Keepers' Diaries, March 2009
Nairobi Nursery Unit
There were further tragedies in the Nairobi Nursery at the beginning of March. Two month old Kirisia, found alone near the Kirisia forest close to Maralal in Northern Kenya, who arrived in an extremely emaciated condition, and who would have died during the flight but for intravenous life support, died on the 1st just a week after being rescued. His death was followed on the 2nd by that of Soit from the Masai Mara, who also arrived extremely emaciated from milk deprivation and who also died just a week after being rescued. The death of these two orphans means that the Nursery has lost 5 infant elephant new arrivals in the last 2 weeks, one from the dreaded pneumonia and all the others from stomach related problems caused by the Rota virus. It is relevant that all these calves originated from pastoral tribal areas where elephants have to share the same watering places as hordes of emaciated and diseased domestic livestock, who are also suffering from drier than usual weather conditions. This leaves one wondering how many other wild babies succumb during very dry periods when immune systems are depressed through drought. Powdered dust polluted by the dung of domestic stock around such places cannot help but be sucked up into elephant lungs, and the Rota virus is apparently especially virulent in young animals. With livestock now present in large numbers in all the National Parks (some 80,000 in Tsavo, for instance), something the Government seems impotent to tackle fearing the political fallout, this poses yet another threat to the survival of Kenya’s priceless wild heritage, in addition to that of poaching for ivory and bushmeat and death through drought related starvation, all factors that are escalating. We find it exceedingly shocking that the Government is even considering allowing sport hunting and culling in a new Draft Bill, ill-advised activities introduced into a wild population already under severe stress and declining rapidly. One wonders when, and if, the political madness, the greed and the corruption will end in this once beautiful country!
01 March 2009
It was a very hot day, but the orphans emerged from their Night Quarters in a jovial mood, and embarked on trying to knock down the brittle branches of dessicated shrubs, something that defeated most of them. Little Kibo took a great interest in the antics of all the others.
02 March 2009
Mawenzi is a real water-baby, who delights all the mudbath visitors by rolling around in the mudbath during the Open Visiting Hour. This usually stimulates all the others to follow suit, and today they put on a particularly spectacular show for our visitors.
03 March 2009
Lesanju, Lempaute and Sinya have been very unsettled ever since Wasessa, Shimba, Mzima and Siria were transferred to the Voi Rehabilitation Station. In order to try and settle them, the smaller elephants were brought to join them. Lesanju immediately adopted Sabachi, which did not please Sinya, who is very possessive of Lesanju’s affection. Dida’s tiny tusks have begun to protrude through the lip, which is a surprise, because normally the tusks of most infant elephants erupt at the age of two, so according to our age calculations, Dida’s have come about 5 months earlier than expected, although we have noticed this phenomenon in elephants that originate from the Amboseli population – Orok and Kimana being cases in point.
04 March 2009
As soon as the babies were let out of their Night stables, Sabachi went in search of Lesanju and upon locating her, rushed to suckle her ears, which delighted her and left Sinya jealous. Meanwhile the baby of the group, little Kibo has resisted being “possessed” by anyone other than his Keepers and the hung blanket, against which he still takes his milk feeds. After mudbath Kimana and Suguta engaged each other in a pushing match, which was interrupted by Lempaute, who separated them.
05 March 2009
Soon after the orphans emerged in the morning, they came across a herd of impalas, enjoying the early morning sunshine. Immediately Lesanju, Lempaute and Sinya charged the antelopes, sending them scurrying off into the bushes. Meanwhile the babies spent their time charging around small shrubs, trying to push them over, and picking up debris and throwing it into the air. Lempaute is still as mischievous as ever at the mudbath, taking a delight in frightening school children spectators by running towards them, and enjoying their screaming retreat enormously!
06 March 2009
When the 9 a.m. feed was being laid out for the orphans, a warthog ran past Dida and Kenia, who were browsing close together. This left them very shaken, leaving them running up and down, which aroused the attention of the entire group, who followed suit, disrupting the feeding schedule. At the mudbath a group of buffalo turned up to take salt from the nearby rocks, which left Lesanju and Lempaute extremely unsettled, watching them closely with outspread ears. The buffaloes were not deterred.
07 March 2009
Kibo, who is the youngest baby currently in the Nursery is still very attached to the Keepers and the blanket that has to be hung when he feeds. He enjoys suckling the Keepers’ fingers all day, and does not want to play with the others yet.
08 March 2009
The abscess that Sabachi developed on his forehead has now been drained, and is obviously less painful. He is settling down well now that he is free of pain.
09 March 2009
The wound on Mawenzi’s back, inflicted by her fall down that rocky well at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro, is healing well, but is extremely itchy. She constantly tries to scratch it against the others. Many visitors want to adopt Mawenzi because of her discomfort, but the itching is a sign of healing, which in time will pass.
10 March 2009
Baby rhino Maalim is a huge attraction at the Open Visiting Hour, which he thoroughly enjoys, going along the line of the rope and enjoying being touched by all the onlookers, rubbing himself against their legs. When it is time to leave, none of the visitors want him to go!
11 March 2009
Lempaute has a new mudbath trick now. She collects dust up in her trunk, walks along the line of visitors, and suddenly blows it out all over them! The visitors were extremely surprised because she spent the entire hour doing this systematically so that all the visitors were covered in dust by the end of the Visiting Hour!
12 March 2009
Since the babies have been separated again from the older group led by Lesanju, Sabachi has become much calmer and is beginning to feed better, instead of spending time sucking on Lesanju’s ears. He is beginning to gain weight and interact more with the others in his Baby Group.
13 March 2009
The Big Group comprised of Lesanju, Lempaute, Dida, Sinya, Shira and Taveta have decided to separate into two separate units, Lesanju, Lempaute, Sinya and Dida browsing together while Kenia, and Taveta stick together and browse separately.
14 March 2009
Today there was a rescue alert from Amboseli. Amazingly yet another baby elephant had fallen down the same well at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro that orphaned Sinya, Mawenzi and Kibo. The rescue was mobilized, and the calf flown back to Nairobi, arriving in the Nursery at about 4 p.m, in good health, but with extensive bruising on the back and leg joints. She was named “Shira”.
15 March 2009
The new baby “Shira” was kept in the stockade today, because she is still aggressive and very fearful when she sees a group of people, thinking that she is going to be captured again, or have an injection. At around 3 p.m. yet another phone call, this time from Laikipia, alerted us to another baby elephant rescued from the mud of a drying waterhole near Maralal in Northern Kenya. This baby bull, aged about 5 months, arrived at 6 p.m. and is in reasonable health, but very traumatized and tired. He was named “Bahawa” which is the name of the place where he was found.
16 March 2009
The latest arrival, “Bahawa” had two Keepers with him during the morning, but in the afternoon after the mudbath, he was allowed to join the Suguta team and head out into the bush. To begin with he kept walking off on his own, shunning company, (which is normal grieving behaviour). Meanwhile, Shira was still in the Stockade during the day, because she was not yet sufficiently docile to be trusted out, but when the youngsters passed by her stockade, she was obviously attracted to them.
17 March 2009
Soon after the mudbath, Shira was let out of the Stockade to join the others, but immediately ran off into the bush, with the Keepers in hot pursuit. Meanwhile Lesanju, Lempaute and Sinya also ran after her, and together they and the Keepers surrounded Shira, and prevented any further attempt at escape. Lesanju, Lempaute and Sinya were extremely helpful to the Keepers in keeping Shira under guard.
18 March 2009
At the 3 p.m. feed out in the bush, Lesanju, Lempaute, Sinya and Dida ran fast towards their bottles, hotly pursued by the Keepers. Upon arrival at the feeding venue, the Keepers realized that Shira was not amongst the group, so two Keepers returned to round her up, and bring her to the milk.
19 March 2009
Shira is still very nervous of the Keepers, only approaching them when it is milk time, and once she has finished her share, walking away. Even at night in the Stockade she does not want to be too close to a human, unlike little Bahawa, who loves suckling on the Keepers’ fingers.
20 March 2009
Both Shira and Bahawa enjoy being on their own once out in the bush, walking away from all the others, the loss of their elephant mother and family still very fresh in their minds. However, Lesanju and Lempaute are working hard to bring them into the fold. Meanwhile Mawenzi, Ndii and Kimana are active during bottle feeding times, and also browsing together. They enjoy pushing the bigger elephants because they want to be first in line. Sabachi often plays with Kimana, and holds his own, also enjoying being in the front.
21 March 2009
Maalim thoroughly enjoyed his mudbath hour today. Having walked up and down the line of visitors, he enjoyed the mini mudwallow that had been created for him, after which he loved being dusted with hot soft earth to dry him off. In fact, he enjoyed this so much that he refused to leave the pile of earth, and had to be forcibly carried off!
22 March 2009
It was another scorchingly hot day, so the babies, came to the mudbath flapping their ears in an attempt to cool themselves. Whilst some ran for their bottles of milk, Sabachi, Mawenzi, Bahawa and Ndii plunged straight into the mudbath and splashed water all over themselves before running for their milk. All then had a wonderful mudbath, Kimana and Sabachi giving the little girls a hard time by trying to climb onto them whenever they lay down. As the group was about to leave, Dida and Ndii enjoyed chasing some warthogs and their piglets around, who had also come to cool themselves off in the mudbath.
23 March 2009
Because it was a very hot day, Maalim went straight into the mini mudbath created especially for him, and had a wonderful wallow, assisted by the Keepers. He then went to the earth pile, and enjoyed being dried off covered in the hot earth. After this he became very playful, and ran through the rope into the crowd, bumping into visitors’ legs, which caused a joyful uproar. Maalim responded with a mini charge, his head held near the ground, before scampering back to his Keepers. All the visitors were amazed that this tiny individual could be so clever.
24 March 2009
Suguta is usually a very mild personality, but today after the mudbath, she pushed Kimana, Ndii and Sabachi, one after the other, which was very out of character. The Keepers were shocked, because normally she is a very polite little girl.
25 March 2009
Just after the mudbath Shira ran off into the bushes, and did not want to follow the others. The Keepers went to round her up and bring her back to the older group.
26 March 2009
Another rescue alert this morning, again from the Laikipia area where another orphaned elephant of about 9 months had been found by Samburu herdsmen on his own. He was flown from Tassia airfield and arrived in the Nursery at around 4 p.m., very tired, weak and thin, but not beyond retrieval. He was named “Tassia” and put in the Stockade previously occupied by Dida, who had to be moved in with Shira.
27 March 2009
Tassia, still being weak, was kept in his Stockade today, but when Dida, Taveta, Kenia and Shira went to his Stockade to greet him before moving off into the bush, he was not happy to be left on his own, and vented his frustration on the Keepers. However, because itw as a very hot day, they made a small mudbath for him in his Stockade, and this he greatly enjoyed.
28 March 2009
Maalim is always the centre of attention at the daily mudbath, and loves being fondled by all the visitors as he makes his way along the cordon. The Keepers have a difficult time to persuade him that it is time to leave. The Keepers make a mini mudbath for him, and after having been in it, he is very active, and likes running through the cordon. Today he squeezed himself against a young girl who was squatting down, making her tumble over!
29 March 2009
Today Bhaawa did not want to follow the others to the mudbath and instead ran off into the bushes. Two Keepers were detailed to keep an eye on him, and later he was persuaded with a bottle of milk to put in an appearance.
30 March 2009
Tassia was unwell today, not feeding well, and weaker than usual having passed a very watery stool. He immediately had a Saline and Dextrose drip inserted into an ear vein and following 4 bottles of drip, his condition suddenly improved and he began taking his milk again.
31 March 2009
The orphans enjoyed a wonderful dust-bath out in the bush today, Lesanju and Lempaute lying down so that all the babies could climb over them. Some of the youngsters, like Kimana and Ndii became very jealous and continually tried to push the others off one at a time.