As usual the orphans were presented with many wonderful interactions with wild elephants this month, and as they moved through the National Park in search of fresh vegetation they would make sure to stop and take their fill of the much fancied fresh water added to the baobab tree water trough. This is specifically for the orphans to enjoy at their midday mud bath session, and it seems everyone in the area has learnt this routine, timing their visits accordingly, from the elephant herds, to the buffalos, impalas, elands, and giraffes.
The elephant orphans were in such a happy and active mood this morning and came running out of their stockades for their routine milk feed, and later settled down for their share of some Lucerne grass pellets which the Keepers laid out for them. There were some brief games in the stockade compound with Mudanda and Bada playing on the red earth piles. They picked up trunk-fulls of the soil and tossed it in the air. One baboon stayed very close to them, watching their game in great amazement.
Mbegu then took the lead towards the bush, with Emoli, Tagwa and Sagala, who seem to be a part of her little band of six that arrived from the Nursery together, now too.
The orphan elephants spread out in the field to grab as much browse as they could as it is turning a bit dry in the area. We have not had rain for some time.
The milk dependent orphans then went in groups of five, headed by Emoli, Tagwa, Sagala, Godoma and Mbegu, to have their milk feed close to the baobab tree water hole. The whole herd then went to drink water from the baobab tree water hole and took a brief mud bath.
They later left the water hole and a wild elephant herd who had been standing patiently close by to give the orphan elephants their space, then moved in to have some water and play in the mud wallow.
It was a wonderful beginning of the day with the milk-dependent Voi elephant herd having their morning milk bottles before settling down for the supplement feeding.
There was no playing around in the stockade compound this morning, as the elephants knew they needed as much time to browse as possible as the vegetation has started to dry out in the area.
The orphan elephants explored towards the far northern side of Msinga Hill onto the flat lands, browsing as they went, before turning and arriving at the baobab tree water hole that afternoon. After milk feeding, the orphans went and joined a wild elephant herd to drink water and mud bath. Panda was very much outgoing, and her reward was the chance to play with a wild elephant calf friend in a play-fighting game. Bada attempted to drive away a wild elephant calf out of the water trough, when he stepped into it, the wild elephants’ family all came to his defense and drove Bada away.
Lasayen rolled on the ground to show off to their wild friends. Mbegu and Godoma seemed to have a conversation as their heads touched one another, before they went over to Lasayen and forced him to get up from his apparent ‘show’. Ndii came over fast however, and drove Mbegu and Godoma away from Lasayen, and started the procession of the orphan herd to walk back out to the bush to browse for the rest of the afternoon, which they did in earnest.
It was another busy morning with the usual routines of milk bottle feeding and supplement feeding for the entire herd. Ndoria and Mbirikani, who decided to spend the night out last night, still did not turn up to the stockades this morning. As the orphan elephants finished up with their morning share of the Lucerne grass pellets, Nguvu charged and threatening the eland Tawi, who was busy trying to feed from his share from other side of the fence. Tawi knew that it was indeed impossible for Nguvu to catch him however, because of the fence separating them.
After browsing for one hour, Ngilai decided to begin a game of sliding down a hill; his friends thought his game was a little dangerous and decided not to join him.
The stockade dependent orphans browsed their way towards the baobab tree water hole, and there caught up with their friends Ndoria and Mbirikani, soon after the milk feeding. After the orphan elephants finished drinking water and bathing, a wild elephant herd approached to join them. Mbegu tried to lead her little herd away from the wild elephants and she succeeded. There was not much interaction with that visiting wild elephant herd as all the others decided to follow Mbegu too.
The orphan elephants came out of their night stockades in a happy mood, assembling for the morning milk and the supplement feeding. Lentili, Arruba and Suswa took the lead to the browsing grounds soon after feeding.
The orphans browsed in single file with Mbegu trying her level best to keep her herd in a single cohesive group, now that she has Sagala, Tagwa and Emoli on board too.
Many wild elephant herds were visiting the baobab tree water hole to drink water, as the stockade water bowser refilled the trough time and again. Sagala felt thirsty and went to join a wild elephant herd to drink water, after her afternoon milk bottle. A big wild elephant cow and her family came forward to receive her, but Sagala then felt frightened and ran away. She regained her courage as all the other orphan elephants came down to have a drink from the water troughs as well, and she walked to join the wild elephants and greet them. There were many wild elephants in the water hole, with Ishaq-B and Lasayen showing off to them. The orphan elephants then had to leave for the beginning of the final browsing session of the day.
The Voi herd played in the stockade compound after the milk and supplement feeding. Ndii went and stepped in the stockade water trough and stretched up her trunk to pick some of the palatable green leaves. Kenia came in to check Ndii was okay by touching her foot softly with her trunk, and Ndii didn’t stay in the water long after that. Ndotto and Lasayen enjoyed a play fighting game, as Tagwa, Emoli and Sagala were busy watching them from a distance. The orphan elephants then left the stockade for the bush, enjoying their morning browsing, and later visiting the baobab tree water hole after milk feeding.
When they arrived, there was a big wild elephant herd there drinking water. One came forward to welcome Tahri, but the orphans were quite shy and reluctant to approach them. Mashariki nearly had a real charging fight with one of the teenage wild elephants that was blocking their way to the water trough to drink water. Suswa, who was very thirsty, bravely went around him. The others then felt brave enough to follow her. Nelion and Ishaq-B eventually decided to play with some of the younger members of the wild herd, before leaving to follow the others who were walking out to browse for the rest of the day.
The morning was peaceful with the Voi elephant orphans concentrating on their usual milk and the supplement feeding. Panda was posing up a storm and knelt down on one of the stockade terrace walls without injuring herself at all. Kenia rubbed her hind on the favourite rock in the compound, enjoying rubbing up there for some time.
Soon after arriving out in the bush, Murit took on little Emoli to teach him some wonderful play fighting tips by engaging him softly in some games. They later settled with their friends to browse, visiting the baobab water hole that afternoon.
After milk feeding, the orphans interacted very well with a big wild elephant herd, sharing water with them from the water trough. Soon, another very thirsty wild elephant herd arrived, totaling over twelve members, and forced all the orphans and the other wild elephant herd away from the water. Mbegu and Emoli ran as fast as they could away from the incoming wild elephants. Nelion attempted to stay back but was finally forced to run away as well as the herd were very thirsty and feisty too.
The morning was perfect with Tahri and Emoli running to grab their morning milk bottle, gulping it down as their friends arrived a few seconds later. After the Lucerne pellet feeding, the Voi orphans engaged in their usual games in the stockade compound. Naipoki leaned on the big rock close to the stockade water trough, rubbing herself up in play. Ndotto and Ishaq-B engaged each other in a tough head on play fighting game. Emoli and Sagala went to enjoy themselves on the red earth pile but were followed by Mashariki, Arruba, Mudanda, Araba and Rorogoi, forcing them to exit from their intended game.
A thirsty wild elephant herd arrived, and Mbegu reached out to a female with her trunk to welcome her to the dust bathing spree on the red earth piles, but the wild elephant saluted her with a rumble, going straight to drink water. Godoma was engaged in a huge coordinated campaign to keep little Emoli hidden away from the wild elephant herd visiting there. Kihari lay down and rolled around on the ground playing, until Panda went to lie on her stomach which brought an end to her game. A visiting wild elephant bull joined Bada in some soil bathing games, and Nelion was quick to secure a friend to play with in a matter of minutes, enjoying a wrestling match with a young bull.
The morning began as usual with the milk dependent orphans exiting their stockades and downing their delicious milk bottles, before engaging in games around the stockade compound. Sagala engaged Ngilai in a play fight, taking full advantage of being on the top of the terrace to try and win the game. Ngilai saw that he was at a disadvantage and climbed the terrace to pursue Sagala who backed away and avoided any further games with Ngilai.
Lasayen was enjoying a scratching session and charged at anyone who came close or tried to interfere with his game. Embu became tired of waiting for Lasayen to finish and came in to push him away so as to enjoy a scratching session herself, with Mashariki then coming in for a turn. When the fun and games were over the orphans headed out to browse.
Following the noon milk feed close to the waterhole Arruba, Nelion and Tahri joined a wild elephant herd at the water trough for a drink. The rest of the orphan herd kept their distance waiting for the wild elephants to leave. Sagala seemed to be very thirsty and came charging up trying to chase the wild group away but was unsuccessful, and they left only when they were ready. The afternoon browsing session took place close to the baobab tree waterhole.
It was a nice beginning to the day with the stockade dependent orphan engaging in socializing games around the stockades following the milk and supplement feeding before heading to the browsing grounds where they fed in single file until it was time for the noon milk feed. The orphans arrived at the baobab tree water hole in groups of five with the milk dependent orphans downing their milk bottle before joining the rest of the orphan herd at the water trough.
The orphans had a wonderful time mud bathing before returning to the browsing grounds. Mudanda got left behind, but rather than panic at being left on her own, she slowly and steadily made her way back to the orphan herd, stopping to browse as she did so. The afternoon was spent quietly feeding until it was time to return to the home. Tagwa, Sagala and Emoli led the orphan herd back to safety of the stockades for the night.
It was a bright morning as the milk dependent orphan elephants enjoyed their early morning milk bottle before settling to feast on the supplement foods. Emoli managed to secure a pile of Lucerne pellets for himself, until his friends noticed and came to join him. Once the supplement feeding was over Lentili and Araba led the orphan herd to the browsing grounds
The orphans concentrated on feeding as the vegetation in the area is fast drying up. They were seen trying to loosen vegetation with their feet in order to get better access to it. After the noon milk feed the orphans made their way to the baobab tree waterhole where they enjoyed a drink of clean water and got to interact and socialize with a wild elephant herd. Ishaq-B and Nelion each enjoyed playing with an older wild friend. Ngilai was unable to find a wild play mate and instead engaged Sagala in a strength testing game while Panda took on Godoma for a play fighting match. The afternoon browsing session took place on the western foot of Msinga Hill.
It was a wonderful beginning to the day as the milk dependent orphan elephants joined their elder friends at the Lucerne pellet feeding area after they had their milk bottle. Once the juniors had left the milk feeding area Ndii came and tried to suck up all spilled milk from the stockade terraces. Mudanda and Kihari were busy enjoying a soil bathing game on the piles of red earth, while Rorogoi enjoyed a scratching session against the favourite rock, with Mashariki and Lentili patiently waiting their turn. Ngilai was busy socializing with the new arrivals, taking Emoli aside to teach him some play fighting tactics. Sagala seemed to get jealous of their interaction and tried to steal Emoli away but was unable to do so as the two new friends ignored her.
In the afternoon, following the milk feed and a drink of water, a big wild elephant herd visited the baobab tree waterhole for a drink. None of the orphans joined them as they were busy playing in the water and at the dust bath. Suswa engaged Ndotto in a tough play fighting game while Lasayen went head to head with Murit.
The morning was calm with the milk and supplement feeding being given priority before the orphans engaged in their usual socializing games around the stockade compound. Suswa enjoyed a scratching session between two trees while Mbegu anchored herself to a stockade terrace for a scratch. Mudanda was busy lying and rolling around on the red earth piles. The morning’s games were taking longer than usual which Murit noticed and began pleading with his friends to begin the journey to the browsing grounds. On seeing Murit’s agitation, Lentili went and got him and Emoli and began leading them to the fields with the rest of the orphan herd following behind.
The Voi orphans had a wonderful time browsing before visiting the baobab tree water hole for their noon milk feed and a drink of water. A wild elephant female that had left her family resting under a nearby acacia tree came and joined the orphans for a drink of water. Once the orphans were finished drinking they returned to the browsing fields for the remainder of the day.
It was a nice beginning of the day with Sagala, Emoli Tagwa and Tahri running in together for their morning milk bottle with the rest of their friends arriving a minute later. There were only a few games around the stockade compound this morning with most of the orphans concentrating on a soil bathing game on the red earth piles.
Kihari anchored her bottom against the orphan’s favourite rock for a scratching session while Arruba and Mudanda played on one of the stockade terraces, sitting on it, while their friends came and watched. The orphan herd then left for the browsing fields under Lentili and Mbegu’s leadership.
They spent the morning quietly browsing until it was time for the noon milk feed and mud bath. They had a wonderful time bathing with Ngilai happily charging around the water trough. They then all had a drink of water, leaving the water hole area just as a few wild herds were coming for a drink.
The afternoon browsing session took place at the northern foot of Msinga Hill.
As usual this morning the milk dependent Voi orphans gathered for their milk bottles before joining their friends for Lucerne pellets. There were no games today as the orphans were keen to being the days browsing activities as soon as possible. Embu was the last to leave the stockade as she was busy scratching her bottom against a rock. Once she was done she caught up with her friends, joining them in the browsing fields.
The orphans browsed their way around Msinga Hill, encountering a wild elephant herd on the way to the baobab tree water hole. Rorogoi approached them to join them but the wild elephants caught the scent of the Keepers who were with the orphans and walked away. Following the noon milk bottles, which was taken close to the waterhole, the orphan herd made their way to the mud bath area where they had a drink from the water trough making sure to leave water for the wild herds that were coming to quench their thirst. Arruba and Mashariki hung back to greet the wild elephants before joining their friends who had moved away to browse.
This morning the younger orphans happily downed their morning milk bottle before settling to enjoy their Lucerne pellets. The orphans left the stockade compound as soon as all the feeding was over and headed to the lower flat lands on the western side of Msinga Hill to browse. They slowly made their way to the milk feeding area, browsing as they went. The milk dependent orphans had their noon milk bottle before proceeding to the baobab tree waterhole. A wild elephant herd was leaving the waterhole as they arrived. The orphans had a wonderful time mud bathing with Tahri, Ndotto, and Mashariki rolling around in the water like mud fish while Ndoria stayed in a few minutes before leaving to browse away for the rest of the group. She browsed her way towards the Mzima spring-Mombasa water pipeline area before rejoining the orphan herd in the evening as they were preparing to make their way back to the stockades for the night.
The milk dependent orphans came running out of their night quarters this morning to gulp down their milk bottles before proceeding to the supplement feeding area. The sun had just finished rising as the orphans left the stockade for the browsing fields under Mbegu and Godoma’s leadership. They made their way half way up the eastern side of the Msinga hill for that morning browsing session.
Tagwa, Sagala, Emoli, Tahri, Murit and Araba were the first milk feeding group to arrive for the noon milk bottle close to the baobab tree water hole. All the orphans then made their way to the waterhole where they had a lot of fun mud bathing and wallowing. They came out of the water for a drink from the water trough when they saw a big wild elephant herd coming for a drink. The wild herd were running in which seemed to frighten the orphans who moved a safe distance away from the water trough leaving Sagala behind. When she saw the wild herd coming her way, and the cloud of dust they kicked up behind them as they ran, she ran screaming to her friends and together they all made their way to the browsing fields for the afternoon browsing session.
The stockade dependent orphans had their morning feed after which Tagwa led the group to the browsing fields to being the day. Along the way, the orphans stopped at the western foot of Msgina Hill to grab some vegetation before continuing on their way.
At mid-day, little Emoli lead the first milk feeding group to the noon milk feeding area after which they headed to the baobab tree waterhole for a drink from the water trough and a cooling wallow.
On arrival they found a big wild elephant bull drinking from the trough, with his two friends standing nearby waiting for him. Most of the Voi dependent orphan elephants joined him for a drink with Lasayen, Ngilai and Murit keeping their distance, seemingly afraid of him. The bull picked up on their feelings and left the waterhole to join his friends giving Lasayen, Ngilai and Murit the opportunity to rejoin the orphan herd. Mbirikani went to cool off in the water where she was joined by Lentili, then Ndoria. It was not long before all the orphans were plunging into the water for a mud bath. The orphan herd then returned to their browsing activities but did not join the wild bulls who were feeding close to the waterhole.
This morning the orphans left the stockade compound for the browsing grounds as soon as they had finished with the milk and Lucerne pellet feeding. Kenia and Araba tried to take a short cut as they came down one of the stockade terraces to the road heading out to the fields. Araba was not too happy with this route and went the long way round so as to make sure that she avoided any chance of getting hurt.
The orphan herd settled to browse in single file until it was time to head to the baobab tree water hole at noon. Many wild elephants visited the water hole this morning but they had all left by the time the orphans got there. The orphans had a drink from the water trough but did not enter the water as there was a cold wind blowing. Once they left the waterhole they made their way halfway up the northern side of Msinga Hill to browse. In the afternoon Lasayen and Murit ended their browsing activities by engaging in a play fighting game.
It was an early morning for the orphans who exited their stockade in record time for the milk and supplement feeding. Emoli was happy as he was left with a bunch of Lucerne grass pellets to himself as the rest of his friends had their fill and left. Tundani was busy harvesting green browse from the tall acacia trees around the stockade compound while Nelion and Kihari were showering themselves with red earth before following their friends out for the day.
Upon arriving at the water hole, Ndotto and Ngilai quenched their thirst at the water trough and then had a strength testing game. A big wild elephant herd arrived for a drink of water and the orphan herd was happy to move away and let them have their fill. Mbirikani was quite bold and joined them for a drink, placing herself right in the middle of the group. She then rejoined her friends as they all returned to the browsing fields for the afternoon, and accompanied them back to the stockades for the night.
Embu and Mbirikani were first to make their way to the stockade trough following the mornings Lucerne pellet feeding. Murit and Rorogoi enjoyed a dust bath while Lentili was busy feeding on leaves from an acacia tree.
Tagwa was the pace setter today as she led the orphan herd to the browsing fields. Sagala and Emoli followed close behind her and spent the time browsing with her during the morning hours.
The orphans visited the baobab tree water hole after the noon milk feed as they always do. A wild herd came and joined them for a drink of water and the orphan herd interacted with them briefly with Godoma playing a pushing game with a wild elephant calf. The orphans left the wild herd drinking from the water trough and made their way to the northern foot of Msinga Hill where they spent the remainder of the day browsing.
After the early morning feed, Ishaq-B went for a soil bathing session at the red earth piles where she was joined by Mashariki. Lasayen enjoyed a scratching session on the favourite rock in the compound as did Panda. Ngilai and Murit were busy playing pushing games as the orphans headed to the bush for the day.
At 11am, a herd of over eighty wild elephants visited the baobab tree water hole for a drink and to cool off in the mud bath. The orphan herd had a wonderful time playing with many age mates amongst the huge herd. It was a hot day and many of the wild elephants took refuge under the trees around the water hole. Panda and Ishaq-B were exited to showcase their dusting games to their wild friends with Kenia coming in to oust Panda and take her place. Panda moved away to allow Kenia to have a turn. After an hour playing with the wild herd the orphans returned to the browsing fields for the afternoon before following Mbegu back to the stockades for the night.
This morning the orphans exited their stockade for their usual milk and supplement feeding after which they enjoyed many bonding games around the stockade compound. Ndii, Kihari, Nguvu and Mudanda had a lovely time dust bathing while their friends polished off every last piece of Lucerne pellet that they could find. Naipoki enjoyed a scratching session before the entire group headed to the browsing grounds under Tagwa’s leadership.
The orphans browsed all around the foot of Msinga Hill until it was time for the noon milk feed which took place close to the baobab tree water hole. One the milk feeding was done the orphans headed to the waterhole where they found a wild elephant herd, numbering more than 100, drinking water. One big wild elephant cow attempted to block the orphan elephants from accessing the water trough and the orphans patiently waited for the wild herd to finish drinking and leave after which they were able to come in for a drink themselves. Mbegu and Ndotto enjoyed a wonderful play fighting game before resuming with the afternoons browsing activities.
After the morning milk and supplement feeding Murit engaged Ngilai in a tough head butting game while Mbirikani quenched her thirst from the stockade water trough having arrived at the stockade compound as the orphans exited their night quarters. Nelion engaged Kihari in a strength testing game while Ngilai left Murit to take on Kihari. Naipoki was busy showcasing her dust bathing talents while kneeling on the red earth piles which caught the attention of Kihari and Nelion who stopped their game to watch her.
The orphans spent the morning browsing peacefully before heading to the noon milk feeding area and then the baobab tree water trough for a drink. They were soon joined by a wild elephant herd but Mbegu did not seem to want the orphans interacting with them and gathered the orphans together taking them to the far northern foot of Msinga Hill where they spent the afternoon browsing.
It was a cloudy and cold morning as Tagwa, Sagala, Emoli and Araba ran as fast as they could to get their early morning milk bottle. The milk dependent orphans joined their friends in Kenia’s older herd for Lucerne pellets once they had finished their milk. Most of the mornings stockade games were centered around the red earth piles with the orphans rolling around dust bathing.
The orphans left the stockade compound under Tagwa, Mbegu and Godoma’s leadership and they browsed their way slowly to the baobab tree water hole arriving just in time for the noon milk feed. The orphans then ran to join a small wild elephant family for a drink from the water trough. The wild herd was surprised to see the orphans running towards them and as they were unsure why the orphans were running at them, they took off running. Lasayen and Murit were the first to see the wild herd running way and slowed their pace but by that time the wild herd had ran off. The orphans had a drink of water from the trough but did not wallow as it was a windy day.
The morning was cool with the milk dependent orphans gulping down their milk bottle before joining their friends for the supplement feeding. Once the feeding was over it was time for stockade games. Ngilai quickly engaged Sagala in a play fight, but when he tried to ride on Sagala’s back she quickly ran away. He then went to try and engage Murit in a pushing game but as he was busy feeding on Lucerne grass, he was unhappy with the intrusion and charged at Ngilai to tell him off.
Once in the browsing fields the orphans spread out to feed until it was time to visit the baobab tree water hole. They joined a wild elephant herd having a drink from the water trough and the two groups shared the water. Another wild herd arrived a short while later and a wild cow in the group charged around the water trough trying to get the other groups to give way to them and let her group have their fill. To keep the peace the first wild herd and the Voi orphans moved away and returned to the water trough after the other group had left. The afternoon browsing session took place close to the water hole.
The orphan elephants exited their night quarters for the usual morning milk feed and Lucerne grass pellet feeding. Mashariki then had a lovely scratching session against the orphans favourite rock while the others dust bathed. Kenia then went and pushed Mashariki away from the rock to enjoy a scratching session herself after which the orphans made their way to the browsing grounds.
It was a warm day and the sun was beating down which had the orphans seeking refuge from the sun under the shade of the acacia trees. They visited the baobab tree water hole at noon after the milk feed and were joined by a big wild elephant herd that came for a drink. The orphans enjoyed socializing with the wild herd before returning to the browsing fields.
About an hour before it was time to return home, Lasayen and Murit stopped browsing and became engaged in a tough play fighting game. The orphans then returned to the stockades for the night.
The morning was good with the sun rising as the stockade dependent orphans exited their stockades to begin their day. They concentrated on their usual feeding activities before engaging in a game of hide and seek around the stockade compound. Mashariki, Mudanda and Nguvu then had fun lying on the soft soil piles where Mudanda tried to climb on her friends but decided against it so as not to spoil the fun they were having. Nguvu was still wary of Mudanda and moved away from her. Nguvu was followed by Tundani and Bada who wanted to join in the fun.
The morning was spent browsing with Rorogoi browsing away from the rest of the orphan herd, only joining them as they headed to the waterhole for the noon milk bottle, some water and a mud bath. The mud bath was brief with the orphan’s only throwing water over their bodies with their trunks, after which they returned to the browsing fields.
It was a beautiful beginning to the day with the orphans exiting their stockades full of energy and ready for their milk bottle after which they spread out around the stockade compound with each orphan enjoying a scratching session on a different rock. Nelion took the big rock close to the stockade water trough; Ishaq-B took the famous rock that all the elephants want, while Embu was comfortable sitting on one of the stockade terraces.
The morning browsing session went well with a herd of wild elephant elephants joining the orphans. Two wild friends engaged Nelion in a strength testing game. As they were much older than Nelion he snuck away from them to secure a wild orphan of his own age for a pushing game.
Later Nelion sneaked away from them securing his age mate friend for the same wrestling match.
The Voi orphans also engaged one another in strength testing games with Arruba engaging Tundani, Emoli engaging Lasayen and Ngilai playing with Sagala.
At 10am, a report of an orphan elephant struggling to walk was received from Bongo, one of the Trust’s pilots. The stockade rescue team together with the Burra de-snaring team and the veterinary unit all responded. On arriving at the rescue site, a three year old elephant was found alone on a sandy beach along the Galana River, with a wire snare cutting deep into its front leg. Reaching the orphan elephant was a challenge and the Keepers tried bravely to drive the orphan elephant onto firm ground but he kept moving further onto the sandy beach. Plans to rescue the orphan elephant from the sandy beach were only possible after hiring an excavator that had chain wheels on it from a government maize farm a few miles away. At 10pm we were finally able to load the orphan calf into a pick-up so that it could be transported to the Voi stockades, arriving there at midnight.
The condition of the rescued orphan calf was precarious this morning, and preparations were made to clean the wound again, with Mbegu, Godoma, Tagwa, Murit and Emoli coming up to greet the new arrival. The calf was airlifted to the Nairobi Nursery at 2:30pm where it would be able to receive the necessary care and medical attention that it required for its injury.
The stockade dependent orphans had a wonderful morning browsing around the Msinga Hill area, after which they visited the water hole in groups of six for the noon milk feed. Tagwa, Sagala, Emoli, Murit, and Mbegu were the first to arrive for their milk bottles with the rest of their friends hot on their heels. There was a big wild elephant herd drinking from the baobab tree water hole with the orphan herd joining them for a drink and socializing session. Nelion managed to secure a wild friend for a play fighting game. The orphans left the wild herd at the waterhole and made their way to the eastern foot of Msinga Hill and spent the afternoon browsing there.
It was a lovely morning with the milk dependent orphans running out of their stockade as soon as the doors were opened. They made a bee line for the milk bottles which they downed in a matter of seconds. There was only a few socializing games around the compound before the orphan herd headed to the browsing grounds.
Sagala saw a wild elephant herd browsing on the northern foot of Msinga Hill and joined them. When the Keepers tried to call Sagala to rejoin the orphan herd the wild elephants ran off with her. The orphans and Keepers made their way to the baobab tree water hole under the leadership of Kenia and Lentili arriving there at 9:40am in hopes that they would find Sagala and the wild herd there but this was not the case. Other families of wild elephants were coming to the waterhole but none of them were the herd that had run off with Sagala. The orphans hung around the waterhole for most of the day hoping that Sagala would turn up. The wild elephant herd finally brought Sagala to the baobab tree water hole at 3pm. Mbegu quickly gathered everyone together and left the waterhole so as to avoid any other orphans running off with the wild group.
The last few hours of the afternoon were spent browsing halfway up the western side of Msinga Hill. Tagwa and Emoli enjoyed leading the orphan herd back to the safety of the stockades in the evening.
After the morning milk feed, the stockade dependent orphans hung around the stockade compound for a while before leaving for their daily walk. Mudanda enjoyed an early dust bath, while Ngilai and Bada were busy finishing up the remains of the Lucerne grass pellets. Mashariki was standing at the edge of the fence stretching over it in an effort to harvest some green foliage to feed on. Mbegu was busy trying to scratch her belly on the ground when Ndotto came to see what she was doing and it was not long before the two became engaged in a pushing game.
The orphans then headed to the fields to begin the days browsing activities. At midday they headed for their milk bottle and a drink from the water trough at the baobab tree waterhole. Sagala seems to have formed a bond with the visiting wild elephant herds and likes to join them when they walk off. The Keepers always make sure to call her back as she is still milk dependent but she always chooses to leave with the wild herds. It is not the first time she has done this, but the Keepers have to be careful when getting her back so that they do not get charged by the wild elephants.
The wild group together with Sagala went to the far northern side of the waterhole towards Mudanda rock. Using the stockade pick-up the Keepers were able to cut Sagala off from the wild herd and bring her back to the safety of the stockades for the night.