At the Nursery, the new year started in high spirits. Nyambeni, Mzinga, Wamata, Talek, Taroha and Pardamat began plodding through the forest, bush bashing and trumpeting. Their mood was infectious — soon Daba, Arthi, Muridjo and Kipekee were also running around, full of vim and vigour!
On the first day of the New Year, the orphans walked out to the field in the early morning in playful moods. After browsing for a short time, Nyambeni, Mzinga, Wamata, Talek, Taroha and Pardamat began scampering (almost!) through the forest, bush bashing and trumpeting. Their mood was infectious and soon Daba, Arthi, Muridjo and Kipekee were also running around, full of vim and vigour!
Tytan and Notty were also full of energy. After plodding up the path to the forest, Tytan browsed for a time before lying down for a dust bath. The rhino rolled around on his back with legs aloft. The little zebra stood beside him (as always) and then she too lay down for some new year soil bathing. Meanwhile, back at the stockades, Maxwell was sharing his breakfast of lucerne and pellets with his usual wild friends, the warthogs
Later in the morning at the mud bath, after gulping down their bottles of milk, Wamata, Arthi and Kipekee also covered their bodies in loose soil. (The soil protects their skin from the burning sun.) Wamata lay on her side doing her Kerrio-play-cushion thing while Arthi rubbed his body against hers and Kipekee climbed on top of her, twirling her tiny trunk in excitement. Wamata is growing up and she likes to look after Kipekee, Arthi and Daba. Our spoilt baby is becoming a caring nanny!
While the little ones played, the older bulls were sparring. Pardamat and Olomunyak twisted trunks and pushed heads in a game that was also a contest of strength. Taroha is still the dominant bull of the herd - but the other two are not far behind.
Muridjo has become the mini matriarch of the Nursery herd following Kerrio’s ‘graduation’ last month. She is doing a great job and the orphans are happy under her care and protection.
This morning, as we gathered the orphans in preparation for sending them down for another milk feed, naughty Pardamat head butted Daba. The little boy trumpeted as he lost his balance and fell over. As usual, Muridjo was standing close to Kipekee but, when she heard Daba shout, she ran to him. Pardamat was disciplined with a strong shove and Daba was helped to his feet with a gentle nudge. Although Kipekee is still her favourite, Muridjo looks after all the young ones nowadays.
Daba soon calmed down and padded down the path with Alia, Wamata and Arthi. He is a shy young boy who often chooses to be with these three friends.
Our male rhinos may be getting used to each other but continue to compete for territory. When Maxwell heard Tytan walking along his side of his stockade on his way to the forest today, the older rhino lumbered around his enclosure before spraying urine all along the fence. In response, Tytan did the same, spraying his urine along the other side of the fence. Tytan ran out to the forest and Maxwell went back to grazing on pellets.
Later in the morning, Taroha, Mzinga, Nyambeni and Pardamat climbed into the muddy pool. First they paddled and then they lay down, slapping their trunks against the muddy water. When Pardamat made the mistake of trying to mount Nyambeni, both girls saw him off. Nyambeni and Mzinga clambered to their feet and pushed him out of the wallow. Pardamat may disobey the Keepers - but he would not dare stand up to the two girls!
Soon after the orphans settled in the forest in the early morning, Wamata, Olomunyak, Pardamat and Daba had a playful moment of charging and chasing after some warthogs and their young ones. Daba was charging after the pigs with ears flared and legs flapping. When the warthogs changed direction, he tumbled over, climbed to his feet and set off again. It was great to see the young boy playing – as it’s a sign that he has really settled into his new family.
At the mud bath later in the morning, as usual, Tytan and Notty came down for their milk before the elephants. Once again, Tytan lay on his back, rolling around while a Keeper helpfully shovelled soil all over him. Notty was soon lying on her back too, also enjoying a dust bath. When it was time to return to the bush, the best friends walked out behind their Keeper. As Tytan plodded along, he squeaked in response to the Keeper’s whistles!
In the afternoon, the herd wandered far afield in search of green browse. Our herd is not large at present and the elephants are very close. The groups were ever changing as each orphan wandered from one friend to the next.
When the day became cooler and the orphans wandered back, Nyambeni and Mzinga stopped off to lie down on the mound of dry soil near the stockades. Our big girls twirled their trunks while little ones Kipekee and Arthi climbed on top of them, slid off and climbed back up.
Tytan does not like getting too close to the elephants! As he and Notty were making their way out from the stockades this morning, they walked around some bushes and into the herd who were browsing peacefully. Tytan did an immediate U-turn and sprinted back to the stockades, ignoring the calls of the Keepers. He did not stop until he reached his stable, walked in and stood in the corner. Luckily, it was not hard to persuade Tytan to return to the forest, although this time the Keepers led him and Notty away from the herd.
We send the orphans down to the mud bath in small groups for their mid-morning milk feed. We like to send the smaller ones first with their nannies and hold the bulls, in particular Pardamat, back. Today, Pardamat somehow sneaked into the first group and padded down the path with Talek and Arthi. He gulped his milk and tried to grab the little ones’ bottles. We pushed him away but, when the next group arrived, the rebellious bull did exactly the same thing. The bull is wary of Muridjo, Taroha, Nyambeni and Mzinga but sees the others as fair game. We had to assign one Keeper to Pardamat duty!
Our orphans do not mind the occasional human being touching them – except for Kipekee. The baby of the herd is happy with her entourage of nannies (she is still the favourite baby) and does not like getting close to humans. Usually, she stays with the big girls at the mud bath while the other younger ones wander along the rope cordon. For someone so small, Kipekee has a big character.
This morning, the bulls began their wrestling antics before they even got to the forest, despite the lack of space in the stockades area. As the orphans stood outside their rooms, Pardamat and Olomunyak began a wrestling match in their midst! Much to Muridjo’s annoyance, the bulls gave several smaller orphans accidental shoves as they pushed one way and then another.
The game continued all the way out to the field. While the others browsed around them, Pardamat and Olomunyak carried on with their contest of strength – which only came to an end when Taroha ambled over. Taroha pushed his head against the two bulls – whereupon they broke apart, put their heads down and began browsing. Unbothered, Taroha began massaging his backside against a tree stump.
On another hot day, many orphans cooled off in the mud wallow. After drinking their milk, Taroha, Olomunyak, Talek and Pardamat climbed into the muddy pool to roll around and play. While Pardamat posed in the middle with only his head sticking out of the mud, Olomunyak rested his increasing bulk on top of his big brother’s bottom. Little Kipekee and Daba, who are wary of being squashed in the pool, were busy rolling around on the edge while two Keepers splashed wet mud on their bodies.
Cheeky Olomunyak held Pardamat hostage this morning! It was funny to watch the younger bull walk out of his room, find Pardamat’s gate open and the older bull still inside, and block the way out. Olomunyak stood facing Pardamat and refused to move! When Pardamat tried to push him out of the way, Olomunyak threatened him with ears flared and tusks raised. Because Pardamat’s tusks have not erupted, he had to submit and stand back.
It was time for us to intervene. Two Keepers ordered Olomunyak away from the gate and a rather crestfallen Pardamat emerged, at last, from his room! The two bulls are friends and playmates but also rivals, with both hoping to become dominant bull.
Yesterday we added more dry soil to the large mound at the mud wallow and today the orphans made the most of the playground. Arthi, Daba, Kipekee, Wamata and Talek enjoyed crawling to the top of the heap, sliding down, clambering up again, and sliding down on bellies or bottoms. The older orphans stood around the babies, drinking from the trough and browsing on supplementary lucerne. A playful elephant is a happy elephant!
Later in the day, the orphans settled to browse again in the forest. When a family of warthogs trotted past them, Talek, Olomunyak, Pardamat and Mzinga gave chase, thundering around after the nimble pigs. To our surprise, Talek and Pardamat managed to corner one warthog between them – but only for a minute. When the pig made a move, darting one way and another, Talek trumpeted in alarm and ran away in panic!
Wamata was feeling especially peckish this morning. While the others were drinking from the troughs or greeting each other at first light, she clambered over the fence into the square of green grasses and bushes in the middle of the stockades. Wamata twisted up a few clumps of lush grass before trying to make a hasty exit from the out-of-bounds area. Getting out, however, proved much harder than getting in! Her front legs were not a problem but she could not hoist her back legs over the fence. For a few seconds she was suspended on her tummy! The solution was to lean her head on the ground while somehow dragging her large legs over!
Clever Mzinga was on the hunt for leftovers again today. As the others were browsing peacefully in the dappled forest sunshine this morning, she padded away from the herd and back to the stockades on her own. Mzinga nipped in and out of several stables, scooping up every mouthful of pellets she could find, before we intercepted her. Amid rumbles of protest, we pushed the big girl back out to join the herd.
Mzinga and Pardamat are often together, choosing to browse and play with each other. In the afternoon, little Kipekee was feeling left out. When Mzinga and Pardamat began playing another pushing game, the plucky girl tried to push Mzinga away, nudging at her side. Her efforts were not successful - and so she gave up and went back to browse next to Muridjo.
Rather than always staying close to the Keepers, Pardamat, Nyambeni and Mzinga are becoming explorers! This morning, the confident little gang happily walked away into the forest but returned in good time for the next milk feed. We could hear them browsing not far away and knew that they would be back for their milk.
Alia is well but is still a shy girl. She often likes to browse on her own but has become more friendly to the Keepers. This morning, she greeted Keeper Peter with trunk raised and stayed close to him for a time before wandering away to stand next to gentle Taroha.
Our new matriarch is just as playful as our previous one! Muridjo has almost taken on the character of Kerrio. She keeps an eye on everyone in the herd, sometimes from a distance, and she allows the little ones to play on her. This morning, Muridjo lay on her side in the forest while Talek and then Arthi and then Daba and lastly Kipekee climbed onto her belly.
Later in the day, the orphans gathered around the large mound of dry soil in the forest to have fun and to cover themselves in soothing soil. Muridjo, Mzinga, Nyambeni and Talek were kept very busy guarding Kipekee, Arthi and Daba from Pardamat, Olomunyak and Taroha. The big girls did not want the big boys climbing on top of their babies. But the problem was that the babies would not stay in one place! The three little ones kept moving around while Muridjo walked from one to another, becoming quite agitated as she did her very best to protect not only Kipekee but also Arthi and Daba.
How far will Muridjo go to ensure that Kipekee is happy! This morning in the forest, when it was time for the baby to have a break from browsing, Muridjo just so happened to balance her back leg against the roots of a tree, creating a little seat for the spoilt baby. Kipekee rested her bottom against the leg and the mini matriarch stood very still - until Kipekee stood up and carried on browsing.
Later in the morning, the elephants visited the mud wallow for another milk feed and more lucerne. Some drank from the trough while others slapped muddy water on their bodies or hosed themselves with dust. Mzinga was first into the wallow today followed by Nyambeni. The two sisters lay down to play a rubbing-bodies-and-splashing game.
When Kipekee climbed in to interrupt their fun, much to our surprise, Mzinga and Nyambeni carried on playing rather than stopping to fuss over the baby. Observing this from the sidelines, Muridjo shepherded Kipekee out of the pool and over to the trough.
When we whistled to our herd, everyone except for two gathered obediently in preparation for heading back to the forest: Alia carried on browsing and Olomunyak continued his riotous rolling around in the mud. Extra pushes were required to get them moving in the direction of the bush where the herd spent a peaceful afternoon browsing.
In the forest this morning, the bulls were playing again. First Taroha played with Pardamat and then Pardamat with Olomunyak. Their wrestling matches began with pushing-back-and-forth games and ended with rolling-around-on-the-ground games. Pardamat lay on his side after gaining the upper hand in the standing-up game with Olomunyak – whereupon Olomunyak rolled around next to him and happily rested his forelegs on Pardamat’s belly.
Tytan and Notty visit the mud bath on most days for some milk, a lap of honour, and a dust bath before the herd of elephants take their place. Today, while Tytan lay on his back with legs akimbo, Notty stood next to the rhino nudging her Keeper again and again. The little zebra has become attached to her Keeper in his zebra dustcoat.
In the afternoon, Alia was doing her independent thing – until she got a big surprise. She wandered off into the bushes and settled to browse – until several monkeys (in the midst of a disagreement) ran past her screaming. When Alia heard this, she shot out of the bushes and ran for the herd. We were happy to see her standing right in the middle of the others for the rest of the afternoon!
As usual, we opened the gates just after dawn and the elephants ambled out of their stockades. They gathered in small groups to greet each other and then, led by Nyambeni, headed up the path to the forest. They browsed peacefully on an overcast morning; in contrast to most days, no one was playing games today. When Kipekee felt tired, she lay down for a rest on her tummy flanked by Nyambeni and Muridjo who continued to browse while remaining within touching distance of the baby. Talek joined the two older nannies, just in case any more attention was required, while Kipekee browsed on her belly with back legs splayed!
In the afternoon at the mud bath, Talek was being an excellent assistant nanny. Rumbling every few seconds, she was standing next to Kipekee with her trunk along the younger girl’s back. Muridjo was standing between them but back a bit, allowing Talek to look after Kipekee while the mini matriarch oversaw the situation.
After returning to the forest, the herd settled to browse again. Wamata and Talek were following each other around. Talek is a few months older than Wamata but our two calm girls have become good friends. Both are budding nannies – with Wamata often choosing to be with Arthi and Talek with Daba or Kipekee.
Later in the afternoon, Arthi led the first group back to the stockades and Muridjo padded in after the others.
On their way out to the forest this morning, Talek and Daba stopped off at the gate of Maxwell’s enclosure. In contrast to Mzinga and Taroha, who often stop off to greet the rhino with their trunks, these two were motivated only by cupboard love! With Maxwell standing still on the other side of the gate, the two orphans stretched their trunks through the gaps to pinch a few pellets, ignoring the blind rhino. While Daba continued scouring the ground for pellets, Talek turned her attention to the fenced square of green browse. She clambered over for a sneaky treat, succeeding in clambering back out with greater ease than Wamata because she has the advantage of being taller!
The herd soon wandered out to the forest and settled to browse among the trees. The older orphans reached up high to pull down branches while the younger ones twisted up clumps of grass. After browsing for a time, Wamata and Arthi massaged their bodies against tree trunks while Mzinga and Taroha rubbed their faces and the underside of their trunks against dry patches of ground.
This morning, the herd had their milk feed out in the forest rather than at the mud bath. They sprinted through the trees in small groups from one group of Keepers to another. This break in routine gave Tytan a big shock. When he heard the sound of elephants thundering to their bottles, he ran around in circles and would not come near the Keepers - or even Notty - for a long time.
This morning, Muridjo did not wait for anyone when she got out of her stockade. Normally the orphans wait for each other so as to head out to the forest in a group. But today Muridjo was in a hurry! Rather than waiting for the Keepers to open the barrier to the forest (which prevents buffaloes from wandering in during the night), she pulled down the posts and strode on, leaving the others milling around the stockades. Her mission was simple – Maxwell’s leftover pellets! Reaching the corner, she settled to browse on the tasty pellets.
Back at the stockades, deputies Mzinga and Nyambeni stepped into the breech. After checking that the orphans were all present and correct, they escorted the herd up the path towards the forest. Although Alia, Arthi and Daba carried on to the bush with their Keepers, the others joined Muridjo around the pile of pellets! The three browsed together while the scavengers scooped up every last pellet.
After feeding for a while, Daba found a mound of loose soil made by warthogs digging a hideout that was perfect for a dust bath. Alia and Arthi joined him and the three elephants rolled around in the dust together. But, of course, they did not have the area to themselves for long.
After being chased away from the pellets, Olomunyak, Taroha, Mzinga and Pardamat arrived for a dust bath. Alia gave way immediately as she is wary of the older ones, especially Pardamat. The other two stayed for a bit before climbing to their feet and walking away.
In the mornings, Mzinga likes sneaking away from the herd and the Keepers and along the passage behind the stockades to poke her trunk into the pellets store. Arthi has learnt this habit from her. Today, much to her annoyance, the Keepers blocked all routes to the stores and pushed her out to the field with the herd.
Mzinga would not settle to browse in the forest. At every chance, she kept trying to run back to the stockades to accomplish her mission. Realising her plan, the Keepers did not take their eyes off her. The determined girl did not give up until the herd wandered further into the woods!
What a day for Tytan and Notty! The two friends were in their best moods. Tytan started running around in the forest, then Notty took the baton and jumped and ran around in circles at high speed. The rhino lumbered along behind her, nudging her hinds with his head, and then the zebra started jumping as a way of dodging him. The game went on for quite some time before the pair settled down to rest.
Later in the morning, the two were still full of beans. After drinking their bottles at the mud wallow, Notty found her best playing spot - the soil pile. She lay on the top, rolling around in the dust, while Tytan watched over her.
The rhino and zebra left and the elephants took their place. Muridjo was first to clamber into the muddy pool on another hot day with Mzinga behind her. Muridjo splashed around for a few minutes - but water baby Mzinga stayed in the wallow until it was time to return to the forest.
Daba is a gentle young boy but today he was also a mediator! For a while, Alia has kept her distance from the others and Arthi has not been very welcoming. But in the morning this situation changed. Arriving in the forest, Daba walked away from the herd to find his own area for browsing. Arthi decided to join him. When Alia walked over, Daba welcomed her and so did Arthi!
Apart from sometimes being rough to Alia, Arthi is a gentle young boy and is good friends with Daba who is also a quiet little boy. The two babies get on so well. Daba also happens to be the elephant trusted the most by Alia. Daba is bringing Arthi and Alia together – today they spent lots of time together without any bullying by Arthi.
Mzinga and Olomunyak enjoy playing the wrestling game at all times and understand each other very well. This morning, they had lots of fun wrestling in the forest. Mzinga is older than Olomunyak but the friends are well matched in strength. They pushed one way and then another with trunks entwined.
Later in the morning, Muridjo and Mzinga headed for the mud wallow as soon as they had finished their bottles. On these hot days, this is almost becoming a habit. Today, Muridjo stayed in the mud, wallowing with Taroha, Talek and Nyambeni, while Mzinga climbed out to cover her body in dust.
Ever on the alert for a game, playful Olomunyak began mounting Mzinga while she lay on the mound of soil. After rolling around on the ground, they stood up and carried on from where they had left off in the forest.
As usual, the herd returned to the wallow in the afternoon. It was a one-boy mud bathing session - none other than Taroha enjoyed a lengthy wallow!
When they padded out of their rooms in the morning, Daba and Kipekee went straight to Maxwell's upper gate, driven by the promise of lucerne rather than of hanging out with the rhino. Max had pushed a leftover pile of lucerne against the wall of his enclosure. The two orphans stretched their little trunks through the gap at the bottom of his gate and round to the lucerne on the right.
Older orphans never leave younger ones on their own for long. Moments later, Muridjo, Nyambeni, Talek, Taroha and Olomunyak joined Kipekee and Daba - and Pardamat was not far behind. At this time, Max was still at the bottom of his stockade but, when Pardamat caused a commotion by pushing Olomunyak, the rhino walked up to the gate to find out what was going on. On his arrival, Max raised high his head for their scent, lumbered around in a circle, turned his hindquarters towards the visitors, and sprayed them with urine. Perhaps Max prefers one or two visitors rather than a crowd!
Muridjo was not pleased with Max’s behaviour. At her most protective, the mini matriarch pushed the gate with her head and led the herd out to the forest. After a short browse, the orphans gathered around their favourite heap of soil for a roll around and a massage.
Our star boy and playmaker is no other than Olomunyak! As well as being the most playful, he understands everyone in the herd and knows when their moods are down. This morning, the orphans walked quietly from their rooms and out to the forest. They were subdued. A few were browsing while others were just idle doing nothing. Olomunyak rose to the challenge! He invited Mzinga to play, then Taroha and Pardamat, and finally Wamata. On his own, he lifted the herd. Soon the orphans were playing pushing-and-mounting games or hide-and-seek games, running all over the forest and trumpeting.
Taroha is a dominant bull with a polite calm character. The advantage of being gentle is that the elephants feel safe with him, but the disadvantage is that one of the others can be rough towards him, knowing that he is unlikely to retaliate. This morning at the mud bath, to our surprise, easy-going Talek gave the bull a shove for no reason. Olomunyak stepped in, stopped her and drove Talek away from the scene. He was the hero of the forest and the mud bath!
Muridjo enjoyed a solitary wallow today. She is such a water baby during this hot weather and cools off in the mud on most days. While she splashed in the mud, Kipekee and Olomunyak opted for a dust bath. Minutes later, almost the whole herd were covering themselves in dry soil.
Mzinga was determined to get to the pellets store this morning and gave the Keepers a hard time. She would not join the herd and kept dodging away from the Keepers in the direction of one of the two stores. We had to work as a team to block all the entry points! Eventually, Mzinga gave up and headed out to join the herd who were already browsing in the forest.
Olomunyak was not being a hero today – instead he was copying Pardamat. The two bulls were chasing after Alia and trying to play mount her. Before we could intervene, Nyambeni had stepped in to discipline the boys. She moved in gradually without any sign of intention or action, beginning with Pardamat (who used to mount Alia when she was a newbie but has not done so recently). Nyambeni cornered Pardamat in a bush and drove him away from the herd. Before Olomunyak sensed what was happening, she was on him and chased him away in the same direction. Having dealt with the problem, Nyambeni turned her attention to Alia, trunk touching her to make sure she was fine and shepherding her back to the herd.
In the evening, Kipekee got a big fright. While she stood in her stockade drinking her milk, a monkey jumped up at the window. Trumpeting, she made a run for the door but was stopped by her Keeper who calmed her down - eventually!
This morning, Tytan and Notty almost had a race to the mud bath! Normally, they walk down the path together but today Notty walked off ahead and Tytan was left behind! Realising what had happened, the rhino barrelled down the path to catch up, whereupon Notty accelerated into a trot. As a result, the two friends sprinted around the corner and down to the mud bath where Keepers were waiting with bottles of milk.
After drinking their milk, Tytan headed for the mud and Notty for the dry soil. Tytan loves wallowing in the mud while Notty prefers dust bathing. The rhino lay in the mud rolling onto his sides and then his back while the zebra lay on top of the pile of soil. When it was time to leave, we had to persuade Tytan out of the wallow.
Minutes later, the elephants took their place at the mud bath. today, Nyambeni was giving Pardamat a taste of his own medicine! Even though the bull had done nothing wrong and was just browsing quietly on lucerne, Nyambeni gave him a big shove and then another. We could not work out why our feisty girl was pushing him. Wisely, Pardamat did not retaliate.
In the afternoon, Mzinga ran down the path in the first group for another milk feed. Copying Muridjo, she then ran back to the forest to escort little Kipekee down the path. She walked next to her, fussing over the baby with her trunk as if she had only just arrived at the Nursery!
When no one would play with Olomunyak this morning in the forest, he had to make do with his own company. While the others browsed, he walked backwards and forwards and around in circles, shaking his head while pushing bushes. At last, he persuaded Pardamat to play with him and the two bulls pushed heads in yet another contest of strength.
Mzinga and Kipekee were together in an especially dry area of the forest carpeted with fallen leaves. While Kipekee hosed herself with dust, Mzinga pawed at the ground with her front feet in the hope of finding tasty roots.
Tytan and Notty and their Keepers came across some wild zebras today in the forest. Notty ignored them and continued browsing next to Tytan. Although she is behaving more like a wild zebra, kicking and running lots, she is happy with her Keepers and her rhino friend.
When the herd visited the mud wallow later in the day, many of them went swimming. Talek, Muridjo, Nyambeni, Kipekee, Wamata and Pardamat crowded into the muddy pool where they slapped the water with their trunks and rubbed bodies against each other and the edges. Mud bathing was followed by a good dusting with irrepressible Olomunyak clambering all over not only Muridjo but also Pardamat.
Alia is a cautious girl who avoids getting into the wallow with the rest. Today, she waited for everyone to get out of the pool and then jumped in for a solitary swim.
Alia and Daba are spending lots of time together. Rescued at around the same time, the one-year-old girl and eight-month-old boy feel safe with each other. Today, they walked along in the wake of the others. When the herd decided to walk deep into the forest, the two newbies stayed back, content to browse close to the stockades.
Later in the morning at the mud bath, water babies Taroha and Mzinga headed straight for the muddy water with Talek, Nyambeni and Muridjo not far behind. The first two lay in the middle while Talek knelt with forelegs in the mud and bottoms on dry land, Nyambeni stood on the edge kicking water in every direction, and Muridjo stood in the wallow rubbing her trunk on the edge. Others like Wamata, Arthi, Daba and Kipekee were happy to cover themselves just with dust rather than mud.
In the afternoon, Tytan found a long bendy branch on the forest floor that was perfect for sharpening his growing horn. First he pushed his face back and forth against the branch and then he turned around to scratch his bottom on the same branch, accomplishing this feat while balancing some greens on his head.
The herd wandered far into the forest again this afternoon in search of tasty browse before returning to the safety of the stockades for the night.
When the orphans woke up this morning, they were keen to get moving. Normally, the elephants take a few minutes greeting each other before heading out to the forest. Today, they wanted to head out immediately. Muridjo led them out from the stockades with Nyambeni and Mzinga bringing up the rear. They spread out and settled to browse in clusters in the forest.
Alia and Daba were browsing with the herd, rather than being left behind. If they are left behind, they react differently. Alia does not mind and carries on browsing by herself but Daba does mind and trumpets loudly. Mzinga always keeps an eye out for Alia and Taroha does the same for Daba.
Unusually, Kipekee was allowed to be on her own for a short time this morning! Usually, she is unable to take more than a few steps without banging into one of her nannies, but today they allowed her to wander a distance away in the forest. She appeared to be enjoying her new-found freedom!
On another hot afternoon, most of the orphans cooled off in the mud wallow. After spraying water from the bucket, Mzinga climbed into the muddy pool followed by Wamata, Talek, Taroha and Olomunyak. They splashed and tumbled around before getting out for a dusting.
Our herd headed out in a long line from the stockades this morning and settled to browse in the forest. Initially, Mzinga was with Alia and Daba, Taroha was with Wamata and Olomunyak, Pardamat was with Talek, and Muridjo was with Nyambeni, Arthi and Kipekee. The groups changed often, however, as the elephants wandered around in the bush. The only two who remained together until milk feeding time were Muridjo and Kipekee. Our mini matriarch is happy to hand over the baby to nannies Nyambeni and Mzinga at the mud bath - but not in the forest!
The orphans visited the mud bath later in the morning for a milk feed and some supplementary lucerne. Several covered themselves with dust but no one climbed into the wallow. They returned to the bush led by Muridjo with Taroha and Talek bringing up the rear.
In the afternoon, they returned to the wallow, padding down the path in groups of two or three. In contrast to the morning, many cooled off in the muddy water after drinking their milk. Muridjo, Taroha, Olomunyak, Nyambeni and Talek rubbed bodies in the small pool while Mzinga, Daba, Arthi and Kipekee stood along the edge. When Kipekee toddled into the mud, Muridjo made sure that the boys got out, pushing Taroha and Olomunyak firmly with her head. While the others cooled off, Alia continued browsing quietly - as she does not yet have the confidence to wallow with the herd.
The orphans stayed close to the stockades and each other in the forest this morning, ambling through the trees while twisting up whatever browse they could find on the forest floor. There is still green browse to be found but not as much as there was in January last year.
Pardamat and Mzinga were browsing together. The young bull, who still has a large bump on either side of his trunk rather than a tusk, walked along behind his big sister. Arthi kept taking breaks from browsing, either to rub his sides against a tree or to greet a Keeper. He is not only a calm boy but also a very friendly one. Daba and Kipekee were together. They were also massaging themselves against trees and playing trunk touching games. We were pleased to see Kipekee hanging out with the little baby rather than always being with her nannies.
In the afternoon, while the others were busy browsing or playing, Alia and Daba had the mound of soil near the stockades all to themselves. They hosed themselves with dust before lying down on the top and tumbling around together. Alia is really settling into her new family and Daba is growing in confidence - and in weight!
Muridjo was not behaving like a mini matriarch this morning in the forest! Rather than looking after the babies, she was running through the bushes with trunk and tail raised and ears flared. She ran in one direction and then another, trumpeting along the way. We could see no reason for her crazy behaviour but agreed that Muridjo was just being her old quirky self!
Not far away, the boys were playing pushing games. Pardamat and Olomunyak pushed back and forth, broke apart and clashed heads again. They like to spar almost every time they meet – which is every day! Olomunyak does not like being left out so, when Pardamat chooses instead to spar with Taroha, the most playful boy in the herd watches from the sidelines for a time and then does his best to interrupt the game. He nudges one in the backside and then the other and sometimes has no option but to walk between them!
When none of the older elephants would play with him in the afternoon, Olomunyak began sparring lessons for Daba. He pushed the younger boy gently and little Daba did his best to stand his ground. After his lesson, Daba ran through the trees feeling very proud of himself.
Tytan and Notty headed out to the forest soon after the elephants this morning. Their Keepers take them in a different direction as Tytan does not like being close to the herd. As usual, they grazed close to each other among the trees. While Notty continued nibbling on grass, Tytan enjoyed a good scratch against a sapling. He rubbed both sides of his body and then his face and finally his horn.
Later in the morning, Tytan began digging into the dry ground with his horn and his front legs. He loosened the soil over a patch of ground that was just the right size for a dust bath. After creating his own sand pit, he lay down for a roll around with Notty watching on patiently from the sidelines.
The elephants spent their day wandering in the forest and visiting the mud bath. On another very hot afternoon, water babies Mzinga, Taroha and Muridjo made a beeline for the wallow. They flopped down and splashed mud in every direction before climbing out to cover their muddy bodies with a thick layer of dry dust.
Later in the afternoon, Arthi led the herd back to the stockades. He padded around the corner ahead of Talek and Taroha. This little boy loves being first, especially when he knows that a bottle of milk is waiting in his stable.
Only eight orphans wanted to go out to the forest this morning. While Taroha, Muridjo, Nyambeni, Talek, Alia, Daba, Wamata and Kipekee ambled up the path, Arthi, Olomunyak, Mzinga and Pardamat ran in the opposite direction. The gang of four jogged up and down the corridors between the stockades, nipping in and out of rooms on a hunt for leftover pellets and lucerne.
It was like a game of hide and seek. The elephants were winning at first as they ignored our calls and kept running. At last we were the winners after we blocked their way and surrounded them. The four friends gave up and walked out to join the herd. Out in the bush, we knew that the other three had given up - but that Mzinga had not. She kept trying to sneak back to the stockades and so we kept her under close guard!
Later in the morning, the orphans walked into a family of warthogs and this led to another game. Several large elephants lumbered around after the nimble pigs who trotted away with ease. The pigs did not bother running far enough away to be out of the elephants’ reach – and so the noisy game continued amid clouds of dust!
Warthog antics continued in the afternoon at the mud bath. As the orphans either paddled and wallowed in the pool or stood on the edge making splashes, three cheeky pigs and their babies walked out of the bush to join them. When they popped into the mud, the elephants panicked! Led by Mzinga, they climbed out of the water and tried to chase the pigs away. While we were calming the herd, the warthogs popped back into the pool.
As Tytan and Notty walked around in the forest in the early morning, the sound of a branch snapping gave the rhino a fright. With a large squeak, Tytan jumped backwards and charged forwards – but only for a few steps when he realised that it was a false alarm – and then continued his walk with Notty.
Not far away, the elephants were browsing in a clearing with their Keepers. Arthi, Kipekee and Wamata were all looking for attention this morning. Arthi approached Keeper Simon with trunk aloft in greeting and Kipekee walked up to Keeper Peter for a stroke and finally Wamata went to see Keeper Julius.
In the afternoon, Kipekee went swimming. The weather is very hot this month and some orphans are wallowing every day but not this little girl. She chooses her moments and today was one of those days. After drinking her milk, Kipekee walked into the water and lay down for a wallow, covering even the top of her head with mud. Of course, Muridjo followed her to make sure that she was safe. When Taroha, Talek and Wamata also climbed in for a cool down, Kipekee sensibly crawled out for a dust bath rather than risk being squashed. A Keeper shovelled dust over her back while the little princess relaxed on the mound of soil.
The herd spent the rest of the day browsing before, led again by Arthi, returning to the stockades for the night.
Arthi was channelling his inner Weka on the way to the mud bath this morning! Most elephants pad quickly but quietly down the path to the mud wallow for milk feeds. They are looking forward to milk but know that Keepers will be waiting with bottles held high. A few do not. Instead, they shake their heads and trumpet as they run down the path, signalling their excitement and possibly warning others not to get in the way of their milk! Weka was a milk trumpeter and Arthi has taken over the role! Our friendly boy can be extremely noisy just before a milk feed.
The sun was shining again and the orphans were swimming again. The pool was packed with paddling and wallowing elephants. Muridjo, Olomunyak and Wamata were so playful - rolling in the mud and rubbing each other and the sides of the pool with legs pumping. Water baby Muridjo was last to get out of the wallow. She enjoyed a solitary splash before clambering out to catch up with the others on their way back to the forest.
There is a naughty corner in the bush next to the wallow where we send orphans who can be rough to unfamiliar human beings. Nyambeni and Pardamat are usually sent to the naughty corner. In the afternoon today, despite her small size, we decided to send Kipekee to join them – leading to a great kerfuffle! Kipekee did not mind and Nyambeni welcomed her – but Mzinga and Muridjo were not happy to see her go. Rumbling loudly, they tried to follow her and then Kipekee trumpeted and then the whole herd became excited. Eventually, we calmed them down.
Today, Alia was playing with – Olomunyak! Our new girl is shy and quiet, often choosing to browse on her own and not playing games. But she is settling in and beginning to play with her new family. In the forest in the morning, she walked up behind Olomunyak and play mounted him. He twirled around, accepted her invitation happily, and the two orphans began playing the pushing game.
They played nicely until the naughty boy got in the way. Pardamat walked between them, Alia stopped and walked away, and the two bulls set to in another contest of strength. The game became serious but Pardamat was the winner.
The mud bath was shallower than usual today as a result of several days of sunshine. After drinking their milk, the orphans went straight to the muddy pool but there was not enough room for wallowing – so they stood along the edge, slapping water on the sides of bodies. Mzinga got into the mud while the others kept slapping before gathering around the mound of soil for dust bathing.
The orphans soon headed out and settled to browse again in the forest. In the evening, Nyambeni and Arthi were first to return to the stockades – and Taroha was the last.
Tytan and Notty led their Keepers down to the mud bath this morning. On some days, they follow along but today they were full of energy. Side by side, they drank their milk and then the zebra rolled around on the pile of soil while Tytan stood on the edge of the wallow and a Keeper shovelled mud all over him. The rhino became excited – he jumped up and down before rolling on the dust and then running around the wallow!
Our herd is smaller than it was and our 12 orphans are a tight little group. Each day, every elephant spends time with every other elephant – even Kipekee has extended her circle of friends! In the afternoon, Kipekee and Talek were browsing together in the forest. Talek is growing fast, has recently sprouted a pair of tusks, and is now tall enough to pull down branches from trees. Not far away, Taroha and Nyambeni were sparring, pushing each other back and forth with trunks entwined, and Pardamat was browsing with Mzinga. Mini matriarch Muridjo was with a cluster of babies – Arthi, Daba and Alia – and Olomunyak was doing his best to persuade Wamata to play with him.
We called the elephants together when it was time to return to the stockades and sent them back in twos and threes. Arthi and Talek ran back first – and Pardamat and Mzinga brought up the rear. They padded into their stockades, drinking milk along the way, and settled down for the night.