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On a wonderful sunny morning, the dependent orphans feasted on range cubes at the feeding trough, browsed on lucerne, and played on the terraces.

When the herd headed out from the stockades to their usual browsing fields, Mbegu remained behind with Ndotto, Ngilai, Murit and Tagwa. The four elephants are spending nights away from the stockades but visiting almost every day. Mbegu led her four friends out to browse in a different area.

Our orphans spread out over Msinga Hill to browse. Seeming uncomfortable without Mbegu, Godoma soon sneaked away to join Mbegu and her mini herd, leaving Tamiyoi in charge as the oldest female in the main herd.

Towards noon, as the orphans were browsing on the slopes of the hill, a wild bull (who is a regular visitor) passed by. He tried to join the herd but was put off by the Keepers’ presence. After some time, he walked away.

Later in the afternoon, the orphans had another milk feed and padded down to the wallow. Seri and Dabida stood with trunks entwined on the edge while Thamana wallowed in the mud hole. After bathing and dusting, the orphans spent the rest of the day browsing over the open grass fields.

On a calm morning, the orphans had their breakfast and budding matriarch Rokka led them out to the browsing fields on Msinga Hill. Lemeki spent the morning with Akina and Baraka, trunk hugging them often as they browsed. Busara, Kilulu and Thamana chose to be on their own.

After the milk feed in the afternoon, the orphans visited the mud wallow as usual. Avoiding the main mud bath, they scrambled and crowded into the mini wallow that has almost dried up. Tamiyoi stole the show with her splashing while other elephants, including Hildana, Itinyi, Tamiyoi, and Losoito, surrounded her. Manda posed next to the water trough before joining the crowded party of rolling orphans in the mud hole.

Sensible Tagwa stood on the edge, splashing the water with her feet. Rokka and Busara browsing nearby, not tempted to join the others in the muddy water. The two elephants tend to avoid crowded places due to the risk of pushy behaviour from the likes of Hildana.

The dependent orphans then resumed browsing, spending the afternoon on the slopes of the hill. Both Mbegu and Godoma spent the night on the hill with Ndotto, Ngilai, Murit and Tagwa.

On a sunny morning, the orphans were having their breakfast when Mbegu, Ndotto, Ngilai, Murit, Tagwa and Godoma arrived at the stockades after staying out for the night. After feeding on range cubes, Ngilai and Murit enjoyed a wrestling match and Ndotto ambled over to the pile of lucerne grass. Thamana, who has become the oldest fully dependent bull, reclined on the pile of lucerne while he ate. The other elephants tolerated his presence in the middle of their food and browsed peacefully around him!

The herd soon headed out to browse over Msinga Hill. Kilulu took on Kenderi in another sparring game, Thamana walked up to the summit, and Ngilai squatted on his haunches with Losoito standing next to him. Not far away, Dabida and Seri played the pushing game until Dabida walked away and Hildana took his place. Manda climbed all over Ashanti in the erosion gulley and then rolled around, enjoying a morning dust bath. Caring Rokka stood guard next to Mbegu, looking out for the matriarch while she had a nap after her long night out. 

The orphans headed out early from the stockades on their daily browsing adventures. They settled on the slopes of Msinga Hill, wandering over the rocky side while browsing on delicious acacia branches.

As they walked along in the direction of the baobab tree mud bath, Ndotto, Ngilai, Mbegu and Tagwa joined them after spending the night on the other side of the hill and missing breakfast. Ndotto and Ngilai stood with trunks entwined and then sparred in the open fields at the foot. Ndotto broke away from his friend to relax, resting his tusks on a big rock.

Little Busara was napping in the bush with matriarch Mbegu keeping watch. When she woke up, she did lots of stretches and then she and her nanny caught up with the rest of the herd.

In the afternoon, Ndotto and Ngilai took shelter under the shade of a tree, Godoma scratched her backside on the peacock tree, and Tamiyoi browsed with her foot resting on a rock. The orphans spent most of the afternoon browsing over the savannah before returning to the stockades for the night. 

On a cool sunny morning, the dependent orphans spread out over the feeding area to enjoy range cubes and lucerne before leaving for their daily adventures. Rokka, Manda and Losoito led the herd out to browse over Msinga Hill. Kilulu was playing on the hill, showboating with ears flared wide.

A few minutes before the time of the afternoon milk feed, Rokka led the herd to the feeding place near the baobab mud wallow where they waited for the milk van to arrive. After drinking their milk, the elephants padded down the hill to drink from the trough and cool off in the muddy water.

Mbegu, Ndotto, Ngilai, Murit, Tagwa and Godoma did not visit in the morning - but we could see them browsing in the distance. Later in the afternoon, Tagwa sneaked away from the mini herd to join our dependent herd on the hill. She was welcomed by Tamiyoi and the two best friends spent the afternoon browsing together.

Neither Mweya’s herd of ex-orphans nor Edie’s or Mudanda’s herds have visited their old family this month.

Our Voi nightclubbers - Mbegu, Ndotto, Ngilai, Murit, Tagwa and Godoma - joined the dependent orphans as they browsed on the slopes of Msinga Hill in the morning. Busara welcomed big sister Godoma and browsed next to her while Baraka spent time with Ashanti.

The orphans moved on to the open grass fields, browsing on delicious shrubs. Epiya stretched up high to pull down branches of acacia; Kenderi and Ushindi trunk hugged as they browsed; Itinyi and Rokka stayed close together; and Manda followed along behind matriarch Mbegu, kissing her at every opportunity.

Later in the morning, Itinyi and Kenderi had a sparring match while Tamiyoi and Epiya played stretching games. After lots of games, Tamiyoi lay down for a nap in the field.

After the afternoon milk feed, the elephants headed back out to browse, wandering deep into the woods.

On a cloudy morning, the milk-dependent orphans enjoyed their milk feed and then joined their friends at the range cubes feeding trough. Godoma spent the night in her old stockade and, in the morning, a happy Baraka followed her wherever she went, rubbing her head against her bottoms. Mbegu, Tagwa, Murit, Ngilai and Ndotto spent the night in front of the stockades and joined the herd in the morning.

The orphans soon left for the field at the beginning of a busy browsing day. Ndotto, Ngilai and Murit headed off in a different direction whereas Mbegu, Godoma and Tagwa remained with the herd. In the early evening, Ngilai visited the stockades for a short time without Ndotto and Murit and then walked to the top of Msinga Hill. Mbegu, Godoma and Tagwa chose to join Ngilai and the other bulls on the hill rather than return to the stockades for the night. 

The earliest callers at the stockades were Murit and Ndotto who arrived with a teenage wild bull. They went straight to the water trough and then to the lucerne feeding area. Mbegu, Tagwa, Ngilai and Godoma arrived minutes later. After browsing on lucerne, the older elephants joined our Voi babies at the range cubes trough. The wild elephant seemed to enjoy the cubes and stood quietly, surrounded by dependent orphans.

Afterwards, several members of the herd had a wonderful time socialising with the wild elephant, tossing their trunks up to touch him in greeting. Ndotto began a sparring game with the bull and invited Manda and Itinyi to join the game.

The whole herd soon headed out to the field. Godoma, Tagwa and our dependent orphans spread out to browse over the hill while the wild elephant walked away with Ndotto, Ngilai, Murit and Mbegu.

Just after midnight, Lasayen arrived at the stockades! We have not seen the ex-orphan since December when he began living in the wild and were surprised but very happy to see him. He wandered in with Mbegu, Godoma, Tagwa, Murit, Ndotto and Ngilai. We suspect that, although Ndotto, Ngilai and Murit have been meeting with Lasayen occasionally, it was Mbegu who encouraged him to come home.

Looking reserved but strong and healthy, Lasayen avoided playing with the Voi babies. When Tamiyoi invited him to spar with her, he turned away with a warning that he was not comfortable playing. Maybe he has become too much of a big boy to play.

The dependant orphans spent the afternoon browsing over the open fields while Lasayen, Mbegu, Ndotto and Ngilai walked off in a different direction. Maybe, Lasayen was showing them where he has been for five months.

After breakfast of range cubes and lucerne, the elephants hung around outside the stockades for some time before finally leaving for the browsing fields.

Rokka and Manda led the orphans to the northern side of Msinga Hill where they spread out to browse on the grasses and shrubs. Kilulu and Kenderi played a wrestling game until Itinyi pushed Kilulu away and took his place. He was not happy that Kilulu was taking his sparring spot with Kenderi. Kilulu walked away hesitantly as the two continued sparring and teamed up with Akina who was browsing calmly.

After the milk feed, the orphans padded on down to the mud wallow, Losoito, Epiya, Juni and Seri stopped off at the water trough as the rest lined up along the edge of the wallow to drink. Then they walked away to resume browsing, spending the afternoon on the hill.

This morning at the Voi stockades, the orphans were in very playful moods. As many were running up and down, clever Busara browsed along the fence line, carefully stretching her trunk through the fence to enjoy the splash vegetation. Kilulu was in a morning sparring game with playful Kenderi who has perfected her wrestling skills and even takes on older orphans. Akina was flapping her ears in excitement while Hildana and Seri stood around the pile of lucerne.

Rokka was standing at the exit, waiting for a signal from the Keepers to lead the orphans out. Manda and Losoito stood close behind her while Lemeki bonded with Thamana on the terraces. Rokka soon led the herd out to the browsing fields with Tamiyoi bringing up the rear.

After the milk feed in the afternoon, the orphans walked on to the water hole. Tamiyoi was first into the wallow and she was followed by Thamana, Epiya, Juni, Kilulu and others. They splashed and wallowed in the middle of the pool.

When Kilulu climbed out, he began digging on the edge with his big tusks. Dabida scratched his backside on the peacock tree and Manda used the baobab tree for his massage. Akina joined Manda at the baobab as the rest of the herd walked off to browse.

As our herd was leaving the water hole, a wild herd arrived with a small calf to drink and mud bath. Our orphans continued to wander away and showed no signs of wanting to greet the wild elephants. They spent the rest of the afternoon browsing and Rokka led them back to the stockades for the night.

The orphans enjoyed their breakfast treats as usual outside the Voi stockades. Epiya was kneeling right on the edge of the terrace to scoop up a huge amount of range cubes. Several Keepers stood nearby to prevent any of her friends from pushing the reserved girl over the edge.

Itinyi found a new playmate today – Manda. The two boys played a pushing game while the others browsed on lucerne at the far end of the stockades. Juni lay on the ground, inviting Kenderi to play, but she ignored her and carried on browsing. Kilulu also went down on his side, but he was lucky and persuaded Dabida and Losoito to join him. They climbed on and off his belly.

On the lower terrace, Lemeki picked up a stick and dragged it playfully towards her friends. Itinyi chased Ashanti, doing his best to play mount her. After the games, the herd headed out to the browsing fields. They spent the morning on the lower slopes of the hill.

In the afternoon, they returned to the stockades for their milk feed. A group of school children were visiting as part of our community outreach programme.

Lasayen, Mbegu, Godoma and Tagwa arrived in a hurry this morning as the dependent herd was enjoying range cubes and lucerne. They did not want to miss out on breakfast! Ndotto, Ngilai and Murit were not with them.

The orphaned elephants left for the field under the leadership of Tamiyoi and Rokka, leaving Lasayen, Mbegu, Tagwa and Godoma behind to feast on lucerne. The four older orphans headed out later but went off in a different direction and did not join our herd. 

In a repeat of yesterday, the elephants returned to the stockades in the afternoon as more school children were visiting. Lemeki was amazing – to their delight, she moved along the cordon to greet the children with trunk touches.

In the evening, the elephants took a break from browsing to play. Dabida pulled Ushindi towards him with his trunk in an invitation to a sparring match. Noticing that Ushindi was not interested, he used the same tactic successfully with Seri. The two friends played several rounds of the pushing game. Not far away, Thamana and Kilulu also enjoyed a wrestling match. Hildana, Kenderi, Baraka, Busara, Tamiyoi, Manda and Rokka lay on a large mound of soil, rolling up against each other while rubbing faces and bodies against the dry earth.

Our milk-dependent orphans ran out of their shared stockades and down the path this morning. They gulped their milk and walked on to range cubes feeding trough. Feeding was followed by massages and games. Tamiyoi scratched her body against the boulder next to the trough while little Losoito swung from side to side as she rubbed her body against the low-lying famous rock.

After the orphaned elephants moved out to the browsing grounds, Mbegu, Godoma and Tagwa arrived at the stockades and drank from the water trough. Ndotto, Ngilai, Lasayen and Murit were not with them. The three girls looked tired and stood under a tree with their eyes closed. They did not leave until the afternoon.

Itinyi and Kenderi had a wonderful wrestling match at the mud wallow later in the day. They splashed in the water and carried on the game around the wallow. 

Soon after the orphans left, a teenage wild bull arrived at the mud wallow. Our herd browsed over the open plains on their way back to the stockades.

The orphaned elephants had the area outside the stockades to themselves this morning as Mbegu, Ndotto, Tagwa, Ngilai, Godoma and Murit did not visit. Mweya’s herd of ex-orphans has not visited at all this month and neither has Edie’s herd or Mudanda’s.

After filling her belly, Baraka scratched her body against the large boulder while Juni stood waiting for her turn. Eventually, Juni laid her head on Baraka’s back in the hope of getting her to move on. Her tactic worked and Juni enjoyed a scratching up. When she walked away, Epiya took her place.

Arriving at the southern side of Msinga Hill, the herd spread out to enjoy the abundance of green browse. Seri scratched her neck against a boulder while Itinyi rolled around in a shallow erosion trench. He was inviting his friends to play but they continued browsing.

The orphans returned to the stockades in the afternoon for the school children’s visit and then wandered back out to browse until dusk.

On a wonderful sunny morning at the Voi stockades, most of the orphans lined up at the feeding trough for range cubes - but Rokka and Losoito ate theirs on the terrace at a distance from the herd. They often choose to eat breakfast on their own to avoid any risk of rough behaviour.

Tamiyoi led the orphans out from the stockades to browse on the hill. As the oldest fully dependent female in the herd, she is stepping into the role of matriarch. Good friends Seri and Hildana spent the morning browsing side by side. Itinyi and Kenderi enjoyed a wrestling match in the bush until Kilulu disrupted the game, pushing Itinyi away and taking his place. Itinyi walked away with his head down.

In the afternoon, the orphans again returned to the stockades because more schoolchildren were visiting as part of our community outreach programme.

After the visit, the elephants hung around the stockades. Seri and Ashanti scratched themselves against the terrace walls while Itinyi took on Kenderi in a wrestling game. After playing with Kenderi, Itinyi sparred with Manda inside the mud wallow, and Kenderi dug into the ground with her tiny tusks. Epiya and Juni paddled in the wallow and then rolled around on the pile of red soil.

On the slopes of the hill in the early evening, some browsed while others played. Itinyi play mounted Ashanti, Juni sparred with Kilulu, and Tamiyoi rolled in the erosion gulley with Seri.

On another wonderful morning at the stockades, the orphans enjoyed lucerne and range cubes before heading out to browse around Msinga Hill. A herd of wild elephants was browsing nearby in an area of thick shrub vegetation. When Ushindi tried to join the wild herd, Tamiyoi trumpeted in alarm, sending a warning to the Keepers. We immediately shepherded her back to our herd as she is still milk dependent and too young to join the wild family.

In the afternoon, the orphans visited the baobab tree mud wallow. Minutes after their arrival, ex-orphan Lasayen wandered in to join the herd. He greeted the older orphans, drank from the trough and disappeared into the bush.

After he left, water baby Tamiyoi paddled and splashed in the mud and scratched herself on the baobab tree. Epiya dug into the ground with her tiny tusks and hosed her body with dry soil. When Tamiyoi lay down, Busara had fun climbing all over her. Then Tamiyoi. Akina, Baraka and Kenderi wallowed in the pool with Epiya and Juni.

The Voi Kids have grown not only in size but also in confidence and our herd has several feisty elephants! This morning, gentle Thamana pushed cheeky Seri away from the feeding trough in an effort to protect Ashanti who was kneeling to scoop up pellets from the trough with her short trunk. Losoito, Rokka and Itinyi were enjoying their pellets on the lower terrace to avoid being pushed around by the likes of Hildana and Dabida. Full of spirit, Dabida’s squabbles with friends have cost him both tusks. Luckily, he is still young and they will grow again.

On a cool and cloudy afternoon, the orphans had their usual milk feed and visited the mud wallow. Kilulu and a few others drank from the water trough while the Epiya, Juni and friends browsed around the water hole. No one was tempted to get wet.  

Our herd spent the rest of the day browsing over the open savannah, heading north before returning to the stockades by dusk. Rokka led the orphans back and Tamiyoi – who has stepped up to her new role of matriarch – followed along at the end of the line, making sure that everyone was there.

Semi-independent orphans Ngilai, Murit and Ndotto arrived soon after dawn after being away for two days. They joined the dependent orphans around the pile of lucerne grass. It was a sunny morning and the area was crowded with elephants. The orphans soon set out on their daily adventures and settled to browse at the foot of Msinga Hill.

In the afternoon, the herd returned to the stockades for their milk feed because a group of students was visiting.

After finishing their milk, Ashanti, Busara, Juni and Lemeki walked over to the mound of dry soil. They hosed their bodies with dust and rolled around on the ground, rubbing against and climbing over each other. As Dabida led the last group to the feeding area, Akina was enjoying a solo mud wallow. When the herd ambled out to browse in the bush, Kilulu and Dabida were left behind, trunk hugging and playing on the mound of soil.

On the slopes of the hill in the late afternoon, Losoito and Thamana browsed side by side. Manda, Itinyi and Rokka climbed to the summit and onto some large boulders while Kilulu and Epiya remained at the foot. Today, Itinyi and Kenderi were sparring late into the evening as the orphans made their way back to the stockades.

Semi-dependent orphans Ndotto, Ngilai and Murit joined the herd for breakfast after spending the night out on Msinga Hill but Mbegu, Godoma, Lasayen and Tagwa were again nowhere to be seen. After browsing on lucerne, Lemeki greeted Ngilai affectionately with her trunk and then began a sparring match with Itinyi while Ngilai wrestled with Murit.

Manda and Ashanti lay down for a morning dust bath. Itinyi was first to join them with Thamana, Busara and Juni arriving moments later. Lemeki lay relaxing on a patch of dry ground while little sister Losoito leant against her, rubbing her backside backwards and forwards against her big sister.

Out in the bush, a wild elephant arrived at the baobab water trough in the afternoon before our orphans arrived. He drank deeply and disappeared into the thick bush as the orphans padded down the hill to the wallow.

The weather was not warm enough for a cool down and so the orphans did not get wet. Manda rested his front leg on the water trough while Juni and Epiya massaged their bodies against the baobab. When Itinyi took advantage of finding Losoito by herself, he tried to mount her – but was immediately pushed away by a protective Lemeki.

The orphans gathered in the stockade compound for breakfast soon after dawn. Feisty Dabida was pushing Baraka away from the feeding trough while Losoito enjoyed an early morning dust bath and Manda browsed on lucerne.

Lemeki and Rokka led a straggly line of elephants out for their usual bush walk over Msinga Hill. Tamiyoi, who loves acacia branches, walked up to the summit in search of them followed by good friends Seri and Hildana. Lemeki and Losoito browsed side by side at the foot of the hill. Kenderi, Kilulu and Itinyi were in a wrestling contest - Itinyi and Kilulu were up against the spirited Kenderi who never gives up.

In the afternoon, the orphans returned to the stockades for their milk feed. They hung around for a time before heading back out for a final browse of the day. Our fully dependent herd was on their own today as none of the older orphans visited.

It was a very peaceful morning. Our orphans had the stockades area to themselves in the early morning and spent the morning browsing around Msinga Hill.

In the afternoon, the herd returned to the stockades as another group of school children was visiting. A showboating Kenderi rolled and stretched on top of the mound of red earth. Itinyi disrupted his friend’s fun by poking Kenderi in the belly, forcing her to clamber to her feet to defend herself. Kenderi challenged Itinyi to a fight on the lower terrace and the two orphans clashed heads. From a raised position on the upper terrace, Kilulu got involved, taking Itinyi’s side and pushing Kenderi from behind.

Meanwhile, Ashanti was squatting on a large boulder, massaging her bottoms from side to side. Rokka and Lemeki were also scratching their bodies against the rocks near the entrance.

The herd spent the rest of the afternoon browsing over the open plains before returning to the stockades for the night.

With thick clouds covering the sun and a cool breeze, the dependent elephants filled their bellies and then either played on the terraces or had dust baths on the mound of soil. When Itinyi challenged Kenderi to a sparring game, she turned away and took cover with Tamiyoi in the pathway to the bush. She was keen to avoid a repeat of yesterday’s clash.

The herd headed out and settled to browse on the slopes of Msinga Hill. Busara and Baraka are adapting to the absence of their favourite big sisters, Mbegu and Godoma (who have not been seen for several days). The two young girls are bonding with Rokka and Juni. Today, the four girls spent the morning browsing together, trunk touching each other affectionately.

In the afternoon, Lemeki and Losoito stood on the edge of the wallow, splashing water with their feet and trunks, while Thamana rubbed his rump against the baobab tree. Seri lay relaxing on the ground but, as soon as she saw Hildana approaching, she climbed to her feet and joined the herd as they meandered away from the wallow to browse.

After the morning milk feed, the dependent orphans gathered at the feeding trough and around the pile of lucerne before engaging in their usual games in the compound.

As Baraka and Busara stood at the trough eating range cubes, naughty Hildana took advantage of the absence of Mbegu and Godoma to push the little girls in an attempt to take their space. Stepping into the role of matriarch, Tamiyoi took charge of the mischievous bull. She calmed him down and reassured the girls that there was space for everyone at the trough.

After browsing in the bush for most of the morning, the orphans sprinted down the hill in the afternoon for another milk feed. Losoito, Manda, Rokka, Baraka, Busara and Ashanti were in the first group sent down to a line of Keepers waiting with bottles aloft. They gulped their milk and padded on slowly to the wallow.

A herd of wild elephants walked away from the baobab tree water hole as the first group approached. No one got wet today as it was a cool afternoon.

We were especially busy this morning, preparing for the arrival of Sholumai, Sileita and Mushuru from the Nairobi Nursery. Our earliest caller was Ndotto who arrived on his own after staying away for more than a week. We suspect that he sensed their arrival and was there to receive the new orphans!

The truck arrived at the stockades at 10am. Keepers Peter and Geoffrey from the Nursery gave Sholumai, Sileita and Mushuru a milk feed and we opened the door.

Sileita – who was the mini matriarch of the Nursery herd – was not happy to be in Voi. When Tamiyoi, Rokka and Busara tried to welcome her, she pushed them away in an agitated way. Rokka pushed back and then Sholumai intervened to protect Sileita. We reacted quickly to calm everyone down.

The Voi Kids followed in the wake of Tamiyoi, Rokka and Busara. When they clustered around the three newbies, trunk touching them in greeting, Sholumai reacted defensively, pushing hard in every direction. This led to a big commotion. Going down on her front legs and rumbling, Tamiyoi did her best to restore calm and settle the herd. Our orphans were curious and keen to interact - but the new girls were skittish.

After the afternoon milk feed and visit to the mud wallow, the orphans headed back out to browse. Sholumai and Mushuru started to interact with their new friends but Sileita did not – she was missing the Nursery babies and stayed close to Keeper Peter. Ngilai and Godoma joined the herd in the field and Baraka was very happy to see her darling Godoma even for a short period of time. When the orphans headed back in the early evening, Godoma and Ngilai remained on the hill but not for long – they arrived at the stockades soon after dark.

Sholumai, Mushuru and Sileita slept well last night after their long journey from the Nursery to Voi. They looked more relaxed today and enjoyed their morning milk bottles. Many of our orphans greeted the newcomers and the three girls allowed their trunk touches. In a repeat of yesterday, Ndotto joined them at the range cubes feeding trough.

Asserting her role as assistant matriarch and showing off to the newbies, Rokka led the herd out to the field. Sholumai, Sileita and Mushuru walked out with the others. Rokka was occasionally reaching out to them, maybe in the hope of adopting them.

After settling to browse on Msinga Hill, Kilulu trunk hugged Sholumai, laying his trunk along her back. Tamiyoi immediately approached, watching the bull keenly to make sure that his intention was only a greeting.

Godoma and Ngilai soon joined the herd and noticed the presence of the new Nursery babies. Mbegu, Tagwa and Murit were not with them. When Ngilai embraced long-tusked Sholumai, we stayed very close to the two elephants, so the bull had no opportunity to play mount the new girl.

Sholumai, Sileita and Mushuru were more settled today, gulping their delicious milk and joining their new friends at the feeding trough. After browsing on the hill overnight, Godoma and Ngilai joined our dependent orphans for breakfast.

When the head headed out to the field, Godoma and Ngilai remained behind for a short time and then walked out towards the middle water hole on the hill where Mbegu’s herd could have been browsing. The three newbies interacted more with the Voi orphans this morning with Rokka and Busara showing great interest in them.

In the afternoon, Ngilai caught up with the herd again. After another milk feed, the elephants had fun playing in the baobab tree mud bath. Thamana and Itinyi (who have become two of the oldest bulls in the herd with the absence of Ngilai, Ndotto, Murit and Lasayen) were misbehaving in the water. Thamana climbed onto Ashanti’s back and stayed there while she struggled out from under him and then he play mounted Losoito. As Kenderi lay in the water, Itinyi attempted to climb on her head. Observing this behaviour, Sholumai, Sileita and Mushuru sensibly climbed out of the water and took refuge with Keeper Geoffrey.

After the mud bath, the orphans had a dust bath and then ambled back out to browse.

Godoma, Ngilai, Murit, Lasayen and Ndotto were our early-morning visitors today but Mbegu and Tagwa were not with them. Sholumai, Mushuru and Sileita were comfortable around these big elephants but only Ngilai showed interest in them. He laid his trunk along their backs, hugging them in a friendly manner. Lasayen and Ndotto played wonderful sparring up games with Ngilai joining on Ndotto’s side and tackling Lasayen head on.

In the afternoon, the orphaned elephants visited the baobab tree water hole. They chose to cool off in the small water pans where the water was warmer than in the main wallow. Busara showed off her mud bathing games to Sholumai, inviting her to play. Mushuru plunged into the water with no encouragement. Soon after the herd left the water hole, a wild herd approached to drink from the trough and wallow in the muddy water.

Back out in the field, Rorogoi appeared out of the bush, looking very well! We have not seen her for several months. She did not show interest in the new arrivals but stayed with Ndotto and the other semi-dependent orphans.

Ngilai, Godoma, Lasayen, Ndotto, Murit and Tagwa were missing this morning. Only Rorogoi showed up at the stockades as the dependent orphans were sprinting down the path for their milk bottles. Rorogoi again ignored the new girls.

The orphaned elephants headed out to the southern slopes of Msinga Hill to play in the soil erosion trenches. Lemeki lay down and invited Rorogoi to play. Rorogoi browsed with our orphans for a short time before wandering off towards the forest to the north.

In the afternoon, the herd visited the water hole for a brief mud bathing session. Itinyi was playing with Sholumai, Sileita and Mushuru – when he began climbing on their backs, we ordered him away. Mushuru enjoyed wallowing in the mud today while Sholumai and SIleita paddled on the edge.

Sholumai, Sileita and Mushuru are settling in well and were interacting freely with the other Voi orphans today. After the milk feed in the morning, the orphans engaged in some brief playing. With Sholumai standing next to her and watching, Losoito squatted on the lower terrace to show off her itching skills. A jealous Lemeki then squatted on her hind legs to show off her yoga skills. Sholumai did not bother staying to watch.

Ndotto and Murit soon arrived at the stockades for breakfast. When the herd headed out to Msinga Hill, the two older bulls went off in a different direction. The other orphans settled to browse on the hill for the morning.

In the afternoon, the herd came down the hill for a milk feed and a visit to the mud wallow and then wandered back to the hill. The weather was still cloudy and the elephants browsed quietly.

The dependent orphans emerged from their stockades as usual and spread out at the feeding trough and around the lucerne. Murit and Ndotto were the earliest callers this morning, but they did not show much interest in the new three babies.

They soon set out (with Murit and Ndotto) to browse around Msinga Hill. Two hours later, Lasayen arrived on the hill – he browsed with the herd and played sparring games with Ndotto and Murit.

In the afternoon, Itinyi, Kilulu, Dabida, Hildana and Akina paddled and splashed in the mud wallow while the others stood around. Baraka, Juni, Dabida, Seri and Losoito enjoyed a dust bath, rolling around together on a patch of dry ground, while Kilulu walked behind Kenderi hoping to persuade him to a wrestling match.

Our herd spent the rest of the afternoon browsing on the western side of the hill – Murit, Ndotto and Lasayen opted to walk over to the eastern side. Sholumai, Sileita and Mushuru wandered among their new herd, looking relaxed while keeping an eye on Keeper Geoffrey – who is to stay in Voi for a month to support the new girls’ transition.