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Soon after leaving the stockades this morning Karisa engaged Dololo in a pushing game. Sapalan, who was standing close by, didn’t understand why Karisa had picked on Dololo who is smaller and younger than him. According to Sapalan, Karisa ought to have picked on a boy his own size and strength. Sapalan then decided to confront Karisa and the confrontation ended up turning into a fight. Dololo tried to talk to his adopted elder brothers to try and make peace and stop the fight as he was not forced to play with Karisa and actually he didn’t mind. Sapalan understood what Dololo was saying and decided to bring the pushing to an end. It was sweet to notice that Sapalan obviously considered himself a protector of Dololo and that he could always call him if he needed him. 

Ambo settled to browse with Naseku and later with Siangiki. The orphans were briefly joined by ex-orphans Yatta, Yetu, Yoyo, Kinna, Kama, Sunyei, Siku, Lenana, Lapa, Kitirua, Vuria, Wendi, Wiva, Wema, Naserian, Orwa and a wild bull. The ever-playful and charging Siku engaged Sana Sana in a pushing game but unfortunately lost the game to Sana Sana. The ex-orphans then left and walked off in a different location. 

At mud bath time the orphans participated fully in the wallowing exercise soon after taking their milk bottles, and in the afternoon settled to browse along the slopes west of Ithumba Hill.

After the gates were opened for the orphans to come out, Ambo was the first one to step out, as usual, followed by Karisa. Ambo continued with his journey heading straight out to browse and walked quickly as if someone was calling him. The Keepers had to intervene by calling him to slow down. 

Out in the bush, the orphans were joined by Wendi, Wema and a wild bull again. Roi decided to baby sit Wema while Wendi was around and she didn’t seem to mind at all – Wendi is always happy for a nanny to look after her babies! Wanjala took the opportunity to pose with baby Wema too. Shortly later, Wendi and her baby left to join her other ex-orphan friends who were somewhere out there in the bush.

 At mud bath time nearly all the females from the ex-orphan herd showed up, but without the big boys. The ex orphans present were of course the matriarch Yatta, along with other mothers Kinna, Nasalot, Mulika, Wendi, Galana, Sunyei, Sidai, Lualeni, Loijuk, Lenana, Chyulu and all their babies, as well as Naserian, Vuria, Orwa, Kilabasi, Makireti, Kasigau, Teleki, Makena, Narok, Ithumbah, Ishanga, Olare, Kitirua, three wild elephants and the newest member of the herd, who happens to be none other than Ukame! 

When the dependent orphans arrived for their noon bottle feed, there was trumpeting and rumbling and all sorts of ululating in excitement when Ukame was seen by her old friends. Ukame even requested for a bottle of milk but was offered water to which said no thank you after tasting it. After greetings with the dependent orphans, Ukame left to continue her new role and duty of being nanny to Lapa. After mud bath time, the Keepers thought that Ukame would change her mind and follow the dependent orphans after all, but she was totally unfazed and apparently very comfortable with her choice. Ukame left with the ex-orphans three days ago and appears to have made up her mind about going back to the wild. We wish her well as she leaves our care and explores this new life with the ex-orphan herd. We respect her choice and she is free to come back at any stage, but we hope that all will be well with Ukame. The question we ponder now is, who will be next in line to return back to the wild? Only time will be able to answer that question. The orphans settled to browse in Kone area and had a quiet afternoon, and in the evening they returned back to stockade for yet another night. 

The ex-orphans led by Yatta were outside the stockade in the morning. After having their morning milk, the dependent orphans left the stockades and joined the ex-orphans. The entire herd settled to browse in Kone area. Kinna’s baby Kama engaged Siangiki in a pushing game while Sapalan played with Yoyo under close supervision from Yetu. An hour later, the ex-orphans left and wandered off into the Park. Tusuja decided to go with them as the idea of leaving and testing life in the wild seems to have caught up with him. Tusuja is the same age as Ukame, six going on seven years old, and he seems to want to follow in Ukame’s footsteps and make the same journey she did a few days ago. 

It remains to be seen if Tusuja is just testing his time out in the wild with the ex-orphans, or if he has made a permanent decision to leave and going back into the wild. Bomani, who appears to have severed his close tie with Orwa at the moment, teamed up with Kasigau and remained behind with the dependent orphans. We are not sure why these two close friends are not speaking at the moment, but we hope they make up soon. Kasigau and Bomani escorted the orphans for their midday milk feed. The weather was chilly and only Kasigau decided to have a cooling-off exercise. The others drank some water then returned back to browsing. The afternoon was quiet as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing without any major observation. 

Tusuja, who left with the ex-orphans yesterday, was at the stockade compound early in the morning in the company of Bomani. Bomani, who seems to have severed links with Orwa and at one time was seen with Kasugai, may be talking to Tusuja so that together they can form their own boys club. It’s only a matter of time to know what the two boys are planning. 

Soon, when the orphans left the stockades, Barsilinga had a strength testing exercise with Bomani and later this turned into a lengthy conversation. Perhaps Bomani wanted to find out why it is taking so long for Barsilinga to rejoin them in the wild again and he wants to encourage him to join him and Tusuja. We will have to wait and see what Barsilinga decides.

Out in the bush, Mundusi decided to challenge Namalok but ended up losing the challenge to Namalok. At mud bath time it was overcast and chilly and the orphans only had their milk and some water before going back to browsing. Olsekki, Tusuja and Mundusi joined a wild bull that had shown up at mud bath to drink water. The wild bull left immediately after taking enough water, while the three boys left to join their friends. 

Sana Sana decided to teach Sattao some pushing skills by engaging him in a pushing game, while Esampu decided to keep herself busy by climbing on top of a soil heap to relax on it. 

In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. In the evening, Tusuja refused to get into the stockade with his friends but followed Bomani out for another night out. Shortly before dark, Wendi and Wema accompanied by several wild elephant bulls checked in at the stockade compound and left immediately after taking water. 

It was a quiet morning today. The dependent-orphans headed straight out to the browsing field soon after leaving the stockade. Kuishi and Ukame, who was visiting, started their activities by participating in a scratching exercise on some rocks they came across. The rest of the herd concentrated on browsing without any major distractions.

At mud bath time the cold weather had started to clear but it wasn't quite warm enough for the orphans to want to wallow. On the way to the mud bath, the orphans had been joined by Orwa and Bomani. It’s not clear how the two came together as they had been separated for some time, but we were glad to see the two friends together again. Tusuja and Barsilinga didn't come for mud bath but decided to stay back to continue with browsing.  

Musiara and Sattao decided to engage each other in a strength testing exercise but Maramoja, who was close by and happens to be the main nanny to Musiara, stopped them from pushing one another as she knew that the pushing could end up in a proper fight and she didn't want her Musiara to get hurt. 

Orwa and Kamok settled for soil dusting as Pare engaged Jotto in a pushing game. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse along the eastern slopes of Ithumba Hill. As the temperature went slightly up, Orwa, Sana Sana, Enkikwe and Bomani walked down and attended a roadside mud bath. The rest of the afternoon was quiet. 

The orphans left the stockade compound early as usual and headed towards Kone dam where they settled to browse. The orphans were joined here by Orwa and Bomani again. Shortly later, Bomani engaged Olsekki in a strength testing exercise that attracted the other boys. Mapia settled to play with Rapa while Karisa played with Pare. Gentle Jotto played with Musiara as Esampu decided to play with Sattao. 

Shortly before mud bath time the ex-orphans passed close by and Tusuja, still undecided, jumped onto the ex-orphan wagon and left with them. 

On the way to the mud bath, Sattao managed to persuade Bomani to take him through some pushing lessons that he could happily apply when playing with his fellow boys. After mud bath time, the orphans headed south of the waterhole and had a quiet afternoon. 

In the evening when the orphans returned back to the stockade compound, Namalok surprised everyone when he decided to walk straight past his stockade, following Bomani and Orwa. When the Keepers tried to call him to come back, Namalok increased his pace and even overtook Orwa and Bomani as if he knew where he was going. One would have thought that he was being called up ahead since he didn't even want to look back. He seems to want to try to be independent like his friend Tusuja, and it will be his first night outside the stockade compound in the company of Orwa and Bomani. 

The morning started by treating Barsilinga. An abscess had developed on his problematic foot but this time behind the leg, just slightly higher above the foot, and it had opened up. We cleaned the area well and applied green clay. We hope this will be the end of his foot problems and are sure this was whatever has been bothering him finally being expelled from his leg. Zurura made a brief visit in the morning before disappearing off again. 

Out in the bush, Malkia teamed up with Kuishi and Sattao to browse. Shortly later, Malkia requested Sattao to give them space so that they can have a girl to girl talk with Kuishi. Sattao moved further away and let the girls have their conversation. Later, Kuishi took the conversation over to Maramoja, but it appeared that Maramoja wasn't interested as she didn't pay attention to what Kuishi was telling her. 

At mud bath time the orphans participated fully in the wallowing exercise, with the exception of Ambo and Jotto who boycotted a swim. Ambo and Jotto went to relax under a tree instead, where they kept themselves busy by having a light pushing game. 

After their mud bath, some of the orphans opted for a soil dusting exercise while others headed straight back out to browse. Enkikwe, who has become quite close to Barsilinga recently, perhaps as they both have problems with their legs, came together with him for their milk after all their friends had left for browsing. In the afternoon, the orphans in the company of Orwa and Bomani settled to browse along the western slopes of the Ithumba Hill. In the evening the temperature soared, making the orphans decide to pass by the mud bath again for an evening cool-off. 

Barsilinga and Enkikwe received their treatments on their foot and leg respectively in the morning. The rest of the herd walked straight out to browse where after sometime, Musiara had a game of rolling on the ground under the watchful eye of elder adopted sister Maramoja. 

Naseku and Mundusi came across a heap of soil that they used to slide down and play on. After the two had enough of playing, they put their heads together to decide what to do next. It appears that there was a disagreement because Naseku shook her head and left. 

Orwa and Bomani joined the orphans in Kone area with Olsekki welcoming Orwa through a pushing game. Later, the two boys joined Ambo to drink water. 

At mud bath time, a wild herd consisting of a mother and her children, about four of them, two boys and two girls, disrupted the peace amongst the orphans. The wild herd was trumpeting and charging trying to scare anyone in sight, including the orphans. Finally, the group left after the orphans left the mud bath due to threats from the wild herd. The Keepers directed the orphans in the best and safest direction to take.

In the evening, the sun was getting hot and the orphans opted to pay a visit to the mud bath where they had an evening cooling-off exercise. After wallowing, the orphans were joined by Nasalot, baby Nusu and a wild bull, which meant that the rest of the ex-orphans were not far away. 

On the way back to the stockades, Jotto, Barsilinga, Enkikwe and Rapa decided not to go back with the rest of the group and sneaked off, only for the Keepers to realize later that the four boys had dodged them. A search was mounted as the rest of the group was taken back to the stockades. The four missing boys were found feeding close to the mud bath area, completely unfazed about what time it was; without wasting any time the Keepers directed them back to the stockade compound for the night. 

The orphans left the stockades early as usual, soon after finishing their milk. Barsilinga settled to scratch on the nearby rocks before following his friends who headed north east of the stockade. It was a morning with fewer activities as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing. 

Later, the orphans met with ex-orphans Nasalot, Nusu, Zurura, Orwa and Bomani. The sighting of Nasalot, Nusu and Zurura was an indicator that the rest of ex-orphans were not far away in the area. 

Towards mud bath time it appeared that there was some communication going on between Teleki and some of our dependent-boys as he tried to direct them to where they would find him. As the Keepers gathered the orphans to take them for their noon bottles, they were surprised to find out that several orphans were missing, yet they were with them in less than half an hour ago! Rapa, Karisa, Kauro, Sapalan, Olsekki, Siangiki and Malima were missing and the Keepers started the search knowing that the missing ones were definitely coaxed by the ex-orphans to join them. Their search came to an end when they finally located them with Teleki, who was leading them heading further north. The Keepers called them and turned them back towards the mud bath to have their milk bottles. Teleki decided to accompany them as apparently he wanted to see if he could succeed in getting them back again! Teleki tried but the Keepers were too aware now, and kept a keen eye on the baby-stealer Teleki. When Teleki saw that his mission was thwarted, he decided to leave and probably try his luck next time, whenever the opportunity might present itself. 

Soon after leaving the stockade, Kuishi had a light pushing game with Olsekki. Shortly later, the dependent-orphans left for browsing. It was a day without much activity or drama as all the orphans behaved well throughout the entire morning session. 

Orwa and Bomani joined the orphans out in the bush and later escorted them to the mud bath. Ambo boycotted the wallowing exercise and walked away to wait for his friends under a tree. After mud bath time, the orphans had a lot of fun on the piles of soil next to the water, rolling around and dusting themselves and changing their colour from grey to red; one would have mistaken them for moving ant hills in the bush. 

Enkikwe picked a fight with Kamok just to show her that despite his bad leg, he can still defend himself. The afternoon was quiet as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing throughout the remaining part of the day.

Bomani, who spent the night just outside the stockade compound, joined the orphans soon after they were let out. Barsilinga, who is getting better with each passing day, settled for a pushing game with Bomani. During their game, perhaps Bomani wanted to find out from Barsilinga when he might feel ready to rejoin his older friends, as Orwa seems to have abandoned him for the time being. He is always on and off in their relationship. We are sure Barsilinga didn't have an answer for him though. 

Karisa had a private talk with Mteto while Sattao decided to learn one or two pushing techniques from Pare by engaging him in a strength testing exercise. Mapia enjoyed his own exercise by lifting logs of wood and tossing them aside with his trunk. 

The ex-orphans led by Yatta passed by the stockade compound heading east. Later Mulika and Mkuu, in a convoy of wild bulls, also passed by the stockade compound following the direction taken by Yatta.  

At mud bath time the weather was chilly and none of the orphans participated in wallowing. The orphans participated in soil dusting instead and thereafter returned back to browsing. The afternoon was quiet as the orphans concentrated more on browsing.

Late in the evening Tusuja in the company of two wild bulls showed up at the stockades. Tusuja didn't even bother to look at the stockades, even after the gate was opened to allow him in. In fact, he walked off further away to avoid being bundled into the stockade by the Keepers. He later left with the bulls. 

The sky was partly covered by clouds when the orphans left in the morning. The orphans were joined by Orwa and Bomani and settled to browse in the Kone area. A group of ex-orphans passed by and Tusuja, who is still confused which side he should be on, joined them and left, only to appear later in the evening at the stockades to join his friends. 

At mud bath time the orphans were joined by ex-orphans Sidai, baby Sita, Nasalot, baby Nusu, Ishanga, Teleki and a wild elephant. Mteto, Maramoja and Mundusi tried to persuade Sita to play with them but she totally refused and stayed close to her mother. Mundusi left to play with Nusu who was ready for a pushing game. Esampu had fun rolling on the heap of red soil at the mud bath. Later, the ex-orphans parted ways with orphans and the dependent orphans chose to browse along the slopes of Ithumba Hill. 

In the evening on the way back to the stockades, Rapa and Kauro dodged the Keepers as they didn't want to return home early. The two boys returned back to the stockades about an hour after their friends.