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After SIleita graduated last month, Kerrio took on the role of mini matriarch of the Nursery herd. Our chief nanny has several helpers, one of whom is Mzinga. This morning in the forest, both Kerrio and Mzinga lay down on their sides with trunks waving in invitation to the younger orphans. Talek, Olomunyak and Pardamat wasted no time and were soon happily clambering on and off their big sisters. After all the games, Kerrio and Mzinga walked with the babies, pulling down tasty branches from tall trees for them to enjoy.

Nyambeni is another budding mini matriarch, but she has been behaving out of character in the last few days. Sometimes, she is her normal caring self and sometimes she insists on being on her own and pushes the babies away if they come close. We are sure that this will be a short-lived phase.

Our new little girl visited the mud bath with the herd this morning with a bevy of adoring nannies! We sent her down the path with Kerrio and Wamata (who sleeps in the next door stable and has become her friend). She toddled along, slowly drank her bottle of milk, and walked on to the wallow with Kerrio close behind. As the other girls arrived, not only Mzinga, Nyambeni and Weka but also Talek clustered around the baby, rumbling and trunk touching her. We expected this from the older girls but not from independent Talek who has not often shown her nurturing side!

Last night it rained heavily for many hours and the forest was awash with puddles in the morning. When we opened the doors of the orphans’ stockades soon after dawn, many were reluctant to emerge from their warm dry rooms. Eventually, everyone was out and on their way up the path to the forest. One or two required pushes on their rumps to keep them moving.

Once in the bush, they browsed for a time before really waking up and becoming playful. Water babies Taroha and Olomunyak splashed in one puddle together while Pardamat lay down in another, covering his body with thick mud, and Muridjo played a slippery version of the pushing game with Shujaa. Kamili, meanwhile, had a busy time rubbing the sides of her face in the mud.

Later in the morning, the sun came out and, in the afternoon, many of the puddles dried up. After another visit to the mud bath, the herd returned to the forest for a final browsing session. Muridjo and Mzinga, both of whom have sprouted little tusks, were browsing on the same tree, stretching their trunks up to pull down the tastiest branches. Wamata hovered hopefully in the background - but today the girls were not in the mood for sharing!

Contests of strength are a daily event for our Nursery herd. Most of the time, the games are light-hearted but sometimes they become serious. This morning, Olomunyak and Pardamat were pushing heads once again. Stout Olomunyak is a determined chap but Pardamat has the advantage of being a few months older and stronger. We had to separate our feisty boys and send them off in different directions before someone got hurt. Shujaa and Muridjo were also having a wrestling match but theirs remained a game!

Our mini matriarch, Kerrio, keeps an eye on every member of the herd, especially when they are in the forest. This morning, even though she was busy itching her sides with a branch, using her trunk to flick the branch one way and then another, as soon as she spotted an impala daring to approach the newbie, Kerrio reacted. She chased away the impala (who posed no threat whatsoever) and stood protectively next to her new baby.

It was a peaceful afternoon in the forest. Once their bellies were full, the orphans dusted or massaged their big bodies. While Talek lay relaxing on the ground, Weka stood close by trunk touching her young friend. Muridjo pushed against Talek and massaged her face at the same time. Nearby, Kamili was being affectionate to Kerrio, trunk touching her sister while she also lay on the ground.

Weka was at her most protective today. Since Sileita left the Nursery, Weka has become a conscientious deputy matriarch to Kerrio. Potential and imagined threats to the younger orphans are dealt with firmly in no nonsense-Weka fashion. Today, several impalas dared to approach Wamata and the new baby as they browsed in the forest. Trumpeting loudly, Weka saw off the perceived threat and touched the two little ones to make sure they were fine – which of course they were. An hour later, Weka spotted a Keeper whom she did not recognise. To no one’s surprise, she over-reacted again by running at him!

The new rescue has settled in so well to her new family and is never without a nanny. Mini matriarch Kerrio is found next to her often but Weka, Mzinga, Nyambeni and Muridjo also take it in turns to look after the little girl. In the past, Muridjo was not maternal, but her character is changing and she is often found looking after either Wamata or the newbie.

Wamata has been the spoilt baby of the herd for many months but, with the arrival of the new rescue who is much younger, this situation is changing. The new girl has become the baby and Wamata is now a big sister! We were pleased today when we saw our indulged little girl checking on the newbie with her trunk, even if it was because the older girls were watching.

Taroha is a very cool boy! He may be a bull but he also takes care of the babies. This morning, Taroha padded out of his room and down the path to welcome Wamata and the new girl as they emerged from their stables. He touched both in greeting and escorted them up the path, making sure that neither Pardamat nor Shujaa came close.

Later in the morning at the mud bath, Latika was massaging her backside against a post along the rope cordon. She moved from side to side while Kamili browsed next to her. The two big girls then enjoyed a dust bath together, rubbing faces in the soil with bottoms aloft before rolling around on the mound. Meanwhile, Talek and Nyambeni were drinking from the trough and the others were browsing on supplementary greens. No one paddled or wallowed in the mud pool as it was an overcast windy day.

We whistled to the elephants when it was time to return to the forest. Almost all of them responded by wandering along the path in a straggly line. Talek did not. Our independent girl ignored us completely and continued standing at the trough. Two Keepers had to round her up and push her in the direction of the others!

In the morning yesterday, Raha, our very special little rhino, started exhibiting symptoms that looked like colic. We immediately consulted our veterinary team, who took bloods and determined that she actually had a bacterial infection. We managed to stabilise her and felt tentative hope. Raha had her evening milk as usual but collapsed shortly thereafter and never woke up. Very sadly, the little rhino died peacefully in her stable during the night.

Our herd of orphaned elephants behaved normally today, although they would have been aware of Raha’s absence. They emerged from their stables in the early morning, gathered in small groups, and set out for the forest. They settled to browse as usual.

Shujaa was playing rough today. Later in the morning at the mud bath, Shujaa and Pardamat emptied their bottles of milk and wandered over to the wallow. The two bulls started playing the pushing game with trunks entwined, sizing up against each other. Pardamat is younger than Shujaa and, in the past, the older bull would have played gently with his younger brother. But this morning, he played rough and knocked Pardamat down. We intervened and sent Shujaa for a time out in the bush.

Besties Mzinga and Nyambeni were on Wamata duty in the forest this morning. The younger girl pulled up clumps of grass and rubbed her face on the ground with Mzinga and Nyambeni hovering around her. Not far away, Kerrio, Latika and Weka clustered around Olomunyak, Taroha, Talek and the little newbie.

After browsing for a while, the orphans woke up properly and Muridjo, Pardamat and Weka began a series of rough-and-tumble games. The three friends took it in turns to clamber on and off and over each other while rolling in the dust. First Pardamat mounted Muridjo, then Muridjo climbed on Weka, then Weka on Pardamat – and on and on. They ended up lying next to each other with trunks draped along backs and legs waving haphazardly. Nearby, Latika was playing her favourite game of squatting on the soil, wiggling her rump, ears and trunk.

Later in the morning, the herd visited the mud bath for another milk feed. We used to send them down in two groups but, as our herd has shrunk to just 14 elephants following two recent graduations, they are now able to visit in one group. Latika much prefers this new arrangement as she is no longer separated from her little Wamata. Today, Latika and Wamata stood together at the water trough while Mzinga, Nyambeni and Muridjo clustered around the newbie. With her arrival the dynamics have changed and Wamata is no longer the baby!

In the early morning, Muridjo and Shujaa led the herd out to the forest with Mzinga and Nyambeni bringing up the rear, pushing any loitering babies with their heads to keep them moving. The herd settled to browse quite close to the stockades as there is still browse to be found without venturing far afield. Mzinga and Nyambeni were pulling down branches for the new little girl which she accepted, pulling off the softest leaves with her short trunk. Spotting an opportunity, stout Olomunyak was quick to join the three girls. He too was allowed the treat of branches from on high.

When elephants are very young, they require frequent naps. Wamata is old enough now to rest less during the day but not the new girl. She dozes regularly while remaining on her feet – only occasionally falling asleep and losing her balance! We often find her with eyes closed for a few minutes, gathering her strength. After each little snooze, she opens her eyes and continues browsing and playing with renewed energy. After a nap, she likes to play on a patch of mud or dry soil or approach a Keeper with trunk aloft looking for attention.

Two of our oldest females may have contrasting characters but they are still good friends. Where Kerrio is gentle and cares for every member of the herd, Weka is feisty and more selective with her affections. Where Kerrio is friendly to all the Keepers and accepts the presence of strange human beings, Weka is less predictable and wary of strangers. This morning in the forest, our big girls stood close with trunks entwined, content in each other’s company.

Today was a sunny day in contrast to many days in July. When the weather is cool, the orphans are less likely to wallow in the mud bath but, when it is hot, they like to cool off.

In the afternoon, they visited the mud bath as usual for another milk feed. Muridjo was first to paddle into the wallow followed by Nyambeni, Shujaa and Kerrio. Soon almost the whole herd of 14 elephants were paddling or swimming in the muddy water. Water baby Olomunyak submerged his whole body. As others climbed on and off each other in the water, he lay still in the mud with only his trunk sticking out.

The herd continued playing in the water hole until a family of warthogs joined them. The pigs took them by surprise, paddling along the edges. Then the elephants reacted, moving quickly to climb out of the water, trumpeting in alarm for no good reason. It took us a long time to calm down the herd.

Returning to the forest, they browsed peacefully for the remainder of the afternoon before padding back to the stockades for the night. Each orphan headed for his or her stable, drinking milk along the way, and settling down with snacks of pellets and lucerne.

It was another heartbreaking day for our Nursery family, as we had to say goodbye to Tali. The young bull had been struggling after he was knocked over in the bulls' rowdy play several weeks ago. After a cautiously promising recovery, his condition took a downward turn. It was at this point that we felt it necessary to put Tali through the stress of an X-ray and were confronted with the very worst news: His distal femur was broken close to the hip, with bone override that made recovery highly unlikely and operating impossible. What must have initially been a hairline crack had turned into a serious break. In all the months he had spent on his own prior to his rescue, and the very weak condition he arrived in, it now seems likely that his bones were weakened.

The vets attending to Tali advised that it would be kindest to ease his passage — which was an extremely difficult reality to face. He passed peacefully, leaving all of us totally bereft.

Maxwell, our resident blind black rhino, is well. During the cooler months, he often has a lie-in under the covered area of his enclosure, emerging only when the day becomes warmer. When he eventually lumbers out for breakfast of sugar cane, pellets and lucerne, he often has many visitors. Oxpecker birds perch on his back while warthogs, baboons and monkeys share his snacks. The warthogs are the most frequent visitors.

Today was another hot day and so Max cooled off in his small wallow in the afternoon. He lay in the mud with several small pigs paddling around him. When he climbed out for a drink of water, they followed, standing underneath him to rub themselves against his scratchy belly and legs.

As the orphans were waiting in the forest for a morning milk feed, Muridjo and Pardamat had a playful time rolling on the ground with each other. The young bull was enjoying play climbing on his big sister. The game came to an abrupt end, however, when Wamata gave the new girl a shove and Muridjo had to rush to her rescue. The newbie had tried to take a green branch from Wamata - who was not sharing her treat with the baby! Muridjo has become very protective of the baby and is often found close to her.

Kerrio and Weka may be good friends but they do not often play together. But today was different. In the afternoon, they were rolling on the mound of dry soil together, having fun bumping and sliding against each other while waving their trunks.

This rare sight was interrupted when Taroha and Olomunyak joined them. The cheeky bulls’ mission was not to enjoy soil bathing but to climb on top of the two big girls! The boys are fond of play mounting any orphan they come across relaxing on the ground.

Olomunyak was full of playful mischief today. In the morning, soon after the orphans settled to browse in the field, Olomunyak and Pardamat had a wrestling match, testing their strength against each other to see who might be dominant. The boys pushed heads and clinked tiny tusks with trunks entwined, broke apart, twisted around and pushed again. When Muridjo saw that the challenge was becoming fierce, she took charge by walking in between the bulls and shoving them apart. Olomunyak and Pardamat had no choice but to do as they were told by their no-nonsense big sister!

Later in the morning, the orphans visited the mud wallow. Our 14 elephants drank their milk in groups of two or three and walked over to feed on the supplementary greens or drink from the trough. No one was interested in mud bathing since the day was cloudy and cool. While the others stood around quietly, Olomunyak and Taroha began showboating on the pile of loose oil, playing dramatic rolling around games. When Taroha sat down for a rest on the soil, Olomunyak sat on his head! In reaction, Taroha trumpeted whereupon Olomunyak ran away. But when Taroha tried to stand up, Olomunyak ran back to climb on him again!

This morning, older girls Muridjo and Weka were playing together in the forest. They were enjoying rolling on the ground with naughty Weka climbing all over Muridjo. Their game did not last for long as it was interrupted by Shujaa. When he saw Weka climbing on her friend, he greeted her with a trunk touch and a shove, inviting her to play with him instead. She accepted Shujaa’s challenge and the two began playing the pushing game.

Later in the morning, as the herd was heading back to the forest from the mud bath in a long line, they came across a troop of baboons blocking their way. The baboons were playing on the ground and picking up seeds that had fallen from trees. Kamili, Shujaa, Latika and Pardamat dealt with the situation in seconds. The four elephants charged, trumpeting in chorus, and the baboons hopped up into nearby trees.

In contrast to every other member of the herd, Kerrio and Shujaa approach milk feeds with laidback attitudes. Almost all orphaned elephants that we have had under our care sprint when bottles of milk are involved. They amble for much of the day but, when they see Keepers holding up bottles of milk, they walk with purpose towards them. But not Kerrio and Shujaa. These two wander down the path, often heading away from the Keepers, meandering around for a time, and eventually walking over for their bottles. This afternoon, Shujaa picked up a stick along the way, and twirled it in his mouth, before dropping it and walking to his patient Keeper.

Muridjo and Mzinga were so happy and playful at the mud bath this morning. They kept rolling on the ground, mounting each other and showing off their moves and poses. But, no matter how much they played, both girls kept their eyes on the baby girl. They knew that Wamata was standing near her and could be tempted to give her a shove if they did not pay attention! The arrival of the new girl has meant a big adjustment for Wamata – as she has been the indulged baby of the herd for a very long time.

Our new girl led the herd back to the forest. Along the way, several giraffes were standing on the rocks but, as they were hidden by trees, they were not easy to see. Mzinga, however, spotted them from a distance and ran so fast to catch up with the baby. Pardamat, Olomunyak and Talek also realised what was going along and sprinted to help Mzinga. Determined Olomunyak, with Pardamat charging along behind him, chased away the giraffes while Mzinga and Talek stood protectively around the baby. Great team-work!

In the afternoon, Shujaa was being his new assertive self. With the departure of Mageno and Kitich, he is now the dominant bull in the herd. Even though the other boys are younger and have not challenged his role, Shujaa is continuing to be confrontational. When he began to push Talek and Olomunyak in the forest, we shepherded him away, wondering where our old polite boy was!

What a morning for Olomunyak, the youngest boy in the Nursery herd! He is such a jovial happy boy and loves playing and showing off. In the forest, he was playing the pushing game with Talek and then with Pardamat. Both games were just for fun, full of noisy trumpeting and kicking up of dust but not turning into fights.

It used to be Taroha who liked to greet Maxwell on his way out to the woods in the morning. Recently, however, Olomunyak has taken on that responsibility. Today, he stood at Max’s gate for a long time. The rhino stood quite still while the young bull rumbled and draped his trunk over his head. Olomunyak did not want to leave Max and ignored Muridjo’s attempts to move him on up the path. We had to intervene and push him out to join the herd!

Later in the morning our boy was still full of energy. While Mzinga and Kerrio enjoyed dust bathing and rolling on the ground, he had lots of fun climbing all over them. Afterwards, he clambered into the pool for a dip with Taroha.

Olomunyak and Wamata sleep in neighbouring stables. We often find that our orphans become good friends with their neighbours and this is certainly the case with these two. They trunk touch through the wall and sometimes, as happened this evening, they lie down next to each other, one on either side of the partition so they are almost touching.

The girl dynamics in our herd are fascinating this month following the introduction of the new girl to the herd. Wamata was the baby for such a long time but no longer. The new girl is enjoying the affection and protection of almost every member of the herd with the big girls playing tag team. Either Mzinga, Nyambeni, Muridjo or Talek is always near her with Weka and Latika as stand-in nannies and Kerrio at a distance. Our mini matriarch watches on, making sure that all is well and stepping in whenever there is an issue. Latika’s loyalty and affections, however, remain firmly with Wamata.

Inevitably, Wamata is jealous of the new girl. She behaves well when with the older girls but not so well if she is on her own with the baby. Today, Wamata ran at her on two occasions. When it happened at the mud bath, Nyambeni intervened to drive away Wamata and protect the baby, whereupon Latika ran at Nyambeni to chase her away and protect her favourite baby, whereupon Kerrio got involved to stand up for Nyambeni and restore calm.

Shujaa was almost his old self today. He began his life at the Nursery as a quiet polite boy and then he became the star of the herd, always wanting to play with and entertain everyone. And then Mageno left and Shujaa became a rough boy, who still obeys the Keepers but does not treat the others well, tending to pick on different elephants on different days.

But what a day for Kamili and Shujaa! In the early morning, the two orphans played the hide and seek game in the stockades, lumbering along paths and around corners after each other. Out in the forest, they played the pushing game in a good-humoured way. Shujaa was kind to Kamili and careful not to push her as he is stronger and more skilled at strength contests. They visited the mud bath in the same group (with Shujaa doing his trick of ambling down the path, wandering around with a branch, and eventually getting to his bottle). After drinking their milk, Kamili and Shujaa browsed on greens together before meandering back to the forest.

It was almost a whole day without a Shujaa drama. Until the big bull spoilt his perfect day in the evening by shoving Pardamat for no reason and being told off by Muridjo!

Our two budding mini matriarchs are great friends and have spent almost all of their lives together. Whenever a new rescue arrives at the Nursery, we know that Nyambeni and Mzinga will be first to approach them and take them under their wing, whatever the age and gender. But we do suspect that Mzinga stays the course for longer than Nyambeni. Mzinga remains with the newbie for as long as it takes whereas Nyambeni has a tendency to move on. Perhaps Mzinga is more of a softie than Nyambeni but both are equally caring in a good cop, bad cop kind of a way. Mzinga has an enormous heart – just like Kerrio. Nyambeni will always protect newbies from any strangers or perceived threats but does not stick to them like glue like Mzinga.

Everyone is fighting to look after the new girl. Mzinga never tires of looking after babies and is perhaps the one who is with her the most. But Muridjo would be a close second in this situation. She has surprised us with her devotion to the new baby and has become another budding mini matriarch!

At the mud bath this morning, Pardamat was misbehaving. After drinking his milk, he shoved Taroha and tried to grab his bottle. Pardamat is a clever bull and perhaps he thought that he would not be disciplined in front of the visitors! Well, he was wrong – as we intervened and ushered him away for a time out and allowed Taroha to finish his bottles in peace.

Weka is noisy and active and always in a rush. She loves trumpeting loudly and she loves doing everything at speed. Whereas many of the others amble out of their stockades in the mornings, Weka powers her way out. This morning, she charged out, trumpeting as she jogged excitedly around the stockades.

Muridjo is often Weka’s accomplice in chaos, running along behind her friend, except when the new girl is around! Today, Muridjo was held up form joining Weka’s games because she was busy trying to win the baby away from Mzinga, Nyambeni and Talek!

Luckily, Shujaa was around to step in for Muridjo. He was happy to team up with Weka in the forest. The two feisty elephants decided to chase away not only every warthog they could find, but also every impala and baboon. No one was spared. When the baboons sensibly climbed the nearest tree, Shujaa head butted the trunk, so the tree swayed and the baboons had no choice but to jump down and run for cover. Area emptied of other animals, Shujaa and Weka, who have become great playmates, settled to browse with satisfaction.

In the afternoon, Taroha and Olomunyak had a fabulous time around the mud bath. The two bulls rolled around in the loose soil, dust bathing, wrestling and mounting each other at the same time.

In the mornings, we open the doors of Olomunyak’s, Wamata’s and the newbie’s stables first so that they can wander out without being surrounded and crowded by their many nannies. This morning, Olomunyak ambled up to greet Maxwell while Wamata headed for Latika’s stockade and waited outside for her loyal nanny. Latika soon came out of her room and the two orphans headed out to the forest together. Meanwhile, the other older girls ushered the new girl out to the forest.

Shujaa was being mischievous this morning, hiding and dodging away from the keepers as he attempted to steal pellets from the store. Elephants are so clever and know when they're misbehaving. As soon as Shujaa spotted a Keeper in the distance, he knew he would be caught and started running away, trumpeting for forgiveness.

In the afternoon, many orphans enjoyed a lengthy mud bath. Kerrio was first to paddle in the pool with Weka, Mzinga, Nyambeni, Shujaa, Taroha, Olomunyak, and Wamata following in her wake. The little gang enjoyed the wallow and had fun rolling, sliding and mounting each other.

Realising that the new baby could not join them in the pool even though she was hot, Mzinga and Nyambeni climbed out of the pool and went over to her. The little girl stood sandwiched between them and rubbed her body against her two sisters. In no time, she too was covered in mud. 

Mzinga was first to wander down to greet Olomunyak, Wamata and the newbie this morning. Our caring girl touched all three and waited with the little girl until she was ready to head out to the forest. Then she walked with her shoulder to shoulder out to the field. Nyambeni popped down earlier to greet the little ones before leading the herd out from the stockades.

Pardamat, Olomunyak and Taroha used to enjoy wrestling lessons with Shujaa. The older bull would be careful not to push too hard while teaching them his sparring skills. Nowadays, however, they choose to spar with each other and avoid getting close to Shujaa. They respect his strength and are wary of being pushed over by the dominant bull.

Shujaa enjoys playing pushing games with Weka and Kamili – although Weka was his chosen playmate today. The feisty girl and the assertive boy, who are evenly matched in strength, played for a long time in the forest, trumpeting noisily as they clashed heads.

In the afternoon, some of the orphans had a mud bath in the forest. Coming across a pool of very muddy water, Taroha paddled into the sludge with Weka, Kamili and Kerrio following behind him.

Mzinga has not forgotten her old stable since being moved to a big girl’s stockade last month. Olomunyak moved in after she left. This morning, she made a beeline for her old room, wandered in and checked every corner. Only then did she walk out to the field, ambling behind the babies and nudging their bottoms if they came to a standstill.

Meanwhile, not only Taroha but also Pardamat had stopped along the way to say good morning to Maxwell who was standing at his gate as the herd padded past. Max stood still while the two elephants tried to pull his ears with their trunks. He must have been enjoying the attention as the rhino made no attempt to move away from the playful boys.

Later in the morning, the orphans had a dust bathing party! After drinking their milk at the mud bath, they piled onto the mound of loose soil. Muridjo, Mzinga, Wamata, Taroha and Talek rolled and tumbled around on the soil with Olomunyak clambering onto whoever happened to be lying still!

Translocation training began today for Weka and Shujaa. It was their first day of milk feeds in the truck and, understandably, they both refused to walk up the ramp and into the vehicle. 

This morning, Shujaa and Weka were playing the pushing game again in the forest. The two good friends began their translocation training yesterday, having all their daytime milk feeds in the truck. Today was slightly better than yesterday – they went as far as the ramp but no further. So we gave them their bottles on the ramp every three hours. The training takes time, and we are sure that they will agree to have their bottles inside the vehicle in a few days.

Later in the morning, the herd visited the mud bath for another milk feed. After drinking their milk, they gathered around the wallow but not one elephant put a toe or a trunk in the muddy water. Elephants prefer wallowing when the sun is shining and they are hot. July is one of the coolest months of the year and so they do not often go swimming.

Today Maxwell gave the warthogs a cold shoulder! The pigs visit him on most days to share his pellets and lucerne and he usually tolerates their company. But, when the warthogs popped under the fence in the afternoon, the enormous rhino chased them away.

Kerrio led the herd out to the forest in a long line this morning. As they were ambling along, Wamata came to a halt, refusing to allow the newbie to walk past her. When the baby trumpeted, Muridjo, Mzinga and Nyambeni turned tail and ran to the rescue. Muridjo got there first, pushed Wamata and scooped up the little girl. Kerrio continued walking towards the forest, knowing that her assistant nannies had the matter in hand.

On contrast to recent days, the sun was shining today. After many days of not getting wet, some of the orphans went mud bathing this morning. Taroha and Talek paddled in the mud while Latika and Kerrio stood on the edge, slapping water along each side of their bodies. Meanwhile, Nyambeni and Wamata drank from the trough and Pardamat and Shujaa browsed on supplementary greens. Up at the stockades, Maxwell was also enjoying a cool down in his private mud wallow.

Mzinga seems to have developed a special behaviour when she wants to tell off human beings! If a Keeper annoys her or a guest at the mud bath shouts, this clever elephant turns her backside towards the offending person and farts! When she first started doing this, we thought it was coincidental but now we think that Mzinga is farting on purpose to express her displeasure.

Talek and Pardamat sleep in neighbouring stockades and are best friends, especially after dark. They often extend their trunks through the gaps in their shared partition - either in greeting or to pinch each other’s lucerne! The two orphans are almost age mates – Talek is a few months younger than Pardamat.

This morning in the forest, the two friends began playing the pushing game. They pushed and twirled apart and pushed together again for some time before the game became serious and changed into a fight. As Pardamat is stronger than Talek, he managed to knock her over. As soon as she trumpeted, Kerrio ran to her rescue. The mini matriarch disciplined Pardamat with a strong shove. He ran for cover while Kerrio trunk touched Talek as she climbed to her feet.

In the afternoon, thinking that the older girls were far enough away not to notice, Wamata gave the new girl a small shove while they were browsing in the forest. Little did she know that Muridjo was keeping a close eye on her favourite baby even though she was not close. Muridjo charged over to sort out the situation. She whisked the little one away while Wamata found refuge (as ever) with Latika.

Translocation training for Weka and Shujaa is continuing. Our feisty girl is four years old and our dominant bull is three years old - so they are both ready to embark upon the next stage of their lives back to the wild.

Weka Is enjoying being fed in the truck. She ambles up the ramp and into her compartment, in part because she has extra treats of pellets and sugar cane. Shujaa, however, is still suspicious. He will walk extremely slowly up the ramp, sometimes reversing back down and then up again, but he is not at ease inside the truck. He gulps his milk and a few pellets before scooting back to the stockades. Once at a safe distance from the truck, he does wait for his friend at the stockades rather than heading out to join the herd in the forest!

Nyambeni is causing dramas at the mud bath! She often insists on leading the first group down the path (because she loves being in front of her friends). After drinking her milk, she often insists on going back to the path to escort the new girl. And then, while the little orphan is drinking her milk, Nyambeni casually pads past the wheelbarrow in the hope of securing an extra bottle! Last week, her sneaky trick was successful and, ever since, she has been hoping for another success!

Mzinga is developing a habit of hanging a left as the head is heading up the path to the forest in the early mornings. The reason for this sneaky behaviour is pellets! The clever elephant knows that Shujaa and Weka are likely to have left pellets on the floor of the truck and she wants some extra breakfast. So, very quietly, as the others pad up the path, she takes a left and then speeds up once out of sight of the Keepers.

This morning, she had two accomplices in tow. Not only Mzinga but also Nyambeni and Talek made a silent beeline for the truck. The three girls had reached their destination and settled down to browse when we found them. Reluctantly, they walked down the ramp, with Keepers nudging their rumps, and out to join the others in the bush.

Taroha is becoming a big strong bull. Today, he was playing the pushing game with Shujaa and holding his own. Shujaa challenged him to play and, to his surprise, found that the younger bull was up for the challenge. The two bulls had a long sizing-up contest while the others browsed around them. Gentle Taroha has developed the strength to fight our dominant bull. Nevertheless, we kept an eye on them in case the game got out of hand.

Weka and Shujaa are not keen to visit the mud bath because they have already had their bottles of milk in the truck and so have nothing to lure them down the path to the wallow! Today, the rest of the herd padded down the path in groups of three, but our two under-graduates refused to stop browsing. Two Keepers pushed them but to no avail. They were determined to stay in the forest.

The other 12 enjoyed their milk and spread out around the wallow to browse on supplementary greens, or drink from the trough, or dust bath on the mound of loose soil. Kamili, with whom there is no messing, decided that Pardamat was misbehaving. He probably was but his misbehaviour was not apparent to the Keepers. Kamili gave him a shove, he almost toppled over, and we separated the two orphans, knowing that Kamili is stubborn and might continue discipling the younger bull.

In the afternoon, the sun came out and the orphans went swimming. As usual, Taroha was the first one get in to the mud wallow. He was followed by Kerrio, Nyambeni, Mzinga, Latika and several others. When our newbie made a move towards the pool, we had to stop her because she is too small and could be injured accidentally. Instead, two Keepers dug a little wallow especially for her. After all the wallowing, the herd enjoyed soil dusting, sending clouds of dust into the air.

Olomunyak is such a playful boy that he sometimes gets carried away! In the forest this morning, the naughty boy made the mistake of trying to play mount Wamata who is several months younger than him. He was browsing with Wamata and Latika when he began playing and then could not resist mounting her. Latika told him off sternly, pushed him away and walked off in another direction with Wamata.

Latika is possibly the only female in the herd who rarely looks after the new girl and who remains devoted to Wamata. In contrast, Muridjo shows signs of being the newbie’s most devoted nanny with Mzinga, Nyambeni and Talek also in the running. Kerrio, the mini matriarch of the herd, has no favourites and looks after everyone in the herd.

Later in the morning, Olomunyak challenged Pardamat to a wrestling match. He accepted the invitation and the two bulls played several rounds of the pushing game. Not far away, Shujaa and Weka were also enjoying a wrestling match while Kerrio, Kamili and Talek massaged their sides and backsides against trees.

As usual, we opened the doors of the orphans’ stockades soon after dawn. One by one, they ambled out to drink from the troughs and greet their friends. Kerrio led the herd out to the field with Latika bringing up the rear. They settled to browse quietly for a time before visiting the mud wallow for their next milk feed.

The herd drank their milk and spread out around the wallow. Shujaa was really misbehaving this morning. Our dominant bull, who used to be such a polite boy, was chasing after every girl who came his way. At the mud bath, he decided to target Talek. He would not allow her to browse peacefully and kept trying to play mount her. She ran for cover with Kerrio and several Keepers sent him for a time out in the bush. It is time for Shujaa to graduate - and we know that he will thrive in his new home where he will be one of the youngest.

In the afternoon, when Weka and Shujaa were having a milk feed in the truck, a warthog walked up and stood next to the vehicle. The pig was waiting for them to leave so that he could have the leftovers. But he had reckoned without Weka! Abandoning her pile of pellets, she chased him around the stockades, trumpeting loudly as if he posed an actual threat. Spotting an opportunity, Shujaa finished the treats in his compartment and then nipped into hers for some extra pellets!

Kerrio is a wonderful matriarch although just occasionally she is too protective. Olomunyak and Wamata were playing the pushing game in the forest this morning. They were playing happily and the young bull was being careful not to push Wamata too hard. Thinking that Olomunyak was being rough, Kerrio slapped his back with her trunk and stopped the game. We intervened, reassuring Kerrio who then walked away with Wamata.

Olomunyak, who had been surprised by Kerrio’s behaviour, was left standing on his own but only for a minute. Nyambeni walked over to check on him and Taroha arrived next. His friends trunk touched him affectionately and soon Olomunyak was playing games with Taroha. The two bulls are best friends and have similar characters.

The remainder of the last day of the month was peaceful. On a cool afternoon, the herd visited the mud bath for a milk feed and a soil dusting before ambling back to the forest to browse some more. As usual, we sent them back to the stockades in small groups. Nyambeni and Talek were in the first group and Weka and Shujaa padded around the corner after everyone else.