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Chaimu, Kilaguni and Sabachi, together with the rest of the orphans were led out by Sunyei who, in Loijuk’s absence, assumed the role of Matriarch. At the mudbath the youngsters were joined by Wendi’s group with Galana and Wendi giving Sunyei some pointers on how to look after the babies. In the evening Sunyei, Wendi and Galana all escorted the little ones back to the stockades. A short while later they were joined by Rafiki who joined Wendi’s group for a spell before leaving.

While the youngsters were out browsing near the Kone area they were joined by the ex-orphans who were in the company of Mgeni and another wild bull. Nasalot browsed close to Kilaguni and Chaimu. The two babies were watching her closely and imitating all her feeding tactics. The entire group attended the mudbath together after which they spent the day in each others company. The ex-orphans escorted the junior group back to the stockades for the night.

Early in the morning Loijuk led her group northwards taking them to newer pastures to graze. Chaimu and Kilaguni browsed under Loijuk’s watchful eye who was pulling branches down for the babies. Sabachi chose to feed close to the big males Zurura and Meibai. At 9am the entire ex-orphan group joined the youngsters. As usual Nasalot headed straight for her beloved “babies” Chaimu and Kilaguni. They all proceeded to the mudbath at noon where they had a fantastic time wallowing together. The afternoon was spent relaxing and feeding under the shade of the acacia trees with Nasalot showing her affections for Kilaguni by gently placing her trunk over his back.

The orphans exited the stockades and passed by the water trough for a quick drink on their way out. While browsing in the park Loijuk tore down a large branch and began to peel the bark off for Chaimu, Kilaguni and Sabachi who happily feasted on the treat. During the noon milk feed Sabachi greedily gulped his share and went on to try and steal Chaimu’s bottle. The keepers cautioned him and he quickly abandoned his cheeky plan. Following the mudbath some of the orphans were happy soil bathing while the others rested under the shade of the acacia trees.

The orphans concentrated on feeding for the early part of the day. By 10am the temperature was soaring making the little ones draw water from their stomachs to spray under their ears. A little while later the ex-orphans joined the baby group and accompanied them to the mudbath where they all jumped in having a lovely time splashing and rolling in the cool water. They spent the afternoon feeding on the slopes of Ithumba Hill. Kilaguni led the way home at nightfall.

Kilaguni took the lead as they headed out to feed. At 9:30am Yatta’s group joined the orphans in the Kanziku area. The entire orphan group participated in the noon mudbath except for Kilaguni who did not want to get wet and opted for a dustbath instead. The ex-orphans spent the early afternoon with the youngsters before parting ways at 4pm. Chyulu enjoyed a dustbath just before it was time to return to the stockades for the night.

At early dawn Nasalot and Kinna appeared at the compound to greet the youngsters as they exited the stockades. As soon as the gates opened Kinna and Nasalot rushed over to Kilaguni who appears to be the favourite among many of the older females. They kept him sandwiched between them as they guided him to the water trough. While out browsing the group was joined by more of the older orphans who remained with them for the duration of the day. A group of wild elephants came by the water trough for a drink in the morning. In their midst were two calves as well as a single tusked female who appeared to be the mother of one of the calves.

The youngsters spent the morning browsing before heading to the mudbath where they were joined by the ex-orphans. Galana paid special attention to the three little ones before Nasalot took over lavishing Kilaguni, who is her favourite. The ex-orphans jumped in at mudbath and were joined by Meibai while the other youngsters stood by watching.

By 9am the sun was scorching hot and the orphans took to browsing in dense bush to protect themselves from the sun’s rays. Sabachi, Chaimu and Kilaguni who are the newest arrivals from the Nairobi Nursery were feeling the heat the most. At 11am like clockwork the orphans arrived at the waterhole and headed straight to the wallow for a swim. They then took to having a doze in the shade of the acacia trees waiting out the midday heat so that could continue browsing.

Following yesterdays soaring temperatures today started off cooler which pleased the orphans. Kilaguni, Chaimu and Sabachi spent the day close to Loijuk and the entire herd enjoyed a peaceful day browsing.

The babies were joined at the noon mudbath by the older orphans and their wild friends. They spent the day together on the slopes of Ithumba Hill before Kilaguni led them all home.

Due to it being the dry season vegetation is slowly diminishing and the orphans tend to feed intensely for as long as they can. Loijuk showed her true motherly side today by spending much of her time breaking down branches for Chaimu and Kilaguni to feed on. Sabachi was with the rest of the group browsing and taking time out to play strength testing games with Meibai who was always the victor.

Kilaguni took the lead this morning as the orphans headed out feeding together all day stopping only for their milk and a mudbath.

Naserian, Kora, Lualeni and Kamboyo came to the stockades early in the morning to greet the youngsters as they exited their nightly quarters. Naserian spent most of her time with Sabachi and Meibai and was busy formulating a plan whereby she slowly gathered all the orphans together. After the mudbath the group settled on the slopes of Ithumba Hill where they browsed till about 4pm. Chaimu and Kilaguni were feeding close to the keepers while the rest were thought to be nearby. Little did the keepers know that the morning visitors had taken the orphans far afield and left Kilaguni and Chaimu with the keepers who looked for the orphans but as night was falling they decided to return to the stockades with the remaining two babies. For the first time Meibai and Sabachi spent the night away from the safety of the keepers.

It was an early start to the day as the keepers left the compound at 5:30am to look for the orphan group. Kilaguni and Chaimu followed the keepers closely during their search. At 7:30am Naserian and her entire ex-orphan group including Sabachi and Meibai were found feeding on the slopes of Ithumba Hill which is only about 1kilometer from Ithumba camp. The entire herd browsed their way to the mudbath. In the evening the ex-orphans escorted the junior group back to the stockades. Following their adventure in the wild the babies were exhausted and went to bed early.