It seems we might have seen the end of the rains as clear hot days have seen the grass start to turn yellow and begin to dry out. It has been a good innings with the rains continuing from October right through to May this year. There remain plenty of waterholes filled and the wild herds are still widespread throughout the ecosystem with other areas of the Park still very green. As we head into late May, June and July the temperatures will get much cooler which does inhibit the mud bathing sessions, as the south east winds at this time of year can be cool so the orphans do sometimes opt to skip the mud bath on cooler days. The times they did choose to dive into the mud bath they certainly made up for it with lavish mud games. Some of our Voi babies however opted to stand on the edge and splash the water on themselves, rather than completely submerge.
After the morning milk feed, the stockade-dependent orphan elephants hung around the compound for some socializing games. Ngilai enjoyed a sparring game with his favourite friend Murit, while Pika Pika stuck close to her adopted mother Arruba. Mudanda enjoyed a scratching session against a tree near the fence line where she was joined by Suswa.
Sagala and Emoli took the lead as the orphans headed out to the Park with Ndotto bringing up the rear as he had been engaged in a strength-testing game with Rorogoi. The orphans, together with the two orphan buffalos Cheza and Ivia, spent the morning browsing on the lower flat lands. At noon Emoli led the group to the milk feeding area and then to the water hole where they had a drink of water from the water trough. Emoli was the only one to wallow today as it was quite chilly. Godoma and Sagala took the lead of the orphan herd back to the safety of the stockades for the night.
The orphan elephants enjoyed playing around the stockade compound following the milk and supplement feeding. Godoma and Murit were engaged in their usual strength-testing and pushing games while Arruba lay down near the terrace edge to allow Pika Pika to climb over her.
Ndotto interrupted their fun by climbing on Pika Pika in order to get her off Arruba so that Arruba would get to her feet and play a sparring game with him. Arruba refused to get up so Ndotto climbed on her back which had the desired result of finally getting Arruba to stand up for a game. Ndotto always loved climbing on the others when he was little in the Nairobi Nursery. He would climb anything he came across like tree stumps or rocks, or any of the other orphans! When it was time to leave for the day Mbegu had to come in and break up their game so that they could join the rest of the group who was already waiting for Mbegu to lead them out. .
At noon the orphans visited the baobab tree water hole where they downed their milk bottles before heading over to the water. Emoli and Embu were the first to enter and spent the entire time showcasing their mud bathing skills to the rest of the group. The afternoon was spent browsing peacefully near the waterhole.
After the morning feed, Emoli engaged Ngilai in a play fighting game. Mudanda went and grabbed Godoma with her trunk in an effort to get Godoma to play with her but Godoma managed to avoid the strength-testing game and started to walk away, which signaled the rest of the orphan herd to begin the walk out to the Park for the days browsing activities.
The orphans spent the morning browsing in single file as they slowly made their way to the baobab tree waterhole for their noon milk feed. They then stopped at the water trough for a drink before heading to the waterhole for a mud bath. Embu, Pika Pika and Godoma took center stage in the water while the rest of the group stayed at the edges watching the three playing in the middle.
The afternoon browsing session took place close to the waterhole.
Ngilai and Emoli were busy this morning as the two were engaged in a heated sparring game with neither wanting to back down and give in to the other. Lasayen and Murit were doing the same at the other end of the stockade compound. When the stockade games were over, the orphan herd headed out to the Park where they settled to browse and where Emoli and Ngilai resumed their pushing game.
Rorogoi was busy playing on the ground and rolling around in the dirt while her friends watched. When it was time for the noon milk feed the orphans headed to the baobab tree waterhole where they also enjoyed a mud bathing session. Embu, Tahri and Arruba were the first to enter the water and were the stars of the mud bath. Once they had all finished wallowing they resumed with their browsing activities which took place around the eastern side of the waterhole.
It was fun and games as usual this morning following the orphans milk and Lucerne pellet feeding. Suswa enjoyed scratching her bottom against the biggest rock in the stockade compound while Ndotto engaged Lasayen in a play fighting game, with Arruba coming to watch and wait her turn. Once Ndotto was done playing with Lasayen, Arruba engaged Ndotto in a sparring game which had Ndotto climbing on a rock so that he could be taller and have an advantage if he started losing the game. Once Ndotto had finished playing with Arruba he was accosted by Rorogoi who wanted to engage him. Ndotto was exhausted and managed to avoid playing with Rorogoi by scratching against the rock that he had been standing on.
Kenia’s group was seen browsing high up Msinga Hill today, as with the past few days they did not come to join the juniors and interact with them. Tawi seems to be jealous of orphan baby zebra Diria as well as the two orphan buffalos Ivia and Cheza and keeps charging at them. For the safety of the three orphans the Sheldrick Management discussed with the Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Team and decided that it was best that Tawi be relocated to a different area of the Park; he was moved in the afternoon to an area between Aruba and Sobo which will become his new home.
This morning, as soon as the milk feed was over, Emoli engaged Ngilai in a play fight early which Mbegu brought to an end when she intervened in their sparring game to restore some peace and quiet to the stockade compound. Kenia, Ndii and Araba came to join the stockade dependent orphans at the Lucerne pellet feeding area this morning.
Arruba came to greet the three independent orphans before Ndotto engaged her in a sparring game which got him in trouble with Kenia and Ndii who came to Arruba’s assistance and push Ndotto away. Rorogoi enjoyed a scratching session against a rock before lying on the ground where she was joined by Ndotto who had managed to sneak away from Kenia and Ndii, and the two enjoyed rolling around in the dirt together.
The orphans left for the Park under Mbegu and Godoma’s leadership and they enjoyed the days browsing activities without Kenia, Ndii and Araba, who had stayed at the stockades and were there to welcome their younger friends when they returned home for the night.
The stockade-dependent orphan elephants concentrated on their usual morning feeding activities before engaging in games at the stockade soil piles. Lasayen lay down, away from the sparring and playing orphans, to enjoy some quiet time. Ngilai saw Lasayen move away and came to join him, copying Lasayen by lying down in the same way. Lasayen was not happy about this and quickly got to his feet to engage Ngilai in a pushing game which moved around the stockade compound disturbing Mbegu who was a enjoying a scratching session against a tree. The game seemed to have no end and Emoli came in to provide reinforcement to Ngilai, which ended up meaning that Ngilai moved away from Lasayen so that Emoli could spar with him instead.
The orphan elephants left the stockade for the Park and they spent the morning browsing peacefully. The Keepers were on their usual morning patrol, searching for the wild herd that Mashariki has joined, when they saw that Tawi, who had been translocated to an area near Sobo, more than fifty six kilometers away, was back and was browsing with a group of seven wild zebra! The Keepers couldn’t believe their eyes! Tawi spent the day away from the stockades but came into the compound at midnight.
The morning was good with the stockade-dependent orphan elephants playing around the stockade compound before leaving for the browsing grounds. Rorogoi had fun rolling around on the ground while Emoli watched. Mudanda engaged Godoma in a pushing game which Godoma snuck away from as she was afraid of getting hurt by Mudanda, who has long tusks and gets quite heated when playing any sparring games.
The elephant orphans left for the Park, with Tawi the eland among them, acting as if everything was normal. They spent the morning browsing on the western and eastern sides of Msinga Hill before making their way to the baobab tree water hole for their milk bottles and a drink of water. As it was a cold and cloudy day the orphans did not enter the water, choosing instead to resume with their browsing activities on the southern side of the waterhole.
The day started as always with the milk-dependent orphan elephants running out of their stockades and downing their morning milk feed before joining their older friends at the supplement feeding area. Emoli saw the Keepers washing the milk bottles inside the milk mixing room and thought that more milk was being prepared so he hung around the milk feeding area waiting for the extra feed. When he realized that no extra milk was coming he joined his friends who were feeding on the Lucerne pellets. Ndotto was busy running around the compound looking for Arruba so that he could engage her in a sparring game.
Once the orphans were out in the Park they settled to browse in a bushy area full of lush vegetation. None of them wanted to visit the waterhole today as it was rather cold. They stopped feeding to have their milk feed at noon after which they resumed with their browsing activities spread out over the grasslands. Embu joined Pika Pika for a private browsing session and when Arruba saw the two of them together she came charging in to get Pika Pika at which point Embu, not wanting any trouble, went to browse with Mudanda.
Emoli, Tahri and Sagala came running out of their stockade as fast as they could, stumbling over one another in an effort to be the first to get to the milk feeding area. They downed their share then settled at the stockade water trough for a drink of water.
The Keepers got a lovely surprise this morning when Nelion, Ishaq-B, Ndoria and Tundani came to the stockade after a week’s absence. With them was Mashariki, who had left nearly a month ago with a wild herd and had not been seen since despite the Keepers daily monitoring patrols in an effort to look for her to see how she was getting on. Tundani went straight to Ndotto to engage him a sparring game before the orphans left for the Park. Once out in the browsing fields Ngilai engaged Emoli in a pushing game.
Ndoria, Nelion and Tundani then headed to the Voi River area, while Mashariki stayed with the dependent-orphan herd, returning to the safety of the stockades with them in the evening.
The morning began with the usual milk and supplement feeding after which the Keepers were busy preparing for the arrival of two orphans who were being translocated to the Voi Reintegration Unit from the Nairobi Nursery. There was a light shower during which Sagala and her friends enjoyed playing and rolling around on the red earth piles after which the orphan herd headed to the southern foot of Msinga Hill to browse.
The lorry carrying Tagwa and Tamiyoi, arrived at the Voi stockade at 9am, and Tagwa, who was coming back to Voi after returning to Nairobi for extra care and attention, was the first to exit the translocation lorry. The two orphans were given a milk bottle and had a drink from the stockade water trough before the Voi orphans came to greet them. Tagwa was approached by Mudanda but Tagwa seemed shy and ran away. Tamiyoi was eager to explore the area and greet her new friends. Mbegu ignored the two for a while before going to greet Tamiyoi and socialize with her while Emoli stood aside waiting for his turn to greet the newcomers.
Once out in the Park, Lasayen was seen staying right by Tagwa, while Ndotto stayed with Tamiyoi attempting to play with her and climb on her back. Tamiyoi seemed to be uncomfortable having the orphan buffalos Cheza and Ivia in such close proximity, as the two were feeding close to the elephant orphans, and together with Rorogoi the two chased them away.
At noon the orphans visited the baobab tree waterhole where they had their milk feed but did not wallow as it was a chilly day. They instead chose to spend some time playing on the red earth piles after which they returned to their browsing activities and getting their new friends used to the new routine, which at least Tagwa was already quite familiar with!
This morning, Tagwa and Tamiyoi came running out of their stockades for their morning milk bottle, with Emoli and Godoma hot on their heels. After the milk feed the orphan herd hung around the stockade compound for a while, spending some time getting to know the new additions to the Voi group better. The older Voi group had fun showcasing different games to the new arrivals with Embu, Pika Pika and Tahri enjoying a dust bath. Arruba came in and took Embu’s spot joining Tahri and Pika Pika who were rolling around on the red earth piles. Ndotto was busy climbing on Godoma who eventually managed to sneak away from him, at which point Ndotto engaged Rorogoi in a strength testing tame, while Ngilai tried to ride on Tamiyoi’s back. The Keepers decided to intervene so that Tamiyoi could enjoy playing in peace.
The orphan herd followed Sagala out to the Park today and they settled to browse on the southern foot of Msinga Hill, where Tamiyoi was seen entwining her trunk with Emoli. Tamiyoi browsed with Pika Pika while Rorogoi and Emoli fed side by side. After the noon milk feed, Tagwa and Tamiyoi went to quench their thirst at the baobab tree water trough before joining their friends for a mud bath.
In the evening, Tagwa and Tamiyoi were in the lead as the orphan herd followed the Keepers back to the stockades for the night. The group missed out on meeting up with Nelion, Tundani, Ishaq-B and Ndoria today, who were a little behind them. The four older orphans visited the stockade and stayed there until 7pm at which point they returned to the Park.
It was a wonderful beginning to the day as the milk-dependent orphans assembled at the milk feeding area for their morning bottle which was ready and waiting for them when they exited their stockades. When they were done they joined their older friends at the Lucerne pellet feeding area. It was then time for stockade games with Pika Pika playing with her adopted mother Arruba, while Embu stood by watching. Suswa saw the fun the two were having and came to join them, but the two chose to walk away so Suswa ended up playing on her own.
Tundani, Nelion, Ishaq-B and Ndoria arrived at the stockade compound as the juniors were leaving for the Park. Tamiyoi and Tagwa kept a quick pace which meant that the older orphans did not catch up to them. Once out in the bush, Tundani’s group met up with the youngsters and Tundani went to greet Tamiyoi who tried to get away but was unable to do so as Tundani was holding her with his trunk.
The independent orphans then left for the Voi River area while the dependent babies headed to the baobab tree water hole for their milk bottles and a wallow in the water hole there. Arruba was one of the first into the water where she had a quick bath before coming out to lie on the warm earth near the water’s edge. Suswa and Rorogoi came over to see what she was doing as she lay there basking in the sun, oblivious to those around her.
After the morning feed, the orphans hung around the stockade compound bonding and playing with one another. Ndotto invited Arruba for a sparring game while Mashariki and Sagala enjoyed a morning dust bath. Ndotto and Rorogoi then had fun playing on the dust hill with Ndotto hugging Rorogoi with his trunk. Emoli and Ngilai were engaged in a wrestling match while Godoma played with Nelion who then went to take on Tundani, his age mate, in a strength testing game.
Sagala, Tagwa and Tamiyoi took the lead out for the day with the two newcomers setting a quick pace in an effort to get away from Tundani and Nelion. Sagala, Godoma, Tagwa and Tamiyoi all had a good time browsing together as they explored the area around Msinga Hill. Tamiyoi then went up hill to interact with Mbegu and spend some time browsing with her.
After the noon milk feed, the orphans walked down to the baobab tree waterhole, where they had a drink from the water trough before going for a mud bath. Nelion mischievously placed his front feet inside the water trough to cool off as Pika Pika rolled around the edge of the water pan and Rorogoi enjoyed a scratching session against a nearby tree. Tundani and Nelion became engaged in a sparring game inside the waterhole and were left there by their friends who returned to their browsing activities. The two older boys joined the rest of the group much later browsing with them until it was time to head home for the night.
The morning was bright as the milk-dependent orphan elephants Tagwa, Tamiyoi, Emoli and Pika Pika were competing to see who would be the first to reach their morning milk bottles. After the milk and supplement feeding finished there were bonding games around the stockade compound.
Ndotto engaged his friend Arruba in a sparring match while Ngilai took on Pika Pika, who soon regretting playing with Ngilai who tried to ride on her back. Pika Pika managed to get away at which point Ngilai relaxed on the ground. Embu enjoyed a strength testing game with Tagwa and when she won she celebrated by lying down where Ngilai had been. Ngilai had gone to try and play with Emoli but he was busy playing with Lasayen and ignored him.
The orphans headed out for the day and spent the morning browsing until it was time for the noon milk feed, at which point they made their way to the baobab tree water hole. After their milk bottles the orphans all enjoyed mud bathing and playing in the waterhole before returning to their browsing activities.
The milk bottles were lined up and waiting for the orphans as they exited their stockades this morning. After they finished their milk they then enjoyed Lucerne pellets before playing socializing games around the stockade compound. Suswa and Rorogoi enjoyed playing on the dust hills as they rolled around in the loose soil. Ndotto enjoyed a sparring session with Embu before going to climb on Tagwa’s back.
The orphans made their way to the southern foot of Msinga Hill where they settled to browse. Tagwa enjoyed a scratching session against a big rock before following the rest who were browsing their way towards the western foot of Msinga Hill, where Kenia’s herd was seen browsing further uphill. Ndii came down to greet Tagwa and Tamiyoi and was seen holding Tagwa with her trunk, before leaving to rejoin Kenia and her friends.
The orphan herd made their way to the water hole where they had a lot of fun playing in the mud bath before resuming with their browsing activities. Sagala spent most of the afternoon by Tagwa’s side and the two enjoyed browsing in one another’s company. Ndotto was left behind browsing on Msinga Hill when the rest started the return trip to the stockades and he had to hurry to catch up with the rest of the group.
Once the morning milk and pellet feeding was over it was time for fun and games. Emoli went to help Godoma, holding her with his trunk, as she came down from the stockade terrace, after which the two became engaged in a strength testing pushing game. Godoma then headed to the dust piles but was prevented from getting there by Mudanda who blocked her path and engaged her in a sparring session. Rorogoi had fun playing on the dust piles while Ndotto took on Embu and then Mashariki for a pushing game before wanting to take on Arruba who had no interest in playing with Ndotto and started leading the group out for the day.
The orphan herd browsed in single file until they reached the mud bath where they had their noon milk feed before having a quick wallow in t water hole. Rorogoi stopped for a drink of water at the water trough where she was joined by Ivia and Cheza the buffaloes, at which point she gave a halfhearted charge to keep them away. The elephant orphans all enjoyed playing on the dust piles with Mashariki staying there the longest, and she had to run to catch up with the others for the afternoon browsing session.
Once the milk feed was over the stockade-dependent orphans headed to the supplement feeding area where they were joined by Tundani and Nelion as the two boys seem to have been ousted from Kenia’s herd, and lately have been seen browsing on their own. Ndotto engaged Rorogoi in a tough sparring session after which Rorogoi went to play with Mashariki who was rolling down the piles of soil, while Ndotto went to climb on Tagwa. Mudanda was not happy about what Ndotto was doing and came to push him away. Rorogoi was enjoying climbing on Mashariki’s stomach as she lie on the soil.
The group then headed out to the Park for the day, spending the morning browsing peacefully before making their way to the water hole for the noon milk feed. Godoma blocked Ivia and Cheza the buffaloes from accessing the water trough while Mashariki came charging at them from the back. The two orphan buffalos moved away, waiting until the elephants had finished and were walking to the mud bath, to come back and have a drink of water.
There were only a few games around the stockade compound this morning following the milk feed. Ngilai engaged his best friend Emoli in a sparring match while Nelion, who had arrived early this morning with Tundani, enjoyed playing and rolling on the dust piles where he was joined by Mudanda. Tundani and Nelion then became engaged in a wrestling match, while the stockade-dependent orphans began their walk out to the Park. Once the two older boys were done playing they followed the younger group, settling with them for the morning browsing session.
Tagwa and Tamiyoi teamed up to browse with Sagala and Emoli, with Mbegu and Lasayen coming to join them. Arruba and Pika Pika were busy browsing and stayed where they were a short while longer than the rest, who moved slowly towards the baobab tree area.
As the milk vehicle approached the orphans came running in for their milk bottles, with Godoma and Ndotto in the lead followed closely by Tamiyoi. Once the milk bottles were finished and were empty, the orphan herd made their way to the water hole for a mud bath, before resuming with their browsing activities.
Kenia, Ndii, Araba, Ndoria and Ishaq-B visited the stockades in the evening, once the dependent babies were already in their stockades for the night. The four independent orphans had a drink from the stockade water trough before heading back out for the night.
After the morning feed, the stockade-dependent orphan elephants hung around the stockade sparring. Ndotto took on Arruba and then Rorogoi while Ngilai enjoyed a dust bath with Sagala and Suswa enjoyed a scratching session against a rock.
Godoma took the lead of the orphan herd out for the day. Mbegu, Ndotto and Suswa remained at the stockade a while longer, catching up with the rest of the group later that morning. Arruba and Pika Pika were bringing up the rear of the orphan group, as they hung back moving slower than their friends.
The orphan herd had their mid-day milk bottle near the baobab tree waterhole, after which they headed to the water trough for a drink before entering the mud bath. There was a lot of fun and games at the mud bath today as the orphans all enjoyed wallowing in the muddy water. Rorogoi came out of the water to chase Ivia and Cheza away. The two orphan buffalos had come to watch the elephants playing though their presence was not welcomed.
The afternoon browsing session took place on the southern side of the waterhole where the orphans remained until it was time to return to the safety of the stockades for the night.
Once the morning milk feed was over the orphans made their way to the stockade dust piles where they enjoyed a dust bath before engaging in sparring games. Tagwa took on Ngilai for a strength testing game with Ngilai pushing back gently before trying to ride on Tagwa’s back. Murit took on Lasayen for a sparring session after which he enjoyed a scratching session between two trees in the stockade compound, while Ndotto was busy playing with Arruba.
Tamiyoi and Tagwa took the lead of the orphan herd today and the group settled to browse on the northern side of Msinga Hill. They spent the morning browsing peacefully until just before noon when they made their way to the baobab tree waterhole for their milk feed.
Tundani, who had joined the stockade-dependent orphan elephants in the morning, became naughty and tried to climb on Mashariki’s back while she was in the water. This mischievousness by their older friend had the rest of the orphan herd quickly moving out of the water to begin the afternoon browsing session. Arruba and Pika Pika ran to the dust piles for a dust bath after which they joined their friends who were all browsing nearby.
The morning began with the milk and Lucerne pellet feeding after which Suswa headed for a scratching session between two trees with Murit and Mbegu coming and waiting for her to finish so that they could have a scratch as well. Godoma and Embu also enjoyed scratching against a tree while Arruba and Pika Pika made their way to the fence line so that Arruba could browse on acacia trees while Pika Pika rested under her adopted mothers head. Arruba spotted Ndotto lying down and rolling around on the red earth piles and was quick to come and lie on his stomach brining a quick end to his game. Ndotto quickly got to his feet and charged at Arruba who ran towards the Park, signaling the rest of the orphan herd to head out for the day.
The orphans settled to browse on the eastern and northern sides of Msinga Hill before making their way to the baobab tree water hole for their noon milk feed and a wallow. Soon after the mud bath, Suswa and Rorogoi enjoyed a dust bath in a small dry waterhole after which they joined their friends for the afternoon browsing session.
Once the mornings milk and supplement feeding was over the orphans followed their daily routine of playing around the stockade compound before heading out for the day. The two orphan buffalos, Ivia and Cheza, headed out with their Keepers before the orphan elephants did. As they walked out, Tagwa and Tamiyoi, who were leading the group, came across Ivia and Cheza. Tagwa charged towards the two, wanting to clear the way for Tamiyoi, but stopped when she realized that the two were not going to move out of the way. The orphan herd changed tactics, and went around the two orphan buffaloes to avoid a confrontation.
The orphan elephants browsed in single file all the way to the baobab tree water hole where they had their milk bottles and a drink of water before heading to the wallow. There was a lot of activity around the dust bath today with Sagala taking the central position atop the red earth piles where she lay down to play. Godoma and Tamiyoi came to showcase their dust bathing skills as they rolled around on the loose soil while Ngilai knelt down inviting Arruba to play with him, which she did, but not before leaving Pika Pika under Rorogoi’s care.
The afternoon browsing session took place around the waterhole, where the orphan herd remained until it was time to return to the safety of the stockades for the night.
The morning began with Tundani and Nelion arriving just after the milk feed to join the stockade-dependent orphans for the Lucerne pellet supplement feeding. Tundani saw that Ndotto had grown taller and came to engage him in a strength testing play fighting game which came to an end when it was time to head out to the Park for the day. It was at this point that Tundani and Nelion parted ways with the junior orphans and made their way to the big waterhole to browse.
Mashariki, Mudanda and Embu led the orphan herd up Msinga Hill for the morning browsing session and they remained there until it was time for the noon milk feed, at which point they headed to the baobab tree water hole where they had a lot of fun playing mud bathing games after having their milk bottles. Arruba was in an extremely excited mood and charged around the water hole, running in and out even after the others had left. When she was done playing she caught up with her friends for the afternoon browsing session which took place halfway up the eastern side of Msinga Hill. Once back with the group Arruba engaged her friend Ndotto in a sparring session before resuming browsing until it was time to return home for the night.
After the morning milk and supplement feeds, the orphan elephants spread out around the stockade compound to play before following Emoli and Tamiyoi out for the day.
The group settled to brose on the southern foot of Msinga Hill with Mbegu, Suswa and Ndotto being the last to arrive as they brought up the rear of the group. Arruba and her adopted baby Pika Pika slowly browsed their way uphill before coming back down to rejoin the rest of the group that was browsing on the lower grounds. Tagwa, Tamiyoi, and Sagala continue to stay together, forming a friendly trio that spends their time browsing and bonding with one another. Lasayen sometimes joins the three for a browsing session.
After the noon milk feed and a drink of water the orphans made their way to the waterhole for a mud bath. There were a lot of fun and games as the group were full of energy and they all enjoyed rolling around and wallowing in the muddy waters. Rorogoi and Arruba remained in the water after the others had exited and the two enjoyed having the waterhole to themselves for a while. Suswa enjoyed a scratching session against an acacia tree before joining the others who had settled to browse close to the waterhole.
The morning began with the usual milk bottle and subsequent pellet feeding. Mudanda was rather naughty, pushing and shoving her younger friends while they were busy enjoying the Lucerene pellets. She then tried climbing on her friends, disturbing the feeding session.
Today Sagala led the way out to the Park and once out in the bush, Mashariki, Arruba and Pika Pika settled to browse together. Tamiyoi arrived with Godoma and Tagwa and they all browsed in single file until it was time for the noon milk feed when Tagwa led her friends to the waterhole for a drink of water and a mud bath. Ndotto Godoma, Emoli and Mudanda had a drink at the baobab tree water trough before joining the others at the waterhole for a wallow.
Mbegu stood in the middle of the mud bath spraying herself with water while Emoli had fun rolling around in the water, with Mbegu keeping an eye on him. Mashariki then dominated the whole water hole as she charged around, in and out of the waterhole. When she was done playing she joined Mudanda for a dust bath before the two joined their friends, all of whom were ready to resume their browsing activities.
Mashariki, Arruba and Ndotto spent the afternoon browsing together with Cheza and Ivia coming to browse close to them. Mashariki was not happy having the two orphan buffalos in such close proximity to her and her friends and charged them in an effort to chase them away.
As soon as the stockade gates were opened this morning Tamiyoi, Tagwa and Sagala were the first to come running out for the morning milk bottle. When the milk feeding was over the stockade-dependent orphans headed to the supplement feeding area for the Lucerne pellets after which Ngilai tried to engage Emoli in a pushing game. Emoli did not want to play with Ngilai and bellowed loudly, which had Godoma coming over quickly to intervene.
The orphans left for the Park under Sagala and Embu’s leadership, with Mbegu, Ndotto and Emoli at the rear of the group as they were moving slower than the rest. They all settle to browse on the northern side of Msinga Hill. Emoli was feeling adventurous and took a short cut to climb some rocks in an effort to get to Lasayen who was browsing on the other side, while Godoma was busy browsing while resting a front foot on a rock.
At noon the orphans headed to the waterhole for their milk bottles and a wallow in the mud bath. Tagwa took the central position in the water where she enjoyed splashing muddy water over herself. Arruba and Mudanda enjoyed a dust bath together after which Arruba invited Pika Pika to join her, and the little one had fun rolling around on the loose soil while her adopted mother stood guard to ensure that none of the other orphans bothered her.
The afternoon browsing session took place along the northern side of the waterhole where the orphan herd remained until it was time to return to the safety of the stockades for the night.
The orphans exited their stockades this morning excited to begin the day. Emoli, Tamiyoi and Godoma were the first to get to the milk feeding area where they downed their milk bottles before making their way to the pellet feeding area after Tamiyoi tried to beg for more milk when the second group of orphans arrived. Ngilai was not prepared to share his milk bottle, knowing full well that Tamiyoi had already had her share and he was quick to push her away.
The orphans hung around the stockade compound playing with one another, with Ndotto and Arruba engaging in a sparring game which was interrupted by Rorogoi who wanted to play with Ndotto, and the two spent some time strength testing one another. Pika Pika was busy at the dust pile with Arruba while Sagala, Emoli and Tagwa headed off to the Park to begin the days browsing activities. The rest of the stockade-dependent group soon followed with Suswa and Embu bringing up the rear.
Independent orphans Mashariki, Nelion and Tundani came down Msinga Hill to join the youngsters. Pika Pika and Tagwa took the lead of the group as they browsed their way to the baobab tree waterhole where they had their milk feed after which Mashariki and Tagwa led them all to the water trough for a drink before going to the mud wallow. Embu, Godoma, Mashariki, Arruba and Pika Pika had a lovely time wallowing and splashing around. Tagwa saw the fun they were having and came to join them for a while before they exited the water for a dust bath. The independent orphans then left leaving Mashariki with the dependent orphans until the evening, when they all returned to the stockades for the night. When they were safely back home Mashariki left the stockade compound to find her friends and join them for the nightly browsing session.
The orphans left the stockade compound for the Park as soon as the milk and supplement feeding was over. Sagala, Lasayen, Murit and Emoli all headed up Msinga Hill for fresh browse while the rest stayed at the bottom. Sagala browsed with her friends for a short while before coming down to spend a private browsing session with Godoma.
At noon the orphans made their way to the baobab tree water trough where they quenched their thirst. Lasayen, Godoma, Ngilai and Mbegu stood in a line drinking while Murit drew water from the trough and then shared it with Godoma. Rorogoi was busy playing in the water that had splashed out of the trough while the rest of the orphans went to the mud bath for a wallow. Tundani came to have a drink before joining the others at the waterhole. Mudanda, Rorogoi and Pika Pika then walked back out to browse.
Embu, Mashariki and Ndoria came for a wallow with Embu rolling around in the water while Mashariki and Ndoria stood at the edge splashing water over themselves. The three then had a drink from the water trough before joining their friends who were all browsing nearby.
The orphans exited their stockades and downed their milk bottles before making a bee line for the Lucerne pellets. Mudanda was being a bit of a bully towards Pika Pika but Arruba quickly came to Pika Pika’s rescue, chasing Mudanda away. Ndotto and Rorogoi enjoyed a sparring session while Sagala enjoyed a morning dust bath with Pika Pika and Embu coming to join her.
Tagwa and Tamiyoi led the way out to the Park but their friends were busy playing around the stockade compound and the two had to come back when they realized that no one was following them. When they were all ready to head out Lasayen took the lead of the group and they settled to browse on the rocky side of Msinga Hill.
Godoma, Ndotto and Emoli headed up hill to browse while Sagala and her friends kept Tagwa and Tamiyoi company at the foot of the hill. At midday the orphans made their way to the water hole for their noon milk feed and a mud bath. Pika Pika stood at the edge of the water having a drink before heading to the middle of the water hole where she started splashing around. Ngilai, Sagala and Arruba were busy drinking at the water trough and joined the others in the water a short while later. Emoli was having a lovely time in the water submerging himself completely with only his trunk above the water so that he could breathe. Rorogoi was one of the last to come in to the mud bath and settled to wallow alongside Suswa, Arruba and Mudanda.
The morning was cold as the orphans exited their stockades to begin their day. They drank their morning milk bottles after which they proceeded to the supplement feeding area for Lucerne pellets. There were some soil dusting games before the group followed Embu and Sagala out to the Park.
Arruba spent the morning browsing side by side with her adopted baby Pika Pika while Tagwa and Tamiyoi enjoyed browsing in one another’s company. The group slowly browed their way to the baobab tree water hole where they had their milk before enjoying a wallow. Nelion had joined the stockade-dependent group this morning and was busy scratching his bottom against the baobab tree with Mudanda coming to take his place when he moved away.
Since Tawi’s return to the stockades following his translocation he has become a calm and well behaved and no longer attacks the younger orphans which has allowed him to remain at the stockades as he is no longer being a bother and causing problems.