Kinna with Kama and the other ex-orphans Loijuk, baby Lili, Ishanga, Makireti, Kilabasi and Ithumba who had shown up towards the end of December again, stuck around for the first few days of the month. They then disappeared on the 5th, for some reason leaving ten year old Ishanga behind! Ishanga stayed with the Ithumba dependent orphans until the 17th when the ex-orphans returned to collect their friend.
Ex-orphans Kinna, baby Kama, Loijuk, baby Lili, Ishanga, Makireti, Kilabasi and Ithumbah showed up early in the morning before the orphans were let out of their stockades. When the dependent orphans were let out by the Keepers, the ex-orphans interacted with them before they all left for browsing. Kama got into trouble with Tusuja when she tried to challenge him. Tusuja used all his energy to make sure that he had taught Kama a lesson.
The ex-orphans remained together with the orphans until mud bath time when they parted ways. Kilabasi opted to stay with the juniors and later escorted them back to the stockades. Tusuja and Wanjala had an evening strength testing exercise. On the way back to the stockade, the orphans passed by the mud bath again where they had an evening cooling-off exercise.
Soon after leaving the stockade, Siangiki, Namalok and Malima started scratching on the nearby rocks. Tusuja and Sapalan had a warm up exercise of a pushing game. Later the orphans headed to the Kone area where they settled to browse. The orphans were then joined by the ex-orphans Kinna, Kama, Ishanga, Loijuk, Lili, Makireti, Ithumbah and Kilabasi again. They browsed with the dependent orphans and later headed to the mud bath where they all had a spectacular wallowing session. Kauro had a brief strength testing exercise with Tusuja that was disrupted by Kinna when she walked in between them. Later, Kinna led the way back out to browse. Naseku and Roi took on the roles of nannies to baby Lili and watched over her. The ex-orphans browsed with the dependent orphans until evening when they escorted them back to the stockade compound, before walking off further into the Park once all the dependent orphans were in their stockades for the night.
Soon after leaving their stockade, Rapa engaged Wanjala in a pushing game that lasted for quite some time but ended when Rapa opted to surrender. Wanjala then moved to challenge Kauro but it was not an easy task and after some time and trying his very best, Wanjala lost to Kauro. Rapa settled to scratch on the nearby rocks. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area and had a quiet morning until mud bath time when Naseku led Mundusi and Pare in the first group to have their milk bottles. Kuishi led the second group of Mapia and Ambo.
After mud bath time, Tusuja played with Kauro while Esampu was busy charging at monkeys that were close to the mud bath. The monkeys sometimes come to see what the Keepers are having for lunch and if they might be able to share in any leftovers, but today the Esampu decided to charge around after them as they played close to the water. In the afternoon, the orphans settled west of Ithumba Hill for the rest of the day.
Malima, Barsilinga and Galla started their day by having a scratching exercise on the nearby rocks while Wanjala and Tusuja settled for a pushing game. Sapalan tackled Namalok as the rest of the group concentrated on browsing. The sky was clear and the sun was hot. At mud bath time all the orphans participated fully in the wallowing exercise. Tusuja was the last one to finish wallowing. After wallowing, Kauro engaged Wanjala in a pushing game while Rapa played with Sapalan. Tusuja had brief tussle with Kamok.
Out in the bush Sapalan, who appears to be getting along well with Kuishi, settled to browse with her for quite a long time. They browsed separately from the others and seemed quite content in each other’s company. In the evening on the way back to the stockade compound, the weather changed and it started drizzling. The orphans weren't bothered by the rain since they were in a hurry to get back and have their evening milk.
Soon after leaving the stockade, the orphans were in a very playful mood. Mteto played with Sana Sana, Oltaiyoni played with Enkikwe, Rapa played with Tusuja while Kamok played with Kauro. Kuishi scratched her buttocks on the edge of the water troughs. Later Ambo requested Siangiki to teach him some pushing tactics which Siangiki accepted. The two had a light pushing game for quite some time. Rapa surrendered in his game with Tusuja which made Tusuja walk off and start a game with Wanjala instead. In the Kone area where the orphans had settled for browsing, the ex-orphans passed close by as they headed to an unknown location. Challa and Ishanga decided to join the orphans briefly. The two escorted the orphans to the mud bath. Later Challa left leaving Ishanga with the orphans.
The orphans left the stockade early as usual. Ishanga, who had spent the night outside the stockade, joined the orphans in the morning.
Esampu settled to browse with Karisa while Pare settled to browse with Enkikwe. Roi engaged Jotto in a light pushing game. Naseku took a break from browsing to have a game of rolling on the ground. Later, Ishanga led the orphans to the mud bath. The temperature was moderate but the orphans participated fully in the wallowing exercise. Tusuja and Mundusi were the last to leave the mud bath after staging a strength testing exercise in the water. Rapa, who is now fit and joyful, engaged Wanjala in a pushing game. In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. In the evening Mapia led the way back to the stockade compound.
It drizzled in the morning shortly before letting the orphans out. Soon after the orphans finished having their milk, the drizzle stopped. The orphans headed straight to the Kone area where they settled to browse. Ishanga, who was left behind by her group some days ago, continued to keep the dependent orphans company as she looked forward for her group coming back to pick her up. Ambo browsed with Olsekki as Jotto found a suitable rock that he used to scratch on. At mud bath time, the orphans had fun in the water before heading back out to browse. In the afternoon, Sapalan and Namalok had strength testing exercise that ended in a draw. The rest of the day was quiet as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing.
Ishanga was waiting outside for the orphans to come out to start another new day. Soon after leaving the stockade, Tusuja had a game of leaning on the wall and sitting on the ground with his trunk raised in the air. Later Karisa, who is still slightly limping, led the way out to browse. Karisa then settled to browse with Ambo while Kamok teamed up with Siangiki. Enkikwe browsed with Sapalan while Ishanga took care of Rapa.
At mud bath time, Ambo and Karisa boycotted the wallowing exercise due to bad weather. Then Ndiwa and Mundusi started playing on an ant hill while Wanjala engaged Tusuja in a pushing game, a game that ended when Wanjala surrendered and ran away when the going got tough for him. After winning, Tusuja tried his hand on Olsekki who is a year older, and Olsekki warned him of dire consequences should he try and mess around in their wrestling game. Tusuja decided to not even start their wrestling game after receiving the warning from Olsekki. He then left to join Galla who was rolling on the ground. The afternoon was quiet as the orphans concentrated on browsing. In the evening, Ishanga escorted the orphans back to the stockade compound.
Soon after leaving the stockade, Tusuja and Wanjala started their day’s activities by engaging each other in a pushing game. Sapalan, Karisa, Ambo and Esampu settled for scratching. Later, Sapalan engaged Namalok in a pushing game while Sana Sana played with Jotto. Esampu settled to browse with Pare as Ndiwa settled for soil dusting. At mud bath time Tusuja and Mundusi had fun by engaging each other in a pushing game while still in the water. Later, Mundusi quit, giving way to Kauro who came over and took over the game. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba and had a quiet afternoon. Ishanga is still with the dependent orphans and later in the evening, escorted them back to the stockades.
Ishanga continues to stay as a guest with the dependent orphans every morning. Today she woke up in the morning outside the stockades and waited for the dependent orphans to come out. Her group left her a week ago and up to now they havn’t shown up again. Soon after leaving the stockade, Tusuja, Wanjala, Kamok and Maramoja headed straight to the water trough where they settled for a drink. Esampu had a brief chat with Karisa and shortly later, Sapalan engaged Tusuja in a pushing game. Maramoja settled to browse with Jotto while Ndiwa teamed up with Mteto to feed.
At mud bath time the sun was hot and this prompted the orphans to participate fully in the wallowing exercise. Later, Mundusi and Siangiki settled to scratch against the same tree while Pare and Galla used different trees in the same exercise. The rest of the afternoon was quiet as the orphans concentrated on browsing.
Soon after leaving the stockade Tusuja had a game of rolling on the ground. Kamok passed by and decided to use Tusuja as a scratching surface by rubbing her stomach on him! Sapalan, Galla and Mapia settled to scratch against the wall in the stockade compound. On the way out to browse, Tusuja, who these days has become Sapalan’s playmate, decided to test his strength against him. Naseku and Mundusi came across some loose soil that they had fun playing on. Later, Kamok played with Tusuja while Ishanga teamed up with Naseku and Ndiwa to browse as Karisa took some time off from browsing to soil dust
At mud bath time the orphans had fun in the water after having their milk bottles, before heading back out. Kauro played with Tusuja and later moved to play with Kamok. After Tusuja lost the game to Kauro, he moved on to vent his anger out on Mundusi but to his surprise, he found Mundusi fully prepared for his anger. Their game ended in a draw as Mundusi walked off to try his luck on Galla. The afternoon was quiet as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing.
Rapa and Tusuja started their day activities with a pushing game that lasted for quite some time. Later Sapalan found a suitable rock that he used to scratch on. The orphans had quiet morning as they concentrated on browsing. Shortly before the orphans were supposed to go for their noon milk bottle, Olsekki, who did not feel like going to the mud bath, dodged the keepers and hid in the valley close to the stockade compound. It took the Keepers nearly thirty minutes before they found him and escorted him to the mud bath where he joined his friends.
At mud bath time Rapa resumed his pushing game with Tusuja while Mundusi tested his strength on Sapalan. Sapalan could not allow this small boy to dominate him and therefore played hard with him. Mundusi had no other option than to quit the game when the going got too tough. He left to play with Roi, but Ishanga who was feeding close by came and pushed Mundusi away from Roi. In the afternoon the orphans browsed south of the mud bath and in the evening, Kuishi led the way back to the stockade.
The weather was cloudy and chilly in the morning followed by showers that went on up to midday. The orphans spent most of their time playing with the wet soil. Ambo, Ukame, Ndiwa and Tusuja enjoyed this game the most. Oltaiyoni, Roi and Kamok settled for scratching.
At mud bath time, the weather was chilly and it started drizzling so the orphans saw no point of getting into the water since they were already wet! In the afternoon they settled to browse east of Ithumba Hill. The orphans concentrated mostly on browsing to compensate for the time lost in the morning which they spent mostly playing! Ishanga still keeps the orphans company as she waits for her own herd to return.
It was a morning with less fun and games as the orphans split up. One group headed for water and the other one, led by Karisa, went straight out to browse. Barsilinga, who was left behind by his friends Kithaka, Lemoyian, Turkwel and Garzi for close to three weeks now, settled to browse with Ukame. Mundusi and Mteto took some time off from browsing to have a game of rolling on the ground.
Towards noon the orphans felt the temperature was just right and they decided to go for a swim in the mud bath after their milk bottles. After mud bathing, Tusuja engaged Wanjala in a pushing game while Mundusi played with Roi. In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse in between the main mud bath and Imenti. The orphans concentrated on browsing for the rest of the day.
The morning was cloudy as the orphans strolled nonchalantly out from their stockades. Led by Karisa, the orphans headed east of the stockade. Karisa settled to browse with Tusuja while Namalok held a brief chat with Malkia. It was not clear what the discussion was all about because the two have not been known to be close friends. Later Tusuja engaged Galla in a strength testing exercise that lasted for quite some time.
When the orphans went for their noon milk bottle at 11am, the weather was chilly and none of the orphans dared to step into the mud bath after for a swim. The orphans had their milk then walked to the water trough for some water, before walking off into the bushes to browse again. Ambo settled to browse with Roi but something came up that caused a disagreement between them. Ambo decided to quit browsing with Roi since he was not strong enough to question her. In the afternoon Ambo decided to team up with Kamok as Tusuja held a brief talk with Wanjala. Later, Mundusi the challenger decided to challenge Roi in a pushing game but unfortunately he lost the game to Roi.
It was wet and slippery in the morning following rain received over night. The orphans walked cautiously to avoid slipping. Sapalan had a brief strength testing exercise with Mteto as Malima walked down to the water trough where she drank her fill before walking off.
Roi settled to feed with Mapia while Ukame teamed up with Wanjala. Sapalan and Namalok came across a small water hole where they decided to share the water. Naseku took a break from feeding to scratch her bottom. The orphans then had a quiet morning up until mud bath time when Kuishi led the first group to the mud bath. The temperature was moderate and the orphans only had brief mud bath before pulling out to head back to the browsing field. Enkikwe was the last one to come out and on the way back to the browsing field, Wanjala and Pare had brief game of pushing each other. Later in the evening Ishanga, as usual, escorted the orphans back to the stockades.
In the morning, Ishanga was missing from her bedroom outside the stockade. The ex-orphans reported at night and left with her in the early morning! Once the orphans were out, Tusuja had a morning stretching exercise of lying down surrounded by his friends. Out in the bush, Sapalan, Esampu and Kuishi settled for scratching. Kamok had a light pushing game with Tusuja. Shortly later, Yatta’s group passed by with six wild bulls in tow, who were competing to win-over Sunyei who is in season. Nasalot, Nusu, Kinna, Kama, Yatta, Yoyo, Lualeni, Lulu and Chyulu interacted with the dependent orphans briefly before leaving to catch up with bulls following Sunyei. Nasalot gave the orphans a present before leaving by pushing down a tree that they all enjoyed feasting on.
Some of the orphans decided to have a mud bath after their milk bottles at 11am but Ambo, Enkikwe, Mteto and Siangiki boycotted the wallowing exercise. Kauro rode on Wanjala while wallowing and when they came out Wanjala turned to question Kauro on why he thought it was okay to climb on him without his permission. They ended up having a pushing game that ended when Galla passed by and called Wanjala to head out to the bush with him. The afternoon was quiet as the orphans concentrated on browsing without any much distraction.
The orphans briefly settled for pellets soon after leaving their stockades. Tusuja and Rapa had a warm up exercise of a pushing game while Sana Sana settled for scratching at the edge of one of the water troughs. Tusuja left Rapa and went to tackle Galla before ending his pushing game with Sapalan. Sapalan felt that he had not done enough wrestling with Tusuja and so turned to Galla who was feeding close-by. Their pushing game went on for quite a considerable amount of time before the game ended in a draw.
Siangiki, Pare, Oltaiyoni, Mteto and Naseku took a break from feeding to have a game of rolling on the ground. At mud bath time, the sun was hot and this prompted the orphans to participate fully in the wallowing exercise. After wallowing, Galla and Tusuja used the same tree to scratch the side of their bellies. Mundusi had a brief strength testing exercise with Roi while Galla played with Esampu. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill and in the evening, Kuishi led the way back to the stockades.
Rapa and Wanjala started their day’s activities with a strength testing exercise. Mundusi spotted three Egyptian geese ahead of him and decided to chase them away. As Mundusi drew closer the Egyptian geese flew away leaving Mundusi chasing after nothing.
As the orphans slowly disappeared into the thicket, Nasalot, her baby Nusu and a wild bull emerged south east of the stockade and briefly stayed at the stockade compound before Nasalot took Nusu to join the Ithumba dependent orphans in the bush. Namalok had a pushing game with Tusuja while Mapia had a lone game of rolling on the ground. Naseku enjoyed playing with Nusu for a little while. At eleven o’clock in the morning, Nasalot and her baby escorted the orphans to the mud bath. It wasn’t too cold and the orphans had fun playing in the water. Nasalot and baby Nusu spent the entire afternoon with the orphans and in the evening on the way back to the stockades they passed by mud bath for an evening cooling-off session.
The orphans left the stockades soon after having their morning milk. As they settled for the lucerne pellets, ex-orphan matriarch Yatta, who appears to be in season again, showed up at the stockade compound followed by one main boyfriend and other adult bulls. Namalok was brave enough to confront the two bulls trying to find out more about what they were up to, but the bulls ignored him as they were intent on following Yatta. The main boyfriend didn’t give them a chance however as he heavily guarded Yatta as he trailed behind her. Sana Sana called Yatta’s baby Yoyo aside to comfort him and give him some attention. Later, Yatta left with the three bulls behind her. There was a lot of trumpeting and excitement from the orphans as Yatta left with the bulls.
The orphans settled to browse to the north of the stockades and at mud bath time they were joined by Nasalot who had a different wild bull with her. The bull was slightly aggressive and he tried to charge at everyone. Nasalot took cover close to the Keepers which made things worse. Nasalot realised that she was putting the Keepers in danger and shortly later she left with her male friend in hot pursuit.
The orphans participated fully in the wallowing exercise with the exception of Olsekki and Ambo. Tusuja was the last one to finish wallowing as Mundusi settled for scratching soon after wallowing. The afternoon was quiet but towards five o’clock in the evening, Jotto and Ambo dodged the Keepers, and it took the them over an hour before they finally located them and took them back to the stockades.
Soon after leaving her stockade, Ndiwa settled on the nearby rocks for a scratching exercise while Ukame and Naseku opted for a game of rolling on the ground. Ambo settled to browse with Olsekki as Kauro had a brief chat with Kamok.
Kuishi developed an itchy ear and decided to use Roi as a scratching post to get rid of the itching. The orphans enjoyed swimming again today at the mud bath after their milk bottles as it was just the right temperature for a swim. Tusuja, who has become a water boy these days, was the last one out. Mundusi played with Rapa and later tackled Roi. In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill and concentrated on browsing without any major distraction.
Mapia, who loves scratching, started the same scratching exercise right from the stockade compound while Kamok engaged Tusuja in a private conversation. Later, the two parted ways with Kamok opting to have a game of rolling on the ground while Tusuja engaged Sapalan in a pushing game. Karisa, who has mostly recovered, led the way out to browse.
Ukame and Esampu found some suitable rocks that they used to scratch on while Galla and Tusuja took a break from feeding to have a strength testing exercise. Their game was cut short by Barsilinga, who is the dominant male amongst the Ithumba dependent herd after Kithaka and his other friends Lemoyian, Turkwel and Garzi left him behind last month. Barsilinga pushed the two boys and warned them of playing such games when he is around. Kuishi settled to browse with Enkikwe and at mud bath time, the sun was really hot, so the orphans had a prolonged wallowing. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse north of the mud bath. The sun was getting hot and the orphans took a break to relax under a tree and resumed browsing later when the temperature dropped to a suitable level.
Yatta and her baby Yoyo were the guests of honour for the dependent orphans in the morning. It isn’t clear why Yatta has abandoned her group to come and hide around the stockade compound but it is mostly likely due to the wild bulls that have been chasing the females around who are in season. When the orphans were let out baby Yoyo was happy to engage them in pushing games. Oltaiyoni was the first one to engage Yoyo in a pushing game but Yoyo quit when Oltaiyoni started playing rough with him. Yoyo then moved to play with Sana Sana and thereafter with Pare.
Yatta and Yoyo accompanied the dependent orphans out to the bush, and Yoyo engaged Ambo in a brief conversation as he tried to persuade him to have a pushing game. Ambo declined and moved to join Olsekki who was quietly browsing. Karisa teamed up with Ndiwa and Ukame to browse too.
At mud bath time, Yatta escorted the orphans to where they had milk and after jumped into the water to cool off. Yoyo played with Kauro in the water. When they came out Kauro decided to climb on Tusuja. Mundusi was the last one out of the mud bath again. In the afternoon, Sapalan engaged Tusuja in a pushing game and when the game was over, Tusuja went to climb on Mteto as Esampu played with Wanjala. On the way back to the stockade, Kuishi led the first group, Esampu the second one and Kauro the third.
Yatta, who had spent the night just close to stockade, showed up moments after the orphans were let out in the morning with Yoyo. Yoyo had fun with Esampu as they engaged in a light pushing game. Sapalan played with Namalok as Barsilinga settled for soil dusting. Yatta led the orphans to the browsing field and browsed together with them up until mud bath time when she escorted the orphans for their mid-day milk.
On the way to the mud bath, the orphans were joined by ex-orphans Kinna, Kama, Sunyei, Siku, Loijuk, Lili, Makireti, Ithumbah and several wild bulls. It seemed to be the same bulls that were following Yatta before. One young bull attempted to woo Yatta but Yatta refused his advances and this brought a standoff between the young bull and some of orphans who wanted to defend Yatta. Namalok, Wanjala and Tusuja volunteered to tackle the young bull. The young bull couldn’t believe that these three young boys could stop him from reaching Yatta. Wanjala, Tusuja and Namalok perhaps thought that the Keepers were fully behind them and had their full backing, and that they would not let this young bull cause chaos in their presence. After mud bath, the orphans parted ways with ex-orphans and headed south. The orphans took a break from feeding and relaxed under a tree before resuming browsing later in the afternoon.
It was chilly and raining in the morning. Soon after the orphans had their milk, the gates were opened but the orphans were wary of walking out into the rain. Kuishi eventually summoned the courage and led the way out. Sana Sana settled to browse with Kamok while Ndiwa scratched on a nearby rock as Malima had fun rolling on the wet soil.
Shortly before eleven o’clock in the morning, Karisa rumbled informing his friends that it was time to head to the mud bath to have their midday milk. Karisa then started walking towards mud bath as his friends heeded the call and followed him. On the way it started drizzling again, so the orphans just had their milk then turned to go back to the browsing field again. Roi engaged Mundusi in a pushing game that went on for quite some time as their friends came across a small pool of water that they used have a brief mud bath in. Later in the afternoon, the clouds cleared giving way to sun shine. Yatta and Yoyo joined the orphans and browsed together with them for the rest of the day.
It was raining in the morning again. The orphans left the stockade in a slow measured walk in order to avoid slipping and falling. Ndiwa was unlucky however as she still managed to slip over! She composed herself quickly and stood up, hoping that her friends might not have seen her fall! Elephants do get embarrassed and they never like to lose face. The orphans headed straight to the bush where Naseku settled to browse with Olsekki while Sapalan teamed up with Wanjala.
Shortly later, Yatta, who is playing hide and seek games with wild bulls around, joined the orphans briefly. It appears that Yatta understands that Yoyo is still young and perhaps does not want another young calf so soon.
At mud bath time all the orphans had fun in the water with Tusuja and Kauro opting to climb on their friends like naughty young bulls. After mud bath the orphans headed up to the slopes of Ithumba Hill where they settled to browse. Wanjala attempted to climb on Ndiwa’s back but Ndiwa wouldn’t allow it and ran away with Wanjala in hot pursuit. Lucky enough Roi heard the commotion and came out from the bushes to find out what was happening. As soon as she saw Ndiwa running away from Wanjala, Roi trumpeted and ran to rescue Ndiwa from the naughty boy Wanjala. When Wanjala saw Roi approaching, he pretended that nothing was happening and headed off in a different direction.
It was a wet morning today as we had some rain overnight. The orphans had their milk and started walking slowly to the bush as it’s very wet everywhere. They had not gone far when they met with Loijuk and her group including her baby Lili. They interacted for a short time and then the ex-orphans continued on their way. Malkia, Ambo and Namalok browsed together in the bush. Yatta and Yoyo came to meet the dependent orphans again and they all greeted one another. Enkikwe started playing with Yoyo. The dependent orphans walking back to the stockades later for their milk as the road was very muddy and impassable.
After their milk, the orphans walked back out to browse. Sana Sana started playing as she rolled around on the ground with Kuishi. Olsekki and Karisa were resting in the shade of some trees. Namalok started playing in some mud and later Roi led the group back home in the evening for their milk.
Barsilinga separated himself from the babies today since morning, but he joined them again at the very last minute on their way back home. We recorded 25mm of rain today.
It was a wet and cold morning again after we had about 18mm of rain last night. The orphans had their milk as usual but resisted coming out as it was still drizzling. They stayed for about 15 minutes inside and then started coming out one by one. When they had all left the stockades they walked out to the bush to browse. Barsilinga stayed with them the whole day today as it is very wet everywhere and he did not want to stay alone.
Wanjala, Naseku Karisa and Sana Sana were browsing together. Almost the whole herd stayed together as it was very cold and they bunched together for warmth. We were forced to feed them their milk at the stockades again because the road was so slippery and no vehicle could reach the mud bath. They had their milk and walked back out to the bush to continue browsing.
All the orphans were busy feeding when Rapa started playing and rolling around on the ground in the mud. Enkikwe decided to join in and both bulls got nice and muddy. Later the herd walked back home in the evening for their milk. No ex-orphans were spotted today in the stockade area or out in the bush.
It was a wet and cold morning again today. The orphans didn’t waste any time in the compound and walked straight out to the bush after their milk bottles. Karisa's wounds were washed and then he joined his friends too. Olsekki and Karisa have improved massively and are always at the front of the group out in the bush. Sana Sana started scratching her bottom while Roi and Jotto had a nice conversation. Roi played, rolling around in the mud scratching her bottom too. A number of the orphans were actually busy playing in the mud as all the roads are still very muddy. Jotto and Pare were browsing together and finally the herd decided to go to the mud bath for their noon milk feed.
At the mud bath it was still very wet everywhere, but the babies had their milk and walked to the waterhole to swim which surprised the Keepers. It was so interesting to see them wallowing when it is so wet and cold! Namalok and Wanjala started play fighting while the others were busy swimming. They later all walked out and played around a bit in the mud along the roadside. Siangiki started play fighting with Tusuja as all the orphans walked off deep into the bush to browse.
After some time the orphans grew bored of browsing and started playing. Sana Sana played with Oltaiyoni and Wanjala with Namalok. Barsilinga browsed separately in the morning but he came later to join the orphans as they made their way back home in the evening. They all looked happy and they were very active today, playing a lot in the mud. Olsekki led the herd back home in the evening for their milk.
Later in the evening we were visited by Yatta’s herd with Sunyei, Loijuk and their babies too. They all looked very much okay.
The sky was cloudy in the morning as the orphans strolled nonchalantly out from their stockades. They settled for Lucerne grass before proceeding to walk out to the bush. They settled south of the stockade compound and concentrated on browsing without any major distractions.
At mud bath time, Karisa, who has almost recovered, led the first group to the mud bath while Roi led the second group. It was chilly and the orphans only had a brief swim with the exception of Olsekki and Ambo who boycotted the wallowing exercise. Mundusi and Tusuja were the last to quit and once they were out of the water, the two boys had a strength testing exercise that went on for quite some time. The game ended when Mundusi decided to surrender.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. In the evening while the Keepers were gathering the orphans to take them back to stockade, they realized that five were missing. Kauro, Kamok, Karisa, Oltaiyoni and Naseku couldn’t be traced and the Keepers embarked on a journey of searching for the missing five. An hour later, the five were finally located one kilometre away from where the rest of the group had settled to browse. The Keepers walked them slowly back to the stockade where they reunited with their friends.
The orphans left the stockade early as usual and headed straight out to browse. Roi, Maramoja and Kuishi started their day by scratching against the nearby trees while Tusuja had a lone game of rolling on the ground. Later, Enkikwe settled to browse with Kamok while Roi teamed up with Kuishi. The orphans concentrated on browsing up to mud bath time when Pare led the first group for the midday milk feed. The orphans really enjoyed swimming in the main mud hole after having their milk bottles. Barsilinga didn’t come for the mud bath and browsed on his own until evening when he joined his dependent friends on their way back to the stockades for the night.