01 March 2018

Only Boromoko and Sirimon reported back late in the evening. The rest of Laragai’s group spent the night out and only showed up in the morning. Shortly later, Maramoja, who likes leading most of the time, led the way to the browsing field. The day was exceptionally hot and the orphans browsed while hiding under trees with good shade. It was a day without much fun. On the way to the mud bath, Pare and Rapa could be seen drawing water from their stomachs and spraying it behind their ears. At mud bath time, due to the prevailing high temperatures, the orphans really enjoyed wallowing in the muddy pool. Later, the orphans were joined by three wild bulls at the mud bath water trough. In the afternoon, the orphans were joined by Mutara’s group that spent the rest of the day browsing together.

02 March 2018

It was a wet in the morning, following an unexpected rain that poured over night. This might have been why it was so hot yesterday! The 60mm rain left the ground slippery which made the orphans carefully exit their stockades to avoid slipping and falling down. Maramoja and her group who arrived in December last year where confused, as this was their first time seeing Ithumba wet and slippery. The orphans settled on the nearby rocks where they performed scratching exercises. The rain meant all the wild elephants and the Ex Orphans dispersed, as no one showed up in the morning and throughout the entire day. Laragai and her group, who the previous night had been bundled into the stockades after reporting early in the evening, decided that was enough of being forced to spend the night in the stockade. Her group is yearning for their independence but this was cut short when Enkikwe was attacked by a lion early last month. Since then they have been playing seek and hide game with the keepers. The keepers would time them whenever they reported back in the evening to feed on greens and then they would lock them inside. These days, the group has become wiser, if they are locked in one night, then the next day they disappear and they don't come back in evening to the stockade. Laragai and her group escorted the juniors to the browsing field and then they left them. This was to show their displeasure at being locked in the stockade without their consent. The temperature was cooler today and the orphans enjoyed every moment with Galla enjoying drinking rain water whenever he came across it. At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk, then went back out to browse. In afternoon, Pare settled to browse with Naseku while Karisa dusted himself with the wet soil.

03 March 2018

It was another wet morning following a 35mm of rain received overnight. Karisa was the first one to leave the stockade armed with a branch in his mouth. The ground was slippery and the orphans skidded as they followed Karisa out. Laragai and her group didn't report back and were still in the bush. Kauro teamed up with Namalok and Karisa to browse as Tusuja, Roi and Maramoja settled to drink rain water which tasted so sweet to them. For few days the orphans, Ex Orphans and wild elephants will at least have something to smile about. The temperature is back to normal and now they will be happy to have a break from drinking brackish and salty water, and instead have tasty rain water anytime they feel like. Galla took a break from feeding to have a scratching exercise as he held a branch in his mouth to make sure that he was also chewing something just like his friends. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse on the western side of Ithumba Hill. Pare and Karisa came across a small water hole and decided to share the water. Shortly later, they were joined by Ukame and Namalok. For some reason, Ukame wasn't happy about Namalok being there too and she pushed him out. Karisa and Pare moved away to comfort Namalok, leaving Ukame to drink on her own. The three boys returned later for a drink after Ukame had left. Later in the evening, Tusuja settled to browse with Galla and from time to time, Tusuja could be seen picking some of the food from Galla's mouth. Laragai and her group showed up late in the evening in the company of Narok, Orwa and Bomani.

04 March 2018

Orwa, Narok and Bomani spent the night just outside the stockade and teamed up with their friends in the morning. The weather was cloudy in the morning and we had some light showers. Narok took Laragai’s group in a different direction to the rest of the orphans. The light showers initiated a playful mood within the orphans. Galla and Naseku dusted themselves with wet soil from the same hole. Namalok teamed up with Karisa to browse. At mud bath, the weather was still chilly and the orphans had their milk and after headed straight out to browse. In the afternoon Kauro, who never seems to see eye to an eye with Kamok, were seen browsing together and chatting. Perhaps they were trying to iron out their differences! Roi and Oltaiyoni, who came to Ithumba at the of December 2016, had a moment to reflect about their past and discuss how time really flies. In the evening, only Siangiki, who belongs to Laragai’s group, returned back to the stockade with the orphans, perhaps because she wanted to check on her best friend Enkikwe. Enkikwe has completed his three weeks dose of noroclav injections since he was attacked by a lion last month. He is still in pain and it will be a long road to recovery, but he is improving. Though he has lost a bit of weight, new skin can be seen covering the wound from the top.

05 March 2018

The sky was partly covered by clouds as the orphans strolled out from the stockades this morning. Outside the stockade compound, the orphans were not in a hurry and spent time scratching on the nearby rocks, before Oltaiyoni rumbled to inform her friends that it was time to leave. She was the matriarch in the Nairobi Nursery and she has continued with this leadership behaviour at Ithumba. Kauro settled to feed with Namalok as Tusuja took a break from feeding to participate in a lone game of rolling on the ground. Shortly later, his game attracted Oltaiyoni who joined him. At mud bath, the weather was sunny, and Maramoja, Rapa, Pare, Dupotto and Kamok splashed water behind their ears. The rest of the afternoon was quiet as the orphans concentrated mostly on browsing.

06 March 2018

The sky was partly covered by clouds and it was wet in the morning following 18 mm of rain received over night. Laragai and her group joined the orphans briefly before disappearing into the Park again. Galla was in joyful mood and while at the browsing field felt energetic and wanted to find someone to measure how strong he was. Galla turned to Tusuja who appeared uninterested in his pushing games. When Galla saw that Tusuja was not responding, he decided to ride on him so as to annoy him and probably change his mind. Tusuja didn't even bother but continued to browse as if nothing happened. Galla gave up and walked away, perhaps wondering what might be wrong with his friend Tusuja since they always do pushing games together! Anyway there are some days when an elephant wakes up in a dull mood – they have good days and bad days just like humans! Each day is always different and for the likes of Tusuja, today he didn't feel like engaging in any form of fun games, but preferred instead to focus on browsing. In the afternoon the clouds cleared giving way to sun shine. The orphans had a rest under some trees until the temperature dropped to a favourable level. Laragai and her group didn't return back to the stockade for the night but teamed up with Orwa, Narok and Bomani, a team that they are slowly becoming a part of and hopefully they will be welcomed into the herd.

07 March 2018

Soon after getting their morning milk, Galla and Karisa had a brief strength testing exercise shortly before leaving the stockade. It was funny since Karisa, who seldom engages anyone in a pushing game, at least chooses to play with Galla. Karisa probably trusts Galla who has been his roommate all this time. Karisa, just like Sapalan, likes privacy and never tries to engage in any form of tussling. The orphans passed by the water trough on their way to the browsing field where they drank water that would last them for some time. Namalok settled to browse with Kamok as Roi took a break from feeding to have some fun. She enjoyed a game of sitting and stretching her trunk in the air. Her game attracted Tusuja who came to roll next to her while Dupotto decided to scratch her buttocks against a tree. Galla then came to join Tusuja as Roi said that she had enough, and left to resume browsing. Galla at first engaged Tusuja in a pushing game before going down to roll on the wet ground. Laragai and her group, who didn't spend the night at the stockade, briefly joined the orphans before leaving again. Naseku came across a branch that was probably left behind by a big elephant and picked it up to feed on its bark. Dupotto was feeding close by and came to hold one end of the branch in the spirit of sharing. At first Naseku welcomed Dupotto but after a second thought, Naseku pulled the branch away from her mouth. Dupotto had no option other than to go back to eating what she had been feeding on before. Later in the afternoon, the orphans were joined by Barsilinga who returned to the stockade with them. Laragai and the rest of her group didn't show up again for fear of being locked into the stockade for the night.

08 March 2018

Orwa, Narok and Bomani were the only visitors in the morning. Once the orphans were let out, Galla tried to challenge Bomani. Bomani, the late bloomer, finally had his tusks come through when he was five years old, and now at least has something to boast about and defend himself with! Bomani used his new tusks to discipline Galla and indirectly inform him and all the other boys who used to look down on him due to his lack of tusks that now he was complete and ready to duel with them. Shortly later, Narok, Orwa and Bomani escorted the juniors to the browsing field where they were met by Laragai and her group that had not returned back to the stockade for another night. Galla and Tusuja had a brief strength testing exercise as Kauro scratched himself. At mud bath time, the orphans were joined by three Ex Orphan girls Naserian, Makena and Loijuk. Tusuja challenged Makena in an effort to try and enhance his pushing skills, which in return will be using to defend himself against the fellow boys. In the afternoon, the temperature was high and this prompted the orphans to take a break from feeding and converge under a tree with nice shade. The orphans resumed browsing later when the temperature dropped.

09 March 2018

Orwa, Bomani and Narok brought Laragai back at midnight and opted to take a nap just outside the stockades. When the orphans were let out in the morning, Galla headed straight to Bomani to exchange morning greetings by entwining their trunks. Roi had a morning stretching exercise that also attracted Ukame. Kauro came across a tree stump later that was the right size to scratch his neck on. Roi and Ukame took a break from feeding to soil dust themselves. The temperature was moderate and the orphans concentrated on browsing up until eleven o'clock when they were joined by Ex Orphans Makena, Loijuk and Naserian. Shortly after mud bath time, the three big girls took Laragai and her group with them. In the afternoon, Sapalan, as usual, separated from his friends and was picked up later in the evening on the way back to the stockades.

10 March 2018

It was a quiet morning as the orphans strolled nonchalantly out from the stockades. Laragai and her group, who appeared to have spent their night just close by, joined their friends outside the stockade. After feeding on lucerne pellets, the orphans led by Laragai headed south east of the stockade. An hour later Laragai and her team parted ways with the stockade dependent group. Sirimon opted to stick with the stockade dependent group for the entire day. At mud bath time, the sun was hot and this prompted Roi, Wanjala, Namalok, Sapalan, Karisa and Naseku to participate in a cool-off exercise. In the afternoon, the sun was still hot. The orphans converged under a tree for nearly two hours before browsing later on in the day when it was cooler.

11 March 2018

Naserian, Loijuk and Makena, who appear to have lost contact with their group, joined the juniors in the morning just outside the stockade. Also present were Narok, Orwa and Bomani. Tusuja, Rapa, Oltaiyoni, Roi, Sapalan and Naseku headed to the water trough to arm themselves with enough water. The weather predicted a hot day a head. Kamok just used her trunk to play with the water instead of drinking, hoping to find some fresh rain water out in the Park left over from the previous rain showers. Shortly later, Maramoja, who has the qualities of a future matriarch when the older girls leaves, set the pace for rest of the group when she rumbled and started heading out to browse. The rest of the herd snaked behind her including Makena, Naserian and Loijuk. Only Orwa remained behind but followed later after completing whatever his unfinished business was in the stockade compound. Pare settled to feed with Tusuja as Kauro and Sapalan decided to start their day with a soil dusting exercise. Shortly later, Tusuja passed close to where Bomani was feeding. Bomani raised his ears in an attempt to warn Tusuja that he wasn't interested in his childish behaviour of pushing his seniors. Tusuja behaved like a naughty boy and he wasn't intimidated by Bomani's threats. He only looked at Bomani and seemed unmoved, and then he moved on. Roi and Sokotei used the same tree to scratch their bellies. At around ten o'clock in the morning, the weather turned cloudy and the orphans felt a lot cooler. They concentrated mostly on browsing and enjoying the new green shoots from the plants.

12 March 2018

Soon after leaving the stockade, the orphans were joined by Narok, Orwa, Bomani, Laragai’s group Makena, Loijuk and Naserian. Missing from Laragai’s group was Boromoko, who was last seen with the senior Ex Orphans at the beginning of the month. Makena exchanged morning greetings with Tusuja by entwining their trunks briefly. Shortly later, Naserian led the way to the browsing field where Makena and Oltaiyoni shared the same tree to scratch. Pare, Lemoyian, Roi, Narok, Tusuja, Rapa and Kauro, who rarely takes a bath unless he is forced to do so, had a game of rolling on the ground. The soil was wet following some 10 mm of rain received overnight. Lemoyian brought the game to an end when he started misbehaving by riding on his friends. One of the affected, Tusuja, decided to question Lemoyian on why he was behaving that way. We assumed that Tusuja was annoyed with Lemoyian as while Lemoyian and his group were away, the other orphans had been enjoying more peaceful games. We imagined that he would either like him to stay and behave himself, or go and permanently make a herd in the wild and stop bothering them! Tusuja had brief tussle with Lemoyian before moving on to play with Bomani. Shortly before mud bath time, Naserian, Loijuk and Makena took Laragai and Narok’s groups with them. The rest of the afternoon was quiet as the orphans concentrated on browsing.

13 March 2018

Soon after feeding on lucerne pellets, Maramoja led the way to the browsing field. Roi loves games of sitting and rolling on the ground and she spent some time enjoying this kind of game. Kamok passed by and decided to use Roi as a scratching post, to scratch her itchy belly. Ukame, Naseku, Sapalan, Karisa and Namalok had a moment of soil dusting while Wanjala and Galla decided to settle their scores through a pushing game. At mud bath time, the temperature was quiet warm and the orphans participated briefly in a mud bathing exercise. In the afternoon, the orphans were joined by Orwa, Narok and Bomani. Later in the evening, Bomani invited Naseku to a game of rolling on the ground which Naseku accepted but she approached cautiously as she didn't understand the reason behind the invitation. Naseku played the game as she watched Bomani carefully and when she saw Bomani trying to stand up, she did the same and walked away to avoid the embarrassment of being climbed on by him without her consent. Shortly before five o'clock in the evening, Narok, Bomani and Orwa escorted the juniors back to the stockade.

14 March 2018

The vegetation is now slowly starting to green, something that is making all the animals happy. Water is available everywhere and this has prompted the Ex Orphans and wild elephants to move further away, now that they have plenty of water sources, relieving pressure on the area surrounding the Ithumba Hill and stockades and giving the vegetation time to recover. It's now two weeks since the wild elephants and Ex Orphans wandered off. The orphans settled to feed in the Kone area where Naseku and Roi took a break from feeding to play in the mud while Olsekki and Sirimon held a brief conversation and we thought they might be discussing which way to go. Shortly after mud bath the orphans had a game of rolling on the ground and lying on each other. In the afternoon Galla settled to feed with Roi as Oltaiyoni teamed up with Kamok.

15 March 2018

It was a cold and cloudy morning with mist covering the tip of Ithumba Hill. The orphans settled for some lucerne pellets before heading to the bush for another day. Kamok walked to the water trough where she used its wall as a scratching surface, as Ukame and Kauro settled for some water. Shortly later, Maramoja rumbled as she walked away from the main herd. This prompted Rapa, Pare, Dupotto and Kauro to respond by following her. The rest of the group followed later and we thought that if one day she would lead that little group of orphans. Rapa, Dupotto, Pare and Kauro were sharing food from the same shrub. Kamok, who rarely engages in pushing games, settled to a soil dusting exercise with Galla which later turned into a disagreement. The disagreement ended in a pushing game that lasted for quite awhile. In the end, Kamok dismissed herself from the game, leaving Galla with no option other than to keep himself busy by rolling on the ground. At around ten o'clock in morning, the cloudy sky gave way to showers that lasted for nearly two hours producing 10mm of rain. The orphans had fun as they enjoyed the cool weather by rolling on wet soil and smearing themselves with mud. Even when the showers stopped, Galla, Dupotto, Naseku, Roi and Tusuja continued to enjoy the game of rolling on the ground. When they had enough, the orphans settled for some serious browsing until five o'clock when Roi led the first group back to the stockade for the night.

16 March 2018

Chaimu and her long time friend Kilaguni joined the orphans for lucerne pellets early in the morning. Orwa, Bomani and Narok were also present. Kamok settled to share her pile with Orwa. Shortly later, Kauro left quietly and when she spotted him leaving the vocal Maramoja saw him and immediately alerted her friends by rumbling that it was now time to leave for browsing. At the browsing field, Roi settled to browse on the same shrub as Naseku as Karisa settled for a moist soil bath. Dupotto came across a suitable tree that she used to scratch on but shortly later Oltaiyoni pushed her away from the tree just to show Dupotto that she was her senior and she deserves the right to use the tree as she wishes. Dupotto just left without a word since she knew the consequences of arguing with her seniors. Oltaiyoni was the matriarch when they were together at the Nursery and she continues to be the ‘boss’ here! Later in the day, Naseku and Tusuja took a break from feeding to participate in game of rolling on the ground. It was quite cold so at mud bath time the orphans only drank their milk then headed back to the browsing field. In the afternoon, Galla had fun by rolling on the ground while Dupotto and Maramoja took a break from feeding and relaxed under a tree before resuming browsing. In the evening, the clouds opened up giving way to 5 mm of rain. Laragai and her group didn't show up for the night.

17 March 2018

After spending the night out, Laragai and her group accompanied by Kilaguni, Chaimu, Orwa, Bomani and Narok joined the orphans in the morning. After feeding on lucerne, Maramoja, who likes leading, led the way followed by the quick-tempered Ukame. In the bush Kilaguni, whose tusks are twice long as compared to Orwa's, engaged Orwa in a pushing game. Tusuja and Galla who were feeding close by, stopped feeding so they could watch Kilaguni and Orwa’s game. A few minutes later, Orwa surrendered and went back to browsing. Tusuja and Galla decided to put into practice what they had learned by watching the two boys fighting each other. As Tusuja and Galla were busy pushing each, Kilaguni came and separated the two boys by pushing them away – it was as if he did not want them messing around in front of their seniors! At midday as the orphans made their way to the mud bath, the sun was really hot which we thought indicated more rain ahead, but unfortunately the day ended without receiving a single drop. Dupotto, who at one time disappeared for almost three months, created a scene when after having her milk bottles she tried to join another group who had not had theirs yet. Dupotto made sure she wasn't leading the group to avoid detection. Upon arriving at where the keepers were holding the milk she raised her trunk up as if asking for her share of milk. She was surprised when she was turned away and wondered how the keepers managed to know that she had already finished her own share of milk. One thing Dupotto had forgotten was to wipe her mouth clean because traces of milk could be seen in the mouth and around her chin! In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse close to Imenti area and in the evening Laragai and her group escorted the juniors back to the stockades. Upon arriving at the stockade compound, Laragai and her group went past the compound as if heading to kalovoto area. She and her group had grown wise and knew that if they went into the stockade they would definitely be locked in until morning. The gate was left open for whoever felt like staying to go inside.

18 March 2018

Laragai’s group, which is slowly assimilating into Narok’s group these days, showed up in the morning and joined the juniors. The sky was partly covered by clouds as Narok led the way to the browsing field. Karisa settled to browse with Sokotei. Karisa has been shy with his friends in the past but is now becoming used to everyone and interacting with all the members in the group. Lemoyian briefly settled to browse with Ukame and had a chat with her that didn't last for long, since Ukame was wary about Lemoyian who is known for pushing and riding on others without their consent. The boy is small but tough. Narok settled to browse with Sapalan and she appeared to want to get to know him a bit more, as he is always a solitary elephant. Later in the day Roi, who likes rolling on the ground, had a time out from browsing to enjoy a game of doing just so. Her game attracted Naseku and Tusuja who joined her in playing.

19 March 2018

The orphans woke up to a cold morning after showers of 6mm early before dawn. As usual, the orphans settled for lucerne pellets and later Karisa led the way to the browsing field but later was overtaken by Maramoja who wants to make sure that she is the one leading most of the time. The orphans settled to browse at Kone area where they were joined by Narok, Bomani, Orwa and Laragai’s group. Tusuja held a strength testing exercise with Bomani that ended shortly when Tusuja was overpowered by Bomani. Barsilinga and Maramoja had a game of rolling on ground as the rest of the herd concentrated on browsing. It was a day with moderate temperatures and the orphans chose not to mess around. Vegetation is really growing now and the orphans are making choices of which type of vegetation they most like to eat! Pare led the first group to the mud bath while Maramoja led the second one. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in Kanziku area until in the evening when Maramoja led the first group back to the stockade.

20 March 2018

Soon after leaving the stockade, Namalok met with the hot tempered Ukame who is easily provoked in any slight incident with one her young friends. Namalok happened to inadvertently block Ukame's way and Ukame took this as act of disrespect. Without wasting any time she knocked Namalok to the ground. Namalok yelled for help as the keepers shouted at Ukame. Ukame ran away because she knew that what she had done was naughty. Namalok slowly stood up and hoped that a day will come when he will be able to retaliate. The orphans settled for lucerne pellets and shortly later, Karisa the ‘street wise’ boy raised his trunk up checking if all was well before starting to move out. Karisa settled to browse with Pare while Sapalan teamed up with Oltaiyoni. Ukame and Dupotto took a break from feeding to participate in scratching exercise on the nearby rocks. At mud bath time, Kamok led the first group while Ukame led the last group. Soon after having their milk, Ukame, who never fails to pick a quarrel with the juniors, had a problem with Karisa. When Karisa saw her coming, he had no choice other than making sure that he ran faster than her. In the afternoon, Dupotto, Namalok and Sapalan settled to browse together as Wanjala played with Roi. Later in the day, Roi broke a branch and walked to stand under a tree for some shade where she relaxed and slowly munched her branch. Namalok opted for a soil dusting exercise while Tusuja and Oltaiyoni found a suitable tree where they relaxed for sometime before going back to browsing.

21 March 2018

It was wet and slippery following 54mm of rain shortly before dawn. The orphans walked carefully as they left the stockade. Maramoja, who is always in a hurry to lead, got a rude shock when she slipped and fell. Her friends didn't show any remorse but went past her, probably asking themselves why she was always in a hurry when there wasn’t any competition! Maramoja slowly got back to her feet and followed her friends with an embarrassed look on her face. Shortly later, Roi, Karisa and Kauro quit feeding on lucerne and left to search for greens that are plentiful at the moment. Laragai and her group who totally refused to be locked in the stockade at night, showed up in the morning and joined their friends in feeding. Ukame, the quick tempered, settled to feed with Kamok who she respects so much to the point of turning her back on her to show respect and avoid being disciplined. Naseku had an itchy belly and turned on Galla to use him as scratching post. Pare took a break from feeding to scratch his belly on nearby rocks while Tusuja and Wanjala enjoyed playing on the wet ground. Galla came over and enjoyed riding on Tusuja. At mud bath time, the orphans only drank their milk then went back out to browse. Enkikwe, who stays in the stockade since the 1st of February this year following an attack by a lion, is progressing well. The wound is white and itchy as we have watched him try to scratch it on rocks. The itching is a sign that the wound is slowly healing.

22 March 2018

For the first time since it started to rain, Nasalot, baby Nusu, Bongo, Lualeni, Vuria and two wild elephants reported at the stockade compound early in the morning. The Ex Orphans welcomed the juniors out and shortly later, they all settled for lucerne pellets. Nusu became the centre of attraction as Kauro, Kamok, Roi, Oltaiyoni, Tusuja and Naseku all wanted to play with him. The rascal Nusu created a scene when he started running around trumpeting, bringing the business of feeding to a standstill as each elephant tried to find out what was happening. Later, Nasalot led the herd to the browsing field after an hour browsing with the juniors they parted ways. Oltaiyoni and Maramoja scratched against some nearby trees while Naseku, Galla, Roi and Kamok had fun by rolling on the still moist soil. At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk and immediately went back to browsing. The weather was sunny, an indication that we have a break from the rains but no one knows for how long. Kauro and Kamok decided to relax under a tree that had good shade before following their friends. In the afternoon, most of the orphans spent much of their time cooling off in the many water holes that are currently holding water after the rain we have had for some time now. Naseku, Olsekki, Kauro and Oltaiyoni played on an anthill, and when they had enough, the team resumed browsing.

23 March 2018

The sky was crystal clear as the orphans strolled nonchalantly out from the stockades. This was a clear indication of a hot day a head and that the rains are taking a break. Orwa, Narok and Bomani joined the juniors for the morning pellets. Kamok shared her pile with Kauro and Maramoja, while Pare shared his with Sapalan. The orphans drank water at Kone dam and after went back to browsing. Kauro had fun playing on the ground but that game ended abruptly when he saw a dik dik approaching. He stood up and decided to play with the dik dik that had invaded his privacy. With his ears raised, Kauro ran at the dik dik which promptly disappeared into the bushes, leaving Kauro wondering where it had gone so quickly. Tusuja settled to play on a anthill while Roi dusted herself with soil. Soon after taking their milk at noon, Naseku played one of her usual tricks. She has become cheeky these days and likes to scare her friends for no reason by pretending that she had seen something scary and runs into the bushes shouting so everyone follows her. The keepers intervened by calling them all back and took them to the mud bath to wallow and cool off. Ukame, who appears to have a dislike of water, was the first one to jump in but she ran through without stopping, straight to the other side. Her friends followed her which made this the shortest mud bath ever, lasting less than three minutes! At the end Naseku had a conflict with Galla but it was quickly sorted out by Oltaiyoni. In the afternoon, Naseku and Dupotto settled for a soil dusting exercise and they were later joined by Namalok, Tusuja, Kauro, Roi and Wanjala.

24 March 2018

Soon after reaching the bush to browse, the orphans were joined by Narok, Orwa, Bomani, Narok and Laragai’s group. Naseku settled to have a chat with Bomani as they engaged in a brief soil dusting exercise. Lemoyian, whose one tusk broke but is now re-growing up again, joined the two to soil bath. Maramoja, Rapa and Pare, who came together from Nairobi three months ago, settled together to browse. It is touching to see that Nursery friends remain such even after such a long time in their new surroundings. This is often the case and these orphans will probably reintegrate back into the wild altogether as well. Galla played with Tusuja but later walked away when Tusuja hit him hard; contrary to the rules of the kind of game they had started playing. Kamok had a brief soil dusting exercise as Kauro teamed up with Dupotto to browse on some bushes. Later on at the mud bath, the orphans were briefly joined by Yatta’s group. There was excited trumpeting when the two groups met, with Naseku leading the trumpeting from the dependent orphan’s side, and baby Wiva leading the other side! Their interaction lasted for less than twenty minutes when Yatta and her group left. In the afternoon, the sun was still hot but the orphans continued browsing throughout without being bothered by the heat of the sun.

25 March 2018

After feeding on lucerne, Rapa led the way to the browsing field as his friends followed behind him, happily swinging their trunk from side to side. On the way, Roi spotted a suitable rock that she used to scratch her buttocks on. At the browsing field, the orphans were joined by Narok and Laragai’s group for nearly two hours before the groups disappeared again. Siangiki opted to stay with the juniors. When it was time for their midday bottle feed, Tusuja led Wanjala and Kauro in the first group. Soon after the orphans had their milk, one by one they returned back to the bush to browse. In the afternoon, it was all quiet as the orphans concentrated on browsing. In the evening, Laragai and her group came for Siangiki and escorted the juniors back to the stockade before vanishing into the Park again. We are sure Siangiki stayed with the dependent orphans to accompany them back and check on her good friend Enkikwe who is still recovering in the stockades.

26 March 2018

It was slippery in the morning and water was flowing freely from the hills following 55mm of rain received over night. The orphans stepped carefully as they emerged from their stockades to avoid slipping and falling. Shortly after feeding on lucerne pellets, Karisa led the way to the browsing field. Roi, Tusuja and Naseku, who loves playing on the ground, took a break from feeding to do exactly that and smear themselves with mud. Later, they were joined by Dupotto and Wanjala. Following the rains we have had so far, it's now green all around and the orphans like it so much they almost get confused on where to feed next! Each time they are feeding off one particular bush, they see another green patch ahead and think it looks even more appetizing than the one they are feeding on. With this reaction they end up walking very far. At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk then scattered all over the area, playing with the small pools of water that had formed everywhere. The hot tempered Ukame pushed Galla, something that annoyed him and he rumbled his displeasure as he walked away from her. Galla's cry happened to reach Roi's ears. Roi, who shares a stockade with Galla, came running to check what had happened to him and put her trunk in his mouth to calm him down. This worked and Roi led Galla away into the bush where they settled to browse together. In the afternoon, the orphans spent a lot of time playing in the pools of water and rolling on the ground, before later returning back to the stockade compound for the night.

27 March 2018

The sky was partly covered by clouds as the orphans left the stockades in the morning. Roi and Galla seemed to hold a brief meeting outside to deliberate the way forward, and which direction to take that day. The two were overtaken by Karisa who never waits and never wastes any time. Karisa headed straight down to wait for lucerne pellets. He was closely followed by Rapa and Maramoja. The orphans were joined by Narok and Laragai’s groups, thus dismantling any plans Roi and Galla might have been hatching. Kauro and Rapa led the way out to the bush. Galla came across a rock that he enjoyed scratching on while Laragai, Sirimon, Karisa, Sokotei and Wanjala settled for a wet-soil dusting exercise. An hour later, Narok and Laragai’s groups left the dependent orphans, but Sokotei and Siangiki opted to stick with the juniors. Ukame developed an itch under her neck and since there wasn't a suitable tree or rock around, she decided to pick a piece of stick that she used to scratch her neck. Shortly before mud bath time, the weather changed giving way to showers. The ground became very slippery making it difficult for the orphans to walk without sliding around. As she hurried to get her milk at midday, Kamok was unable to keep her balance and she slipped and fell like a log. She stood up and composed herself and slowly walked to get her share. In the afternoon, the orphans spent a lot time of time rolling on the wet soil. As soon as they had enough of their rolling games, the orphans resumed browsing.

28 March 2018

After they arrived out in the bush to browse in the morning, the orphans were briefly joined by Nasalot, baby Nusu, Loijuk, Zurura, Makireti, Kilabasi, Laragai’s group and Narok’s group. Nusu was teasing the orphans and they played and then Nasalot’s group walked away. The sky was partly covered by clouds and it was still wet. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area where Galla, Tusuja, Oltaiyoni and Namalok spent some time playing on the ground. The rest of the day was quiet as the orphans spent much of their time feeding. At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk and Dupotto tried to trick the keepers again, pretending that she had not had her share of milk. She looked rather embarrassed when she was politely turned away by the keepers who knew she had already had her share.

29 March 2018

Laragai and Narok’s groups joined the juniors early at the feeding area. Shortly after sharing the lucerne pellets, Maramoja led the way to the browsing field. It was wet following some 18 mm of rain received over night. Tusuja, Galla and Kamok had a game of rolling on the ground. Galla took advantage of Tusuja lying on the ground and climbed on top of him. Kamok came to Tusuja's rescued by pushing Galla away from Tusuja. An hour later, Narok and Laragai’s groups left the dependent orphans. Soon after the orphans had their midday milk feeds, Naseku led the way back to the browsing field where the orphans came across a small water hole that they decided to have a mud bath in. Roi displayed all her mud bathing skills by sitting with her trunk and one leg up on air while Kamok enjoyed scratching against Tusuja. Sapalan preferred to be by himself and he located another small water hole a few meters from the rest where he was the sole user. This was to avoid competition and pushing from his older friends. In the afternoon the orphans concentrated on browsing without any major distractions.

30 March 2018

Galana, baby Gawa, Loijuk, Naserian, Lualeni, Lenana, Kilabasi, Sunyei, baby Siku, Makireti, Bongo, Kenze and Chyulu made a brief visit to the stockade early in the morning. When the dependent orphans were let out, Lualeni couldn't understand why one of the orphans had been left behind. She was curious and walked close to the fence to find out. She rumbled and Enkikwe responded and the two had a brief chat as Enkikwe probably explained to Lualeni why he had to stay behind. Lualeni had pity for the young boy and wished him a quick recovery, before slowly following her colleagues who by now had walked away to start their day. Oltaiyoni had brief chat with baby Gawa before Naseku came in and invited Gawa for a pushing game. Gawa accepted and briefly had a light contest under the watchful eye of Lenana. Maramoja and Dupotto embraced the spirit of sharing and settled to feed on the same shrub, as Tusuja and Wanjala engaged each other in a light pushing game. Later in the day, Enkikwe was visited by Yatta, Kinna, Nasalot, Mulika, Makena, Yetu, Mwende, Nusu, Yoyo and Kama. Makena, who was one of the elephants that rescued Enkikwe, had a brief chat with him, perhaps trying to find out how he is doing now. Wendi stood by listening and watching as well. We think it will take at least another six months for Enkikwe to be able to join his friends out in the wild. Makena and her herd left when they were satisfied Enkikwe was okay.

31 March 2018

The rains appear to have taken a break for now. The sky was clear today indicating a hot day ahead. The orphans were joined by Narok and Laragai’s groups. Narok took Naseku and Ukame a distance away from the rest of the group. The trio fed together as they shared private girl talks until Tusuja decided to approach them. As Tusuja got closer, he was warned by Narok to keep away. Tusuja went back and teamed up with Galla, Wanjala and Kauro, all boys, to roll around on the ground. Kauro engaged Tusuja in a light pushing game while Tusuja was still on ground. Later Galla engaged him in strength testing exercise that ended in a draw. Shortly after, Galla used Tusuja as a scratching post to scratch his ears on. As the time for mud bath drew closer, Rapa, Namalok and Karisa couldn't be traced. The three boys had managed to dodge the keepers. The keepers divided themselves into two groups; one took the orphans to the mud bath while the other tracked down the missing trio. Shortly later the three boys were found feeding without seeming to care whether they were supposed to go to the mud bath or not. The keepers took them to stockade to have their share of milk before walking them to reunite with their friends out in the bush.