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Kithaka, Orwa and Tusuja joined the dependent orphans in the morning. Kauro, Mapia and Rapa, who spend their nights out these days before reporting back in the morning, arrived at their usual time. Little Kinyei, Bondeni and Kindani welcomed Rapa and saluted him with their trunks up. Kinyei entwined her trunk with his as a morning greeting. Kauro walked over to Tusuja and heartily greeted him too. From their interaction it seemed as though they had not met for some time, and perhaps Kauro was inquiring which side of Ithumba he stays on.

After feeding on lucerne for a while, Bondeni and Esoit engaged each other in a wrestling match. Mukkoka sauntered over and came in between them, abruptly ending their game. Orwa decided to escort the orphans out to browse. Naleku teamed up with Kindani to browse while Kinyei chose to feed alongside Suguroi. Bondeni found a suitable rock that he used to scratch his back and bottom against.

Shortly before mud bath time, we were delighted to see Ndiwa, Malkia and Pare appear out of the bush and join the orphans, as they have been away for a few days now. Kithaka walked ahead to the mud bath and enjoyed swimming on his own before the orphans arrived for their milk bottles. Zurura passed by, heading west. He stopped briefly at the mud bath and splashed some water behind his ears, before proceeding with his journey. At eleven o'clock the orphans had their milk, enjoyed a short mud bath before going to dry off in a soil dusting exercise.

In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. Musiara chose to browse with Naleku while Kuishi teamed up with Larro and Esoit. Suguroi and Naleku found some nice trees that they used to scratch their ears and buttocks against. Kindani took a break from feeding to have a game of rolling on the ground. Bondeni came over and took advantage of Kindani lying down to rub and scratch against her, which she didn’t mind at all.

In the evening, Sattao led the way home. Neshashi, Malkia, Ndiwa and Pare lagged behind — and when the Keepers went to steer them towards the stockades, because young Neshashi was with them, the group of four ran in the opposite direction! The Keepers were trying to get the others to escort Neshashi into the stockade, as she only ever moves with a group. The group refused to cooperate, however. In the end, the Keepers decided to leave Neshashi under their care for the night, as they didn’t want to stress her by running and chasing after her, which she really dislikes. She is on the older side, so she would be okay for the night with her friends, and they would look for her first thing in the morning!

As the orphans spread out to enjoy some lucerne this morning, Mutara and her group of friends arrived. A wild bull emerged from the east of the stockades to have some water. Naleku and Ambo were curious and walked down to meet the wild bull. Ambo said hello then walked back to where the others were still feeding, while Naleku politely drank water alongside him. Ambo had a brief conversation with Mukkoka before moving to engage older Suguta in a light pushing game. Bondeni, Kinyei and Kindani found a nice round rock close to the lucerne feeding area to scratch against. Their fun scratching game came to an end when Roho squeezed past them, pushing them aside to take over the rock for himself. He lent against it, taking up all the space and forcing Kindani and Kinyei away. Bondeni stood close by however, waiting for Roho to finish so that he could resume scratching. Musiara engaged Sapalan in a pushing game while Suguroi stood close to Turkwel as if trying to measure her height against her.

Later in the morning out in the bush, Roho engaged Naboishu in a strength testing exercise, before moving on to play with Musiara. Esoit, who has formed a close friendship with Bondeni, decided to have a strength testing exercise with him too, but their game ended in a draw. Later, Kinyei teamed up with Olorien to browse while Kindani engaged Rapa in a light pushing game. Esoit settled to browse with his favourite adopted sister, Kuishi. At mud bath time, soon after finishing their milk, the orphans were joined by Kitirua, who was running away from some wild bulls as she is evidently in season. Kitirua chose to spend the afternoon with the orphans and Keepers in her attempt to have a break from the wild bulls pursuing her.

The orphans chose to relax and browse east of Ithumba Hill for the remaining part of the day. Shortly before five o'clock in the evening, Dololo engaged Mukkoka in a strength testing match where neither one emerged as the winner. Then Suguroi led the first group back to the stockades for the night, followed by Olorien leading the rest of the herd.

The orphans relaxed in the lucerne feeding area after leaving their night stockades. The playful Roho picked on Naboishu for a strength testing exercise. A wild elephant and her baby joined the orphans as they tucked into the lucerne the Keepers were distributing. Naleku took the opportunity to engage the new wild baby in a pushing game. The baby then spotted Esoit and decided he wanted to play with him as well. He must have sensed Esoit’s playful character! When the orphans had enough lucerne, Kuishi, who is the group leader these days, led the way out to browse. Her seniors, Sana Sana, Malkia, Kamok, Kauro, Mapia, Rapa, Ndiwa and Pare, have stopped coming back at night and often they are late arriving in the morning as well, meeting up with the dependent orphans in the bush rather than at the stockades. Others who have recently said goodbye to the stockade life are Nabulu, Neshashi and Malima. Only time will tell if this is a permanent decision or not.

The orphans settled to browse east of the stockade. Kauro and Rapa arrived and joined the orphans. Kauro teamed up with quiet Larro to browse while Bondeni teamed up with Kinyei. All in all it was a peaceful morning as the orphans browsed calmly up to mud bath time when Kindani led the first group for their 11am milk feed. The orphans had their milk then Ambo, Musiara, Roho, Suguroi and Naleku decided to get in the mud bath before going to dry off on the loose soil. A group of ex-orphans showed up at the mud bath but didn't stay long. They headed north as the dependent orphans headed east, where they spent a quiet day browsing.

While their friends enjoyed some lucerne, Naboishu engaged Roho in a morning warm-up game which soon turned into a strength testing match. Kuishi, in her new leadership and matriarchal role, could see that the game was escalating, and she came over to stand in between the two bulls. We imagined her telling them that it was still too early for them to be engaged in such pushing games! Jotto decided to have his own fun and he got down on the ground for a rolling game. Mukkoka came over and tried to make him stand up, but Jotto wasn’t interested and wanted to continue with his rolling fun! After the orphans had enough lucerne, Kindani led the orphans out.

On the way the orphans met with Rapa and Kauro returning from their night adventures, but the two bulls didn't stop to join the orphans and continued on with their morning mission.

Later in the morning, Naleku and Jotto had a short game rolling on the ground together and when they were done, they decided to continue spending time with one another and opted to browse together too.

As the orphans made their way to the mud bath for the 11am milk feed, Esoit decided to compete with Lodo in a race. Lodo couldn’t believe it when they tied and arrived at the same time! As Esoit drank his milk, he tilted his head to look at Lodo and it certainly looked as though he was smiling and asking if Lodo had perhaps underestimated him.

In the evening the orphans were briefly joined by some ex-orphans from Yatta’s herd, and they all browsed quietly together in the Kone area for the rest of the day.

Just as the orphans were tucking into some lucerne grass put out by the Keepers, Mutara’s herd showed up. We immediately noticed Malkia in their group; she appears to have settled in Mutara’s herd quite nicely, acting as nanny towards little Mambo. This must be a dream come through for her, as she has been besotted with Mambo practically since he was born, so we are very happy for her. 

Kalama, who is in season at the moment, arrived, followed by three wild bulls. There was a little excitement in the compound as the orphans turned to watch Kalama as she was pursued by the persistent bulls. Naleku, Lodo, Sagateisa and Esoit decided to follow the excitement and took off Kalama and her admirers, and it took the Keepers some time before they could bring the situation under control. Naleku totally refused to turn back, but finally the Keepers cornered her and brought her back to join her friends. Yatta and her family showed up briefly and joined Mutara’s group, then headed west.

Out in the bush, Roho, as usual, picked on Naboishu for a pushing game which went on for ages. Dololo played with his old Nursery friend Musiara, while Esoit settled to browse with Kuishi. At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk then walked over to the water trough where they were joined by the ex-orphans and two wild bulls in musth. The situation became complicated when the Keepers tried to separate the dependent orphans from the group to walk back out to the bush. The bulls kept on charging at them, but finally the Keepers managed to retrieve the orphans and continue with the afternoon.

The orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. Olorien chose to browse with Esoit and Lodo while Kindani, Kinyei, Bondeni and Roho teamed up together to browse. After all the excitement throughout the day, it was relieving to have a quiet and peaceful afternoon during which the orphans focused on browsing quietly.

After settling on lucerne in the morning, the orphans were joined by a wild family that they already know. The two babies accompanying the wild herd engaged Jotto, Olorien, and Naleku in a strength testing exercise. The feeding of lucerne didn't last for long, as the playful Suguroi ran towards the bushes, trumpeting. The trumpeting attracted the rest of her group, and from there, everyone moved off into the bush.

The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. After some time, Kindani, Kinyei, Bondeni, Lodo, and Sagateisa took a break from feeding to have a game of rolling on the ground. Jotto and Naboishu, who like pushing games, challenged each other for quite some time. The weather was chilly and the orphans browsed calmly throughout the morning session. At mud bath, the orphans had their milk. Roho was the only one who participated in mud bathing, as his colleagues stood nearby watching. In the afternoon, the orphans settled in the Imenti area. Naboishu engaged Dololo into a pushing game while Kuishi played with Jotto. The rest of the day was quiet. In the evening, Challa, Kilaguni, Tusuja, Kanjoro, and three wild elephants showed up for water at the stockade compound.

It was a beautiful morning today, with glorious sunrise from the east.The babies had their usual morning breakfast then ambled out to feed on lucerne. They met with ex-orphans including Melia, Olare, Challa, Sunyei with her baby Saba, Mutara with her baby Mambo, Sities, Turkwel, Kainuk, and Kandecha. Melia was with Milo, who was busy playing with some orphans while feeding on lucerne.

In the bush, Dololo was busy play-fighting with Mukoka while the rest were browsed.The three new babies, Bondeni, Kindani, and Kinyei, happily joined their friends in playing with the dust. They had a good dust bath, with Suguroi rolling particularly enthusiastically. Esoit was also with them, while Kuishi was close by, watching and comforting him. The babies later walked to the mud bath for their milk bottles.

Later, Jotto snuck off to join the ex-orphans present, including Wendi. We tried to call him back, but he refused. Because he is in the weaning stage, we decided to leave him with his older friends— he gets only a bottle of water now, instead of milk.He reappeared in the early morning. 

This morning, there was already a group of ex-orphans waiting outside the stockades. Looking keenly in the group,we found Neshashi amongst them! She came running towards the Keepers, requesting milk. We gave her two bottles and then encouraged her to join the others at the lucerne feeding point. Neshashi had disappeared in the bush for a good ten days. She was accompanied by ex-orphans Galla, Olsekki, Kilaguni, Barsilinga, and Enkikwe. While they took very good care of her, the young girl had clearly missed her milk feeds. All the babies clustered around Neshashi, smelling her and perhaps asking her about her adventures. 

After her time away, Neshashi came back a more reddish colour, from rolling and wallowing in different soil. This confused Kinyei, Kindani, and Bondeni, who thought she was an entirely new addition to the herd. Bondeni tried to bully her, but Neshashi swiftly got her revenge on the upstart young bull. 

Back in the bush, the babies were very busy browsing. Suddenly, they started running here and there — something had clearly startled them. In the chaos, Sagateisa, Kuishi, Ambo, and Esoit got caught up in a wild herd. It took the Keepers two hours to shepherd them back! We suspect they had seen a lion, as two have been seen in the environs of Ithumba recently, or perhaps a bull in musth set them off. There are many bulls in musth at the moment, which also challenged the search, as they can be very aggressive. Luckily, the babies were returned to the group and everyone was very happy to welcome them back.

The orphans settled to feed on lucerne soon after leaving the stockades. Tomboi, along with Mutara’s group, joined them. Then, Kindani led the way to the browsing field. Mukkoka, Roho, and Kuishi took some time off from browsing to have a game of rolling on the ground. Afterwards, Kuishi picked up her favourite Esoit and took him a distance away for a private browsing session. Suguroi teamed up with Neshashi and Naleku.

At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk then walked through the water just to wash their feet because the weather was chilly. Taita and Challa joined them for a soil dusting exercise where they were joined by Taita and Challa. Musiara stood next to a wild bull at the water trough, wondering how long it would take him to grow to such a height. 

In the evening, the orphans were joined by Zurura, who escorted them back to the stockade.

Tomboi joined the orphans briefly in the morning. Esoit raised his trunk up as he tried to ask Tomboi why he was in such a hurry. The older bull didn't respond, but continued with his journey towards the east. Ambo and Musiara entwined their trunks in morning greetings. On the way to the browsing field, the orphans were joined by Kalama, who has been in season for the past week and appeared to be tired of her trail of amorous bulls. The only safe place she could think of was amongst the orphans and keepers.

In the browsing field, Esoit had fun by rolling on the ground. Kuishi and Larro observed in order to assist if he needed any help. Esoit had fun and when he had enough, he stood up to prove to Kuishi and Larro that he was fit. He shook his head, as if to thank them for showing care to him. Shortly later, Bondeni passed by and Esoit tried to block him. Bondeni couldn't allow this to happen, so decided to defend himself. The two boys engaged in a fierce fight. Kuishi intervened, unable to sit back and watch the boys hurt each other. She separated the two boys then talked to them to make peace. 

At mud bath time, Naleku led the way to the milk feeding venue. The weather was chilly and none of the orphans dared to step into the water. Orok and Rapsu briefly interacted with the orphans before leaving for an undisclosed location. 

Later, Wendi, Wiva, Wema, Wimbi, Sunyei, Saba, Kilabasi, Kofi, Makireti, Loijuk, and Lili showed up at the mud bath. Saba was limping. She likely got hurt when Sunyei was in season and being pursued by many amorous bulls, as Saba was always running to follow her mother. Luckily, it looked to be a minor ache that would clear up on its own.

Bomani, Enkikwe, Lemoyian, Barsilinga, Esampu, and Pare spent the night outside the stockade. The orphans left soon after having their milk. Shortly later, Mutara and her group showed up. Naleku walked over to Mambo and they had a lovely play session — until, that is, Larro came over and pushed her away, because she wanted to spend time with Mambo! Musiara bumped into Esampu and had several questions for her. Musiara asked Esampu why she had left the stockade life so early and how was life treating her outside. Esampu didn't respond to Musiara's questions but walked away. 

Later, Kindani led the way to the browsing field. Ambo teamed up with Kuishi while Musiara settled to browse with Sattao. Olorien took some time off from browsing to have fun rolling on the ground. Esoit, Roho, Naboishu, Suguroi, Neshashi, Sagateisa, and Jotto joined Olorien in her fun and games.

At mud bath time, the weather was chilly and none of the orphans dared to step into the water. After taking their milk, they headed to the water trough. They were joined by Mutara’s group and two wild bulls. Afterwards, the orphans had a soil dusting exercise before heading back for browsing. The orphans settled to browse east of Ithumba hill. Jotto engaged Musiara in a pushing game while Roho played with Bondeni. Bondeni quit the game when the going got tough for him. In the evening, Suguroi led the first group while Kindani led the second group.

Mutara’s group that had spent the night outside the stockade, just like old times. It made us remember when Suguroi, Sities, and Kainuk were in the height of ‘Dololomania’ and camped outside the compound, waiting for their beloved Dololo to emerge in the morning! 

In the morning, Suguroi engaged Mambo into a light pushing game. This didn’t last long, as Mambo withdrew and went back to his mother. After having enough of lucerne, Kindani led the way to the browsing field. Mukkoka engaged Dololo in a strength testing exercise that ended in a draw while Naboishu challenged Roho. Kinyei came across a nice tree that she used to scratch an itchy ear.

At the browsing field, Larro teamed up with Roho while Kuishi followed her darling Esoit. At mud bath time, fifteen wild bulls were present. This is an indication of the start of the dry season, meaning most of the water holes are now drying up. The orphans had their milk, then Naleku led the way to the water trough. After drinking water, Roho, Sagateisa, and Naboishu settled for a soil dusting exercise. Roho took advantage of Naboishu’s prone position and clambered atop him. 

The orphans then settled in the Kanziku area and browsed calmly throughout the remaining part of the day. In the evening, Neshashi — who is becoming a drama queen of escaping — found the ex-orphans at the stockade compound and refused to enter her bedroom with her colleagues. Instead, she ran to the ex-orphans and tried to play a game of hide-and-seek with the Keepers. At last, the Keepers managed to retrieve her from the ex-orphans and escorted her into her stockade. Neshashi reluctantly walked inside, but we can be sure that she now had a plan of how to escape without the Keepers’ knowledge. The call of the wild is strong with this one; she was rescued at a much older age and clearly craves independence. It is only a matter of time before Neshashi will be gone without even saying goodbye to her human family.

Yatta, Yogi, Lenana, and Lapa arrived in the morning. Yatta, who is in season, was trying to avoid the amorous bulls who were after her. One of the bulls was hostile to the Keepers and charged whoever crossed his path of vision. Esoit defended himself from Yogi when the upstart young bull attempted to attack him, simply because he thought that he was the same height as Esoit. Esoit fought hard until he defeated Yogi. The defeat prompted Yogi to withdraw and slink back to his mother.

Meanwhile, Roho tried to trick Lapa into playing with him, with very little success. Roho left to check on Bondeni, who also declined to play with him. Bondeni opted instead to play with Esoit. Their game went on for quite some time, until Kuishi came over and whisked her beloved Esoit away. The orphans browsed slowly as they headed towards the mud bath.

At mud bath time, several bulls showed up and later the ex-orphans followed. Noticeable was Dad, the majestic tusker who presides over northern Tsavo East. He appears to have been involved in a serious fight with another bull, because his left tusk was broken and he had a hole in his trunk. While noticeable, the injuries were not serious and he did not appear to be in pain.

The orphans had their milk, then walked to the water trough to drink water before returning back to the browsing field. The rest of the afternoon was quiet as everyone concentrated on browsing. In the evening, a group consisting of 45 ex-orphans and 20 wild elephants showed up at the stockade compound for water.

The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockades. Lualeni, who also appears to be in season, arrived in the company of several wild bulls. The past few weeks, many females have been in season — and likewise, many bulls in musth. This means that the year 2025 will bring a baby bounty, as elephants have a 22-month gestation period.

As the amorous bulls pursued Lualeni, little Lexi kept trying to follow her mother, unaware of the dangers she was exposing herself to. Saba and Yebo, who have been caught in this melee of mating, know better. They were minorly hurt in the chaos of running and charging bulls, but both are recovering well.

Kindani led the way to the browsing field, followed by Bondeni and Kinyei. The orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. It was a quiet morning. Jotto browsed with Musiara while Esoit teamed up with his adopted big sister, Kuishi. The orphans browsed as they walked towards the mud bath. Dad, who has made a habit of showing up every day at the mud bath, was also present in the company of four wild friends. Larro led the way back to the browsing field. 

The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. Mutara’s group, who had spent the night outside the stockade, teamed up with them. Mapia, Rapa, Kauro, Malkia, and Pare, who are the latest to quit the stockade life, were also present. The orphans left early after only spending thirty minutes with the ex-orphans. 

The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. The drama began when a group of buffaloes passed by. Sagateisa decided to follow them and it took all the Keepers to coax her back to the orphans. On the way back, however, Sagateisa crossed paths with a wild elephant herd. She decided to give the Keepers an even bigger headache by running away with the wild herd. The Keepers are becoming expert trackers, so they eventually located the wayward young girl and succeeded in bringing her back. Like Neshashi, it is only a matter of time before Sagateisa joins the wild. She simply feels more comfortable in the company of big elephants, wild or ex-orphans. 

After this drama, the orphans browsed calmly up to mud bath time. Bomani joined the orphans briefly. The weather was chilly and none of the orphans dared to step into the water. Instead, Ambo led everyone in a soil dusting exercise. Later, Kuishi led the way back to the browsing field, where Bondeni engaged Esoit into a pushing game that ended in a draw. In the evening, Olorien led the first group back to the stockades. Four wild herds of elephants reported for water.

Kinna, Kama, Kaia, and three wild bulls were present in the morning when the orphans were let out. Naleku headed straight to play with Kaia. The brave Sagateisa walked down to the water trough and joined a wild bull for a drink. Naboishu joined Kauro, while Kama challenged Kuishi. After the orphans had enough lucerne, Sattao led the way to the browsing field, where Kuishi teamed up with Sagateisa and Esoit in browsing. Bondeni, Kinyei, Kindani, Dololo, and Larro took a break from feeding to have a game of rolling on the ground. As the day progressed, Esoit tackled Bondeni in a pushing game while Ambo challenged Rapa. Neshashi and Musiara opted for a soil dusting exercise before leading the way to the mud bath. 

Soon after taking their milk, the orphans walked to the water trough and joined several ex-orphans, Dad, and his fellow bull friends for a drink. Kaia, who appears to be at loggerheads with Kuishi, met the older girl and started challenging her. Their fighting game ended in a draw. In the afternoon, Esoit challenged Bondeni while Mukkoka engaged Ambo in a strength testing exercise. Olorien later led the way back to the stockades.

Kibo, who had been missing in action for some time, reported early in the morning and relaxed at the lucerne feeding venue. The orphans were let out soon after taking their milk. Shortly later, Sunyei, Siku, Saba, Makena, and two wild bulls showed up. Sunyei didn't like the presence of Kibo — who is a notorious rascal, even in his older age — and chased him away. Saba had a pushing game with Bondeni while Dololo played with Mukkoka. 

After the orphans had enough of lucerne, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. Esoit had a brief conversation with Kindani and later challenged her to a strength testing exercise. Turkwel, Bomani, and Orwa joined the orphans for a peaceful browsing session.

At the mud bath, the dependent herd was joined by several ex-orphans. Ambo decided to join Esampu, Mteto, and Maramoja, who were looking after baby Nyx. It was cloudy and none of the orphans dared to step into the water. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse east of Ithumba Hill. Naleku, Suguroi, Lodo, Kuishi, and Ambo took a break from feeding to play on the ground together. Sattao, Musiara, and Jotto split from the main herd and browsed a distance away from their colleagues. They rejoined with the group just before it was time to return to the stockades. 

It was a quiet morning, as no ex-orphans showed up to join the orphans. Bondeni shared lucerne with Kinyei while Musiara teamed up with Dololo and Sagateisa. As soon as the orphans had enough to eat, Naleku, Suguroi, Olorien, Roho, and Mukkoka walked down to the water trough. Kindani led the way to the browsing field. Esoit teamed up with his elder sister Kuishi, while Jotto engaged Musiara into a strength-testing exercise. Roho played Lodo as Larro settled to browse with Neshashi. On the way to the mud bath, the orphans were joined by Turkwel and Kibo, who escorted them the rest of the way. Lualeni, Lulu, Lexi, Malima, Naserian, Njema, Sunyei, Lenana, Lapa, Siku, and Saba also converged on the scene. 

The orphans had their milk then a soil dusting exercise before heading back to the browsing field. Lapa followed Mukkoka a distance away from the mother as he engaged the bull in a strength testing exercise. Naboishu and Roho teamed up with Mukkoka, which caused Lapa to surrender and return to his mother. The orphans settled to browse along the upper side of the Kalovoto seasonal river. The clouds cleared, giving way to glorious sunshine. The high temperatures inspired Naleku, Dololo, Musiara, Kuishi, Suguroi, Sattao, and Olorien to take a break from feeding and relax under a tree instead. The orphans resumed browsing when the temperatures dropped to a favourable level.

Enkikwe, Kauro, Turkwel, Mapia, Ithumbah, Iman, Nusu, Mundusi, and two wild elephants joined the orphans in the morning. Kauro carried a whole bale for himself and walked away to eat in peace. The peace was short-lived, as Enkikwe came and stole away the bale from him. Jotto engaged Mapia in a pushing game — he was clearly making up for lost time, as Mapia had been away for a spell. 

Shortly later, Sagateisa led the way to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Roho engaged Naboishu into a strength testing match as Esoit participated in a soil dusting exercise. The rest of the morning was quiet. At mud bath time, Larro led the way to the mud bath. After taking their milk, the orphans relaxed while the Keepers had their lunch. A wild bull joined the orphans briefly before heading to an undisclosed location. In the afternoon, Sattao engaged Lodo in a light strength testing exercise while Ambo held a brief meeting with Kuishi. In the evening, Suguroi led the way back to the stockades.