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Ndiwa has apparently become the leader of the group that browses deep in the forest looking for nice green vegetation. Today she was directing everyone where to go, including Ndotto, Sana Sana, Lasayen and Ngilai who are usually known to accompany her, but she also had several more followers in Shukuru, Mbegu, Sattao, Ambo and Kiasa who were following behind her all the time. Ambo and Malima were the talk of the public visit today. This was after they engaged each other in a very physical pushing game. At the start of the visit Malima was having fun rolling in the fresh loose soil with Maktao. She then left the spot where she and Maktao had been playing and moved to where Ambo was playing alone, and then they ended up in a very funny pushing game which went on for some time. Murit was a bad boy during the visit today and he went around disturbing the girls that were trying to enjoy their games in the soil. He kept annoying Enkesha, Tamiyoi and Kuishi and climbing on their backs, and he wouldn’t listen to the Keepers when they told him to stop either. It was not until Godoma stepped up and told Murit off for his bad behaviour that he left. Godoma pushed him and used some force to discourage him from disturbing the other girls, and when he left she stayed to make sure no one else bothered them while they enjoyed their dusting game.

As the orphans enjoyed their morning browse after their 9am milk feed, suddenly a group of about six came running out of the bushes shouting for help. Maktao was leading and behind him followed Malima, Jotto, Enkesha, Maisha and Emoli. They all run looking for their keepers for protection. The keepers assumed it was because of the buffalos browsing not far away. After a few minutes Mbegu then came running through the same gap in the bushes with her ears held high, before turning and charging back and forth at the bushes in front. With this reaction from Mbegu the keepers thought there must be something else and went to investigate but they didn’t find anything. They went back to the group of orphans who were all sticking together, but Mbegu remained unsettled. The rest of her group Ndotto, Shukuru, Ndiwa, Mundusi, Sagala, Sana Sana and Ngilai were not with her. All of a sudden a big male warthog came crashing through the bushes in front with his tail raised high in the air. Shukuru was there and Ndotto was charging at a lioness who must have been hunting the lucky warthog! The lioness ran in the other direction as the keepers called Ndotto to join the rest of the group. After the lioness had disappeared into the thicket calm was restored within the group and they all went back to browsing.

Maxwell has not settled down since it started raining 3 days ago. He is always busy and full of excitement in his stockade. Last night he declined to come down to the lower half of his stockade where he usually spends the night. In his excitement he pushed down part of the inner wall separating his stockade – the top part for the day time and the lower half where his vegetation is put out for him to graze on and also where his mud bath is; by this morning the whole stockade was a playing field for him! Kiko didn’t go out to the forest today because of the heavy rain which poured the whole day. Jotto enjoys playing with Enkesha whenever the two are close to each other. Today he invited her to play during the public visit as well. As they were walking down to the public visit at 11am, Jotto was walking in front of a small group of orphans including Emoli, Sattao, Malima and Enkesha. As they got closer to the feeding area, the other babies sped up to a run to overtake Jotto and be the first to the bottles. Jotto let the others overtake but he blocked Enkesha from passing him! After they all had their milk bottles he approached Enkesha for a pushing game, but Murit pushed her to the side and started playing with Jotto himself – it was a good game and went on for quite some time – they even wrestled whilst on their knees. They only finished their game when it was time to walk back out to the forest with the keepers and the others.

Every orphan seems to have his or her own day – today seems to have been Tamiyoi’s day of excitement. Since she went out to the forest today she has been in such a playful mood, engaging almost everyone in a pushing game. Jotto enjoyed lots of time with her and they both had a lot of fun playing hide and seek games in the thicket whilst the other orphans browsed. During the public visit whilst Maisha, Enkesha, Maktao and Musiara were socializing and Murit, Ambo, Godoma and the others were browsing, Tamiyoi was enjoying a soil dust bath and then even went into the mud bath! It was quite a cool day but this didn’t hold her back. Kiasa watched her for several minutes, standing on the end of the mud bath, and eventually she decided to join her as well. Together they enjoyed playing in the thick mud until they went back out to the forest. It was a sad and wet afternoon for most of the babies as the rain had started early. The rain was so heavy that even the tall trees couldn’t shelter the orphans! Mbegu kept moving the little ones from one tree to the next, trying to find shelter that was good enough. After trying a few spots without success, she eventually decided to lead a small group of babies back to the stockades. She led Sattao, Musiara, Maisha, Mapia, Jotto, Ambo and Malima all back home to avoid the heavy rain, and when they got there they decided to go into Shukuru’s room until the rain stopped.

Ngilai has been a naughty boy recently. He has always naturally been a rough and playful bull, always wanting to engage his human family with pushing games as he would his elephant family, but for the past couple of days his behaviour has been the epitome of naughty! He is not usually naughty at milk feeding time but today he went on fighting everyone including his keepers to get to the milk wheelbarrow. Ndotto had to step in and save the situation by disciplining Ngilai and driving him away by pushing his little tusks into Ngilai’s hind. Ngilai repeated this naughty behaviour at the 11am feeding and any keeper who stood in his way he shoved to the side. He finally pushed over the wheelbarrow and all the milk that was still inside poured out. The keepers had to be quick to pick up the bottles that were for the babies still waiting to be fed! Ambo is such a funny little boy and he will hold a grudge against anyone that crosses the line with him. Earlier in the day Malima had shoved him to the side when she wanted to get to a branch that Shukuru had pulled down from a tree. In return Ambo blocked her and Malima cried out, causing Shukuru to step in and send Ambo away. Later on Ambo kept following Malima around and head-butting her in revenge! At one stage Jotto had to step in and help Malima as Ambo was pushing her into a mud pool. Esampu has been causing problems for the keepers at feeding times, always fighting to steal another milk bottle that is not hers. Today Tagwa had been watching her for awhile and as soon as she started to misbehave, Tagwa stepped in and charged at her, driving her away from the milk feeding place!

The two boys that never fight for milk as they know their share will always be there are Musiara and Ndotto. Today at 9am they walked calmly together heading for their milk bottles. Ndotto is a survivor who can endure anything, and he never seems to worry about anything. Musiara is a baby attached to his keepers and he moves when they move. So as Musiara and Ndotto were in the first group to go for their milk, Musiara was walking ahead but then he stopped to look behind him and make sure a keeper was coming to accompany them. It was only Ndotto who was walking behind him and when Musiara tried to go back to the keepers Ndotto pushed him forward and then took a hold of his tail to stop him. The tail is a very sensitive part on an elephant and he immediately took off walking in front of Ndotto and whenever he tried to stop on the way, Ndotto just grabbed his tail with his trunk so he would move on until they reached the milk feeding place. When Kiko visited the public visit today Malima, Musiara and Kiasa were on high alert to stop him whenever he tried to approach the elephants that were rolling in the loose soil. Kiko was not paying them much attention as his main aim was to approach the visitors standing behind the rope cordon, but the keepers would not let him succeed in that mission either! Godoma and Malkia do love and care for Musiara very much. He was playing with Mapia who accidentally stood on Musiara’s trunk which caused him to shout out in pain. The two girls heard him and came charging over from different directions to help the baby, but luckily the keepers were also standing there to manage the situation.

Just after the midday milk feed we had a heavy downpour which meant Maxwell got very excited and was running around his room, rolling in the mud and water that was running through his stockade! At one point we watched him running and playfully planting his horn into the ground before running and digging a big trench before heaving up a big chuck of soil, leaving a big chunk on his horn as well! He really did have a lot of fun running around and digging up mud. Out in the forest the elephant babies were being very playful as well. Some were rolling in the mud, sliding and bumping into one another while the likes of Esampu, Malima, Tamiyoi, Jotto, Ambo, Enkesha, Emoli, Kiasa, Maisha, Musiara and Maktao were all scampering about, enjoying the running water as they splashed and kicked in the streams. Little ones like Musiara, Maktao, Kiasa, Sattao and Maisha were very happily running into the water and trumpeting when they came across big waves.

Our morning was greeted by a heavy downpour that lasted for quite a few hours. This meant that some of the youngest orphans including Maktao, Sattao, Emoli, Kiasa, Enkesha, Musiara, Maisha and Luggard as well stayed inside. Tamiyoi, Malima and Mapia forced their way back into their stables for shelter whilst the bigger orphans like Mbegu, Ndotto, Ngilai, Ndiwa, Sana Sana, Mundusi, Lasayen, Mteto and Sagala were all busy enjoying rolling in the wet soil and muddy earth, and running through the flowing water everywhere as well. During the public visit there was water everywhere, as the small stream which trickles past the mud bath was now in full flow. This made it difficult for Emoli, Maktao, Musiara, Maisha, Sattao and Kiasa to cross it for their milk bottles on the other side and initially they shied away from it. The keepers has to entice them over by showing them their milk bottles and slowly crossing the stream with them. Kiasa, Maktao and Musiara shouted out loud as they crossed the water! Godoma ran across the water for her milk bottle, trumpeting as she did so.

Lasayen and Murit are seen to be quite happy playmates these days and usually choose to play early in the morning as soon as they arrive in the forest. This morning as all the orphans settled out in the bush, Murit and Lasayen had a lengthy pushing game in which Murit took on Lasayen, and Lasayen readily accepted the challenge. Lasayen’s best friend Ndotto is doing more of his own thing these days and spending a lot of time deeper in the forest, so it seems Lasayen has taken up playing with Murit for company! During their midday milk feed today there was a heavy rainstorm and all the orphans sheltered under one huge tree together. It was funny to watch young warthog babies running under the orphans for shelter as well, though Malima, Tamiyoi, Jotto, Emoli, Enkesha, Godoma and Mteto kept chasing them away and pushing them out. As that was going on, Maktao and Sattao were busy fighting over who would shelter under the Mama Mbegu. At the same time Maktao seemed a little confused as he was trying to hide under the keepers umbrella, as well as Mbegu, and it seemed he could not decide which he preferred.

Due to the ongoing rains, all the bushes in the National Park are growing and becoming thicker and greener with fresh, green leaves. The orphans are very happy and have a huge variety to feed on now. Big girls like Shukuru and Ndiwa are taking advantage of the thicker bushes to dodge the keepers when they feel like it as well. During the public visiting time today the two big girls and Ndotto decided not to show up. They had moved much deeper into the forest and because of all the vegetation the keepers had a hard time finding them as well! Malima was in a very playful mood and was funning from one side of the mud bath to the other, until she was calmed down by the mini matriarch Godoma. Maktao and Kiasa were enjoying a small pushing game before Tamiyoi came over and interrupted them, much to the dismay of the visitors who were enjoying watching their funny game! Emoli tried his luck at approaching the wheelbarrow bearing the bottles of milk but he was moved away by the keepers.

Mteto is being a bit of a bully these days. She has been seen bullying Jotto, Ambo, Malima and Tamiyoi on a few occasions and we are not sure why. Normally it is when they are all gathered in a group waiting to go down for their milk feed, or sometimes out in the bush as well. If one of these orphans happens to cross her path she will push her small tusks into their back prompting them to run off yelling! The keepers have tried to tell her off by raising their voices at her and wagging an accusing finger, and even moving her to browse away from the rest of the group, but this does not seem to be changing her naughty behaviour at the moment. Out in the bush before their 9am milk feed, Mteto harshly pricked Jotto in the back with her tusks which caused him to yell but before he could move away she head-butted him as well! This forced the keepers to shout at her and move her away, and she was the last one to have her milk bottle as well! She tried to apologize for her behaviour by slowly walking back to the group but the keepers were having none of it and sent her away. Like any social animal, elephants do not like being on their own and this was a good punishment for Mteto. She yelled to come back and rejoin the group but the Keepers kept her back until she was the last one to have her milk bottle.