Talek started the month on a high. She recently figured out how to hold her own bottle and is feeling very proud of her new skill. As the orphans came in for their morning feed, she deftly picked up her bottle, twisted it in her trunk, drank every drop in her careful way, and dropped it on the ground. Talek barely has any tusks, but she has already mastered an advanced skill!
After an early morning milk feed, the orphans wandered out of their stables and stockades to greet their friends and drink from the water troughs. Kitich and Mageno led the herd out to the forest with Kerrio bringing up the rear - so that our assistant mini matriarch could check that no one had been left behind. The herd browsed in a cluster as it was a cool morning. Tali stayed quite close today although still at a short distance from the crowd.
Three hours later, it was time for another milk feed. We sent the herd down in groups of three or four to a line of Keepers waiting with bottles. They sprinted through the forest with trunks aloft in anticipation. Talek has recently mastered the skill of holding her bottle – this morning, she walked away with trunk twisted around the bottle, drank every drop in her careful way, and dropped it on the ground. After the feed, the orphans were in more playful moods. Nyambeni and Muridjo played in one clearing while Shujaa did his (unsuccessful) best to persuade Weka to play the pushing game with him.
The herd browsed in dappled sunshine in the afternoon. Mzinga, Kerrio and Latika were together. Latika was pulling up clumps of browse without kneeling – because of her short trunk, sometimes she chooses to browse on her knees but today she was standing tall. Mageno stood on the edge of a muddy pool, sucking up trunkfuls to splash all over himself – and drink. Rather than using water, little Talek flicked mud all over her body.
On another cloudy morning, our 20 orphans padded out of their stockades and walked up the path to the forest. They spread out to browse on an abundance of grass that almost comes up to their knees (following recent downpours of rain). Kerrio, Mushuru and Kamili expertly twisted up mouthfuls of grass while Mageno and Sholumai stretched to pull down tasty leaves from the tops of bushes.
The herd visited the mud bath for a milk feed later in the morning and again mid-afternoon. After drinking their milk, they stood quietly around the wallow. Some drank from the troughs while others picked up pieces of lucerne - but no one was hot enough to get into the water.
Returning to the forest, the elephants gathered around a patch of thick mud for a mud bathing and dusting session. Mud babies Muridjo and Nyambeni dug into the mud with their front feet and rubbed their faces and chests on the ground. After smearing mud over as much of their bodies as they could manage, they lay down and hosed dry dust along their backs. Not far away, Weka lay in the dust and Pardamat massaged his belly against the edge while Kitich trunk hugged him.
Today, Maxwell, our blind black rhino, spent most of the morning in the covered area of his enclosure before wandering out to browse on pellets, lucerne and sugar cane with a family of warthogs and a few greedy baboons.
In some months of the year, the forest is dry and dusty and the herd wander far in search of browse. At present, however, there is no need as the grass is long. This morning, the orphans stayed close to the stockades while browsing over clearings in the forest. Kamili was with Kerrio and Mushuru, Nyambeni spent time with Muridjo and Muwingu, Sileita was looking after Wamata, and Sholumai was with Talek. The girl with the longest tusks rarely wanders away on her own nowadays and is often seen affectionately trunk touching Talek or Olomunyak or Wamata or Taroha.
After filling their bellies in the morning, the orphans had another mud bathing session in the afternoon. Olomunyak was first to get stuck in. Our playful boy somehow covered every part of his face, including his eyes, with thick grey mud while Mushuru, Sholumai and Mzinga looked on. The three older females soon joined the younger boy in the mud. Sholumai stayed on her feet but Mushuru lay down on her belly with trunk waving in circles.
As usual, the herd were keen to return to the stockades later on, knowing that bottles of milk and piles of lucerne were waiting. Nyambeni, Mzinga and Muridjo went home first today and Sileita was last to pad down the path.
The mornings are cooler and Raha is wearing her blue blanket on most days. The little rhino is continuing to feed well and is putting on weight. Today, Raha walked slowly out to the forest behind her Keeper. When they reached a clearing carpeted with soft grass, she browsed for a long time, occasionally pausing to suckle his trouser leg. We wonder when Raha will grow out of her attachment to Keepers’ trousers – so far, she shows no signs!
Mzinga certainly does not lack confidence! She is developing a habit of sneaking away from the forest when our backs are turned and returning to the stockades in search of extra cubes. This morning was one of those days. Spotting an opportunity, she headed for home at a fast pace. The clever elephant nipped in and out of several stables before being apprehended and sent back to join the herd in the forest. When she is found by a Keeper, Mzinga puts up little resistance and ambles out happily with a stomach full of extra pellets!
Shujaa was taught by the big boys (and Kerrio) how to wrestle and now it is his turn to teach Olomunyak! His stout young friend recently turned two years old and is full of confidence. In the afternoon, Shujaa and Olomunyak played for a long time, clashing heads, twisting around and pushing again. The older bull was careful not to overwhelm the younger one. Shujaa is taller and stronger but was holding back with Olomunyak.
In the early morning, the orphans padded quietly out of their stockades and walked up the path to the forest. Browsing was followed by massages and dusting. Kerrio and Latika rubbed their rumps against trees with rough bark while Mzinga and Pardamat sucked up trunkfuls of dry soil. The older girl affectionately trunk touched cheeky Pardamat as he stood in a cloud of dust.
Later in the morning, the herd visited the mud bath in two groups. The younger orphans – Kerrio, Nyambeni, Talek, Mzinga, Kamili, Olomunyak, Taroha, Tali, Pardamat and Wamata – visited the mud bath first. After drinking their milk, they stood quietly around the wallow on a cloudy day. Kamili wandered along the cordon with Talek and Taroha following behind her. Kerrio and Nyambeni rubbed against each other on the mound of soil while Olomunyak and Wamata drank from the water troughs.
The herd returned to the forest in the afternoon after another milk feed at the mud wallow. They browsed for a time and then several paddled and played in an area of thick mud. Kerrio stood in the puddle, using her trunk to carefully slap mud over one side of her body, then the other, and finally along her back. She finished off her mud bath with a vigorous face massage. Nyambeni paddled close by, watching the antics of her big sister!
This morning, our orphans wandered in the lush forest, enjoying the abundance of browse. The little ones pulled up clumps of grass while their taller friends twisted down branches from trees. Today, Muridjo took a different approach to browsing. With the others walking around her, she lay down on her belly. Relaxing in the thick grass, she continued to browse, yanking up mouthfuls of green grass. Copying her friend, Kamili also lay down to browse but only for a short time. After a few mouthfuls, she decided to roll around on her back, enjoying an early morning dust bath.
Kerrio and Mageno lay down on their sides in a patch of muddy ground, waving their trunks in circles. When she spotted her big sister, Muridjo took a break from browsing on her belly to play the climbing-all-over Kerrio game. When he spotted his best friend, Kitich challenged Mageno to a wrestling match. Kitich pushed, Mageno clambered to his feet, and the two bulls began their daily pushing game.
In the afternoon, the orphans wandered far into the bush. Sholumai led Mushuru and Muwingu away to explore, but Pardamat was not tempted to follow the older girls today as he was playing with Kitich. The two bulls played the pushing game and Kitich allowed Pardamat to climb on top of him while he lay on his side in the mud.
It rained during the night and the forest was muddy and wet in the morning. The herd headed out as always and browsed for a time either on their own or in small groups. As the others continued browsing, Weka, Sholumai, and Mageno lay on their bellies in a patch of muddy earth. They rubbed soil over themselves and slapped the ground with their trunks.
Shujaa has become the playmaker of our herd! He is friends with everyone, except for Tali (the new boy seen by him as a possible rival) and loves playing the pushing game. This morning, Muwingu and Shujaa chased each other in the forest, pushed heads together, and then stood with heads entwined.
In the afternoon, our growing bull was playing with Wamata, the youngest member of the herd. Shujaa was playing gently with the little girl, but not gently enough for Sileita! The moment Wamata trumpeted, the mini matriarch strode over, checked Wamata with her trunk, and pushed Shujaa firmly away. Respecting her authority, he turned tail and walked away to browse with Nyambeni and Mzinga.
Later in the day, we gathered the orphans and sent them back to the stockades in groups of three or four. Nyambeni led the first group home and Sileita was last to pad into her stable for the night.
On a warmer morning, the orphans wandered out to the forest with their Keepers and settled to browse. Muwingu has become attached to Taroha and is spending lots of time with the younger bull. Today, the two friends browsed side by side, occasionally trunk touching each other. Mageno and Kitich were once again playing the pushing game, twisting trunks as they pushed back and forward in their daily strength contest. The two bulls prefer to play with each other, but the girls are less fussy when it comes to playmates. Today, Mushuru and Nyambeni were also enjoying a wrestling match.
Tali was not browsing on his own today. Rather than hovering on the edge of the herd, he was standing close to Kamili and Muridjo. The three elephants browsed together, paddled in a muddy pool, and browsed some more. The new boy is putting on weight and becoming stronger but still has sunken cheeks.
Later in the morning, the herd visited the mud bath as usual in two groups. No one went swimming today – instead, they drank from the troughs or picked up pieces of lucerne or rolled around on the mound of soil with trunks waving.
Raha had an encounter with Mzinga in the forest. Aware that the rhino was grazing not far away, Mzinga sneaked away from the herd to find her with little sister Talek in tow. Raha greeted Mzinga in a friendly way, allowing the elephant to trunk touch her, and walked away with her Keeper. Meanwhile, we shepherded Mzinga and Talek back to join the others. Rhinos would not usually tolerate the presence of an elephant – but Mzinga is an unusual girl!
This morning in the forest, two of our shyer girls were playing together. Kamili and Latika browsed side by side and then played face rubbing and trunk twisting games on a patch of dry ground. Both girls had an especially difficult start to their lives - and we were happy to see them being boisterous!
Muwingu was on Wamata duty this morning. Her nannies take it in turns to look after the little girl but ensure that one of them is always with her. Muwingu stood close while pulling down branches from trees. When Wamata walked away, she followed close behind, touching her trunk on the younger elephant’s rump.
Mud babies Kitich and Taroha covered themselves in mud in the afternoon. Kitich hosed his back and chest while Taroha splashed and paddled up to his knees in mud so thick that he had to pull his legs out. After cooling off, Taroha had a strength contest with Pardamat. One boy pushed with his trunk laid along the other’s back and then the other boy pushed back in a push-me-pull-you game that lasted for a long time!
Tali browsed quietly with Latika and Kamili. The girls have been quicker to accept the new male member of the herd - but he is having to bide his time with the older boys. Kitich, Mageno and Shujaa rarely allow him to browse with them.
Not so long ago, Muridjo, Nyambeni and Mzinga had no tusks and could not reach tasty branches in trees. No longer! This morning, the three girls were standing tall, stretching trunks into trees to pull down browse. Afterwards, Mzinga massaged her shoulder against a tree while Murijdo and Nyambeni dug into the ground with their tiny tusks.
Mushuru and Weka have become good friends. They wandered together in the bush this morning and then played a pushing and chasing game. After relaxing in a puddle of thick mud, Talek ambled over to join her big sisters and the three friends browsed in a clearing.
In the afternoon, the herd visited the mud wallow. After drinking his bottles, Olomunyak rolled around on the mound of dry soil while Sholumai hosed herself with dust, soothing her skin and keeping an eye on the younger boy at the same time. As he continued to rub his body against the ground, she lay down next to him, happily twirling her trunk. Our shy girl has emerged from her shell!
Only water baby Taroha paddled in the muddy water. First he drank from the wallow and then he climbed into it, kicking water in every direction with his front feet. Talek browsed quietly on the supplementary lucerne, standing sandwiched between older girls Latika and Mushuru. Wamata did the same, but with Sileita on one side and Kerrio on the other.
On his way out from the stockades in the early morning, Taroha stopped off at the gate of Maxwell’s enclosure. Sensing his presence, the big rhino walked up to the gate and pushed his nose and horn through the bars in greeting! Taroha extended his trunk and lifted his foot to touch Max’s head and horn. After standing with heads together, the gentle bull walked on to catch up with the others in the forest and the blind rhino went back to browsing.
Several orphans made the most of the mud again this morning. During cooler times of year, they prefer mud bathing to water bathing. Kamili covered every part of her body with wet soil, starting with her face before lying on her side.
The forest floor is covered with fallen seeds at present and the elephants love them. This morning, Muwingu, Sholumai and many others expertly pushed the soil with their feet and picked up the tasty treats with their trunks. After browsing for a time, the two older girls played a pushing game with trunks twisted around each other’s heads.
Our gang of orphans ambled around in the bush after their milk feed at the mud bath in the afternoon. Over a period of hours, each elephant hangs out with many members of her family. They move together and apart, playing with one and then browsing with another.
The sun was shining this morning when the orphans emerged from their stockades. On some days, they are in a hurry to head out to the forest but on other days, like today, they take their time. They stood around, rumbling to each other in greeting and drinking from the water troughs. When we whistled for them to get moving, they wandered up the path very slowly with trunks touching rumps.
Pardamat and Olomunyak were wrestling against each other again this morning. The two friends are both determined and strong young bulls. Pardamat is over six months older and thus has a height and weight advantage - but Olomunyak makes up for his smaller size by being especially determined. They pushed and broke apart and pushed some more while the others browsed around them.
Later in the morning, several orphans played over a large patch of mud in the forest. Kamili rubbed her feet and face in the thick mud while Talek climbed all over big sister Nyambeni while she rolled on the wet soil.
Raha is becoming quite the explorer! In the afternoon, she led her Keepers on a jaunt in the forest, picking her path over rocks and through rivulets. She stood up to her knees in water while drinking from the stream before plodding across the river and further into the bush. Before walking back to the stockades, Raha enjoyed a nap in the sunshine!
This morning, Kerrio, Kitich and Talek were playing in the muddy forest. Little Talek lay down first and covered every part of her body with red mud before the two older orphans joined her. They clambered all over each other, having fun while being careful not to hurt the younger girl.
We call Muridjo our mud baby for a good reason. Whenever it has rained and the forest is wet, she spends more time playing in the mud than browsing! Today, she browsed for just a few minutes before heading for the largest area of mud she could find for a roll around. Wamata was also enjoying a mud bath but not such an exuberant one. She knelt to rub her trunk carefully in the mud while Latika and Sholumai kept a close and protective watch over her, standing one on either side. The two nannies took it in turns to browse with Latika going down on her knees today. Latika is still devoted to little Wamata but has no choice but to share her with the other females. As she moves quite slowly, sometimes the other girls respond more quickly and whisk Wamata away - so Latika loses out.
In the afternoon, our budding mini matriarchs, Nyambeni and Mzinga, led the herd across a stream and deep into the forest. They ambled along in a long straggly line, stopping along the way for drinks and mouthfuls of browse.
Translocation training for Sholumai, Sileita and Mushuru began this morning! Sileita’s tusks are almost as long as Sholumai’s these days – and the mini matriarch of our herd and her two friends will be graduating soon. From today, they will have most of their milk feeds in the truck. All three were skittish this morning and refused to put even a foot in the truck - so we fed them on the ramp. In the afternoon, Mushuru and Sholumai plodded in reluctantly, but Sileita would not get in. She stood on the platform, stretching her body and trunk in the direction of the milk bottle while refusing to shift her feet!
Despite dark clouds on the horizon, the sun came out in the afternoon. The herd browsed along a small stream quite close to the mud bath. With Tali and Weka close by, older girls Kamili and Latika were browsing together in the thick bush. Recently, Latika and Kamili have been playing together often. Kamili (who has become more active) was using her long tusks to loosen the soil and both girls were rolling on the ground.
Mageno took a break from filling his belly to lie on his back on a patch of thick mud. Afterwards, he stood up and challenged best friend Kitich to yet another pushing game. The bulls clashed heads, pushing one way and then the other. The games between the well-matched bulls never become serious or aggressive.
Kitich is an easy-going chap with gets on with almost everyone in the herd! This morning, he was drinking from puddles on a rocky area with Sileita and Olomunyak and, half an hour later, he was playing the pushing game with Pardamat, taking care not to injure his younger friend.
Tali is getting stronger and his cheeks are filling out. Today, he was browsing on the edges of the herd, staying close to the older females as he is wary of the bulls. Mzinga and Nyambeni moved off with him for a time, trunk touching the new boy as they wandered through the forest.
The older girls were stretching up high to browse on the tastiest branches at the top of trees. Sholumai, Mushuru and Muwingu are adept at standing tall and can even balance on their back legs for a short time to reach an especially tasty treat. Mushuru shared some of the special browse with Talek and Wamata who were clustering around her. After filling her belly, tomboy Muwingu moved on to play a wrestling game with Mageno.
Sholumai, Mushuru and Sileita came back before the others later in the afternoon for another milk feed in the training truck. Today, Sholumai and Mushuru walked in reluctantly, but Sileita refused to enter the truck again.
Usually, Raha walks through the forest at a sedate pace, plodding along behind her Keepers. This morning, however, she was running across the rocks! Her Keepers were happy to see her with so much energy. After a burst of cantering, Raha settled to browse and then had a mud bath. While she lay in a patch of muddy water, a Keeper threw shovels of water all over her. Once she was soaking wet, she stood up, took a few steps to an area of dry soil, and added a layer of protective dust.
Nyambeni and Sileita were browsing together this morning. The good friends took frequent breaks between mouthfuls to stand with trunks entwined. A few metres away, Muridjo was multi-tasking! She is adept at relaxing on her backside and twisting up clumps of browse at the same time. Most orphans either sit down for a rump rub or stand up to browse. But not Muridjo!
In the afternoon, Talek was mud bathing with Nyambeni and Mzinga. The younger girl has become close friends with her two big sisters and the three girls often choose to be together. Today, they rolled like enormous ticks in the thick mud.
Sholumai, Sileita and Mushuru are spending a lot of time with each other. This is partly because they return to the stockades every three hours for their milk feeds. But it is also because we are encouraging the three girls to become even closer in preparation for their move to Voi. Every day, we shepherd our little gang of under-graduates towards each other in the forest.
Mzinga was at her most playful today. After browsing for a time, she and Pardamat stood with heads touching. They pushed back and forward and then she squatted on the ground while he clambered on and off his big sister. Later in the morning, Mzinga followed Kerrio’s example by posing on the forest floor as a large play cushion. Weka was first to take advantage of the invitation, climbing on top of Mzinga to play.
Wamata is moving out from under the shadow of her nannies! A few months ago, she was always with at least one and often with two older females in the forest. This afternoon at the mud bath, Wamata and Shujaa were standing next to each other while splashing muddy water with their trunks. Kerrio and Mzinga were on the other side of Shujaa so help was still close at hand!
Kamili and Latika have become good friends and often choose to be with each other. This morning, they were dusting themselves in the forest, hosing dry soil along their backs while standing with heads touching. When Latika bent down for her favourite face massage, Kamili wandered over to Taroha and Shujaa. Our not-so-reserved girl browsed for a long time with two of the gentler boys in the herd.
We think of Shujaa and Mageno as bulls who get on with everyone but that is not quite true. The two boys have not yet bonded with newbie Tali and continue to see him as an outsider. Perhaps, this is because Tali was already two years old when he was rescued. Today, Shujaa and Mageno pushed Tali over while he was browsing. We intervened quickly, ordering the boys away and shepherding Tali over to browse near Kerrio and Sileita.
The spoilt baby of the herd, Wamata, is not often seen playing with the others, no doubt because of her entourage of nannies. As Olomunyak is also usually with the older females, Wamata has started playing pushing and even chasing games with him. In the afternoon, they sized up in the forest, pushing each other backwards and forwards while Latika and Mushuru watched on.
Raha wears a blue blanket on cold mornings in the forest but has a special thick patchwork one for night-time! When her Keeper ties it tight around her tummy - the signal for sleep - the small rhino lies down on her bed of hay and dozes off.
Raha headed out this morning soon after the herd of elephants. She wore her blue blanket - but not for long as the sun was shining. Today, she spent time browsing with one warthog. We are used to seeing her with several warthogs but not with just one. She selected the softest shoots of grass while the pig grazed with knees at right angles next to her. Her horn is growing from a bump into a tiny point!
Kitich was relaxing on the ground this morning while many others browsed around him. Shujaa stood next to his big brother, touching him respectfully with his trunk. When he moved on, Mushuru and Mzinga took his place. The girls were not quite so respectful! Mushuru leant against the growing bull and then rested her bulk on top of him. Mzinga tried to push her off but Mushuru was not moving and so the younger girl made do with nudging one and then the other.
In the afternoon, Latika and Kerrio browsed first with Mageno and then with Wamata sandwiched between them. They had to persuade Weka to relinquish the little girl but it was a two-against-one situation! Accepting the inevitable, Weka walked over to check on Olomunyak.
As usual, the herd headed back to the stockades before dusk. We sent them in groups of three or four, making sure that the youngest ones were in the first or second group. They ran in with trunks aloft, heading straight for their rooms in anticipation of one if not two bottles of milk. Our herd is getting older and almost all are given two bottles of milk in each feed.
This morning in the forest, Olomunyak and Taroha were not sharing their nannies. Rather than both boys browsing with the older females, the rivals were refusing to share the attention of Mushuru, Muwingu and Weka. Finding Olomunyak with the big girls, Taroha drove him away and took his place. Moments later, Olomunyak returned to try and drive away Taroha. Several squabbles later, Weka took control of the situation. She made it clear to both boys that this behaviour was not acceptable and restored the peace with some rumbling and pushing.
Later in the day, the herd visited the mud bath for another milk feed. They emptied their bottles and spread out around the wallow. Mageno and Shujaa drank from the troughs while Talek, Mzinga and Muridjo rolled around on the mound of soil. When Pardamat misbehaved, he was put firmly in his place by Nyambeni. As he grabbed a piece of browse, Nyambeni took two steps to the right and head butted him twice. To our surprise, Pardamat did not retaliate but just stood with head and trunk down. We decided that he had had enough of a telling off and ushered our feisty mini matriarch away.
The remainder of the day was peaceful. The herd browsed in the woods in the late afternoon before returning to the safety of the stockades for the night.
As the orphans were settling out in the field in the early morning and looking for the tastiest browse, Olomunyak and Pardamat began a wrestling match, pushing heads to see who was stronger. Sholumai soon stopped browsing and walked over to the two boys to separate them. She drove the older boy away and turned back to keep guard on the younger one. Sholumai has become very caring and protective towards babies like Olomunyak and Wamata,
Mushuru is still the tomboy of our herd! She loves wrestling and play mounting her friends. This morning, as the second group of older elephants was waiting for their milk feed, she was at her most playful. First, she played pushing games with big boys Shujaa and Mageno and then she mounted Kitich!
In the afternoon, Raha was also feeling playful. Out in the field, the little rhino lay down for a soil bath. With her Keepers helpfully shovelling soil over her, she rolled onto her back, lay with her tiny legs up in the air, climbed to her feet, trotted around and around, and then lay down again for another dust bath! Raha is doing well.
Translocation training for our three girls is ongoing. Mushuru and Sholumai walk in so well to the truck, calmly enjoying their milk feeds and range cubes inside. Our matriarch is not, however, happy. Some of us suspect that elephants not only have good memories but also are able to foresee the future! Sileita is very cautious about the truck, almost as if she senses change. While the other two run in, she refuses to go further than the ramp and insists on having her milk feeds outside the vehicle.
Pardamat was a rascal at the mud bath later in the morning. He is one of the younger orphans who visit the mud bath before the older group. We send them down the path in groups - and we send Pardamat down last so that he does not bother the others while they are drinking. Today, somehow, he sneaked off and tagged along in the first group! Sure enough, after drinking his milk, he tried to grab a bottle from Olomunyak and then from Wamata. We had to guard the feisty boy and allow the others to drink their milk in peace
In the afternoon, Raha enjoyed the company of her wild friends, the warthogs. While she browsed on soft greens with her Keepers in a clearing, a family of pigs grazed around her. She tolerated their presence – in contrast to some days when she tries to chase them away!
Tali is still our lone ranger. Most of the time, he browses on his own, although today he had company from Mzinga, Nyambeni and Talek while the herd was waiting for their afternoon milk feed.
In the morning, the orphans were so calm as they walked out of their stockades. Boys like Mageno, Kitich and Shujaa were not playing or showing off. Big girls like Sileita, Kerrio, Mushuru, Muwingu and Latika were reluctant to check on younger orphans like Wamata, Olomunyak, Pardamat and Talek. Everyone was minding his or her own business.
During the morning feed out in the forest, the tables were turned on troublemaker Pardamat! We sent him down in the last group to avoid the risk of him trying to pinch a bottle from a friend. As our naughty boy was drinking, Talek made a grab for his bottle and followed after him with trunk extended, pestering him for the bottle. He tried to head butt her away but our independent girl would not give up her quest. Pardamat had no option but to run away from determined Talek!
After the orphans settled to browse in the forest in the afternoon, Muridjo, Nyambeni, Shujaa, Weka and Talek had fun charging and chasing after warthogs that kept grazing alongside the herd. The pigs approached, the gang chased them, the pigs came back, and so the game continued. Others soon joined in. Kitich, Mageno, Mushuru, Sileita, Sholumai and Muwingu trundled into the thicket, trumpeting and bush bashing as they drove the warthogs deep into the forest. Amid the noise and chaos, Kerrio, Latika, Mzinga, Wamata, Olomunyak and Pardamat stuck close to the Keepers.
As soon as they emerged from their rooms, Sileita padded down to pick up Wamata, and Sholumai went down to collect Olomunyak. The two nannies – on their last day at the Nursery – escorted the babies out to the field. Sileita led Wamata and Sholumai followed Olomunyak, nudging him gently to keep him moving.
During the early morning milk feed at the mud bath, the orphans downed their bottles of milk and spread out to drink from the troughs or browse on supplementary lucerne. Nyambeni - who has been quite tough to Taroha, Pardamat and Talek in the last few days - was running after Taroha, preventing him from enjoying his greens.
Later in the morning, the herd returned to the mud bath for another milk feed. They stood around quietly browsing on lucerne - only Mageno and Kitich disturbed the peace with yet another wrestling match. The game, however, did not last long - when Mushuru tried to join them, they pulled apart and turned away. Neither bull was keen to wrestle with her.
In the afternoon, Kamili was playing seek and hide with Talek and Pardamat! The game involved lots of bush bashing as the three elephants emerged from bushes, faced up, ran back into the thickets, and came out again!
On the last day of translocation training, Sileita was still reluctant to enter the truck. The clever elephant drank her milk next to the truck, protesting when we tried to encourage her inside to join Sholumai and Mushuru. Eventually, she plodded slowly up the ramp to drink her milk.
Our day began so early today – it was graduation day for our three girls. Sholumai, Mushuru and Sileita were moving to the Voi Reintegration Unit after training for this special day for two weeks. Sholumai and Mushuru have been running into the truck for extra milk and treats while Sileita has maintained her suspicion.
But this morning, all three girls were a challenge. We had to push and pull Sholumai and Mushuru and Sileita into the truck. The matriarch was the most difficult. We brought her to the truck several times only for her to run back to her stockade, trumpeting loudly. Her shouting upset the rest of the herd, making them worry about what was happening to their leader. They were all awake as we closed the doors and said goodbye to the three girls who set off on their journey with Keepers Peter and Geoffrey.
Everyone except Taroha and Olomunyak soon settled down. Our gentle bulls paced around their stockades, trumpeting loudly, for a long time. We were surprised that it was Taroha and Olomunyak who were most upset at the departure of matriarch Sileita.
Come morning, we opened the doors and the elephants wandered out of their rooms. They greeted each other and began ambling up the path to the forest. Although they were aware of the absence of Sileita, Mushuru and Sholumai, they seemed to accept the change – elephants are ever adaptable creatures – except for Taroha. He was agitated for the whole day, restless and noisy and just not himself.
Taroha slept very little last night. Rumbling repeatedly, he walked around his room and kept trying to climb over the partition into Olomunyak’s room. In the early morning when it was still dark, he began headbutting his door. He pushed and pushed. Eventually, he broke down the door, ran out of his room and up to Kerrio’s stockade. As he stood outside trumpeting (waking up the herd), Kerrio responded with soft low rumbles, assuring him that he was safe. Concerned about the boy, Weka began headbutting her door as she wanted out to console Taroha.
All the orphans were awake and many were agitated. We made the decision to allow them out of their rooms while it was still dark so they could calm each other. Muwingu, Weka and Kerrio were so good with the younger ones, calming them with rumbles and affectionate trunk touches.
The whole herd remained within the compound, waiting for the sun to rise before heading out to the woods. The rest of the day was reasonably normal and the orphans browsed in the bush in between milk feeds.
In the afternoon at the mud bath, we split the herd into the well-behaved group and the naughty group. The first group stays with our visitors and the second is taken a short distance away. Today, Taroha would not stay with his group but insisted on following Weka who belongs (of course) to the second group. Ten minutes later, several giraffes surprised the naughty group and, led by Kitich, Weka and Kamili, they charged back to the mud bath. More chaos ensued but, eventually, calm was restored to our herd.
Today, the elephants, in particular the younger boys, were in playful moods. On their way out to the forest, Olomunyak and Taroha stopped off at Maxwell’s gate. The two bulls played a wrestling game next to his gate and then stretched their trunks through the gaps to greet the blind rhino. Their moment with Max did not last long as Muridjo arrived to shepherd them out to the forest.
After browsing for a time, Olomunyak and Pardamat began a sizing-up game. Their game continued for a long time with Kerrio, as usual, standing by, ready to intervene if the wrestling became serious.
Later in the morning at the mud bath, the two bulls’ pushing game did turn into a proper fight. Kamili and Nyambeni immediately stepped over to separate Olomunyak and Pardamat. Arriving a minute later, Mzinga pushed Pardamat away into the bush and checked that Olomunyak was fine. The three nannies took control because Kerrio was not there. Following the graduation of Sileita, Sholumai and Mushuru, Kerrio was promoted to the older group of elephants that visits the mud bath after the younger ones in the morning.
In the afternoon, Kerrio enjoyed a lengthy dust bath in the forest with Nyambeni, Mzinga, Murijdo, and Taroha. The five elephants rolled around on the ground and against each other. Later in the afternoon, Kerrio, Mzinga and Taroha wallowed in the mud bath, remaining in the muddy pool until it was time to return to the bush.
Pardamat was left behind at the stockades this morning. Taking a leaf from Mzinga’s book, he was walking in and out of stables, checking for leftover cubes. The orphans know who clears up their share and who does not. Mzinga is well known for her habit of checking the rooms but today it was the young bull. When he realised that he was alone, Pardamat ran up the path to the forest, trumpeting loudly.
Reacting to the noise, Muwingu, Muridjo, Nyambeni, Kerrio, Mzinga, Weka and Taroha stopped browsing and turned towards Pardamat to welcome him back to the herd. Weka, Muwingu and Taroha gathered around him, rumbling and trunk hugging their friend.
The rest of the morning was peaceful. The orphans browsed quietly while wandering deep in the forest. Olomunyak and Taroha played a pushing game – today, their fun was interrupted by Mzinga who strode between them and nudged them off in different directions. Perhaps she was also protecting Olomunyak.
In the afternoon, after returning to the forest from the mud bath, Talek, Nyambeni, Olomunyak and Wamata enjoyed a lengthy mud bath. They kicked mud, rubbed faces and rolled around together.
Another graduation is taking place soon. Kitich, Muwingu and Mageno will be leaving for Ithumba on the next stage of their journey back to the wild. The three elephants began their translocation training today, being given milk feeds and special treats in the truck. Muwingu walked into the truck without much persuasion - but the two bulls only got as far as the ramp.
What a start to the day for Shujaa and Kerrio, two of the most playful orphans in the herd! Shujaa is a jovial boy and a playmaker who is friends with everyone (except for Tali) and Kerrio is our resident jungle gym! The two friends began their day playing hide and seek in the stockades, chasing each other in and out of rooms. After playing the pushing game next to Max’s gate, they stretched their trunks through the gaps while the rhino stood quietly on the other side. They touched all over his horn and his head with their trunks before padding on to the forest.
After browsing for a time, the two friends continued their games. As soon as Kerrio lay down in the long grass, Shujaa began mounting her, resting his forelegs on her belly while twirling his trunk. Kamili, Nyambeni and Mzinga soon joined the game and the five elephants clambered on and off each other until it was time for another milk feed. Still full of energy, Shujaa played wrestling and mounting games with little Olomunyak after drinking his two bottles.
Latika was looking after Wamata today, sticking by her in the forest and following in her footsteps while she browsed. This is her favourite pastime but one that she does not enjoy as often as she would like because of competition from the other females, all of whom want to look after Wamata. Since Mushuru left, Muridjo has become more interested in the little ones. Today, she was trying to tempt Wamata away from her devoted nanny.
While Muwingu walked slowly up the ramp into the vehicle for her bottle this morning, Kitich and Mageno came to a halt on the ramp, refusing to budge and insisting on being fed there. After their milk feed next to the translocation truck, best friends Kitich and Mageno played the pushing game in the forest. The bulls have been good friends since they were very young.
In the afternoon, the orphans wandered in the bush, pulling up clumps of long grass. Taroha was browsing with Shujaa. Both bulls have tusks now but Taroha’s are tiny compared to Shujaa’s. Not far away, Muridjo and Mzinga were with Talek, Olomunyak and Wamata.
After filling their bellies, most of the herd clustered around a large patch of mud. Many paddled or dipped their trunks in the thick mud while Kamili, Nyambeni and Mzinga lay down on their sides. Rolling around, the three girls covered every part of themselves with mud while the others slapped mud along their sides. When Olomunyak lay down next to them, Pardamat took advantage of the situation and climbed on top of him. Immediately, the younger boy trumpeted in protest and pushed him off. Olomunyak is happy to play standing up pushing games with Pardamat where he can hold his own - but not to be mounted by the older boy.
Mud bathing was followed by dusting as the orphans sucked up trunkfuls of dry soil and hosed them along their backs before returning to the stockades for the night.
Raha the rhino is well. She is eating a variety of plants in the forest and her tiny horn is growing. This morning, she was rubbing it on the ground, filing it carefully. (Max also likes to sharpen his horn but he uses the gate of his enclosure.) Manicure over, she went back to grazing on the grass. When a family of warthogs gathered around her, she allowed them to stay and they browsed next to each other.
The elephants were not far away. Older orphans are tall enough to reach branches in trees while younger ones can only eat grasses and shrubs. Today, crafty Kitich balanced on a log on the ground to reach the top branches. Weka and Muwingu were almost climbing trees while they browsed – they balanced on their back legs and stretched their trunks to the top branches. They were happy to share their spoils with Olomunyak and Wamata – but not with fellow nannies Mzinga and Muridjo!
In the afternoon, we successfully cajoled not only Kitich but also Mageno and Muwingu into the training truck for bottles of milk and treats of sugar cane. Each elephant stood in their own compartment in the truck, drank their milk and reversed down the ramp and back to the herd. The three four-year-olds will leave the Nursery for Ithumba next month.