Conditions in the southern sector of the Park where Voi is situated have dried out considerably and our teams in the Voi area have been kept very busy fighting bush fires that have sprung up close to the boundary. Thankfully these fires have been stopped in their tracks with effective back burning and the use of our water bowsers and energetic ground teams with fire fighting equipment. The fires have thankfully not affected the area our orphans rely upon either. So many wild elephants have been visiting our mud bath water trough recently, eager to quench their thirst as some of the water pans across the area have begun to dry out, but it is the fresh quality of the water that they are drawn to.
The orphan elephants exited the stockades this morning for their milk and supplement feeding. Murit, Tahri and Godoma had their milk and walked straight to the Lucerne pellet feeding area where they were joined a few minutes later by Tagwa and Ndotto. Sagala enjoyed an early morning dust bath while the rest of the orphan herd played around the stockade compound.
Arruba and Ndotto led the group out for the day and up Msinga Hill where they settled to browse while Sagala, Emoli, and Godoma browsed at the base alongside Suswa, Lasayen, Tagwa and Tamiyoi.
When it was time for the noon milk feed Ndotto came down the hill and led the group to the baobab tree waterhole. After the milk feed the orphans had a drink from the water trough after which Lasayen and Pika Pika led the group into the water, where Arruba submerged herself before inviting her adopted baby Pika Pika to join her. Rorogoi remained in the water to showcase her wallowing skills while Arruba, Pika Pika and Mudanda had fun on the soil piles where Mudanda blew soil over everyone.
The gates of the stockade were opened this morning and the orphans came rushing out ready for their morning milk bottle. They formed a line with each orphan gulping down its share in a matter of minutes. Emoli, Pika Pika, Tamiyoi and Godoma settled to enjoy the Lucerne pellets where they were joined by the rest of the group. Ngilai was the last to arrive and came charging in before enjoying his share.
Sagala led the group out to the Park today with Tagwa, Tamiyoi and Emoli following closely. They settled to browse on the northern side of Msinga Hill with Suswa leading them to the top. Some of the orphans stopped on the way to enjoy a scratching session against the trees before catching up with the others.
The now independent orphan elephants Nelion, Mashariki and Tundani came and joined the junior group for the morning browsing session. The milk dependent orphans gulped down their noon milk bottle before joining their older friends for a drink from the baobab tree water trough after which they returned to their browsing activities as it was too cold for a mud bath.
It was a wonderful morning as the orphans enjoyed sparring games around the stockade compound. Arruba enjoyed playing with Ndotto while Emoli took on Ngilai. Godoma and Sagala took the lead of the group out the Park and headed to the northern side of Msinga Hill where they met up with Nelion, Tundani and Mashariki and they teamed up for the morning browsing session.
At noon the orphans made their way to the baobab tree waterhole where they had their milk feed before going to the wallow. There was a lot of fun to be had as the orphans played mud bathing games, showing their wallowing skills as they rolled around in the water trumpeting excitedly. Nelion and Arruba were so happy that they were charging around, kicking up the water with their feet. They stayed in the water when the rest left, catching up with their friends later on for the afternoon browsing activities.
The orphan elephants enjoyed playing around the stockade compound this morning following the milk and supplement feeding. Sagala enjoyed a scratching session against a rock while Arruba was busy showing her friends how they could climb up the stockade terrace. Godoma then felt it prudent to show them how to climb down but when she realized that what she was doing was rather dangerous she quickly gave up on her plans.
The orphans headed out for the day under Tagwa and Tamiyoi’s leadership and they enjoyed browsing until it was time for the noon milk feed at the baobab tree waterhole. A little before the orphans arrived at the waterhole a wild elephant herd was there having a drink. Among them was a tiny calf that was only a few days old and they left before the orphans arrived.
The orphan herd enjoyed a mud bath followed by a dust bath before resuming with their browsing activities.
The stockade dependent orphans had their milk bottles before joining Nelion, Mashariki and Tundani for the Lucerne pellet supplements. The four independent orphans had arrived at the stockades early this morning and were happy to see their young friends. Tagwa, Tamiyoi and Sagala enjoyed a dust bath before they all followed Embu and Tahri out to the Park for the day.
The orphan herd first settled to browse on the southern foot of Msinga Hill where Emoli, who was at the back of the group, found some lovely green vegetation to feed on. Mbegu spotted what Emoli had found and came to join him, grabbing the green browse right from Emoli’s mouth for her own enjoyment. They all then made their way to the western foot of Msinga Hill where they found Kenia, Ndii, Araba, Ishaq-B and Ndoria browsing and stopped to spend some time with their older friends.
The milk dependent orphans left Kenia’s herd browsing as they headed to the waterhole for their noon milk feed and a wallow. Arruba, Mashariki and Pika Pika were left rolling around in the water when the rest made their way out to resume their browsing activities. Mashariki gathered up Pika Pika and walked out of the water with Arruba charging out to catch up with them, upset that Mashariki had taken her adopted baby.
It was fun and games as usual following the morning milk and supplement feeding. Arruba enjoyed a dust bath with Pika Pika this morning as the two tossed chunks of red soil and dust into the air while Murit had a scratching session against the orphans’ favourite rock.
Nelion, Tundani and Mashariki arrived at the stockade compound early this morning and joined the stockade-dependent orphan elephants when they decided to head out for the day. Just before leaving they were all joined by Kenia, Ndii, Araba, Ishaq-B and Ndoria arrived into the stockade joining them up.
The orphan herd headed up Msinga Hill under Ndii and Kenia’s leadership where they settled for the morning browsing session. At noon the juniors came downhill and made their way to the baobab tree waterhole leaving Kenia’s herd on the hill browsing.
After a wonderful mud bath, Suswa went for a scratching session against the baobab tree while Arruba and Rorogoi charged at the buffaloes Ivia and Cheza. The afternoon browsing session took place on the southern side of the water hole. Late in the afternoon Ngilai and Rorogoi became engaged in a sparring session which ended when it was time to return to the safety of the stockades for the night.
It was a happy beginning to the day as the stockade-dependent orphans enjoyed playing around the stockade compound following the morning milk and supplement feeding. Godoma enjoyed rubbing her neck on one of the stockade terraces while Sagala sat on the terrace scratching her bottom. When Sagala saw Tamiyoi watching her she went to get her and teach her some tricks for climbing up the stockade terrace. Ndotto enjoyed a sparring session with his favorite play mate Arruba before the orphan herd headed out for the day.
Soon after arriving at the browsing grounds, the stockade-dependent orphan elephants linked up with Kenia’s herd, joining them for part of the morning browsing session before heading off with Nelion, Mashariki and Tundani in tow. Ishaq-B was busy dust bathing under a big rock where she was digging up loose that she then tossed over herself.
At noon the orphans made their way to the milk feeding area for their noon milk bottles, after which they enjoyed a mud bath. Once in the water Mashariki showcased her wallowing skills until Tundani came in and tried to climb on her back. Arruba came in to help Mashariki and get Tundani off, engaging Tundani in a small fight.
When the afternoon browsing session was over, Tundani and Nelion escorted the stockade-dependent orphans back home for the night. When the youngsters had settled into their quarters the two older orphans headed back out to the Park for the night.
After the morning milk and Lucerne pellet feeding the orphans enjoyed playing and bonding with one another. Sagala and Tamiyoi enjoyed a dust bath with Tagwa coming to join them copying Sagala who was picking up soil with her trunk and blowing it over her body while Murit enjoyed a scratching session. Mbegu and Ndotto were busy picking up every last piece of the Lucerne pellets from the feeding trough after which they joined the others. Sagala led the group out for the day followed closely by Tagwa and Tamiyoi.
Once in the Park Mbegu stuck close to her adopted baby Emoli and the two spent the day browsing side by side and were the last to make their way to the waterhole at noon. After a wonderful mud bath the orphans returned to their browsing activities, meeting up with Kenia’s herd on the southern side of the water hole. The youngsters left Kenia’s herd browsing there when it was time to return to the stockades for the night.
This morning the orphan elephants congregated with Tundani, Nelion and Mashariki at the Lucerne pellet feeding area after they had downed their morning milk bottles. The youngsters were happy to see their older friends that had spent the night just outside the stockades. After the supplement feeding it was time for socializing and playing with Tundani approaching Arruba for a sparring session. Arruba was not interested and went to embrace her adopted baby Pika Pika. Tundani kept trying to engage Arruba who gave in in the end and the two enjoyed a strength testing game while Pika Pika went to Emoli who was happy to play with the youngster and keep her company.
Soon after the orphans arrived in the Park they met up with Kenia, Ndii, Ishaq-B, Araba and Ndoria and joined them for the morning browsing session. At noon the milk-dependent orphans made their way to the baobab tree waterhole for the milk bottles, after which they had a mud bath where they were joined by Kenia’s group. Ndoria dominated the waterhole rolling around in the water with only Ishaq-B feeling comfortable enough to play with her, as she has a tendency to bite the other orphans’ tails sometimes!
The afternoon browsing session took place close to the waterhole where the orphans remained until it was time to return home for the night. When the youngsters left, Kenia’s herd stayed where they were and continued with their browsing activities.
It was a cold morning as the orphans exited their stockade for their morning milk and supplement feeding. Emoli sat on the ground at the pellet feeding area to enjoy her pellets after which he then lay on them, a move which left Lasayen, Embu, Rorogoi and Tamiyoi surprised and a little annoyed. When he saw how upset his friends were he quickly got to his feet so that everyone could enjoy the pellets fairly. The stockade-dependent orphans then enjoyed a game of hide and seek as well as a dust bath after which they followed Sagala and Tagwa out to the Park.
On the way to the Park the juniors met up with Nelion, Tundani and Mashariki who joined them for the morning browsing session. At noon the group made their way to the baobab tree water hole where they had their noon milk feed before returning to their browsing activities as it was too cold for a mud bath. In the afternoon Arruba enjoyed scratching her bottom against a big rock while Ngilai and Emoli became engaged in a sparring session.
At 4pm a big wild elephant bull, coming to the baobab tree water hole, encountered the buffaloes Ivia and Cheza feeding in an erosion trench and broke into a run as he got a surprise by the two orphan buffaloes feeding there, and wanted to get away from them as quickly as possible.
The stockade-dependent orphans exited the stockades bright and early and enjoyed playing and bonding following the milk and supplement feeding. Mashariki enjoyed rolling around on the dust hill while Tahri and Mudanda stood behind her watching her game. Ndotto invited Embu for a strength testing game while Arruba watched over her adopted baby Pika Pika
Suswa and Emoli took the lead of the orphan herd to the Park with Tamiyoi leading them to the baobab tree water hole for their milk bottles, followed by a drink of water and a wallow. Sagala, Rorogoi and Arruba were the stars of the mud bath as they showcased their wallowing skills. Mashariki lay down in the water submerging her body while Arruba came and climbed on her back while Pika Pika tried to ride on Arruba’s back. Emoli and Ngilai did not wallow today, choosing instead to watch from the sidelines and join their friends when they returned to their browsing activities.
Today, following the milk and supplement feeding, Pika Pika showcased her unique soil bathing game as she scooped loose soil from a small hole and sprayed it over her body. Tamiyoi seemed to like the game that Pika Pika was playing and came in for a turn and the two enjoyed a private dust bathing session while the others had a dust bath on the mounds of soil. Pika Pika then went to join Arruba for another dust bath before the group headed out for the day.
Tamiyoi, Tagwa and Sagala led the group to the Park today and they spent the morning browsing peacefully. At noon they visited the waterhole for a drink of water and a wallow. Rorogoi had a lovely time rolling around in the water before running and charging from one side of the pool to the other while trumpeting loudly. Ndotto came out of the water and settled for a dust bath where he was joined by Arruba, Pika Pika and Godoma. Once the fun and games were over, the orphans returned to their browsing activities.
The stockade-dependent orphan elephants were scattered around the stockade compound this morning following the milk and Lucerne pellet feeding. Mudanda enjoyed a scratching session against a tree with Arruba coming in for a turn once Mudanda left. Rorogoi took advantage of Arruba’s absence to give Pika Pika a hug and enjoy some private time with her. Pika Pika was in a naughty mood today and went and pushed Ngilai’s bottom with her little tusks. Ngilai turned and chased Pika Pika who was already running away. Ngilai caught up with the youngster and tried to climb onto her back. Sagala came and intervened, rescuing Pika Pika who went for a scratching session against a rock. Ngilai engaged Sagala in a sparring session until Emoli came and took on Ngilai for a strength-testing game. Rorogoi ended the stockade games with a dust bath after which she joined her friends so that they could head out to the Park for the day.
Godoma teamed up with Tamiyoi for a private browsing session and the two spent the morning browsing side by side. At noon the orphan herd made their way to the water hole where they had a drink from the water trough before heading back to their browsing activities. In the afternoon Godoma stopped browsing to charge at Ivia and Cheza who were feeding close to the orphan elephants. The two buffalos were completely unperturbed by Godoma who returned to her browsing activities when she saw that Cheza and Ivia were not at all bothered by her antics.
It was an early morning for the orphans as they exited their stockades for their morning milk bottles followed by Lucerne pellet feeding. The orphans then enjoyed playing around the stockade compound before leaving for the Park.
Once the orphans arrived out in the bush they decided to spread out to browse, with some of them pairing up for the browsing session. Arruba settled with Godoma, Mudanda with Murit, Sagala with Rorogoi and Lasayen with Tamiyoi. Mudanda went for a scratching session against a tree after which she followed her friends who were making their way to the baobab tree waterhole.
The orphans gulped down their milk bottles before having a drink of water from the water trough. As it was a chilly day the orphans were reluctant to mud bath and chose instead to have a soil bath session on the dust hill, before resuming with their browsing activities.
On the way back to the stockades in the evening, the dependent orphans met up with Kenia, Araba, Ndii, Ndoria, Ishaq-B and Tundani who returned to the stockades with them, spending some time at the stockade compound before heading back to the Park for the night.
The morning was bright but cold as the dependent orphan elephants congregated at the milk feeding area where they downed their morning milk bottles before proceeding for the Lucerne pellet supplement feeding. There were some brief games around the stockade compound with Sagala engaging Tamiyoi in a pushing game while Murit enjoyed a scratching session against a rock.
Sagala, Tagwa and Tamiyoi took the lead of the group out to the Park where Lasayen stood on a rock in order to reach the higher branches of an acacia tree which had some lovely green leaves. Tagwa enjoyed playing in an erosion trench but none of the others joined her as they were busy with their browsing activities.
The orphans enjoyed their noon milk feed after which they went for a drink of water from the baobab tree water trough. At the waterhole they stood at the edge and sprayed themselves with water, without wanting to go into the water properly, before returning to their browsing activities. A wild herd with a small calf visited the waterhole for a drink after the orphans had left and as such they did not meet up.
Ngilai and his best friend Emoli enjoyed a sparring session at the end of the days browsing activities. When they were done playing they joined their friends who were ready to return to the safety of the stockades for the night.
After the milk and Lucerne pellet feeding was over the orphans enjoyed playing socializing games around the stockade compound. Tamiyoi and Pika Pika visited the favourite rock for a scratching session but found Murit already there so they went to the stockade terrace for a scratch instead. Mudanda was busy tossing huge chunks of red earth from the dust hill into the air and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this game.
The orphans left for the browsing grounds under the leadership of Godoma, Tagwa and Sagala.
The browsing went well with Arruba sticking to her adopted baby Pika Pika, while Tamiyoi, Tagwa, Sagala and Godoma enjoyed browsing together.
Ndotto took the lead of the first milk feeding group to the baobab tree waterhole where Rorogoi went straight to the water to spray herself before coming to the water trough for a drink. After a quick mud bath Arruba went to play in a small hole before coming out running to catch up with her friends.
Soon after the orphan herd left the waterhole, a wild elephant family that was waiting patiently for them to finish came to have a drink from the water trough and wallow in the mud bath.
It was a lovely beginning to the day as the orphans exited their stockades for the morning milk feed before joining Mashariki, Nelion and Tundani, who had come for a visit, at the Lucerne pellet feeding area. They then congregated around the water trough for a drink at which point Lasayen took on Emoli for a sparring session while Mashariki lay on the dust hill soil bathing as Embu stood by admiring her game.
The orphans left for the Park where they spent the day browsing in single file. The buffaloes Ivia and Cheza tried to approach Mashariki when she was browsing and she wasted no time charging at them and driving them a good distance away. Emoli and Ngilai enjoyed a sparring game while the rest of the orphan herd was busy browsing.
The orphan herd visited the water hole at noon for their milk feed and a wallow. Mashariki came out of the water to play on the side of the mud bath, where she was joined by Rorogoi. Mashariki and Nelion were the last ones to leave the water today as they were busy wallowing and showcasing their mud bathing skills. Nelion then left to join the others and when Mashariki realized she was on her own she came charging out of the water to catch up with the rest of the group who had settled to browse to the south of the waterhole.
After the morning milk and Lucerne pellet feeding the orphans congregated around the soil piles for an early morning dust bath. Tagwa, Tamiyoi, Tahri and Rorogoi showcased their dust bathing skills by taking centre stage. Rorogoi continued dusting on the opposite side of the dust bath to Ndotto while Godoma lay down to play while Mudanda kept an eye out for Ndotto. When he was done Ndotto went and engaged Arruba in a sparring game.
The orphan elephants, buffalos and Diria the zebra then headed out to the Park where they spent the morning browsing before visiting the baobab tree water hole for the noon milk feed. There the orphans enjoyed playing with wet soil that had been excavated from the water hole earlier on. After their mud bath, the orphan elephants had another dust bath with Mbegu being the star as she rolled around on the soil piles with Tahri, Mudanda and Ngilai, before they re-joined their friends for the afternoon browsing session.
After the early morning milk feed, Sagala went straight for a morning dust bath where she was joined by Ngilai and Tagwa. Ngilai dust bathed for a few minutes before leaving Tagwa and Sagala to enjoy a dust bath together with Sagala following Tagwa to the top of the dust hill.
The orphans headed out to the Park with Sagala in the lead. She stopped to climb a rock along the path while holding Emoli in a trunk hug in an effort to prevent him from overtaking her and taking the lead. Once out in the bush Sagala, Tagwa and Tamiyoi team up to browse while Ndotto rested his front foot on a rock as he took a break from browsing. Nelion took Godoma on in a sparring match while Murit and Lasayen sparred with one another too. Nelion then led the orphan herd to the baobab tree waterhole for their milk bottles and a drink of water, followed by a wallowing session in the mud bath.
In the mud bath, Ndotto teamed up with Ngilai for a bathing session while Suswa enjoyed a bath at the edge of the pool together with Arruba and Mbegu. Godoma went and sat on a rock with Emoli coming for a scratching session against it, followed a short while later by Arruba and Pika Pika. Ndotto engaged Mbegu in a strength-testing game while Murit enjoyed playing with a rock. The afternoon browsing session took place to the west of the waterhole.
It was a chilly morning as the orphans enjoyed playing around the stockade compound following the early morning milk and supplement feeding. Mashariki was having fun lying on top of the dust hill and rolling around in the soil. Ngilai followed while Emoli enjoyed climbing onto Godoma’s stomach. Ndotto came in and broke up the fun by trying to climb on her as well which resulted in Emoli leaving the game, worried that his friend would not be able to carry the weight of them both.
The boys were playing quite rough today with Ngiali pushing Tagwa and trying to climb on her back. Tagwa managed to avoid this happening and got away from Ngilai to enjoy a scratching session against the stockade terrace. Sagala went to the orphans’ favourite rock for a scratching session before joining Tamiyoi for a dust bath once the boys had left the dust piles.
Sagala, Tagwa and Tamiyoi took the lead of the orphan herd out for the day and they all enjoyed a peaceful browsing session on the western foot of Msinga Hill. Mashariki and Nelion, who had come to the stockades in the morning, followed the stockade dependent orphan elephants to the water hole, joining them for a wonderful mud bath after the noon milk feed. Pika Pika enjoyed lying on the banks of the waterhole while her friends were busy wallowing. Lasayen and Embu were left at the waterhole when the rest resumed with the days browsing activities, as the two orphans were waiting for a nearby wild elephant herd to come to the waterhole. In the end the two orphans decided to leave when they realized that the wild herd was patiently waiting for them to leave before they would come over for a drink of water and a wallow.
It was another wonderful morning as the orphans exited their stockades to begin their day with the usual milk and supplement feeding. Lasayen was a little greedy, finishing his share of pellets before trying to climb a rock in an effort to reach his friends pellets on the other side of the feeding tray. Emoli invited Ngilai to play a strength-testing game which he tried very hard to win. Once the fun and games were over the orphan herd headed out for the day.
Arriving out in the bush to browse, Pika Pika started stuffing herself full of grass and vegetation which she then had trouble chewing and swallowing. Arruba saw what Pika Pika was doing and came to investigate and make sure that Pika Pika was managing to swallow everything she was eating properly, checking Pika Pika’s mouth with her trunk. Perhaps she also wanted to see what she was eating and why it was so tasty!
The orphan herd visited the baobab tree water hole for a mud bath following the noon milk feed. Nelion dominated in the water taking central position as he enjoyed his mud bath. Mbegu, Tahri, Emoli and Sagala enjoyed playing with one another as they lay in the water. Tagwa and Sagala spent the afternoon browsing side by side enjoying each other’s company. Arruba and Ndotto ended the days browsing activities with a sparring session after which they followed their friends back to the stockades for the night.
Tagwa, Tamiyoi, Emoli and Godoma came running out of their stockades to grab their morning milk bottle which they downed in a matter of minutes before proceeding to the Lucerne pellet feeding area. After the supplement feeding was over, the orphans gathered at the piles of soil which they decided to slide down as they enjoyed a dust bath. Emoli was busy riding on Godoma’s stomach impairing her movement and preventing her from getting up. Sagala kept herself busy playing with a lump of soil which she was trying to break with her foot. Tamiyoi was busy running back and forth looking for Tagwa who was in the middle of pile of elephants on the dust piles.
The orphan herd made their way out to the Park to begin their browsing activities with Cheza and Ivia joining them. A short distance from the stockades the group were joined by Mashariki and Nelion who spent the morning browsing with them before following them to the water hole at noon. After the milk feed Ndotto led the group to the water hole where they had a drink from the water trough before entering the wallow. Rorogoi was the star of the wallowing session today as she charged around the water hole splashing the water and rolling around in the mud while Nelion, Mashariki and Tahri spent the time bathing together. Godoma, Mbegu and Embu later led the group to the dust hill for a dust bath after which they resumed their browsing activities.
Today an orphan baby male zebra was brought to the Voi stockades by KWS Rangers from Tsavo West National Park. The orphan zebra is about a week old and was rescued from a village in Nzukini which means a place that used to hive many bees. Diria the resident orphan baby zebra ignored the newcomer who has been named Nzuki which is the Kikamba name for bees.
The orphan elephants settled to enjoy supplements at the Lucerne pellet feeding trough following their morning milk bottle. Last night Murit lost a piece of his right tusk following a sparring session with Ndotto and Lasayen and he now has one smaller tusk. After a brief session playing at the dust hill Godoma led the way out to the Park followed by Lasayen, Sagala, Rorogoi and Emoli.
Later in the morning Godoma and Ngilai were seen with their heads together and the two appeared to be consulting together over something, after which they joined the rest of the group for the morning browsing session. Tamiyoi enjoyed browsing with Mashariki who had joined the group for the browsing activities.
Following the noon milk feed, Tagwa led the group to the baobab tree waterhole for a drink of water before enjoying a mud bath. Mashariki, Suswa and Lasayen took centre stage in the waterhole, while Rorogoi stood at the edge of the wallow stirring the muddy water with her leg and trunk. As soon as the orphans left the waterhole, a wild elephant herd came for a drink and a wallow after which they also enjoyed a dust bath.
Ndii, Ndoria, Tundani and Nelion joined the stockade-dependent orphans early this morning for the Lucerne supplement feeding after which they all left for the Park. Tahri was very excited to see Ndii and stuck close to her the entire time they were at the stockade compound.
This morning the orphans settled to browse at the foot of Msinga Hill with Tamiyoi browsing alongside Ndii. Ngilai took a break from browsing to enjoy a dust bath inside an erosion trench while Ndotto climbed a rock, standing above Mbegu who was browsing at the base of the same rock.
At 11am, the orphans headed to the milk feeding area for their milk bottles after which they followed Embu to the waterhole for a bath. Rorogoi was enjoying showcasing her wallowing skills at the edge of the mud bath while Ndii and Godoma were having fun wallowing in the middle.
Godoma then invited Murit for a sparring session as she sat on the ground while Lasayen knelt down at the edge of the wallow, as he didn’t want to get into the water. After a dust bath the orphans resumed their browsing activities which took place south of the waterhole.
Ndii, Nelion, Ndoria and Tundani arrived at the stockade compound early this morning and came to join the stockade-dependent orphans for the Lucerne pellet feeding. Sagala with her two new friends Tagwa and Tamiyoi finished the supplement feeding and went to enjoy a dust bath. The three left the dust mounds when the others came for a turn with Tagwa going for a scratching session against the stockade terrace. Ndii has visited the stockade several times this month and seems intent on taking Tahri with her which has the Keepers intervening to bring Tahri back as she is still milk dependent. Today Ndii was seen hugging Tahri and gently resting her head on Tahri’s back while Tamiyoi stood close by watching the two. Nelion tried to engage Godoma in a sparring session which Godoma avoided afraid of the big tusks that Nelion has.
At the baobab tree waterhole the orphans interacted with a wild herd following the noon milk feed. As it was a cold and chilly day none of the orphans wallowed, choosing instead to return to their browsing activities with Ndii feeding with Tahri, Sagala with Tagwa and Tamiyoi, Arruba with Pika Pika, Ngilai with Emoli and Tundani with Nelion. At the end of the days browsing session Tahri enjoyed a game of lying and rolling around on the ground while Ndii stood guard. Arruba and Ndotto enjoyed a sparring session with the four independent orphans escorting the juniors back to the stockades before returning to the Park for the night.
Today Ndotto was determined to engage Mbegu in a strength testing pushing game. Mbegu has often avoided sparring session with Ndotto who seems to want to stamp his male authority on the others and ascertain his hierarchy among the stockade-dependent orphan elephants. Mbegu again ignored Ndotto choosing instead to enjoy a scratching session against a tree while Emoli enjoyed a sparring session with Godoma. Ndotto was not happy being ignored by Mbegu and walked between Godoma and Emoli, bringing an end to their game, to engage Arruba in a tough strength testing game. Pika Pika wasn’t happy about this and came to try and break the game up at which point the orphans left for the Park.
The orphans spent the morning browsing in single file before visiting the baobab tree water hole for the noon milk feed. The group enjoyed mud bathing games with Rorogoi and Godoma showcasing their swimming and wallowing expertise with Embu coming to get Godoma out of the water before lying down at the edge of the waterhole and inviting Tahri to play with her, while Godoma went and sat on a small log. Rorogoi came charging into the water as the others were getting ready to come out and had to have a quick bath so that she could catch up with the group who were already heading out for the afternoon browsing session.
The morning began with the usual milk and supplement feeding after which Ndotto went in search of Mbegu for a sparring session. Today he was successful in getting Mbegu to play with him and they became engaged in a strength testing game while Godoma enjoyed a dust bath before enjoying a scratching session against the stockade terrace.
The orphans then made their way out to the Park to begin the days browsing activities. When they arrived at the northern side of Msinga Hill they encountered Kenia’s herd made up of Kenia, Ndii, Araba, Ndoria, Ishaq-B, Mashariki, Nelion and Tundani. The dependent orphans settled to browse with the independent group making a beeline for Tahri while Arruba kept her distance together with her adopted baby Pika Pika, and Sagala kept her new friends Tagwa and Tamiyoi close to her as they browsed.
They all visited the baobab tree water hole, after the noon milk feed, where they all enjoyed playing mud bathing games. Ndotto attempted to sit on Mashariki’s head as she was lying in the water which resulted in Kenia charging in to discipline him causing a commotion which had all the orphans running out of the water. Tahri was playing in the water and yelled out loudly which brought Kenia, Ndii and Ishaq-B coming to hug and reassure her. Mashariki came running out of the water and immediately charged at orphan buffalo Cheza who was standing close to the waterhole watching the orphans playing, chasing him away from the area. Rorogoi went to enjoy a dust bath, in her favourite spot, away from the rest who were bathing on the dust hill.
In the evening Kenia’s herd remained in the Park while the stockade dependent orphans returned to the safety of the stockades for the night.
After the morning milk feed, the dependent orphan elephants settled to enjoy the Lucerne pellets after which Tagwa and Tamiyoi went for a morning dust bath where they were joined by Sagala. Arruba and Ndotto were engaged in their usual sparring session which ended when it was time to follow the rest of their friends out to the Park for the day.
The orphan herd settled to browse on the foot of Msinga Hill with Ndotto and Lasayen making their way uphill as they browsed while their friends fed at the foot of the hill. The orphans later gathered under the commifora tree near the mud bath as they waited for their noon milk bottles to arrive. After their milk Tagwa and Tamiyoi then led the group for a drink of water at the baobab tree water trough where they were joined by a wild elephant herd. Tagwa tried to greet a tiny wild calf but was chased away but the calf’s family members.
Cheza and Ivia had come for a drink from the baobab tree water trough and encountered the wild elephant herd who tried to chase them away, but the two were unperturbed and didn’t move until they had their fill of water, after which they moved away of their own accord.
Ngilai and Emoli were engaged in a sparring session close to the water trough which continued as more wild elephant herds arrived at the waterhole for a drink. Arruba, Tamiyoi and Pika Pika were busy trying to find a way to get close to the wild calf but were unsuccessful in doing so. When the orphans left the waterhole to resume their browsing activities they left more than three wild elephant herds behind, all of whom were enjoying a drink and wallowing in the mud bath.
It was a perfect beginning to the day with the dependent orphan elephants following their daily routine of milk feeding followed by Lucerne pellet feeding and games around the stockade compound. Ndotto kept Arruba busy with a sparring game while Godoma kept Pika Pika company as the two enjoyed a scratching session against a rock. Once Pika Pika was done scratching Ngilai came in for a turn as well, while Tagwa and Tamiyoi settled at the dust piles where they threw huge chunks of the red earth into the air. Tagwa is very happy to have had the company of Sagala and Tamiyoi this month and together with Tahri the four of them led the group out to the Park this morning.
The orphans visited the baobab tree water hole after the noon milk feed and enjoyed wallowing in the cool mud bath. A wild elephant herd came to have a drink of water and Godoma was the first to greet and welcome them as she stretched her trunk towards them. The wild herd and the orphans enjoyed interacting with one another during which time Rorogoi decided to lie down in the grass. A big wild bull mistakenly thought that Rorogoi was in trouble and went towards her which had Rorogoi quickly getting to her feet. Rorogoi and Nelion enjoyed interacting with the wild bull and his friends before joining the rest of the orphan herd for the afternoon browsing session.
The dependent orphans exited their stockades for their morning milk bottles followed by Lucerne pellet feeding where they were joined by Kenia’s herd. They remained at the stockade compound to play for a while with Ndii inviting Araba and Ishaq-B for a game of lying on one another on the dust piles while Mbegu watched before making her way to the top of the stockade terrace to watch Ngilai and Emoli sparring. She then went to enjoy a rock scratching session.
The orphans headed out to the Park today under Mbegu and Godoma’s leadership with Kenia’s group following and bringing up the rear. The independent orphans in Kenia’s herd settled to browse on the southern side of Msinga Hill, making their way uphill while the juniors settled at the base of the northern side, spreading out for the morning browsing session.
At noon the orphans made their way to the baobab tree waterhole for the milk feed and a mud bath. Upon arriving at the milk feeding area, the orphan herd found their feeding area occupied by a wild herd so they had to have their milk bottles in a different area today, before returning to the waterhole for wallowing. They had a lot of fun mud bathing with Rorogoi remaining in the water to welcome a big wild elephant bull. Tamiyoi and Ndotto also interacted with some wild friends while Lasayen showcased his dust bathing skills on the dust piles. Tagwa was followed by a big wild bull which frightened her and she ran away from him yelling, so Mbegu followed her to get her to come and rejoin the orphan herd. The Keepers followed the two with a pickup to assist Mbegu in getting Tagwa to come back and assure her that everything was okay and there was nothing to be afraid of.
Rorogoi has never really accepted the fact that Ivia and Cheza, the orphan baby buffalos, are now part of the orphan herd and is always seen charging them and chasing them away. Diria and Nzuki are good friends and spend their days together with Nzuki occasionally trying to nurse from Diria who at that point runs off.