The year began with mischief — and predictably, it was Bondeni who was at the heart of it all. He convinced Olorien and Naleku to join him in a raucous game of hide-and-seek with the Keepers. The three elephants careened around the stockade area, chasing each other and hiding in corners. Once in the forest, Bondeni was eager to continue the game. He trumpeted at Suguroi and Naleku, inviting them to join him as he bolted away from the herd. However, the sensible mini matriarchs knew that the moment had passed and ignored him. Realising that no one wanted to play, Bondeni reluctantly settled down.
The new year began with a bright sunny morning. Awake but still in their stockades, the orphans were rumbling and trumpeting their desires to start the day and head out into the forest with their Keepers. They downed their bottles of milk and set out to browse.
Except for Bondeni, Olorien and Naleku who were playing hide and seek with the Keepers! The three elephants were running up and down the stockade area, chasing each other and hiding in corners. When a Keeper told them off firmly, they reluctantly followed their friends out into the forest.
Once there, naughty Bondeni sprinted off in a different direction. He trumpeted at Suguroi and Naleku, inviting them to join him, as he bolted away from the herd. The two sensible mini matriarchs completely ignored him, continuing instead to trunk touch and tend to Nyambeni and Mzinga. Realizing that no one wanted to play, the disgruntled big boy settled down and got on with eating his greens.
In the afternoon, Suguroi was the first in the mud bath, paddling for a few minutes before squatting on her bottom and lying down on her side to wallow. She was soon joined by Olorien and Kinyei – the two girls rubbed their big bodies against each other as they lay side by side in the thick mud.
Emerging from their stables and stockades in the early morning, the orphans wasted no time setting out to browse in the surrounding bush. Most were feeding but some were playing. Esoit and Bondeni were testing each other’s strength as usual with a bout of wrestling. Pushing head-to-head, the two young bulls tussled and twisted. Gaining the upper hand, Esoit forced Bondeni down onto the ground, whereupon he rolled over and called out for help. Esoit has a clever tactic of mounting Bondeni to subdue him. Today, Taabu and Lodo responded to Bondeni’s trumpeting, charging over to help their friend by pushing Esoit off him.
Meanwhile, little Kerrio was having a gentler game with the warthogs. She was zigzagging around, rumbling and whistling as she did her best to chase them away. Mzinga watched the game quietly until one warthog decided to run at her, giving her such a fright. Immediately, she trotted over to the Keepers, standing as close to them as she could possibly get. She knew that they would look after her and keep the pesky warthogs away.
Bottles drunk and bodies cooled off in the mud bath in the afternoon, the orphans meandered out into the forest for a final browse. Except for little Mzinga who was left behind - she had paused at the water pool on the edge of the forest for a delicious drink and then just stayed there. A Keeper gently shepherded the little girl back to her friends.
In contrast to recent days, it was a cold grey morning with drizzling rain. The youngest orphans remained in their stables, sheltering from the rain and wearing their blankets to keep them warm.
As the others headed out into the forest, Naleku loitered at the end of the line, doing her best to make herself invisible to the Keepers. The mini matriarch’s plan was to turn back to the stockades and join the babies. On her arrival, she tried unsuccessfully to enter Mzinga’s stable. Pointing his finger, a Keeper told her to return to the herd but she refused to comply, standing resolutely outside the blanket babies’ rooms.
That is, until she heard Kerrio trumpeting because she had been pushed over by Kinyei. As soon as her young friend cried for help, Naleku bolted off to see what was happening. Kerrio is a year older than Nyambeni, the youngest baby in the Nursery, but to Naleku she is still a baby in need of her protection. Naleku and Kerrio then wandered off together to browse, leaving Kinyei to play with her friend Kindani.
During the early mornings in the forest, wily little Nyambeni is never far from the Keepers. This is so she can be first in line when they call the orphans to the mud bath for their milk feed. As soon as one of the men whistles, she shoots over and stands at the front of the line of babies. Today, however, she was slow off the mark and was beaten into first position by Mageno. The youngest orphans duly lined up to get ready for their bottles. As they scampered down the path to the pool, Nyambeni accelerated past Mageno, much to his great annoyance. He trumpeted in displeasure but it was no good. She was the winner!
The under-graduates are changing as the time approaches for them to move on to Ithumba. Since their training began, the three young females have become less biddable – perhaps Naleku, Suguroi and Sagateisa sense that their future is not with the Nairobi herd. Today, rather than following the other orphans to the mud bath as instructed by the Keepers, they headed off in a different direction into the forest. The disobedient threesome knew that bottles of milk did not await them and so continued browsing in the bush.
In the early evening, Choka had a relaxing time dusting himself on a large pile of soil out in the forest. He rubbed his trunk on the red soil and then stretched his head up as far as it would go and then put his front feet on top of the pile.
Recent rescues Kitiak, Kitich, Elerai, Iletilal, Muwingu and Weka like hanging out. In the cool of the early morning today, they wandered around together in a contented mini herd at a distance from the others. They nibbled, they trunk touched, they stood peacefully. Today, rather than doing her own thing, Ziwadi decided to join the newbies. The younger orphans welcomed this quirky young lady who does not make demands on others.
Esoit and Bondeni continue to be best buddies, cheerful boys who love each other’s company, whether within the stockades in the early mornings or in the forest during the days or at the mud baths in the afternoons. Wherever they are, they love to play wrestling and pushing games. Today at the mud bath, Esoit again successfully pinned his friend to the ground. Bondeni hates being mounted by Esoit but will happily climb on top of his friend whenever he finds Esoit on the ground or thinks he can get away with it during their games. Unable to escape as he lay spreadeagled in the mud, Bondeni trumpeted dramatically. Members of the herd rushed over in concern to find that it was just another boys’ game.
Kerrio had a fabulous time in the forest today with the warthogs and their piglets. She lumbered around after them, despite her best attempts to dart like a warthog. They had fun too.
It was already hot this morning when the orphans trundled down the path to the mud bath for their bottles of milk. Nyambeni was behaving like an indulged baby today, trying the patience of the Keepers. After she had finished her bottle and as the Keepers were feeding all the other orphans, she kept trying to snatch bottles from her friends or grab one from the wheelbarrow. She kept it up until everyone had drunk their milk and the wheelbarrow had been taken away. Naughty little girl!
Today was a perfect day for swimming. When the first group had finished their milk feed, as usual Kerrio was the first to wander into the mud pool, paddling and kicking the water happily. Blanket babies Mzinga and Nyambeni were trying to follow their friend into the water but the Keepers could not allow this. As they are small, they would have been at risk of injury from the rolling and wallowing of the bigger orphans. Instead, they prepared a small mud bath for the babies on the side. Mzinga and Nyambeni immediately waddled into their own little pool and had a fabulous time. They wallowed a bit, then dusted a bit, then wallowed some more right up to the end of the session. Meanwhile, Kerrio was joined in the big pool by naughty boys Kitich, Mageno and Choka. Everyone had a lovely time, slapping trunks on their backs and on the water as they playfully rolled around and mounted each other.
Bondeni is always up for playtime with anyone, regardless of age or size. He was in an especially ebullient mood today. First up was his buddy Esoit - they had a great time until Lodo arrived and invited Esoit to wrestle with him instead. Trumpeting in excitement, the two boys pushed heads before chasing each other around. Left out, Bondeni wandered over to where little Mzinga was happily rolling around in the dust. The naughty young bull tried to clamber onto her back whereupon she trumpeted loudly in alarm. The Keepers, Naleku, Suguroi, Olorien and Kinyei all responded right away, running towards the two orphans. Bondeni immediately jumped off her and ran for cover but could not escape the strictures of Suguroi. The mini matriarch gave him a stern telling off.
Meanwhile, Choka and Taabu were also playing the pushing and sparring game. The evenly-matched friends kept it up until both were worn out. As they were playing, Elerai wandered off into the bush on his own, ignoring the Keepers’ calls to return. He was found in the afternoon, browsing happily in some dense forest.
On a hot afternoon, there was so much swimming and dust bathing and hosing at the mud bath – nearly all of the orphans were wet by the end of the session. Good friends Weka and Muwingu were rolling around on the edge of the mud bath, flapping their ears and rubbing their trunks on each other.
Taabu has become the up-and-coming playmaker. On emerging from his stockade this morning, he charged up and down outside Maxwell’s enclosure with the rhino lumbering after him before setting off into the woods with the herd. Out in the bush he played the pushing game with Tingai for ages. Tingai is known for his quirky trunk-sucking habit but tends to be quite reserved. It was great to see him fully involved in playing with Taabu.
Kindani and Sileita were having a lovely time this morning babysitting Muridjo and Shujaa. They wandered around in a little group with the two babies sheltered by their older friends. As they browsed the big girls pulled down branches from the taller trees and gave them to the smaller orphans.
Kerrio and Mukutan have a history of squabbling. This morning at the mud bath, they challenged each other, squaring up and preparing for a fight over a small stick. Noticing the situation, Latika and Sileita stepped in to separate them, ordering the two orphans to leave each other alone.
Later in the day as the herd browsed in the bush while the Keepers ate their lunch, Rafiki and Ahmed disappeared. They had quietly snuck away from their friends, heading back to the mud bath for a cooling wallow.
What a joyful morning for Sagateisa and Kamili! Kamili is usually a calm, quiet girl who does not get involved in silly antics like many of her peers. But not this morning. With dawn came the baboons who jumped on top of and ran across the roofs of the stockades, making lots of noise, much to the annoyance of Sagateisa and her young friend Kamili. As soon as their doors were opened, the two young females started chasing the baboons, trumpeting loudly as they charged around.
Naleku and Suguroi were only too happy to join the chase once they had checked up on blanket babies Nyambeni, Mzinga and Shujaa. Within a few minutes, there was not a single baboon in sight – all had retreated into the forest. The gang of girls then turned their attention to some sprightly warthogs, chasing them away too.
Ziwadi has always been Ziwadi, doing her own thing, making her own decisions, and going in her own directions. After the morning mud bath today, the herd returned to the forest, browsing in small groups. Ziwadi was with Rafiki and Kitiak. While no one was looking, she set off back to the stockades, trotting into her old stable. She refused to leave for ages, not even allowing the Keepers to enter. It took a great deal of persuasion to get her back out in the bush with the other orphans.
Historically, Ziwadi has not been a big fan of wallowing in the mud bath. However, she has started dipping her toes into the activity. It was a sweltering afternoon and most of the babies were in and out of the pool. She watched quietly on the side-lines for a while. Then, to everyone’s delight, in she clambered, wallowing and rolling around in the mud. She had a wonderful bath, only getting out at the end of the session after everyone had left.
Today, there was more bickering between toddlers on another clear sunny morning. Muridjo was in a feisty mood, confronting Shujaa as he toddled out of his stable. Taken unawares, the little boy was knocked over before he had a chance to respond to the challenge. Caring Naleku immediately got involved, separating the two young orphans and telling off the instigator. She checked that Shujaa was not hurt before greeting Nyambeni and then leading the little ones out into the forest.
Out in the bush, the orphans browsed peacefully until it was time to return to the mud bath for their milk feed. All of them wandered back in small groups except for Ziwadi who was determined to do her own thing. Today, she took the path leading to the stockades rather than the mud bath. As her friends were enjoying their bottles, two Keepers set off to get her. The young lady dodged the men, scampered off into the bush and was found half an hour later back in her stockade.
On an especially hot afternoon, most of the orphans plunged into the mud bath after finishing their bottles. Only the babies remained on dry land, watching the action as the Keepers covered them in soothing soil dust. It was not long before Naleku clambered out to spend time with the babies.
It was an exciting morning! On their way out to the forest this morning, the orphans came across a lioness lying on the path ahead of them. The elephants sensed her presence before the Keepers. They abandoned their line and scattered into the surrounding bushes. Eventually, a courageous Esoit charged at the lioness, trumpeting loudly and flapping his ears aggressively, followed by an equally brave little Ahmed. To no avail. The lioness was completely unimpressed by their show and uninterested in engaging. She stood up, refusing to move off. Observing the standoff, the Keepers whistled and called the orphans together, shouted at the lion, and led the herd off in a different direction.
Later in the morning at the mud bath, Naleku, Suguroi and Sagateisa sprinted in as many of their friends were still guzzling their bottles or nibbling on greens. (The three girls are having all their bottles in the training truck.) Naleku went straight for the pool, waddling in and then splashing everyone in the vicinity with lots of kicking. In the afternoon, the mud bath was again full of wallowing orphans – even Kindani and Ziwadi had a dip today.
The herd was browsing peacefully in the forest this morning. The soothing sounds of elephants crunching on leaves and branches and flapping their ears were interrupted by some urgent trumpeting from little Mzinga. Naughty Mageno was doing his best to clamber on top of her. He may only be six months older but he is a lot heavier than the young girl. Immediately, kind Sileita got involved, running over to investigate and chasing away the young bull. Mageno charged off, knowing that he was in trouble.
Kerrio is becoming a big girl but sometimes she just wants to be a baby again. This morning at the mud bath, Naleku was standing close to Nyambeni, trunk touching her little friend who was concentrating on squirting dry soil all over her body. Kerrio was browsing nearby, pretending not to be jealous, when she suddenly turned around and shoved Nyambeni into the mud bath. Having lost her balance, the little girl trumpeted in alarm, attracting the attention of the big girls. Kinyei got to her first and was followed by Olorien and Naleku. The three older females stood protectively around the small orphan as Kerrio hovered sheepishly on the side-lines.
Tingai and Kitiak were browsing happily in the bush this afternoon. The young bull is just three months older than the newbie but has lived at the Nursery for much longer. He started pushing Kitiak and kept on pushing even though she did not want to play the game. The Keepers intervened to separate the squabbling toddlers.
Relative newcomers Kitich, Iletilal and Elerai are good friends, choosing to hang out together most mornings in the forest. Kitich has really settled into the Nursery and is becoming a friendly little boy and also a greedy one! He raises up his trunk to the Keepers out in the bush, greeting them with trunk touches as he hopes for an extra bottle of milk. He knows that milk feeds only happen at the stockades or the mud bath, but this does not stop him asking for one.
Today, Iletilal and Kitiak deliberately wandered away from the herd, sneaking off to the mud bath. Arriving before any of the Keepers and of course the wheelbarrow of milk, they continued their walkabout, heading off to the stockades. They refused to budge until a Keeper tempted Iletilal to follow him with an empty bottle. Then the two young rebels obediently plodded back to join the herd.
Taabu is becoming as feisty as Bondeni. Today, he was sparring energetically with Mukutan. Even after Taabu won the contest and Mukutan surrendered and called for help, he refused to stand down. The Keepers had to intervene to separate the pushy young bulls.
The Nursery seems to be full of naughty boys at the moment. Today it was Mukutan’s turn to throw his weight around. This morning at the mud bath, after downing two bottles of milk, he gave Choka a shove. He was hoping for a third bottle of milk. The two young bulls started sparring, pulling and pushing each other around the mud bath. It was a good-humored contest but with a serious edge. This time, Choka was the winner, seeing off Mukutan and enjoying a browse and a wallow in peace. Mukutan sulked for the rest of the morning.
On another hot afternoon, most of the older orphans were in the mud bath again. After their wallow, Lodo and Taabu lay sunbathing on the sides as Kerrio balanced her tummy on the edge, with her back legs in the mud and her front legs on dry land. First, Bondeni and Esoit were climbing on top of each other in the wallow. Then, clever Bondeni positioned himself on the edge with his friend still in the water. When Esoit tried to clamber out, Bondeni pushed him back in. The game continued until eventually Esoit managed to push his friend aside and crawl victoriously out. Afterwards, the swimmers lay around the mud bath like enormous ticks.
The orphans emerged cheerfully from their stockades on another bright sunny morning. Kinyei immediately started playing with one of the posts. The normally reserved young lady was charging at the post and then giving it a good push. She was having a lovely time. Soon she was joined by Kerrio and, when no one was looking, the two orphans nipped round the corner and into the training truck. They were hoping to find some leftover pellets and cubes to eat.
Later in the afternoon, Choka and Taabu had an altercation over a bottle of milk. Choka was hoping, in vain, to drink Taabu’s milk as well as his own. His friend saw him off with a trumpet and a push. Five minutes late, mischievous Bondeni grabbed an empty bottle from the wheelbarrow and ran away with it clasped firmly in his trunk. The Keepers had to chase after him to retrieve the bottle.
Bottles emptied, many of the orphans wallowed in the mud bath and then stood around quietly, flapping their ears to keep their bodies cool. Mageno was left swimming on his own in the mud bath. He lay on his tummy with his legs sticking out either side, spreadeagled in the water as he rubbed his trunk vigorously on the edge. Massage over, he leant his whole body against the edge and lay quite still.
Ziwadi had a break from her morning routine today. Usually, she walks from one water trough to the next, playing with the water using her trunk and drinking water with her mouth. Today, she made a beeline for the training truck where Naleku, Suguroi and Sagateisa were being fed. She trotted up the ramp and started munching on the sugar cane and pellets left inside.
After collecting Ziwadi from the truck, the Keepers led the herd out into the bush for a browse and a play before they headed back for their morning bottles of milk at the mud bath. On another hot day, the first group of younger orphans had a lovely time in the pool. Mukutan wallowed energetically, splashing the others as he rolled around, before he lay relaxing in the muddy water. After her swim, Muridjo chose to lie in the mud next to the bath rather stay in the water. The blanket babies stood watching on the side-lines as the Keepers shoveled dust onto their backs.
Next, it was the turn of the second group of older babies to trundle down to the mud bath. Lodo was the first to arrive, sprinting in as fast as his legs would carry him and trumpeting in excitement. No one was going to overtake him today! As soon as he had gulped down his bottle, he dove into the mud bath for a wallow. He splashed and rolled around with his friends Naleku, Rafiki, Olorien and Tingai.
This morning, out in the forest on another hot day, Weka and Iletilal wandered away from the herd as the others browsed in small groups. Noticing their absence, a Keeper set off after them. As soon as they realized that they were being followed, the mischievous pair sprinted off in opposite directions, trunks and tails aloft. When a Keeper whistled sternly, they slowly turned about and plodded back to join their friends. Weka and Iletilal have become close friends – before, Iletilal was friends mainly with Elerai, but now he is widening his circle of buddies.
It was such a hot afternoon. Many of the bigger orphans were wallowing and swimming, flapping their ears and waving their trunks around in the heat. The little ones watched placidly from a distance – none of them were going to risk being rolled on by the big girls and boys. Latika was having a fabulous time. After her bottle, she immediately waddled into the water (which is unusual for her). She used her little trunk to throw mud on herself, before slowly climbing out and rolling around in the dust, almost with glee.
In the forest, Latika often likes to hang out on her own but in the late afternoon today she stayed firmly in the middle of the herd, browsing and rumbling with her friends.
This morning, Naleku, Suguroi and Sagateisa left the Nursery to begin their new lives in Ithumba. After weeks of walking obediently into the training truck for her bottle, yesterday evening Naleku was reluctant to enter the truck. This morning, the other two walked in happily but sensitive Naleku did not want to get in. The Keepers had to persuade her with extra food. Eventually, they closed the door and the three young females set off. The men felt proud of their charges and wished them well on the next stage of their lives.
Plodding out of her stable after dawn, Nyambeni began to look for Naleku and Suguroi. She ran all over the place, around the stockades and down to the mud bath, trumpeting lots and becoming quite frantic. That is, until Olorien stepped in. This wise young female followed her down to the mud bath, calmed her down with lots of rumbling and trunk touching and hugging, and then stood quietly over her. She laid her trunk along the baby’s back for a few minutes before taking her back to the stockades.
It was a noisy session at the mud bath later in the day. The heat had made the orphans especially thirsty and so many of them trumpeted their desire for milk as the ran down the path to the Keepers and their wheelbarrow of bottles. The orphans guzzled their bottles and then settled down to browse or paddle. Meanwhile, Weka wandered away from the others back out into the bush on her own. The Keepers found her playing with some impalas – she was dashing around among them, nervous but at the same time intrigued. It was a lovely sight.
Out in the forest in the mornings, the Keepers observe friendships developing as newbies settle into the herd. Elerai is the latest to expand his circle of friends. Today, he was feeding right next to respected older bull Esoit. He was doing his best to lure him away from the others so the two of them could be together. He did eventually succeed in moving him a small distance away. Meanwhile, Kitich was feeling a little left out as normally he hangs out with Elerai. Swinging his trunk, he strolled swiftly along behind Iletilal who was at the front of the browsing herd.
This afternoon, Kitich was trumpeting so much as he drank his bottle at the mud bath. His excitement may have been because Weka was doing her best to grab his bottle and, at the same time, Latika was trying to push him. As usual, Kerrio was the first to cool off in the mud bath, paddling and then wallowing and rolling around. She was soon joined by Weka who skillfully slid into the bath by rolling her body from the edge over into the middle. The Keepers smiled to see the little orphan with her legs in the air!
More friendships were being forged in the forest this morning. Although Kamili was rescued over a year ago, she is still shy of human beings, including some of the Keepers. She tends to throw up her trunk apprehensively if people startle her. Today, she was visibly relaxed while hanging out with Iletilal. He is a good choice of friend as he is a peaceful chap who does not often push or fight with the others. Kamili and Iletilal were feeding happily together when they were joined by Latika and then Weka. The four friends quietly wandered away in a different direction from the herd. They were led, as on previous days, by Iletilal in their little escapade.
Meanwhile, Muridjo, Nyambeni and Mageno browsed together under the protective eye of Olorien. The older female stood close by, occasionally touching her young friends and not allowing them to wander away. She is developing into a responsible and caring mini matriarch.
Another clear sky at dawn to mark the beginning of a day of sunshine. This morning, the orphans were keen to get out of their stables and stockades, with a few of the bigger girls rumbling at the Keepers to open the doors. They needed no encouragement to head out to the forest.
Ahmed and Olorien are spending lots of time with Shujaa. Wherever the little boy is feeding out in the forest, the two older females will be close by. They stand close to him, touching him often and laying their trunks on his back. Shujaa is a biddable boy and happily trundles after them. Kerrio is also bonding with Shujaa – today, she was following behind him with her trunk over him. When they walk together, sometimes Kerrio flaps her ears as a sign of affection towards the little boy, especially if something surprises him. Kerrio is growing up and showing the potential to become a wonderful matriarch.
Later in the day at the mud bath, Kerrio was sunbathing happily by herself on top of a large heap of soil. Her eyes were closed, her ears were still and her body was relaxed. Until Shujaa and Nyambeni snuck up behind her. The two cheeky babies wanted to play. They did their best to climb on top on her (which was completely impossible as they are tiny) and then sweetly tried to push her body with their heads. Kerrio opened her eyes and lifted her trunk towards Nyambeni who scampered away. Kerrio lay down and closed her eyes whereupon her little friend scampered back and pushed her again. And so the game continued.
After a peaceful morning in the bush, the babies padded down the path for their bottles of milk at the mud bath. Today, Mageno was in a feisty mood. After gulping his milk in seconds, he refused to move away from the wheelbarrow as he wanted more. He stood obstinately, trumpeting his demands. The Keepers prevailed and shepherded him away towards the edge of the mud bath. But the clever little elephant got his own back. He decided to shower himself and the surrounding area with thick mud from the wallow. He cooled himself off but also splashed mud all over some of the Keepers.
Muridjo and Kitich were also squabbling over bottles next to the wheelbarrow. Today, little Kitich came off worse and toddled off in a grump. Nearby, Choka gave little Mzinga an irritated shove and she ran to a Keeper for protection. In contrast to the naughty little boys and girls, the older females rarely have fall outs, tending to care for rather than confront each other.
This afternoon, Mukutan was the first in the mud bath, splashing himself all over with the cooling water. He was soon joined by his friends Iletilal, Choka, Taabu and Tingai. Wallow over, they played an energetic few rounds of the pushing game.
Kerrio learned a great deal with wise Naleku before she left for Ithumba. In the mornings since she left, Kerrio has started to go straight to the babies’ stables upon emerging from her own stockade. Once there, she waits patiently for blanket babies Msinga, Nyambeni and Shujaa to come out and then greets each one.
After the herd meandered out into the forest this morning, Muridjo and Shujaa came across a group of impalas feeding on a patch of yellowing grass. Feeling big and brave, the two orphans charged towards them, trumpeting as loudly as they could. Despite the noise, the impalas stayed exactly where they were. The babies slowed down and ended up plodding around the antelopes – their plan had not worked but it had been fun.
Sometimes the impalas tease the orphans by making funny little noises with their noses, tempting them to chase them. They may not react when a baby like Muridjo runs at them but a young bull like Esoit is a different story. If he charges at them trumpeting with his trunk aloft, they disappear.
In the evening, Kerrio walked slowly back to the stockades behind Mzinga, touching her back occasionally with her trunk. Shades of Naleku once again.
On another clear cool morning, the orphans were keen to leave their stockades and head off into the forest. All except for Kerrio. This little girl was playing hide and seek in the stockades with the Keepers. She was trundling in and out of every stockade in a search of leftover pellets, cubes and lucerne grass. She tried to persuade her close friends Weka, Muwingu and Mageno to join her but they were far too sensible and were instead preparing to wander out. Eventually the mischievous orphan abandoned the game and set off after the herd, with the Keepers bringing up the rear.
When Naleku and Suguroi graduated and left for Ithumba, lovely Olorien slipped seamlessly into their shoes. She has become the adopted mother figure of the blanket babies with Kerrio at her side as an elder sister. Out in the field today, Olorien was teaching Nyambeni and Mzinga a game. She lay down pretending to be asleep and the babies tried to climb onto her. She ‘woke up’, they scuttled off, and then the game started again.
A sweet shy girl with a rather short trunk, Latika spends much of her time browsing quietly. But today, it was her turn to be naughty and to pinch her friends’ leftover food. Her stockade is between Iletilal’s room and recent rescue Loldaiga’s. This morning, the crafty little elephant was popping into her neighbours’ rooms when no one was looking to eat their greens. Almost no one. When Iletilal noticed what she was up to, he started to do the same thing – popping next door for a quick munch. The Keepers brought the antics to an end, whistling at the orphans to stop and head out into the forest.
Kinyei is an independent young lady – a caring elephant with good friends who also likes to do her own thing. Today was no different. Out in the forest, she deliberately wandered away from the herd, leaving even best buddies Bondeni and Kindani. She browsed on her own for some time and then returned to join the others.
Bondeni was pushing the boundaries at the mud bath today. Trumpeting noisily, he sprinted down the path, downed his bottle and then tried to wander among the guests. He loves to do exactly what he is not supposed to do. The Keepers brought him back into line, pointing their fingers at him and telling him in a firm tone of voice to do as he was told.
Tingai and Sileita were thirsty girls today. During the morning mud bath session, the orphans arrive in two groups – most of the younger ones are in the first group. Today, Tingai and Sileita arrived as normal with the first group and gulped down their bottles. But then, instead of moving on with the other young ones, they doubled back and tagged along behind the second group. The Keepers were surprised and amused by their second arrival at the wheelbarrow.
Kitiak has changed so much since his arrival at the Nursery. Initially he was wary of and quite aggressive towards the Keepers. But, since the day he was let out of his stockade to join the herd properly, he has become more and more trusting and friendly towards his carers. He has made good friends with Ahmed, Lodo and Elerai and they often choose to hang out together at the mud bath. This morning, he sprinted down the path confidently with Ahmed. Bottles emptied, the little gang plunged into the mud – Ahmed was the first followed by Lodo and Kitiak. Trunks swaying, they rolled around in the thick mud, over and against each other while rumbling with pleasure.
Elerai joined the three orphans but then spoilt the game by mounting Kitiak while he was swimming. He trumpeted for help. The Keepers responded, telling off Elerai and ordering him out of the water. Meanwhile, Ahmed, thinking she had done something wrong, also hopped out and went away. Good friend Lodo gave Kitiak a helping trunk as he clambered out of the water.
It was a lovely sunny morning as the orphans set off for an early morning browse with their Keepers. Kamili was leading the herd, walking up past the stockades and Maxwell’s enclosure to the path where the forest begins. All of a sudden, a pack of pesky warthogs ran across the path in front of her, giving her a fright. In response, she decided to chase them, making all sorts of trumpets as she ran around after warthogs that she was never going to catch. Soon, Muridjo and Rafiki decided to join Kamili and the three friends charged off into the bush together. They disappeared behind a tree and did not come back. A short time later, the Keepers found them happily browsing among some impalas, giraffes and buffaloes.
Kitich is growing stronger and establishing himself among the herd. Today, he was playing the pushing game with Elerai. During the night-time milk feed in his stockade, he likes to bang on the door to demand his bottle. He and his neighbour, Mageno, love to put their trunks through the gaps in the wall between their stockades to pinch each other’s food.
Ahmed is also establishing her role in the herd. She is spending lots of time with Shujaa, Muridjo, Kamili and Muwingu, standing close to them out in the forest and looking after her young friends. Today, little Shujaa was hanging out with the older orphans – he often chooses to stand quietly next to the big boys and girls rather than stay with the blanket babies. Asserting his strength, Bondeni gave the small orphan a big push, knocking him over. Immediately, Ahmed sprinted over to rescue Shujaa, putting her trunk all over him to check that he was fine. She and Muwingu then chased after Bondeni and told him off sternly. Big Bondeni trumpeted for the support of his friends Choka, Taabu, Esoit and Tingai. The Keepers responded too and calmed the confrontation. Half an hour later, fracas forgotten, Ahmed and Bondeni had fun play-mounting and chasing each other.
In the afternoon at the mud bath, Taabu and Bondeni had a great time wallowing together. Trunks waving, the two big boys were rolling around in the mud. Bondeni was doing his best to mount his friend, but Taabu kept crawling out from under him. Nearby, Mageno was standing happily with three feet in the water and one leg stretched out in front of him on the edge, relaxing in his own world on a hot afternoon.
This morning, Choka was in a dreamy mood. Somehow, the silly young bull was left behind when the herd set off to browse in the forest. Ten minutes later, to the accompaniment of some urgent trumpets, the feisty boy sprinted out from the stockades, tail up and ears flapping, to join his friends. Once he had calmed down and got over his brief separation, it was time to play with his buddies. First, Choka mounted Mukutan, then Mukutan mounted Taabu and then all three played the pushing game. The three boys are developing into strong bulls that command respect. They tease the Keepers on occasions but respond obediently to a stern tone and a pointed finger.
Great big blind Maxwel the rhinol has become a popular chap with a stream of visitors to his large enclosure throughout the day. Birds, warthogs, baboons, and monkeys surround the rhino at different times of the day, keeping him company and nibbling on any leftovers. This afternoon, a small warthog joined Maxwell as he lay snoozing in his mud pool.
Down at the main elephant mud bath, there was lots of action on a sweltering afternoon. Many of the older orphans were paddling and wallowing. Kinyei was craftily doing her best to drink from the hose pipe filling up the mud bath while wallowing at the same time. Nearby, Weka was paddling as she swung her trunk from side to side with gusto Bondeni did not bother moving much but was content to lie spreadeagled on his great belly, balancing somehow on the edge of the bath.
The orphan herd set out for the forest on another cloudless morning led by the Keepers with Kitich, Kitiak and Nyambeni at the front. Usually, Rafiki is keen to spend time in the forest but not today. He stayed around the stockades, pottering about and then going to greet Maxwell. When he found Maxwell eating pellets surrounded by his warthog friends (who visit him every day), he charged at the gate in a grump and sprinted off to join the herd.
Out in the bush later in the morning, Rafiki was still in a strange mood. He wandered off on his own out of the sight of the Keepers. As the first group was already having their bottles of milk at the mud bath, two Keepers set off to find him. As they looked left and right, they saw the young bull sprinting towards the mud bath to join the babies. When Rafiki saw the Keepers, he turned around and plodded back to the second older group with his head down and his trunk still. He knew he had been a naughty boy.
Iletilal was relaxing in the mud bath this afternoon. As he was paddling around, he started rubbing his trunk on the edge of the mud bath and then his front legs. Finally, he bent over completely to rub his whole chest while shaking his trunk from side to side.
On another day of blue skies, the orphan herd spent a peaceful early morning in the forest. Tingai chose to browse quietly on his own a few meters away from his friends. Normally it is young bulls like Bondeni and Esoit who play the pushing game but today it was best friends Kindani and Kinyei. The two females were clashing heads and running around and pushing each other down onto the ground.
A quiet little girl, Muridjo spends lots of time browsing and loves playing on piles of soil, rolling around and rubbing her trunk on the ground. Today, she was in a feisty mood. After drinking her milk at the mud bath in the afternoon, she gave her friend Mageno a shove. Because she is six months younger, rather than impacting Mageno, the push made Muridjo fall backwards into the mud bath which was full of wallowing orphans. The little girl ended up next to Kindani who kindly helped her climb out. She trotted over to hang out with the blanket babies.
Sweet Ziwadi was lying down close to the babies. A Keeper was shoveling mud onto her as she rolled around and then put her legs almost straight up in the air. As she relaxed in the sunshine, babies Mzinga, Muridjo, Nyambeni, Shujaa and Kerrio surrounded her and and chambered around it. It was a charming moment on which to end the month.