On the 2nd of January we rescued a little calf from the Masai Mara. The little female baby of about six months arrived very late in the evening and was transferred into a freshly prepared stable, but after the ordeal of losing her mother followed by the rescue she was very restless, and paced her room all night. We named her Naleku and after another day of restless pacing we decided the best route would be for the other Nursery babies to work their magic on her; having gone through similar traumatic experiences they could be her healing balm.
Enkesha, who loves to eat her greens, can often be seen browsing at a distance from the others in the forest. This morning she was no different and did not even notice as the Keepers and the rest of the Nursery herd made their way to another browsing spot. When she eventually realized that she was on her own, she began to frantically look for them, trumpeting and rumbling in the distance. The Keepers noticed her looking in different directions for the rest of the Nursery herd. Musiara attempted to rumble so that she could locate them, but his rumble wasn’t loud enough. Eventually Tagwa and Tamiyoi realized she was missing and rumbled so loudly that she knew exactly where they were and came running over full of excitement. She was happily greeted by Maisha and Sattao who appeared so excited to see her.
In the afternoon, the orphans were frightened by a herd of giraffes that came running past them. This caused all the orphans to charge off in different directions but Ziwadi especially got the biggest fright and she went running far off before the Keepers could get to her to calm her down. By the time the rest of the herd had calmed down, Ziwadi could not be seen. The Keepers immediately started to look for her, and after quite some time they found her drinking from the stream nearby one of the orphans’ browsing spots. The Keepers were so relieved that they quickly walked her back to the stockades.
The next morning as Ziwadi was let out her stable, the other orphans seemed excited to see her as they were already in their stables by the time she was brought in. Nabulu, who hasn’t ever been close to Ziwadi, even came charging over to greet her. Maisha, Tagwa, Kiasa, Musiara, and Tamiyoi gave her the warmest greeting as they were all rumbling and nuzzling Ziwadi as she was making her way up to the forest. Ziwadi, as opposed to her normal routine, spent the entire day amongst the Nursery herd and did not wander off once, she seemed very happy to stay close to her friends today.
In the evening, as the orphans were headed back to their stockades, a rescue team was deployed as the Keepers were informed of a young female calf being rescued from the Masai Mara. The rescue arrived very late in the evening with the young calf.
As the orphans grow older some of them seem to have changes in their personalities, whereas others stay the same no matter their age. Kiasa, who arrived at the Nursery full of mischief and influencing the younger orphans to be as naughty as she was, has now grown into this responsible and caring role model for the youngest orphans. She has even started looking after all the younger orphans at their midday feeding time, making sure that the older bulls do not push them around. Musiara is one such bull.
Musiara in comparison used to be a very gentle and calm young bull but is now turning into a boisterous bull eager to test his new size and strength. Today and yesterday, during the orphans’ midday mud bath Musiara kept charging Roho and Ziwadi, he was not being aggressive but due to his sheer size alone he has to be careful when playing with the smaller orphans. Kiasa could see him pushing the younger two and she immediately charged him, chasing him away from the younger orphans. Kiasa kept her guard up for the rest of the visit. The Keepers have now decided to let Musiara come down for his midday mud bath with the older group of orphans so that he doesn’t push the little guys around anymore.
Maxwell continues to enjoy Kiko’s company in the morning. This morning they could be seen sharing the greens that were hanging on the wall between them. Often, they can be seen greeting one another through the fence before continuing with their morning routine.
The new arrival, named Naleku, had a difficult evening as naturally she appeared stressed with her new surroundings. In the morning, it was decided that rather than leaving her at the stockades for the day, to let her out so that she could join the rest of the Nursery herd. After their midday bottles of milk, the older females were walked back to the stables to collect the young girl.
The older females, led by Tamiyoi, seemed eager to meet the new little Naleku as they walked straight up to her stable. Naleku was a bit shy at first, but she eventually came out her stable to join her new family. Almost all the orphans seemed excited to meet the new arrival, apart from little Roho who appeared jealous as she was getting all the attention. He kept pushing her that eventually Maisha grew so worried that she would not leave the little girl’s side and even accompanied her back to her stable when it was time to head back for the evening.
Mukkoka was moved to the stable neighboring that of Naleku’s the night before, so that the new arrival could have some company. This seemed to make Dololo restless throughout the night as he kept walking up and down his stable looking for his neighbor and friend. This in turn made Roho restless as he appeared to be unsure as to why his neighbor was so agitated. Both Roho and Dololo were rumbling and trumpeting through the night as neither of them could relax.
Naleku on the other hand was happy to have the company as she stood near the wall partition between her and Mukkoka the entire night getting a good night’s rest. In the morning, Mukkoka had himself a little follower as Naleku followed him everywhere and in the forest, they were joined by Maisha and Tagwa, all making sure that the little girl was kept safe.
The previous evening, Kiko refused to go back into his stable and decided to walk around as the orphans made their way back to their stables. His Keepers were sure to keep him company as he wandered about the entire compound. Finally, around 6pm he happily went into his stable and began to munch away on his greens. In the morning Kiko appeared to be in the same mood and refused to go into the stockade neighboring Maxwell’s instead he chose to walk around the forest with his Keepers. Just before their midday feeding time, Kiko finally went into the stockade and began to eat the greens that were hung up for him.
At the orphans’ afternoon feeding time, they were all eager to have a mud bath and when Tagwa, Enkesha, Musiara and Naleku went into the muddy water, they were quickly joined by the others. Larro seems to miss some of the attention from the older girls and is always eager to take part in their activities. She was amongst the first to enter the water and join the older girls. In the evening, she could even be seen accompanying Kiasa back to her stockade.
As the younger group of orphans left the mud bath area after their midday bottles of milk, they all seemed full of excitement as they arrived back in the forest. They were being led by Larro and as she reached the forest, she suddenly dashed off trumpeting in excitement. Maktao was first to join her and even Ziwadi decided to join in on the fun. It was exciting to see Ziwadi charging off to catch up with the duo. Kiasa who was walking behind with little Roho and Naleku was the last to join in on the fun, with the two littles ones following her lead.
Musiara, who has now joined the older group of orphans at the midday feeding time, has begun to rekindle his friendship with Sattao. Whilst in the forest, the two could be seen charging around in a wrestling match. Their game was so energetic and went on for so long that Tagwa appeared to grow concerned that they were getting too close to the little ones and she ran over to separate the two bulls. As soon as she approached the two seemed to know that their game was now over, and they went off to browse.
This morning from about 6am there were heavy showers and some of the orphans were reluctant to come out of their stables. Some such as Maktao and Larro do not like leaving their stables when it is raining, and the Keepers are always sure not to force them out. When it is time for the Nursery herd to start making their way out to the forest, the Keepers will open all their doors and let them decide when they would like to come out.
Maktao and Larro could be seen standing in their stables just watching the rain fall, whereas others such as Tagwa, Maisha, Nabulu, Kiasa and Roho sought shelter under the roof just outside Dololo, Roho, and Mukkoka’s stables. Roho was the first to brave the rain, and as soon as he started to make his way to the forest he was immediately followed by the others.
As Roho and the others made their way out to the forest Kiombo and Enkesha were already way ahead of them seemingly unworried by the weather. Enkesha seemed the happiest as she made her way deeper into the forest with Kiombo by her side. Some of the Keepers had to pick up the pace to keep up with them and make sure they didn’t wander off too far. Maktao and Larro eventually made their way out to the forest once the rain had subsided.
As Mukkoka was Naleku’s first roommate, she is still very attached to the young bull. Mukkoka, being quite mischievous, hasn’t seemed particularly interested in the young girl and remains quite aloof. When Naleku tries to stay close to Mukkoka he sometimes rumbles at her and prefers to move off on his own. Dololo, unlike Sattao, Musiara and Maktao, can often be quite jealous of the new arrivals or any other orphans, and when he sees Naleku getting close to Mukkoka he also begins to rumble at her and push her away. Sometimes the little girl can have quite a hard time with these boisterous boys.
Today, Dololo and Mukkoka got quite rough with little Naleku and Musiara and some of the Keepers had to come to her rescue and chase them away. As Naleku is still quite scared of the Keepers she got such a fright that she too ran away. The Keepers and some of the older girls immediately followed her to console her and as a result, she soon calmed down.
Naleku has learnt quite quickly that if she were to be friends with any of the young bulls in the Nursery herd, she would need to stand her ground, and this afternoon that is exactly what she did when Roho tried to push her. Roho appeared so surprised by her reaction that he ran straight to the older females such as Tamiyoi, Maisha, Kiasa and Tagwa. Tagwa and the older girls were quick to calm the two down and they were sure to comfort them for the rest of the afternoon.
Maxwell had a very eventful morning as he was thoroughly enjoying the early morning showers that had begun through the night. As the Keepers were starting to open the stables, they could see Maxwell charging around his stockade, splashing around in the mud. At 6AM when the orphans were heading out to the forest, the rain had subsided, and Maxwell, exhausted from all his fun, could be seen sleeping in his room.
As the orphans were in the forest, Musiara began a strength testing match with Dololo. The two could be seen wrestling and happily pushing each other through the thick bush. Their game continued until Sattao appeared to decide that he would rather play with his old friend Musiara. Sattao was quick to push Dololo aside and begin his own wrestling match with Musiara.
Mukkoka appears a little tired with all the responsibilities that come with looking after a younger orphan and can often be seen rushing off, trying to gain some distance from Naleku. When he attempts to hide, Naleku is quick to find him and their day continues in a game of hide and seek. Maisha more recently appears to notice this behavior between the two and can often be seen following them and trying to intervene. She will often be in the company of Ziwadi, Larro and Roho and the three can be seen tracking Mukkoka and keeping Naleku company.
Last night a decision was made to move Mukkoka back to the stable neighboring Dololo’s and to move Larro next to Naleku. Since the young bull was struggling with the young girl following him around, the Keepers thought it might be better for Naleku to be in the company of another younger girl. Dololo appeared very happy to have his friend back as he spent the entire evening close to the partition between his and Mukkoka’s stables.
Larro has been great company to Naleku, she has been very friendly to the orphans at the Nursery and was happy to spend the entire night close to the new little girl. As the duo were let out of their stables in the morning, Naleku could be seen following Larro around throughout the day, and they both seemed happy to keep each other company.
This morning, Kiko refused to go into the stockade neighboring Maxwell’s and instead chose to follow the orphans out into the forest. Once out in the forest he remained in the company of Ziwadi and Luggard before heading back to the stockade compound to continue his normal routine.
Little Roho is always eager for his mud bath whether it is cold or hot. Today, after his midday bottle of milk, he quickly made his way down to the muddy water where he began to roll around covering his entire body in mud. He could be seen doing funny poses, like a yoga pose, whereby his head would be down in the mud and his bottom would be up in the air.
Although he was having lots of fun, he did not seem too impressed when he was joined by Mukkoka who began to charge around and disturb him. Roho quickly moved away from Mukkoka and made his way over to the dust mound where Kiasa, Larro and Ziwadi were enjoying a dust bath.
Since Larro became Naleku’s neighbor, the new girl has thoroughly been enjoying her new companion and Larro has been excellent at looking after her and caring for her out in the forest and at the mud bath.
There were heavy showers throughout this morning and the Keepers made the decision to rather keep the younger orphans such as Ziwadi, Roho, and Naleku inside, in the warmth of their stables. Unfortunately, this meant that they had to stay behind as the rest of the Nursery herd made their way to the forest.
The older orphans were loving the rain and could be seen charging and splashing around in all the muddy puddles. The first to enjoy a mud bath in the puddles were Tagwa, Maisha, Tamiyoi, Nabulu and Enkesha, as they all had fun rolling around, and the rest of the Nursery herd seemed interested in joining them. Musiara and Maktao, who always love to jump on the backs of their friends, were quick to join in and start climbing on Enkesha, Maisha and Nabulu. Musiara even tried to climb on Tagwa’s back, but due to her height and size he just kept sliding off and landing on his bum.
As the orphans were so active in the morning, they were particularly quiet at their midday mud bath and didn’t seem interested in anything other than having their milk and greens.
The orphans seem to have mood swings, like those that a person would have. Today, Tagwa appeared to have woken up in a bad mood, and this seemed particularly obvious when the orphans were out in the forest and she had no interest in spending time with Naleku, Roho, and Mukkoka when they tried to get close to her. It was the first time she had been so insistent on chasing the younger orphans away. The Keepers wondered if maybe she was jealous because all the younger orphans were now spending more and more time with other orphans such as Kiasa and Larro as opposed to Tamiyoi, Maisha and her.
Kiko has started his translocation training again, and the Keepers have been so impressed with how easy he is entering his translocation trailer. He is set to go very soon, and it is amazing for the Keepers to see how calm he is during his training.
Ziwadi continues to have her good and bad days and continues to wake up in her different moods. Some days she can be very happy and walking amongst the Nursery herd, whereas other days she is very quiet and wants to keep to herself. This morning, as the orphans settled out in the forest, Ziwadi immediately started to head off in her own direction. The Keepers had a hard time constantly monitoring her and ushering her back to the rest of the orphans, and they had to keep a watchful eye on her all day.
Kiasa seems to thoroughly enjoy looking after the younger orphans at the midday feeding time. She has become very good at keeping the peace and making sure none of the bulls are bullying any of the little ones. This afternoon, she was very busy charging around keeping Musiara and Maktao away from Roho and Naleku. The two bulls, who love to climb on others, were trying to climb on Roho and Naleku as they are so little and easy to climb. Before the Keepers could even stop the two, Kiasa was already on her way chasing Musiara and Maktao away. Maktao tried to sneak back but Kiasa was quick to see him and she rumbled and chased him away.
When Kiko is not being mischievous he is the perfect example of good behaviour. This morning as the Keepers let him out of his stable, he peacefully walked over to the stockade neighbouring Maxwell’s and did not give his Keepers any difficulty, such as forcing them to chase him around the stockades. Once he was in the stockade, he was happy to munch away on the greens that had been hung up for him.
Out in the forest, Musiara, Sattao, Kiombo, Dololo and Nabulu have gotten into the habit of forming their own little group and heading off in their own direction. The Keepers have a sneaking feeling that it is Musiara that is often leading them astray as he loves to wander off deep into the forest. They can sometimes wander off so far that they have no interest in coming back for their midday bottles of milk and then the Keepers must go and usher them back. Today was such a case, and the Keepers had to go off calling them back and leading them down to the mud bath. Sattao, Kiombo, Dololo and Nabulu were quick to turn around but Musiara appeared so happy browsing that he needed a little more convincing.
Today, Maisha spent most of her day with little Naleku and Roho. This appeared to upset Kiasa and Larro, who had now become so used to the attention of the little ones. Maisha seemed completely uninterested in Kiasa and Larro and continued to enjoy her time with Naleku and Roho. Kiasa opted to stay close to them throughout the day but Larro appeared to get bored and eventually decided to move away and spend time with the other orphans.
Luggard and Musiara continue to be the best of friends. This afternoon, once the orphans had settled in the forest after their midday bottles of milk, the two bulls could be seen pushing each other around in a wrestling match. Despite Luggard’s large tusks, Musiara is still always so happy to play with him. Dololo seemed interested in joining their game but unfortunately Luggard was not eager for him to join and quickly pushed him away. Dololo was then quick to lose interest and decided to move off to the where the other orphans were busy browsing. Luggard always seems to prefer playing these games with Musiara as opposed to any of the other bulls in the Nursery herd.
Early this morning, as the orphans settled in the forest, the older girls such as Tagwa, Tamiyoi, Maisha, Nabulu, Enkesha and Kiasa were all busy greeting and checking on the youngest little babies, Naleku, Roho and Larro.
On the other hand, the boisterous bulls such as Sattao, Dololo, Maktao, Musiara, Kiombo and Luggard were all busy charging after one another in strength testing matches. Sattao was playing with Dololo, Kiombo with Maktao, and Luggard with Musiara. Maisha who always seems so concerned about all the orphans in the Nursery herd, was keeping a watchful eye on the boys. Eventually she appeared to want to separate them, ensuring that their games did not become too rough, but none of the boys showed any interest as they carried on playing in the forest.
It was unbearably hot today, especially as the youngest group of orphans made their way down to the mud bath for their midday bottles of milk. All the orphans quickly drank their bottles and then made their way to the muddy water where they began to splash mud and water all over their bodies, cooling themselves down. Naleku, Roho, and Larro were amongst the first to enter the water and start rolling around in the cool water and they were soon joined by the rest. Naleku was having so much fun that she began to have a fun game of climbing on Kiasa and then sliding down back into the water.
As the orphans were exiting the muddy water, Ziwadi seemed to be a little stuck and before the Keepers could rush over and help her, Kiasa was already there kneeling on her front legs and pushing Ziwadi up and out the mud. It was amazing to watch Kiasa take on such an important role of looking after the younger orphans exactly as their mothers and families would have done in the wild.
As the orphans settled out in the forest, it was very entertaining to watch Mukkoka and Maktao fighting over a tasty tuber that Mukkoka had dug up from underneath a shrub. Maktao kept trying to grab it from Mukkoka, but Mukkoka was not letting go of this tasty treat any time soon. Eventually, Maktao could be seen chasing Mukkoka all around the forest, adamant that this treat would be his. Mukkoka appeared to get so tired of Maktao chasing him that he dropped the tuber on the ground and turned to face Maktao but what he didn’t realise is that Sattao was standing nearby watching them. As soon as Mukkoka dropped the tuber, Sattao quickly snuck in and picked it up from the floor, which seemed to really upset Mukkoka as he bowed his head in disappointment that his treat that had been taken off him.
This afternoon, Luggard was not interested in wondering further into the forest to browse and rather wanted to stay closer to the stockade compound. The Keepers decided to slow down the other orphans and let Luggard browse near them in the spot of his choosing. The other orphans appeared very happy to stop near Luggard and continue with their afternoon browsing activities.
This morning, around 10AM, Enkesha and Luggard decided to sneak off away from the Nursery herd and move further into the forest to find their own browsing spot. The Keepers were shocked to see Luggard following Enkesha as he is always so happy to browse near them. The Keepers followed them and when they eventually caught up to them, the two were found happily browsing unphased by their arrival. The Keepers decided to slowly usher them back to the rest of the herd where they could all browse together.
The Keepers have noticed that orphans such Enkesha, Sattao, Musiara, Nabulu, Dololo and Kiombo are often fond of sneaking off and finding their own browsing area, and today Enkesha had managed to convince Luggard to wonder off with her. The Keepers have now had to keep a watchful on them, making sure they don’t walk too far away.
This afternoon, as the orphans settled back in the forest, Mukkoka, Dololo, Sattao and Maktao all began a wrestling match. It was fun to watch Mukkoka challenging Dololo, with Sattao constantly trying to separate them, and then Maktao constantly trying to climb on Dololo’s back whilst he was busy pushing against Mukkoka. The four appeared to all be so determined in their own games that they were confusing each other but all kept trying, and their game continued for a good while before they all got tired.
After the orphans finished their 9am bottles of milk, the orphans split up into two groups. To one side was Tagwa with Roho, Tamiyoi, Nabulu, Enkesha, Kiombo, Dololo, and Musiara and to the other was Maisha, Kiasa with Naleku, Larro, Mukkoka, Ziwadi, Maktao and Luggard. Tagwa’s group chose to browse further in the forest whereas Maisha and Kiasa’s group chose to browse not too far from their Keepers. Maisha continues to remain close to Naleku and always appears interested in what the young little girl is doing, following her wherever she goes. Kiasa and Larro too continue to look after the little girl. Roho seems to change groups some days and can be seen spending time with Tagwa some days and then with Kiasa and Larro on other days.
Today, Maxwell was not in a sharing mood and wanted his morning Lucerne pellets and his stockade to himself. Every time the warthogs would enter his stockade Maxwell would be charging up and down chasing them away. At one point he was even sleeping when the warthogs tried to get to his pellets and he immediately got up and began to chase them. He could even be seen marking his territory as a warning to the warthogs to stay out.
Ziwadi has developed quite a funny habit these days when she comes out her stockade in the morning. As the other orphans are around the stockade compound all greeting each other, Ziwadi will quickly sneak past them and head over to some of the bushes near the car park and start browsing. She walks so far into the bushes that sometimes the Keepers and the other orphans don’t even see her and it’s as if she knows she is well hidden. She often suddenly reappears when it is time for the orphans to have their milk and then is happy to follow the rest of the Nursery herd to the milk feeding point. For the past few days she has been doing this and the Keepers have been very busy following her and making sure she joins up with the herd again. Sometimes it seems as though she is very excited to play this game of hide and seek.
This afternoon, Kiko was all excited to follow the orphans out in the forest. He even followed them down to the mud bath for their afternoon bottles of milk and wondered around with them happily browsing on the vegetation surrounding the muddy water. This was very different for Kiko as he usually likes to walk through the car park and the milk mixing area, checking out what is going on and which of his Keepers are around.
The orphans were not very playful today as they made their way to the forest. Most of them seemed too interested in browsing and looking for the best vegetation. All the orphans seemed to be racing each other to get to the greens first, and because of this they were walking in a straight line, side by side, and at the exact same speed. They made it to the forest so quickly that the Keepers too had to speed walk to keep up.
When it was time for the older orphans to come down for their midday bottles of milk the orphans were still quite relaxed apart from Nabulu, Dololo, Sattao and Musiara. As the four were making their way down to the mud bath they appeared to be looking for their Keepers who were way in front of them. Nabulu was the first to trumpet loudly and start running towards the Keepers, this prompted Musiara, Dololo, and Sattao to start running and they all came charging down. This appeared to frighten the orphans that were already at the mud bath as they thought there was some form of emergency and immediately started to look around with their ears flapping. They eventually all calmed down and finished their milk bottles before enjoying a long mud wallow.
Musiara and Larro have recently developed this naughty habit of downing their milk bottles and then immediately turning to the wheelbarrow to try and grab another bottle. This makes it very difficult for the other orphans to get to their milk and the Keepers must chase the duo away very quickly. Musiara has never been one to hang around the wheelbarrow, and he is still quite confident about the situation, as soon as the Keepers tell him off he quickly turns his back to them and stands firmly in place without budging even when the Keepers try to move him. As the Keepers struggle to move him away and because he won’t face them, they have now decided that he should be amongst the last group of orphans to get his milk. Larro on the other hand always listens to her Keepers and as soon as they tell her off, she is quick to move away.
There were heavy showers this morning as the orphans were making their way out their stables. The Keepers decided to leave Ziwadi, Roho and Naleku indoors to keep them warm from the rain. Some of the other orphans although being called out their stables simply refused to get out, and this was namely Musiara, Sattao, Kiombo, Mukkoka, Kiasa, and Larro. When the Keepers tried to call them, they all rumbled and trumpeted in protest. Kiombo and Sattao were the first to come out but the others were more reluctant and took a bit more time.
The sun was finally shining when it was time for the orphans to head down to the mud bath for their midday bottles of milk and Naleku, Roho, and Ziwadi seemed so excited to be joining the others for the midday feeding. Roho and Naleku could be seen charging around the mud bath area, having the best time splashing around in the puddles. Ziwadi on the other hand seemed a little less surefooted and was walking around slowly to make sure she did not slip on the muddy surface.
Kiasa continues to take good care of all the younger orphans at the midday mud bath but sometimes she seems relieved to have Larro’s help with the responsibilities. Since Larro has been neighbor to Naleku she has started to take more responsibility for the little girl and is always sure to watch over her throughout the day. Mukkoka, on the other hand, being one of the feistier bulls didn’t show much interest in looking after the smallest orphans and didn’t seem that eager to have Naleku following him around as he would sometimes push her away. As soon as Kiasa and Larro saw him push the little girl, they came charging over and chased him away ensuring he didn’t get anywhere near her for the rest of the mud bath session.
Maktao on the other hand doesn’t seem to realize his size and he is often trying to climb on Roho at the mud bath, unaware that he could hurt the little bull. Kiasa, however, is always there to intervene and make sure that Maktao doesn’t climb on Roho especially while he is enjoying a mud or dust bath.
It was a great start to the day as the orphans were all in a playful mood chasing each other around the stockade compound. Sattao and Maktao were busy playing a game of hide and seek around the stables and the older girls like Tagwa, Maisha and Kiasa were busy trying to open Roho’s door to let him out. Some of the orphans, however, dashed back into their stables as it began to drizzle. Roho on the other hand has become quite the craftsman and has now learnt how to help Tagwa open his door. Eventually the Keepers got all the orphans out their stables, apart from Ziwadi who really doesn’t enjoy the colder, rainy weather. Ziwadi eventually joined the rest of the Nursery herd at the 9am feed, as it was slightly warmer, and she now seemed quite happy to be outside.
Roho and Naleku love to play in the mud, and they love to charge around like little kids splashing in all the puddles. In the afternoon, Roho and Naleku joined up with Maktao and Musiara and the four could be seen running around in the rain splashing mud all up their sides and over their heads.
In the afternoon, Kiasa was spending more time with Larro and the two eventually snuck off together to browse. Since the arrival of Naleku and Roho, Kiasa and Larro have not spent as much time together and they seemed to be enjoying this peace and quiet.
This morning Kiko had a walk in the forest with the orphans and he spent quite some time browsing near them. When it was time for the Nursery herd to have their 9am bottles of milk, Kiko was walked back to the stockade neighbouring that of Maxwell’s. The decision was made to take him back because he was suddenly full of mischief and started chasing the orphans and trying to playfully buck some of them. Musiara appeared shocked as he had never seen Kiko being this naughty, but Tagwa, Maisha, Tamiyoi, and Kiasa all stood their ground protecting the smaller orphans.
The Keepers had quite an eventful time getting Kiko into his stockade as he started a new game with them of running up and down the path and straight past his gate. The Keepers kept chasing him up and down, until he finally decided to go in.
Dololo and Mukkoka who used to be very close have recently not been spending as much time together, and Mukkoka mostly seems less interested in playing with Dololo. This afternoon, Dololo and Sattao were having a wrestling match and were both having fun pushing each other around. Suddenly Mukkoka charged into their game and put a quick end to their fun, separating the duo.
Enkesha continues to be a very independent girl, who loves to do her own thing and is quite happy to have some time away from the Nursery herd. The Keepers have also recently noticed that she doesn’t particularly like to lead the orphans and will often opt for someone else to lead. This morning, as the orphans were heading down for their 9am bottles of milk Enkesha was out in front running ahead of Ziwadi and Luggard, she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks and pushed Ziwadi to the front. Ziwadi too refused to lead the way, and she then pushed Luggard to the front, he also had no interest in leading and just began browsing along the path. As she was now behind, she just kept pushing Ziwadi and Luggard forward and they went on like this until Larro finally came rushing down and overtook them all. Once Larro was in the lead, they all happily followed her including little Naleku.
Whilst in the forest Kiombo and Musiara had a long wrestling match, and neither of them would back down. They could be seen playing for over an hour, until Nabulu came dashing over to separate them. As their game was ended by Nabulu the two walked off in different directions to start browsing.
It has become the norm that every afternoon, after the midday mud bath and as the Keepers have their lunch, little Roho and Naleku will take an afternoon siesta in the forest. As the older orphans continue to browse the two little babies can be seen lying in the middle of them, fast asleep. The older girls seem to take turns as to who watches over them, and today it was Tagwa and Maisha’s turn. It is incredible to watch the older girls behaving like their mothers would be in the wild.
This afternoon, when the orphans arrived at the mud bath for their afternoon bottles of milk, Enkesha finished her milk and then walk off on her own. As the rest of the Nursery herd were busy around the mud bath, Enkesha stumbled across a group of guinea fowl that were walking through the long grass. Enkesha tried to rumble at them and scare them away but the guinea fowl took no notice of her and stood their ground. She eventually grew scared of these birds and started to trumpet loudly as if she were calling for help. Larro quickly went running over trumpeting, and flapping her trunk about, and she managed to scare the guinea fowl and chase them far away. Enkesha seemed relieved that the guinea fowl were gone, and she followed Larro back to the rest of the Nursery herd.