and also Seri. Busara, Baraka and Epiya lay quietly at the other end of the pile of soil.

The herd soon headed out as usual, browsing over the hill and padding down to the mud wallow on a sunny afternoon. Almost all the orphans cooled off in the main water hole. After wallowing in the pool, Ushindi and Hildana splashed their bodies with water from the trough. Ngilai massaged himself against the baobab tree and then against Thamana. The rest of the day passed peacefully on the hill.