The month of March is definitely the hottest month in Kenya, just before the long rains are due to break in April. The hot weather means Yatta’s ex-orphan herd with their eight wild born babies, in the absence of Malkia and Mwende, Bongo, Teleki and Ololoo, have also stayed around the stockade area this month, with its assurance of water points topped up by the Trust’s water bowser, and the extra food supplements for the lactating mothers in the form of Lucerne grass which the Keepers supply mainly for the dependent orphans, but which they always make sure they have extra of for the graduate orphans as well.
Soon after leaving the stockade, the orphans settled for lucerne. Olsekki, who apparently did not have enough sleep last night, decided to take a nap on the ground. He found a nice soft spot with grass that was so comfortable. The nap didn't last long though, as he woke up and continued feeding on lucerne. On the way out to browse, Barsilinga, Kithaka and Garzi parted ways with the juniors only to report back at the stockade late in the evening. The three boys, who consider themselves grownups now, have a tendency of disappearing and coming back in the evening, simply because they don't want to be told what to do anymore. Narok, Orwa and Bomani joined the dependent orphans to browse, but normally they like to be independent. At mud bath time, Yatta’s ex-orphan herd showed up but they continued walking to wherever it was they were going and did not stop to interact with the dependent orphans for long.
In the afternoon, the sun was still hot. Orwa, Bomani, Sapalan and Rapa decided to relax under a tree with Orwa opting to lie down. In the evening, Orwa, Bomani and Narok escorted the juniors back to the stockade.
Chyulu, Rapsu and a wild elephant stood in the stockade compound and welcomed the babies out this morning. The three bulls then settled for lucerne pellets with the orphans and parted ways shortly afterwards. Yatta and Wendi’s herd showed up moments after the orphans had left for browsing. After drinking enough water, the ex-orphans followed the orphans and spent the entire morning browsing together with them. Enkikwe took a break from feeding to enjoy scratching his buttocks on some nearby rocks.
At mud bath time, the orphans and ex-orphans joined thirty wild bulls who had arrived earlier at the mud bath for drinking and cooling off. At total of ninety elephants were present at mud bath and half an hour later, the ex-orphans parted ways with the orphans. The orphans headed south of the mud bath while the wild bulls remained. The afternoon was hot and the orphans converged under some trees and relaxed until it became cooler.
Moments before the orphans were let out this morning, Rapa attempted to climb on Mteto, something which didn't go down well with the girls. Dupotto single handedly pushed him down and warned him to behave when he is with his sisters. Outside the stockade, the orphans were joined by the senior ex-orphans. The herd shared the lucerne and shortly later, Yatta led the way out to browse. On the way, Olsekki had a brief pushing game with Gawa. Their game ended when Olsekki saw Gawa's mum, Galana, approaching. Olsekki feared that Galana would attack him and so left before Galana could get close. Later, the senior ex-orphans parted ways with the juniors.
Towards mud bath time, the orphans were joined by Olare’s group. Olare, who had abandoned the group a short time back to be one of Lulu's nannies, was now back to her original group. Lulu is bigger now and doesn't need as much intensive care as she did when she was younger. Olare’s group then escorted the juniors to the mud bath where they were met by Yatta’s group and fifteen wild bulls. As soon as the mud bath was over, the groups parted ways.
It was a quiet morning with no ex-orphans or wild elephant in the stockade compound. As a result, the orphans enjoyed the morning lucerne without any disturbance from other elephants. Naseku had a disagreement with Ndiwa when Ndiwa stepped on lucerne Naseku was trying to pick. Naseku thought this was disrespectful and decided to punish Ndiwa by pushing her away. Ndiwa screamed as she ran away and we are sure she would think twice about doing that again!
The orphans settled in the lower Kalovoto area. At ten o'clock in the morning it was very hot which made it hard for the orphans to browse. They decided to relax under a tree until mud bath time when Rapa led the way. In the afternoon it was still very hot, making the orphans spend most the time relaxing under some trees. In the evening, the orphans were joined by Mutara’s group who escorted them back to the stockade for the night.
As soon as the orphans left the stockade, they were joined by the ex-orphans. The union was brief as the orphans decided to give their seniors space, and walk out to the bush. Orwa, Bomani and Narok, who appear inseparable, decided to escort the orphans to the browsing field. It was a day without much fun as the orphans mostly concentrated on browsing. They browsed calmly up to mud bath time when Sana Sana led the way there.
The sun was hot and the orphans participated fully in the wallowing exercise. Fifteen wild bulls were present at mud bath. Garzi lagged behind with two wild bulls as he engaged them in a lengthy conversation. Later, he followed his friends who had already walked out to continue browsing. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse on the western side of Ithumba Hill. Orwa, Bomani and Narok kept the orphans company up to five o'clock in the evening when they escorted them back to the stockades.
It seems to be getting hotter and hotter each day and this has forced buffaloes to come to the stockade in search of water. Olare’s group in the company of Kenze joined the orphans for lucerne in the morning. There was a small skirmish between Wanjala and Olsekki after Wanjala refused to part with some lucerne that he was enjoying, and which Olsekki had interest in too. Wanjala was forced to run away holding his lucerne when Olsekki tried to use force to get some. Mundusi tried to test his strength against Galla but lost in the first few minutes of engaging him. Mundusi decided to surrender and hoped to try his luck another day.
Shortly after the orphans left for browsing, Yatta and her group showed up at the stockade and left immediately after drinking enough water. The orphans settled to browse in Kanziku area until it was time for their noon milk bottle. The normally well-behaved and disciplined Oltaiyoni, probably because it was so hot and she was thirsty, for the first time tried to help herself to a third bottle when she noticed that the Keepers were not paying attention. She grabbed the bottle from the ground and ran since she knew the Keepers would definitely not allow her to have the bottle. By the time the Keepers managed to get her, Oltaiyoni had already finished half of the milk. Lucky enough there was an extra bottle of milk, so no one missed their share. The orphans really enjoyed their time wallowing and after returned back to the bush to browse. Twenty two wild bulls showed up for water soon after the orphans left for browsing.
In the afternoon, the orphans converged under a tree for nearly three hours waiting for the temperature to drop to a favourable level. Kithaka, Barsilinga and Garzi left with Olare’s group, only to come back to the stockades late at around ten o'clock at night. The gates were opened and the three boys went in for the rest of the night.
Chemi Chemi, the lone ranger, was in the company of Mutara and Narok’s groups in the morning. Ever since he was attacked by lion last year, Chemi Chemi prefers to walk on his own most of time. It is dangerous for him though and we hope he will join up with his group which is led by Olare. The junior ex-orphans settled for lucerne with the stockade dependent orphans. Olsekki threatened to push Chemi Chemi, thinking that he could defeat him, but he couldn't believe it when Chemi Chemi showed him how mighty he can be by knocking him almost to the ground. That will teach Olsekki to respect his elders a bit more!
On the way to the browsing field, Tusuja came across a suitable rock that he used to scratch his belly on, at the browsing field Rapa and Galla spent some time in a strength testing exercise that saw Galla emerge as the winner. The sun got so hot and at around ten o'clock in the morning, the orphans converged under a big tree that had nice shade and relaxed there until mud bath time. There the orphans were joined by Yatta, her herd and twenty five wild bulls. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse on the western side of Ithumba Hill. The sun was still hot and at one point it became unbearable, making the orphans seek shelter under a tree. In the evening, Roi led the way back to the stockades.
Yatta and her group joined the orphans outside the stockade and settled to feed on lucerne together. The ex-orphans are now showing up on an almost daily basis due to the current dry weather and high temperatures. Soon after leaving the stockade, Galla opted to have a scratching exercise against the only remaining acacia tree in the stockade compound. Mundusi engaged Esampu in a pushing game that was cut short by Makena who separated the two. Mundusi wasn't happy about that but since there was nothing he could do to Makena, he just surrendered and walked away. It seems that as Mundusi was walking away, a thought came into his mind that perhaps Makena separated his and Esampu’s game because she is a little girl, and that perhaps she thought he was bullying Esampu and if he engaged another age-mate then Makena wouldn’t try to intervene. Mundusi then decided to play with Galla and test this theory but their game didn't last for long since Galla pushed him hard until he decided to surrender. The ex-orphans escorted the juniors to the browsing field and shortly after, parted ways.
Narok, Orwa and Bomani decided to stick with the orphans for the entire day. Malkia and Sana Sana browsed together for some time and seemed deep in conversation. The temperature was moderate in the afternoon and the orphans had milk and some water before going back out to browse. The afternoon was quiet as the orphans browsed calmly throughout the rest of the day.
It was a quiet morning with only one wild bull visiting the stockade water trough. As usual, the orphans settled for lucerne for nearly one hour before Kamok led the way to the browsing field. Namalok settled to browse with Pare and had a lengthy chat as their friends scattered out all over the field, each concentrating on browsing. At mud bath time, the sun was really hot and the orphans had a spectacular wallowing session with the exception of Turkwel and Sana Sana who boycotted the exercise. Later, the orphans headed west of Ithumba Hill where they settled for the afternoon. The sun was still hot and the orphans took a break from feeding and relaxed under a tree for nearly one and a half hours. In the evening on the way back to the stockade, the sun was still hot and the orphans had a road side mud bath and soil dusting exercise.
The senior ex-orphans were at the stockade compound early in the morning. The ex-orphans soon joined the orphans for lucerne when they were let out. Barsilinga and Lemoyian walked down to the water trough and had water as they discussed what to do next – spend the day with the ex-orphans or the Keeper dependent ones. At last they agreed to follow the juniors.
Later the orphans were joined by Nasalot, baby Nusu, Naisula, Kitirua, Makireti, Kilabasi and Murka. Namalok and Karisa had a disagreement when they met while browsing. Namalok wanted to eat the green leaves of a certain shrub which Karisa had also an interest. The two boys decided to sort out their disagreement by pushing one another. As the boys were sorting out their differences, Enkikwe passed by and helped himself to the green leaves. By the time namalok and Karisa reached an agreement of sharing the leaves, Enkikwe had already finished them! The two regretted not agreeing in the first place.
On the way to the mud bath, Tusuja and Maramoja competed to get to the milk bottles first. Maramoja, being light and young, managed to outdo Tusuja. Mteto finished her share of milk and as she was about to leave, she saw Namalok's bucket unguarded and quickly passed close to it to check whether there was milk in it. As she was about to dip her trunk in it, the Keepers spotted her and shouted at her, but Mteto would hear none of it. She wasn’t going to leave without a sip after risking checking the bucket in the first place! Mteto left happily after managing to take a sip of Namalok's milk. It seems she still has some of her naughty Nursery traits! Tusuja led the orphans to mud bath and shortly later ten wild bulls showed up to mud bath too. In the afternoon, Wanjala, Esampu and Kithaka settled for soil bathing.
It was a quiet morning when the orphans left the stockade and settled for lucerne supplements. Shortly later, Chemi Chemi the lone ranger joined the orphans to feed there as well, and after walked with the orphans to the browsing field. Pare and Mundusi had brief strength testing exercise that saw Mundusi lose the game to Pare. Mundusi will be a boy to watch since he is determined to be a dominant boy one day. This is due to his determination of challenging all the other bulls, including his seniors most of the time. Chemi Chemi escorted the juniors to the mud bath and had fun with Galla and Mundusi as they used the smaller mud bath to wallow in.
Naseku competed with Wanjala to race for their milk bottles later and Naseku emerged as the winner. Olsekki and Tusuja had a pushing game in the water that went on until they came out. After mud bath, Mundusi tried to block Galla from getting out of the water. Galla didn't take it lightly and tackled Mundusi fiercely until Mundusi had no option other than to let Galla out of the mud bath. After the orphans had left for browsing, three wild bulls showed up at the mud bath. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill until evening when they returned back to the stockades.
The sky was clear in the morning as the orphans strolled nonchalantly out from their stockades. Led by Roi, the orphans settled for lucerne and shortly later walked out to browse. It became hot very quickly, which made it impossible for the orphans to have any fun. They concentrated on browsing and the Keepers thought they must be wondering when the hot weather would come to an end, and the rains would fall.
Close to eleven o'clock in the morning, Ndiwa led the way to the mud bath. At one point, Ndiwa stopped and turned to face her friends walking behind her. Her friends stopped too and listened to what Ndiwa had to say. Ndiwa started throwing dust in the air as if demonstrating the best way to soil bath. Her friends didn't entertain her as by stopping they thought she had something relevant to tell them. The herd continued their way to the mud bath. The lone ranger Chemi Chemi emerged from the bushes and joined the convoy to the mud bath. Ten wild elephants were present at mud bath. Tusuja rode on Namalok while in the water which annoyed him, so when Namalok came out of the water he tried to block Tusuja by pushing him back into the water. In the afternoon, the orphans took a break from feeding to relax under a tree since the sun was so hot. In the evening, Esampu led the way back to the stockades.
In the morning, the orphans were joined by nearly all the groups of ex orphans at the stockade compound. Galla left with a branch in his mouth that he continued to enjoy as he interacted with his seniors. Malkia had the opportunity to meeting and playing baby Kama while Garzi engaged Kanjoro in a strength testing exercise. Later, Malkia and Ndiwa moved to play with baby Nusu, but first Malkia snatched grass from Nusu's mouth. Malkia's action made Nusu distrust the two girls and so he retreated to his mother.
The ex-orphans escorted the orphans out to the bush and they browsed together up to mud bath time. Narok and Kainuk escorted Lemoyian to get his share of milk and after headed for mud bathing. The ex-orphans parted ways with the orphans soon after mud bath. The orphans had calm afternoon and concentrated on browsing until five o'clock in the evening when Malkia led the way back to the stockades.
The orphans interacted with the ex-orphans in the morning soon after they were let out. Sana Sana sniffed at baby Lulu as she tried to imitate her nanny Naserian who was scratching against a tree. Baby Siku played with Malkia while baby Yoyo played with Namalok.
Out in the bush, the dependent orphans came across a lone buffalo and Karisa attempted to chase it away by charging and trumpeting. The buffalo at first stood its ground but when it saw Karisa being backed up by his friends then it ran away. Namalok and Galla had a strength testing exercise that ended in a draw. Karisa, Dupotto, Mteto, Kamok, Maramoja and Esampu were not as active as they have worms as it made them feel uncomfortable. Many of the ex-orphans have worms as well as it has been observed in their dung for the past few days that they have been with the orphans. The Keepers made a plan to treat them for their worms with medication from Nairobi as soon as possible.
Soon after mud bath, the orphans went straight back to the browsing field with the exception of Kithaka, who opted to soil dust instead. Later in the afternoon, Barsilinga, Kithaka and Garzi parted ways with their dependent friends and returned to the stockades later, around 8:30 at night.
Chemi Chemi the lone ranger was at the stockade compound early before the dependent orphans were let out. Soon when the gates were opened, Chemi Chemi walked straight into the stockades and grabbed a few leftover branches and walked out enjoying feeding on them. The orphans were happy being on their own while feeding on the lucerne supplements as they had no disturbance from their seniors, the ex-orphans. Malkia settled to feed close to Sana Sana while Mundusi briefly engaged Tusuja in a strength testing exercise. Olsekki spent some time enjoying a lone game of rolling on the soft grass while Naseku leaned on a rock while feeding on the lucerne. Shortly later, Siangiki led the way to the browsing field and at mud bath time, Rapa led the first group for noon bottle feeding. After taking their milk, the orphans joined the wild elephants to have some water from the water trough before they all decided to jump into the water for mud bathing.
In the afternoon, the orphans were joined once again by Chemi Chemi. Barsilinga lagged behind and interacted with the wild bulls before rejoining the orphans later. The sun was still hot and the orphans decided to take a break from feeding to relax under a tree for some time. The evening was quiet without the ex-orphans or any wild elephants visiting the stockade compound.
Mutara’s group consisting of Mutara, Sities, Kanjoro, Kainuk, Suguta, Chaimu, Kilaguni, Kasigau, Narok and Bomani arrived early in the morning at the stockade compound. Chemi Chemi had spent the night just outside the stockade and joined Mutara’s group when they arrived. Orwa was missing from his group of Narok and Bomani. Tomboi arrived shortly later with two wild bulls and immediately joined the orphans for lucerne. Tomboi took a whole bale to himself and moved a distance away to enjoy feeding on it on his own. Chaimu tried to join Tomboi but Tomboi would not accept that and threw his trunk to Chaimu informing her to leave. Amazingly enough, Tusuja later joined Tomboi in feeding and Tomboi allowed the small boy to share the lucerne with him. After receiving treatment on his leg, Enkikwe left with a branch in his mouth which he enjoyed feeding on as he walked to join his friends. Rapa settled to scratch on a nearby rock and shortly later Mutara led the way out to browse. The ex-orphans settled to browse with the juniors up to mud bath time, when Naseku led the first group to the mud bath. Sities escorted Esampu and Dupotto to get their milk and then went to mud bath. In the afternoon, the sun was still hot and the orphans took a break to relax under a tree for nearly two hours.
Bomani and Chemi Chemi spend the night outside the stockades. They were joined by Yatta and several ex-orphans with their wild born young early before dawn. The ex-orphans present in the morning included Yatta, Yetu, baby Yoyo, Nasalot, baby Nusu, Olare, Tumaren, Melia, Kandecha, Kalama, Kenze, Naisula, Kitirua, Loijuk and Ithumbah. Soon when the gates opened for the orphans to come out, several headed straight to the water trough and joined a wild bull to drink water, while the rest headed for some lucerne. Malkia settled to feed close to Nusu and Nasalot since she wanted to babysit Nusu. The rascal Nusu didn't want to be baby-sat and so tried to push Malkia away. Malkia had no option other than to leave since by trying to retaliate in front of Nusu's mum it would be inviting trouble for herself! Shortly later, Yatta and her group parted ways with the juniors. Bomani and Chemi Chemi remained with the juniors up to mud bath time when Tusuja led Wanjala and Dupotto in the first group for their noon bottle feeds. The sun was hot and the orphans participated fully in the wallowing exercise with the exception of Kauro and Turkwel who escaped and went around the mud bath. After the orphans left for browsing, Buchuma showed up and joined wild bulls that were present a mud bath. A total of twenty two wild bulls enjoyed a cooling-off exercise with Buchuma before leaving. The heat was too much for the babies and so they decided to hide under a tree that had good shade. In the evening, Yatta and her group visited the stockade again and had some water before leaving again.
Sana Sana was the first one to leave the stockades followed by Malkia with a branch in her mouth. Yatta and her group were waiting outside and joined the orphans for lucerne soon after they were let out. Naseku, who loves babies, had a brief interaction with Siku before Siku ran to her mother. Esampu had a small skirmish with Nusu when Nusu intentionally pushed her without any reason. Esampu turned to retaliate and the two had a pushing game that ended when Esampu saw Nusu's mother Nasalot approaching! Olsekki tried to bully Wiva but Wiva managed to escape and ran to her mother for help. An hour later, the ex-orphans parted ways with the juniors.
The orphans settled to browse in Kone area where they were joined by Bomani. At mud bath time, the orphans joined seventeen wild bulls who had come for water and mud bathing. Sana Sana led the orphans to wade through the water hole. The brave Esampu was the last in line as she waded past the big bulls without any fear. In the afternoon, the sun was still hot and the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Enkikwe and Sapalan took a break from feeding to relax under a tree while Kamok chose a tree next to the two boys and relaxed alone as she wondered how long the heat of this season would last. In the evening, Tusuja and Karisa ended the day’s activities by engaging each other in a pushing game. The evening was quiet with only six bulls coming for water at the stockade compound.
The ex-orphans were at the stockade compound again in the morning. Bomani had spent the night outside the stockade, and joined the ex-orphans to wait for some lucerne. Soon when the orphans were let out, Naseku led the way to the lucerne feeding area. Naseku was in a playful mood that morning and expressed this by trumpeting and kicking at the lucerne and doing funny head stands. Soon the excitement was over and Naseku walked out to the bush to browse with the others. Three bulls that had accompanied Yatta’s group drank their fill of water before disappearing into the bush.
The orphans settled to browse east of the stockade where they were joined by Mutara and her group. The two groups browsed together up to mud bath time when Rapa led the first group to the mud bath. As the rest of the herd bathed in the mud, Rapa and Karisa relaxed under a tree wishing the rain would come sooner rather than later since the heat was too much for them. After mud bath, Mutara’s group again escorted the juniors out to browse, and later in the evening, on the way back to the stockades, all the orphans enjoyed a road-side mud bath in a small dam they found there, followed by a soil dusting exercise.
It was a quiet morning when the orphans left the stockade and settled for lucerne. Only six wild bulls were drinking water at the stockade water troughs. Bomani and Chemi Chemi, who have made a habit of spending the night outside the stockades, joined the orphans for lucerne in the morning. Later, the orphans left for browsing. It's so dry now, such that one wonders what the wild animals are possibly feeding on. Every plant looks dry. Mundusi and Karisa came across a tree felled by a wild elephant and enjoyed stripping the bark off. The orphans concentrated mostly on browsing because it is so dry and they must find enough food to sustain them, so they cannot afford to dilly dally and play games for that would mean going back home without filling up their stomachs.
Karisa led the first group to the mud bath for their noon milk bottles while Pare led the second one. After taking their milk, the orphans jumped into the mud bath water to cool-off. Later, Sana Sana led the way back out to browse. As soon as the orphans left for browsing, twenty seven wild bulls showed up for mud bath and stayed for as long as they wished. The afternoon was hot and the orphans converged under a tree for nearly two hours before resuming browsing again. In the evening, the orphans had a road-side mud bath again on their way back to the stockades.
Shortly after the orphans were let out of their stockades, the ex-orphans emerged from the eastern side and joined them to feed on lucerne. The rascal baby Nusu challenged Naseku to a pushing game. Naseku handled Nusu in a soft manner because she knew that Nusu was a baby who needed attention. On the way to the browsing field, Garzi settled for a pushing game with Kanjoro. Their game went on for quite some time until they realized that it is dry and if they continued wasting time, then the day might come to an end without getting enough to eat! The orphans settled to browse in the lower Kalovoto area until eleven o'clock in the morning, when Dupotto led the first group to the mud bath. Naseku competed with Wanjala to find out who was the fastest to race for their milk. Naseku won the race. After having their milk, the orphans joined some wild elephants to drink water and after went back out to the bush to browse. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse on the west side of Ithumba Hill. It was a quiet afternoon as the orphans concentrated on browsing without any major observation.
It was a quiet morning with only the orphans feeding on lucerne. Later, they were joined by Bomani, Narok and Chemi Chemi. The orphans settled to browse in Kanziku area and had a quiet morning as they browsed without any major observation. The weather was cloudy which gave us hope it might rain soon.
At mud bath time, the orphans had the area to themselves as no single wild elephant that joined them. The orphans had their milk bottles, some water and then a mud bath before Narok took them to the upper Kalovoto area where they settled to browse for the rest of the day.
It was a cloudy morning when the orphans strolled nonchalantly out from the stockades. The ex-orphans in the company of a wild mother with her two calves had arrived early before dawn at the stockade compound. The ex-orphans and the wild family joined the orphans to feed on lucerne. The weather foretold rain and shortly afterwards it drizzled a little bit. Shortly afterwards the clouds disappeared and looked as if it would never rain again the sky was so blue! The orphans settled to browse in Kone area where Naseku teamed up with Namalok to browse. Esampu took a break from feeding to scratch her itchy ears while Ndiwa found a different tree which she scratched her belly on. There was a tense moment when two African wild dogs passed by as they headed to the stockade to drink water. Only when the orphans were sure that the wild dogs had passed by did they continue browsing.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at in the lower Kalovoto area. The sun was hot and the orphans decided to take a break from feeding to hide from the scorching sun. They converged under a tree that had good shade for nearly two hours, before resuming browsing later on.
The ex-orphans were at the stockade compound early before the orphans were let out. As usual, both groups settled for lucerne before parting ways. Siangiki settled to browse with her longtime friend Olsekki. Sapalan had a soil dusting exercise which drew the attention of Ndiwa, Sana Sana and Malkia who joined him in the exercise. Later, they resumed feeding up to mud bath time.
It was still quite hot later on and the orphans jumped into the mud bath soon after having their milk. Kauro nearly got stuck when he used the wrong side to get into the water. The moment he felt that he was sinking in mud, Kauro tried as much as he could to turn back. At last, Kauro managed to pull himself out and vowed never to repeat that mistake again. Orwa, who abandoned his friend Bomani a few days back, joined the orphans at mud bath. Bomani was happy to see his friend again. For the few days that Orwa was away, Bomani had befriended Chemi Chemi and they were spending most of their nights outside the stockade together. In the evening, the sun was still hot and the orphans passed by the mud bath for an evening cool-off exercise again.
The senior ex-orphans were at the stockade compound when the orphans were let out this morning. The babies had a good time with wild-born babies Kama and Yoyo. Yoyo challenged Wanjala in a pushing game while Kama played with Rapa. Ndiwa just watched them at a distance as she enjoyed scratching herself on a nearby rock. Due to the competition from the ex-orphans, Roi picked a piece of lucerne and carried it with her to where she would not be disturbed by anyone else while feeding on it. Tusuja played with Olsekki but gave up when he felt that Olsekki was much stronger than him. A buffalo came to drink water but had a hard time when he was spotted by the orphans. Lemoyian tried to charge at it but the buffalo stood its ground. Rapa and Maramoja tried to scare it away but the buffalo still didn’t move. It was only Murka who managed to help the orphans in driving away the buffalo away. The orphans were delighted and expressed their happiness by trumpeting and charging as they praised Murka in a job well done. The ex-orphans headed west while dependent orphans headed south.
The sun was really hot but the orphans endured it for nothing could be done to alleviate the heat. The orphans browsed calmly up to mud bath time when Tusuja led the first group to the mud bath. Several wild bulls attended the mud bath and were kind enough to share the water with the orphans. On the way back out to browse, Tusuja and Galla had a light strength testing exercise that ended in a draw. In the afternoon, the sun was still hot and the orphans converged under a tree that had good shade. The orphans resumed browsing two hours later and in the evening on the way back to the stockades, they decided to have a road side mud bath that helped them cool-down.
The ex-orphans arrived early before dawn and decided to sleep just outside the stockade waiting for water and lucerne. As soon as the dependent orphans were let out, the ex-orphans joined them to feed on lucerne and after went to drink water. Malkia came out carrying a twig that she enjoyed feeding on, but her joy was shirt-lived when she met with Mundusi who took the twig away from her. Namalok shared his pile of lucerne with Zurura while Makena guarded baby Lulu as she scratched on the nearby rocks. Shortly later, the ex-orphans parted ways with the juniors.
Mundusi, who likes to challenge his seniors, tackled Tusuja. Since Mundusi was not strong enough to overpower Tusuja, a short while later he realized this and surrendered. Kauro took a break from feeding to perform a soil dusting exercise using his trunk while Enkikwe settled for scratching on the nearby rocks.
At mud bath time, the ex-orphans poured into the area in large numbers and enjoyed wallowing to the max and when they were done, relaxed under a nearby tree. In the afternoon, the dependent orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill and since the sun was so hot, they decided to take a break and converge under a tree for nearly two hours. In the evening, the heat was still too much for the orphans so they cooled off in their favourite road-side puddle, before passing by the main mud bath again where they enjoyed wallowing again. After the orphans had done enough, then Esampu led the way home.
It was a quiet morning; only, Buchuma, Melia, Tumaren, Kandecha and Chemi Chemi joined the dependent orphans. Soon after feeding on lucerne, the orphans passed by the water trough and armed themselves with enough water to see them through the entire morning. Karisa then led the way to the browsing field as Buchuma parted ways with them. Melia, Kandecha, Kalama Tumaren and Chemi Chemi followed the juniors.
The sky was crystal clear and this was an indication of a hot day a head. At around nine thirty in the morning, Dupotto and Enkikwe decided to take a break from feeding to relax under a tree that had nice shade. Turkwel performed a soil dusting exercise for some time, before resuming browsing.
At mud bath time, six bulls were present and the orphans had their milk before jumping into the water. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill after dusting themselves with soil. Enkikwe found some nice vegetation and since he could not bend his injured hind leg, he knelt down using his front legs so as to get the nice plants. The afternoon sun was very hot and as usual the orphans relaxed under a tree waiting for the temperature to drop to a normal level; at around 3pm they went back to browsing. On the way back to the stockades, the orphans had a road side mud-bath again and when they were done, Sana Sana led them all home.
The ex-orphans were relaxing outside the stockade compound when the orphans were let out. Malkia, who is fond of babies and who we are sure will be a good mother one day, headed straight to say hi to Lulu. Sana Sana and Ndiwa couldn't face the competition from the ex-orphans over the lucerne and so led the way out to browse. On the way out, Sana Sana came across a suitable rock that she used to scratch her buttocks on. Mundusi, the ‘challenger’ of the other boys, was in a playful mood this morning. He charged and trumpeted as he ran about in the bushes. None of the others would join him in his excitement and so after some time, he calmed down and started browsing. Enkikwe settled to browse with Galla while Garzi teamed up with Barsilinga to browse.
Towards mud bath time, Ukame took the lead as she rumbled, calling her friends to go for an early mud bath since the sun was so hot. Her friends heeded the call and soon streamed behind her to walk towards the cool water and the area where their milk bottles would be waiting. Only three wild bulls were also at the mud bath. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in between Imenti and Ithumba Hill, where they were joined briefly by the ex-orphans. Since it was hot, the two groups used two separate trees in an effort to hide from the scorching sun. Baby Lulu decided to sleep on the ground as her group settled and relaxed under one of the trees. In the evening, the orphans passed by the mud bath again and had a spectacular cooling-off session.
Mutara and Narok’s groups arrived early in the morning and joined the juniors soon when they were let out. As the two groups were busy feeding on lucerne, Yatta and her group emerged from the western side of the stockade and joined them. The dependent orphans felt it was too crowded, so decided to withdraw and head to the browsing field, led by Naseku. Mutara and Narok’s groups also decided to follow the juniors. Sana Sana, who is fond of leading the group, ran forward and overtook Naseku. Naseku didn't react in any way since she understood the behaviour of the three newest babies Ndiwa, Malkia and Sana Sana.
Later we watched as Bomani had a brief strength testing exercise with Garzi, which saw Garzi bow out after accepting defeat. At mud bath time, the temperature was moderate and the orphans decided just to drink some water after having their milk bottles, before going back to browsing. In the evening, the orphans were joined by Yatta’s group at the roadside mud-bath and after they all headed to the stockade together.
The orphans were joined for lucerne by the ex-orphans early in the morning. Seven wild dogs passed close by but the herd was not bothered by them. Shortly later, the orphans withdrew from the ex-orphans and headed south. Barsilinga and Naseku lagged behind and to catch up with the others they had to run. They turned it into a competition and Naseku won the race.
Tusuja settled to browse with Olsekki, while Mundusi teamed up with Ukame. Later Mundusi developed an itch in his ear and used a nearby tree to relieve it. At mud bath time, the orphans were joined by five wild bulls. At the end of mud bath, Olsekki and Tusuja had a strength testing exercise that ended when Tusuja surrendered. Shortly later, the orphans were scared by a baboon which ran past them, and they ran towards their Keepers. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba. At one point, the heat from the sun became too much, prompting the orphans to take a break from feeding to relax under a tree for nearly two hours. In the evening, the orphans passed by the mud bath and enjoyed an evening cool-off before heading back to the stockades.
The sky was clear as the orphans left the stockade early as usual. This was an indication of a hot day ahead and there were no signs of rain, meaning we have to wait longer than we expected. Yatta and her graduate orphan group joined the dependent orphans for lucerne and shortly afterwards they parted ways. Malkia was lucky enough to interact with baby Lulu, although Lulu didn't pay much attention to her. Turkwel and Enkikwe left with twigs in their mouths as soon as they received their treatment on their lion inflicted injuries. The orphans soon settled to browse and wasted no time given the fact that it's so dry and they have to make sure they have enough to eat.
At mud bath time, all the orphans participated fully in wallowing and after joined the four wild bulls there to drink water. As the orphans were returning back to the browsing field, a huge bull turned up, prompting Galla, Rapa, Tusuja and Kauro to raise their trunks and smell him as he passed by, wondering who this big bull might be. The boys moved quickly away when the big bull started moving towards them. They left wondering whether there will be a time when they will grow to such a height.
In the afternoon, it was still hot, making the orphans relax under a big tree waiting for the temperature to drop. In the evening, the day could not be complete without the orphans having cooling off exercise in their roadside mud bath. After cooling down, the orphans walked slowly back to the stockade.