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The orphans were joined by a few ex-orphans in the morning: Chyulu, Cheka, Charli, Barsilinga, Makireti, Kilabasi, Kofi, Melia, Milo, Tumaren, and Tembo. Naleku spent some time with Tembo as Loldaiga engaged Esoit in a morning strength-testing exercise.

An hour later, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse at Kone area. Choka, Mukutan, and Loldaiga came across loose soil that they used for a soil dusting exercise. Lodo settled to browse with Kindani, while Kinyei teamed up with Olorien.

Sattao, Mukkoka, Kuishi, and Larro joined their colleagues after partying the whole night with the ex-orphans. Esoit was happy to have Larro and Kuishi back. The orphans browsed calmly as they slowly headed to the mud bath.

The weather was chilly, and none of the orphans dared to touch the mud bathing water. They had their milk, then drank water before returning to the browsing field.

In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. The clouds cleared, giving way to sunshine. The orphans decided to relax under trees for some time before resuming browsing. Mayan teamed up with Vaarti, while the three new boys — Mukutan, Choka, and Loldaiga — browsed together.

In the evening, Olorien led the way back to the stockade.

Shortly after dawn, the ex-orphans started arriving. Kinna and her family, Yatta and her family, Nasalot's family, the Mutara group, Melia and Milo, Tembo, Tumaren, Naisula, Nyx, Mulika, Moe, Mwende, Mkuu, Mala, and Ishanga joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne.

Choka, Mukutan, and Loldaiga had a brief chat with Kithaka before walking to join Tembo, who enjoyed playing with the three boys.

At the browsing field, Kindani and Choka started their day's activities by participating in a soil dusting exercise, while Lodo settled to browse with Mayan. The orphans had a quiet morning and browsed calmly as they slowly headed towards the mud bath.

At eleven o'clock in the morning, Mukutan led the first group to the mud bath, while Vaarti led the second one. Soon after getting their milk, the orphans participated in a cooling-off exercise, apart from Choka and Vaarti, who headed straight to the water trough to drink water.

In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Kuishi, Choka, and Naleku took a break from feeding and relaxed under trees until the temperatures dropped to a favourable level.

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

Vaarti left the stockade in the morning with a leftover branch in his mouth. Halfway outside, he met Roho, who forcefully took the branch away from him. Vaarti didn't complain—after all, there wasn’t much left on the branch to eat. Mayan and Vaarti settled for scratching on their favourite spot on a rock as they waited for the distribution of lucerne. Kauro, Kithaka, Rapa, Sapalan, and Enkikwe joined the orphans briefly to feed on lucerne before proceeding to an undisclosed location.

An hour later, Suguroi led the way to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Vaarti and Bondeni took a break from feeding and engaged in a strength-testing exercise. Around ten o’clock in the morning, Kuishi, Sattao, Larro, and Mukkoka arrived from their night adventures.

At eleven o’clock, Olorien led the first group to the mud bath, while Loldaiga led the second. The sun was hot, and soon after the orphans had their milk, Lodo led the team into wallowing and later participated in a soil dusting exercise. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill and browsed calmly for the rest of the day.

Choka, Mukutan, and Loldaiga headed straight to the water trough soon after getting their morning milk. After taking enough water, the three boys joined their colleagues in feeding on lucerne.

Shortly later, Galana’s family and Wendi’s group checked in and also joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. Later, the Queens' family, which is a wild herd, arrived and settled to enjoy the lucerne with the rest of the group. Kuishi, Sattao, Larro, and Mukkoka were the last ones to show up in the morning after their night adventures.

On the way to the browsing field, the orphans met Challa and Orwa. The orphans raised their trunks in greeting to the two ex-orphans, then continued their journey to the browsing field. Choka came across a nice tree that he used to scratch his belly. The orphans settled to browse at Kone area.

Wild dogs passing through the area caused tension among the orphans. The orphans didn’t charge but ran to the Keepers. The Keepers shouted at the dogs, who ran away heading east.

At mud bath time, the orphans were briefly joined by Kinna, Kama, Kaia, Lenana, Lapa, Laki, and several wild bulls. Vaarti and Mayan picked on Kaia to play with, but they were blocked by Kama.

In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Since the sun was still hot, the orphans took a break from feeding and relaxed under trees until the temperatures dropped to a favourable level.

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

The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade in the morning. Mutara’s group, the Queens' family, Kitirua, Melia, Milo, and Orwa showed up and joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. Kuishi, Sattao, Mukkoka, and Larro reported later when the orphans were preparing to leave for browsing. Mukutan had a pushing game with Mambo. Mambo surrendered when he sensed that he would lose to Mukutan.

The orphans settled to browse at Kone area, where Loldaiga, Kindani, Roho, Bondeni, and Mukkoka settled for a soil dusting exercise before starting to browse. Mukutan teamed up with Choka in browsing, while Kuishi took Esoit a distance away from their colleagues. Later, Roho had a strength-testing exercise with Mukkoka that ended when Roho surrendered. Mayan settled to browse with Kinyei, while Sattao joined Loldaiga, Mukutan, and Choka in browsing.

At eleven o’clock in the morning, Olorien led the first group to the mud bath, while Vaarti led the second one. The sun was so hot that the orphans jumped into the wallowing water immediately after taking their milk.

In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. The sun was still hot, and the orphans decided to take a break from browsing and relaxed under a tree. Shortly later, Kuishi decided to play a trick on the Keepers when she saw them eating lunch under another tree. Kuishi took Esoit, Loldaiga, Mukutan, and Choka with her and headed to the mud bath. On the way, Kuishi and her team were joined by the ex-orphans. Loldaiga, Mukutan, and Choka abandoned Kuishi and Esoit and joined the ex-orphans. Luckily enough, the ex-orphans were heading towards the stockade.

Immediately, the Keepers started searching for the missing ones. They already knew that Kuishi must have taken them, as she’s the only one who can convince Esoit to go anywhere away from the group. At four o’clock in the evening, Mukutan, Loldaiga, and Choka arrived at the stockade in the company of Kinna, Yatta, and Mulika’s family. The three boys stood outside the stockade, requesting someone to open the gate for them. Esoit and Kuishi were located close to the mud bath, just relaxing under a tree.

In the evening, the stockade was flooded by a total of 120 wild elephants and ex-orphans coming for water.

It was a quiet morning. Only one junior wild bull showed up and joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. The orphans moved freely around the stockade compound without any interruptions. An hour later, the ex-orphans started arriving. By then, the orphans had already had enough and left for browsing, leaving Sattao, Larro, Kuishi, and Mukkoka at the lucerne feeding area.

The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Esoit engaged Lodo in a strength-testing exercise, which ended when Esoit decided to surrender. Mukutan, Choka, and Loldaiga teamed up with Kinyei for browsing, while Suguroi, Naleku, Bondeni, and Kindani chose a soil-dusting exercise before resuming to browse. The orphans browsed calmly as they slowly made their way towards the mud bath.

The temperatures were moderate, and only Lodo, Roho, and Loldaiga participated in wallowing. The rest of the group went to drink water before engaging in a soil-dusting session. Twenty wild bulls were present at the mud bath and settled to drink water after the orphans returned to the browsing field.

The orphans browsed west of Ithumba Hill and remained calm throughout the rest of the day.

Only two wild bulls turned up in the morning and joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. Mayan settled to scratch at his favourite spot, while Esoit got into a charging mood and ran south. The other orphans decided to follow him, curious to know why he was charging.

The first to catch up with Esoit was Roho, who engaged him in a pushing game while trying to find out what the charging was all about. Esoit told Roho that he had seen two birds and was trying to catch them, but they flew away. Mukkoka arrived and separated the two boys. Esoit then asked Mukkoka where he had left Kuishi. Mukkoka reassured him that Kuishi was on her way with Larro and Sattao.

Roho walked back and waited for Sattao, and when he arrived, the two boys engaged in a pushing game. Meanwhile, Kuishi and Larro headed straight to Esoit to check how his morning was going. Esoit was delighted to see Kuishi and Larro and continued browsing as they made their way towards the mud bath. Choka, Mukutan, and Loldaiga took a break from feeding to participate in a soil-dusting exercise. Mayan settled to browse with Bondeni, while Olorien teamed up with Lodo and Suguroi.

At eleven o’clock in the morning, Kinyei led the first group to the mud bath. The temperatures were moderate, and only Lodo fully participated in wallowing. The rest drank water and were joined by Loijuk, Lisha, Lili, Laki, and Lenana. The orphans gathered around to greet Laki as he ran around in excitement.

In the afternoon, the orphans browsed west of Ithumba Hill, and in the evening, Vaarti led the way back to the stockades.

The sky was clear in the morning. The orphans took their milk at six o’clock in the morning and thereafter left the stockade and settled for lucerne. The orphans were joined by the ex-orphans and shared lucerne together. Suguroi was happy to give company to two wild-born babies, Sid and Kito. After some time, the orphans and the ex-orphans parted ways. The ex-orphans headed west while the orphans headed to Kone area, where they settled to browse. Loldaiga teamed up with Roho in browsing, while Kindani settled to browse with Bondeni and Kinyei. Lodo had a brief meeting with Suguroi. Choka settled to browse with Mukutan and Esoit. Ndiwa showed up briefly and held a meeting with Kuishi, Mukkoka, Larro, and Sattao before leaving for an undisclosed location. Vaarti took a break from feeding to participate in a soil dusting exercise and was later joined by Mayan.

At eleven o’clock in the morning, Olorien led the first group to the midday milk feeds. The sun was hot. Soon after the orphans had their milk, Lodo led the team into a cooling-off exercise by jumping into the wallowing water. The orphans then settled for water and soil dusting before returning to the browsing field.

In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Due to the heat from the scorching sun, the orphans took a break from feeding and relaxed under a tree with good shade. The orphans resumed browsing later when the temperatures dropped to a favourable level.

A wild herd consisting of nine members showed up in the morning. The wild herd settled briefly for lucerne, then headed to drink water. Vaarti threatened to push one of the young members of the family, but things didn’t turn out as he expected. The other young members of the family united to defend one of their own. Vaarti just turned and left because there was no way he could defeat the united team. The wild herd left immediately after getting enough water.

Vaarti then decided to walk down to the water trough to enjoy drinking water. He was later joined by Lodo, Roho, Choka, Mukutan, Kanjoro, Loldaiga, and Suguroi. On the way to the browsing field, Kuishi, Mukutan, and Loldaiga came across nice rocks that they used to scratch their bellies.

At the browsing field, Lodo engaged Roho in a pushing game, while Mukutan and Choka settled for a soil dusting exercise. Esoit had a game of rolling on the ground under the watchful eyes of his big sisters, Kuishi and Larro.

At eleven o’clock in the morning, Olorien led the first group to the mud bath. After the orphans had their milk, Bondeni led the way to the water trough, where the orphans settled for water before heading back to the browsing field. The heat became unbearable, prompting the orphans to seek shelter under trees.

In the evening, clouds gathered and, within no time, gave way to heavy rain. The orphans were on their way back to the stockade and felt better as the rain cooled them down.

Wendi, Wema, Wimbi, and Wiva were at the stockade compound early in the morning before the orphans were let out. The Wendi family joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne immediately after they were let out. Shortly later, Karisa emerged from the western side and joined in feeding on lucerne. Lodo said good morning to Wema, while Kuishi entwined her trunk with Karisa in morning greetings. Roho had a brief meeting with Wimbi as Larro walked down to the water trough to have water.

After the orphans had enough of lucerne, Kindani led the way to the browsing field. Karisa escorted the orphans to the browsing field and had a brief strength-testing exercise with Mukkoka and Sattao. The orphans settled to browse at Kone area, and as the day progressed, they were joined by Enkikwe, Kithaka, and Sapalan. The three ex-orphans escorted the orphans to the mud bath, but midway, they changed their minds and headed north.

The orphans had their milk, then participated in wallowing before settling for drinking water. Larro and Kinyei had a brief soil-bathing exercise before leading the way to the browsing field.

In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse east of Ithumba Hill. In the evening, at the time of getting back to the stockade, Naleku, Roho, and Suguroi had dodged the Keepers. The Keepers couldn't locate them, and since the three orphans are very well-versed with the area, the Keepers decided to let them enjoy their freedom and returned to the stockade. Half an hour later, the three orphans brought themselves back to the stockade.

The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. Lualeni, Lexi, Lenana, Lapa, Laki, Kinna, Kama, Kaia, Kito, Naserian, Njema, Sidai, Sita, Silas, Sid, Lulu, Ukame, and several wild bulls arrived at the stockade compound. The wild bulls settled for water while the ex-orphans and their babies joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. Kuishi, Larro, Mukkoka, and Sattao arrived later from their night adventures.

When the orphans had enough of lucerne, Loldaiga led the way to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse at Kone area. Mukkoka browsed with Olorien as they engaged in a conversation, though no one understood what it was about. Suguroi climbed up on a flat rock to feed on green leaves she had spotted. Vaarti settled to browse with Esoit, while Kinyei, Choka, Mukutan, and Loldaiga briefly engaged in a soil-bathing exercise before resuming browsing. Naleku came across a nice rock that she settled to scratch on.

Several wild dogs passed by, putting the orphans in panic mode. The wild dogs continued on their journey to an undisclosed location.

At eleven o'clock in the morning, Mayan led the way to the mud bath. The temperatures were moderate, and none of the orphans participated in wallowing. The orphans settled for drinking water, then soil dusting, before returning to the browsing field.

In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Later, the orphans visited the roadside mud bath, where they had an evening cooling-off exercise before returning to the stockade.

Around eighty-five ex-orphans and their wild-born babies arrived at the stockade compound early before dawn. The ex-orphans had water and then relaxed outside the stockade, waiting for the lucerne distribution.

At six o'clock in the morning, the orphans had their milk and then walked out to join the ex-orphans, who were patiently waiting for the lucerne. Once the lucerne was distributed, the orphans had a brief stay before leaving for browsing, as they couldn’t withstand the competition and pushing from the ex-orphans. Naleku led the orphans north of the stockade. Kuishi, Larro, Mukkoka, and Sattao didn’t show up in the morning, likely having walked far with the ex-orphans who were absent.

Choka browsed with Mukutan, Lodo, and Roho. Vaarti and Mayan competed to see who could reach the highest leaves, while Bondeni teamed up with Kinyei for feeding. The orphans browsed calmly as they slowly made their way to the mud bath.

At eleven o’clock in the morning, the temperatures were moderate, and none of the orphans dared step into the mud-bathing water. Only four wild bulls showed up for water. The orphans drank and then settled for a soil dusting exercise before returning to the browsing field.

In the afternoon, the clouds cleared, giving way to sunshine. The orphans took a break from feeding and relaxed under trees until the temperatures dropped to a more comfortable level. In the evening, Mayan led the way back to the stockade.

Garzi, Rapa, Kauro, and Enkikwe were at the stockade compound early before the orphans were let out. The orphans had their milk at six o'clock in the morning, then walked out to join the four ex-orphan boys. Shortly afterward, Wendi emerged from the eastern side, followed by Wema and Wimbi. Vaarti interacted with Wema, but the interaction turned into a threatening game. In the end, Wema won when Vaarti decided to quit.

As the orphans prepared to leave, the Yatta family and Mutara group arrived. One group emerged from the east, while the other emerged from the west. Our night clubbers, Kuishi, Larro, Mukkoka, and Sattao, arrived in the company of the Mutara group. Kuishi and Larro checked on Esoit and shortly afterward parted ways.

The orphans settled to browse north of the stockade and browsed calmly up to mud bath time, when Mayan led the first group to the noon bottle feed. The temperatures were moderate, and the orphans skipped the wallowing exercise, settling instead for a soil dusting.

In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Clouds gathered, and at around three o'clock, the rain started and lasted for nearly an hour. The orphans enjoyed playing with the running rainwater, and at five o'clock in the evening, Olorien led the way back to the stockade.

It was wet in the morning following the rains received overnight. The orphans walked carefully as the grounds were slippery. They then settled for lucerne. It was a quiet morning, as no wild elephants or ex-orphans showed up. Even our night clubbers, Kuishi, Sattao, Mukkoka, and Larro, didn't show up.

An hour later, the rains started again, and the orphans left for browsing. At the browsing field, Mukutan, Suguroi, Mayan, Choka, Loldaiga, Lodo, and Vaarti took a break from feeding and settled in mud bathing, playing with the running rainwater. By the end, they looked like anthills after smearing themselves with red mud. The orphans then browsed calmly until eleven o'clock in the morning, when Vaarti led the first group to the noon bottle feed. Loldaiga led the second group but was overtaken by Mukutan when he slipped and fell due to the slippery grounds. The orphans had their milk, and then Lodo and Roho jumped into the wallowing water. The two boys engaged in a pushing game while coming out of the water.

In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Naleku, Mukutan, Choka, Loldaiga, and Suguroi decided to have fun by rolling on the ground. Lodo had a brief strength-testing exercise with Mayan, while Bondeni played Esoit. In the evening, Vaarti led the way back to the stockade.

It was a quiet morning. The orphans had their milk at six o’clock and then walked out to feed on lucerne. They settled peacefully, as there were no outsiders to compete with them. Naleku tried to bully Vaarti and Mayan when they passed close to where she was enjoying her lucerne.

An hour later, Suguroi led the way to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse north of the stockade. Loldaiga came across two dik-diks and charged at them. The dik-diks ran away as Loldaiga followed, trumpeting. He was soon joined by Mayan, Lodo, and Roho. The dik-diks disappeared as fast as they could, leaving the three boys charging at empty bushes.

Bondeni engaged Esoit in a pushing game after Esoit tried to take food from Bondeni’s mouth. Vaarti had a light pushing game with Kindani that lasted for quite some time.

On the way to the mud bath, the orphans were joined by Sattao, Mukkoka, and Kuishi. It seemed Mukkoka had decided not to accompany his three friends and continued exploring the park further with the ex-orphans. Esoit was happy to see Kuishi and Larro, who had been away for two days on an adventure with the ex-orphans.

The orphans had their milk and then headed straight back to the browsing field. Mayan browsed alongside Vaarti, Bondeni, and Esoit, while Roho played with Lodo.

At four o’clock in the evening, Sattao, Kuishi, and Larro parted ways with their colleagues and headed south to an undisclosed location. At five o’clock, Vaarti led the way back to the stockade.

This evening, we had a wonderful surprise when Yatta appeared at the stockades with her brand new baby girl. Yatta looked very proud to show off her tiny daughter. Yara, as we named the baby, is her fourth calf. 

It was another quiet morning. The orphans left the stockade soon after getting their morning milk and peacefully settled for lucerne for nearly an hour. Esoit scratched against a nearby rock as he rumbled, trying to figure out where his two older sisters, Kuishi and Larro, might have gone, since they hadn’t returned to the stockade overnight. After getting enough lucerne, Suguroi led the way to the browsing field. 

Yatta and her little baby, Yara, came close to the stockade compound but then turned and headed east alone. It was unclear where she had separated from the rest of the herd. Even the previous day, Yatta had shown up with only her new baby, with no other group or family members following her. This is not cause for concern, as Yatta is an experienced mother and matriarch, but it is unusual.

The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Choka, Lodo, Kindani, Kinyei, Olorien, Loldaiga, Mukutan, and Bondeni came across loose soil, which they enjoyed rolling in before resuming their browsing. Later, Roho engaged Lodo in a strength-testing exercise that lasted for quite some time. The game ended when Lodo decided to surrender.

At eleven o’clock in the morning, Mukutan led Loldaiga, Naleku, and Esoit in the first group for the midday bottle feeds, while Vaarti led the second group. The temperatures were moderate, and after having their milk and drinking water, the orphans returned to the browsing field.

In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill, where they were joined by Kuishi, Sattao, and Larro. Mayan teamed up with Bondeni, while Mukutan browsed alongside Loldaiga.

In the evening, the orphans came across a water pan and decided to have a cooling-off session before returning to the stockade. At five o’clock, Vaarti led the way back.