The rains arrived around Voi in a slow and steady manner. We awoke some days to a light drizzle that wet the parched earth and put the elephant orphans in a happy mood. For the last five months, throughout the dry season, numerous bush fires have raged across Tsavo’s plains, but those first few light showers was all that was required to set off the chain reaction to rejuvenate life. Fresh grasses have started to shoot through the moist earth and the once grey dead-looking shrubbery has sprouted a profusion of fresh green leaves – all favourites of the elephant orphans as nothing tastes better to them than sweet succulent fresh new-growth – heavily nutritious as well! In just a few short weeks this month, the land has become a Garden of Eden. Dung beetles appeared from nowhere and feverishly started rolling their nests with the output of the elephants combined with the damp conditions, and the Keepers nearly have to dance while walking to avoid stepping on them. Already we can see the creepers beginning to grow and unfurl their fresh green leaves across the bush.
The orphans began the first day of the month with their usual routine of a morning milk bottle followed by the supplement feeding and games around the stockade compound. Today it was drizzling as the orphans left for the Park where they enjoyed playing and browsing on the wet grass.
After about four hours, Ngilai decided to take a break and engage his new friend Ivia the buffalo in a sparring session. Cheza, the other buffalo, and Emoli, watched the two playing, after which the orphans visited the baobab tree waterhole for their noon milk bottle and a brief swim as it was a cloudy day.
Suswa enjoyed a scratching session against an acacia tree close to the water hole and was later joined by Arruba and then Embu. Ndoria lay on the side of the soil pile and tried to entice her friends to join her, but they chose to have a soil bath on the opposite side of the big mound. The afternoon browsing session took place to the west of the waterhole.
It was a lovely start to the day for the orphans who came running out of their stockades for their morning milk bottles, before lining up at the supplement feeding area for some Lucerne. Once the feeding was over the orphans prepared to head out to the Park for the day. Godoma was busy playing near one of the stockade terraces as she lay on the ground and enjoyed throwing loose soil all over her body. Ngilai and Emoli came to interrupt her game which had Mbegu running in to intervene and drive them away, after which she lay down to play with Godoma.
After the noon milk feed which took place next to the baobab tree waterhole, the orphans made their way down to the mud bath but were reluctant to wallow as it was a chilly day. Ivia and Cheza the buffaloes surprised the elephants by plunging into the water where Ivia lay down while Cheza stood guard. Tagwa went charging into the water in attempt to drive Cheza and Ivia out but the two didn’t budge and Tagwa eventually gave up, leaving them to their fun and games. Embu enjoyed a scratching session against the baobab tree while Kenia and Ndii played in a small hole. The rest of the days browsing activities took place close to the waterhole.
It was a lovely beginning to the day with the dependent orphan elephants emptying a morning milk bottle before settling down with their older friends to enjoy the supplements put out for them by the Keepers. Once the morning feed was over they enjoyed playing on the big mound of loose soil in the stockade compound before following Tagwa, Tamiyoi and Sagala out to the Park for the day.
The orphans visited the baobab tree water hole after the noon milk feed but once again it was a chilly day and none of them really wanted to wallow in the water, and most of the orphans just ended up dipping their toes in. Ndotto however, decided to go into the mud wallow, despite it being cold, while the rest of his friends left to enjoy other games. Godoma sat on her bottom in a small hole close to the baobab tree for a soil bath and to play, while Mbegu and Arruba patiently waited their turn to do the same. When the three were done, Kenia came over for a turn followed by Rorogoi who was the last one to play there before rushing to catch up with her friends who were leaving to resume their browsing activities.
It was a good beginning to the day with the orphans enjoying their milk and supplement food before heading out to the Park. Before leaving they stopped to enjoy a quick game on the soil mound. Mashariki stretched her trunk up high in order to reach some green leaves at the top of an acacia tree while Ndotto engaged Tundani in a sparring session.
After the noon milk bottle the orphans made their way down to the baobab tree waterhole where they had a drink from the water trough but didn’t really wallow as it was an overcast and cold day. Ngilai engaged Emoli in a sparring session which didn’t last for long before Ngilai left Emoli to play with Ivia the buffalo, his unusual best friend! The afternoon was spent browsing close to the waterhole.
The morning began with the stockade-dependent orphan elephants engaging in the usual morning’s activities which began with the milk feeding followed by the supplement feeding before enjoying some socializing games around the stockade compound.
The orphans headed out to the bush and settled to browse on the eastern side of Msinga Hill together with the orphan buffalos and zebras, Ivia, Cheza, Diria and Nzuki. The orphans spent the morning browsing before making their way to the baobab tree waterhole for their noon milk bottle and a drink of water. Kenia saw a wild elephant herd approaching the waterhole and gathered her friends together to lead them away from the waterhole as she was worried that the wild group would try and steal her adopted babies, particularly Pika Pika. By the time the wild herd got to the waterhole the orphans had left and were browsing far off across the plains.
It was a calm beginning to the day for the orphans who enjoyed the usual morning activities before following Sagala and Tagwa out for the day.
The orphan elephants browsed in single file as they made their way to the baobab tree waterhole where they had their afternoon milk feed. Today the orphans decided to enjoy the mud bath a little and some of them decided to go for a mud bathing session. Arruba, Embu and their friends then enjoyed a scratching session against the baobab tree which they circled so that they could all have a scratching spot to themselves.
A wild elephant herd came to join the orphans at the waterhole and Tamiyoi ran to be the first to greet them. She watched as the orphan herd interacted with their wild friends but then a teenage wild elephant became too friendly with Pika Pika and started to walk off with her. Arruba and Tamiyoi tried to get her back but were unsuccessful, so Mashariki and Sagala came to help and together they managed to extract Pika Pika from her wild friend and led her to rejoin the orphan herd, after which the Voi orphans left the waterhole leaving the wild elephants behind.
It was a beautiful and bright morning as the orphan elephants exited their night stockades for their morning milk bottles and supplement food before heading out for the day. Due to the recent rains there is fresh green grass flourishing everywhere now, and the orphans really enjoy moving slowly along so that they can eat as much grass as possible.
As it drew closer to noon the sun got higher and the day warmer which saw the orphan elephants seek shelter from the sun under a big tree they came across. Godoma surprised Emoli when she picked up a stick from the ground and used it as a tool to scratch her legs.
The orphan elephants visited the baobab tree water hole at noon for their milk bottle followed by a quick mud bath after which they returned to their browsing activities. Rorogoi remained at the waterhole a while longer than the rest as she was busy scratching her leg against a tree stump. Once she was done she quickly caught up with her friends.
It was an energetic beginning to the day as Emoli, Sagala, Tahri, Godoma and Pika Pika came running out of their stockades, ahead of the rest of their friends, to be the first ones to have their morning milk bottle. When the milk feeding was done the elephants all settled down to enjoy some Lucerne grass and pellets that had been laid out for them by the Keepers. There were very few games around the compound however before the orphans headed out, as they were eager to begin their day and find all the new delicious fresh food to be found as everything begins to shoot after the rain.
Ngilai stood in the way of Ivia, preventing him from browsing, so that he could engage him in a sparring session, so Diria and Nzuki the zebras sidestepped and made their way around the two so that they could continue browsing. After a brief mud bath at noon, Ngilai went to play in the small hole close to the baobab tree, with Tagwa waiting patiently close by to take a turn when he was done. Lasayen was busy scratching against the baobab tree after which he joined the rest of the group for the afternoon browsing session.
The afternoon was spent browsing high up on Msinga Hill where Godoma tried to engage Lasayen in a sparring session. Lasayen quickly ended the game as he was worried that they may slip and fall and hurt themselves.
The morning was peaceful with the milk-dependent orphan elephants running out of their night stockades amid some light drizzle this morning, to make their way to the milk feeding area where they downed their morning milk bottles. Once the milk feeding was over the younger orphans joined their older friends in Kenia’s herd to have some Lucerne supplement grass that had been put out for them by the Keepers, before they all started filing out of the gate to begin their day of browsing.
Most of the days browsing activities took place halfway up Msinga Hill with the orphan elephants descending to visit the baobab tree waterhole at noon where they had they had their milk bottles, but chose to avoid the water hole today. Ngilai went to engage Ivia in a sparring session but Ivia wasn’t interested and ran away from him as he just wanted to relax this afternoon. The afternoon was spent browsing on Msinga Hill until it was time to return to the safety of the stockades for the night.
The orphans exited their stockades bright and early this morning and were busy feeding on Lucerne pellets following the morning milk feed. Mashariki enjoyed a scratching session against a rock close to the stockade waterhole while Ngiali engaged Emoli in a sparring session at the terrace wall. Ndii came to scratch against the terrace while Arruba climbed it from the other side and Sagala kept busy with a scratching session against a desert shepherd tree. When the mornings stockade activities were over the orphan herd followed Tagwa out to the Park.
The orphans browsed until mid-morning at which time Ngilai and Emoli became engaged in a play fighting game while Godoma enjoyed a quick soil bath before the noon milk feed. The orphans walked to the baobab tree area for their milk bottles before heading to the waterhole where they had a drink of water. Ngilai then took on his friend Ivia the buffalo in a pushing game after which the entire orphan group returned to their browsing activities at the foot of Msinga Hill.
Mbegu led the herd out to browse today taking them up Msinga Hill together with Mashariki and Sagala. The orphans spent the morning browsing peacefully before coming down and making their way to the baobab tree waterhole for the noon milk feed.
The orphans did not wallow or visit the waterhole today, choosing instead to return to their browsing activities. As soon as they had finished their milk bottles they made their way to the eastern side of Msinga Hill to browse.
Later in the afternoon Mashariki led the orphans to another mud wallow, different to their usual place, where they all had fun playing and enjoying a mud bath with Diria and Nzuki the zebras watching the fun that the orphan elephants were having. Murit shone in the mud today as he enjoyed rolling around the edge of the mud bath after splashing himself with water. Emoli, Mbegu and Tagwa were also having fun in the mud as a group while Rorogoi played at the edge of the water. Ndotto was the last to come to the mud bath where he splashed himself with some muddy water, before joining the herd who were already making their way back to the safety of the stockades for the night.
Tahri and Godoma were the first to come running out of their stockade this morning as they sprinted to the milk feeding area and grabbed their morning milk bottle which they downed in a matter of seconds, and were done before the rest of the milk dependent group had even arrived. They then all joined the members of Kenia’s herd at the supplement feeding area where they enjoyed munching on Lucerne pellets.
In the afternoon a scout from the Mwatate Sisal Estate called the stockades and spoke to Joseph Sauni informing him of a lonely orphan male elephant calf that had come to drink water from one of the water holes (which happened to be the same one where Ndoria was rescued.) The scouts had monitored the calf for more than four hours and upon seeing that no other elephants were around and considering he appeared to be in quite poor condition, they decided to call the Voi stockades, who in turn called Angela Sheldrick who got the necessary permissions from the Kenya Wildlife Service to rescue the calf. By the time the rescue team arrived the calf had moved into Mugeno Ranch where he was rescued and brought to the Voi Reintegration Unit stockade. The orphan is about three years old and by the time he got to the stockades the orphan herd was returning for the night. Mbegu and Godoma went to greet the newcomer, touching him with their trunks and reassuring him that he was in safe hands.
The stockade -dependent orphans exited their stockades and assembled at the milk feeding area for their morning milk bottle. Pika Pika and Emoli were fighting over the first milk bottles and this continued until all the others had finished their share and headed off to enjoy some Lucerne pellets. After the milk and supplement feeding the orphans enjoyed playing on the piles of red earth and loose soil while they got drizzled on.
Today the orphans spent the morning browsing on the northern side of the stockade compound where Godoma climbed on top of a rock at the foot of Msinga Hill and stripped the bark off of an acacia tree which she then feasted on. After three hours spent browsing, Ngilai engaged Ivia the buffalo in a sparring session where he got on his knees to bring himself down to Ivia’s height. Ivia was extremely excited with this and started jumping up and down as he played with his elephant friend.
At noon the orphans visited the waterhole where they had their milk bottles before enjoying a mud bath before returning to their browsing activities, which continued until it was time to return to the stockades for the night.
After the morning milk and supplement feeding, Ngilai and Murit took part in their daily morning fun and games around the stockade compound with the rest of the orphans. Arruba went to have a mud bath in the stockade water hole but ended up not having one as the water was rather cold. The morning was spent browsing peacefully with Kenia enjoying browsing close to her adopted baby Pika Pika.
After a lovely mud bath at the baobab tree waterhole at noon, Rorogoi was seen laying down under a small tree for a nap. Ndotto saw her and went over to her, nudging Rorogoi to her feet so that he could take her place and enjoy a nap in the spot that she had made warm and comfortable. Rorogoi was not in the mood for a fight and got up and walked away, making her way to another nearby tree where they enjoyed a scratching session against the tree trunk. Ndotto, who was busy napping, had to quickly get to his feet and rejoin the rest of the orphan herd when he noticed that they were moving off in search of vegetation to browse on and he was in danger of getting left behind.
The dependent orphans exited their night quarters eager for their morning milk bottle and Lucerne pellets. Once the feeding was over they hung around the stockade compound to play before making their way out to the Park.
The morning was spent browsing slowly as the orphan elephants, zebra and buffalo all enjoyed feeding on the shoots of green grass that were sprouting everywhere following the small rain showers we have had so far this month. Arruba was in a very good mood today as she got to spend the morning with her darling Pika Pika, while Kenia was busy browsing with Araba.
Godoma spent some time with Sagala, stretching her trunk up to grab some browse directly from Sagala’s mouth.
When it was time for the noon milk feed Diria and Nzuki the zebras chose to chase after the pickup that was bringing the orphans their milk bottles, so they arrived at the milk feeding area before the orphan elephants who came in a few minutes after them. The orphans had their milk then enjoyed a drink from the waterhole before making their way to the northern foot of Msinga Hill for the afternoons browsing activities.
The orphans exited their stockades this morning raring to go. They had their bottles and enjoyed Lucerne pellets after which Ngilai engaged Emoli in a quick strength testing game before all the orphans followed Tagwa out for the day. Tagwa led the orphan herd along Msinga Hill all the way to the northern side where they settled to browse in the company of Diria, Nzuki, Ivia and Cheza - who often join the orphan elephants on their daily outings.
The morning was spent browsing peacefully a short distance away from the baobab tree waterhole and noon milk feeding area. Godoma and Tagwa enjoyed spending the morning browsing in one another’s company. After the milk feed the orphans headed down to the waterhole were they had a drink of water after which they made their way to the eastern side of Msinga Hill where they spent the afternoon browsing.
It was a chilly beginning to the day as it was drizzling when the orphan elephants walked out of their stockades and headed to the milk and supplement feeding area. Embu, her great friend Tahri, Rorogoi, Mudanda and Mashariki lay on the ground, trying to draw some warmth from the earth as they closed their eyes and relaxed. When the mornings stockade activities were over the orphans headed out for the day.
At noon the orphans made their way to the baobab tree waterhole for the milk feed before heading down to the waterhole. The orphans found a tortoise drinking water from the mud bath on their arrival there but left it in peace.
It was cloudy and cold and as such none of the orphans really enjoyed a mud bath. Ndii and Tahri stood side by side with their trunks on their heads while Kenia leant against the baobab tree and enjoyed a scratching session. Godoma got on her knees and dug at the soil with her small tusks while Sagala and Emoli watched. Murit came to join the three, pushing Sagala and Emoli out of the way in an effort to engage Godoma in sparring session while Ngilai left the orphan elephant herd to join Ivia and Cheza the buffaloes, who were browsing nearby.
The Voi orphans left their night quarters just as the sun was rising and headed out to the Park as soon as the milk and supplement feeding was over. Embu wanted to lead his friends up Msinga Hill to browse but was unsuccessful in doing so as they had already made the decision to browse at the base.
At noon Pika Pika, Emoli, Ngilai and Murit were the first to come running in for their milk bottles followed a few minutes later by the rest of their friends. None of the orphans entered the mud bath today as it was quite cold. Ndoria stood at the edge of the waterhole debating going in, but ultimately chose to stay out as none of her friends wanted to join her. Mashariki stood at the opposite side of the mud bath to Ndoria and splashed water over herself while Ishaq-B enjoyed a dust bath in a shallow trench which had been formed by rainwater, before joining her friends who were browsing nearby.
The morning began as usual with the orphans enjoying their milk and supplement feeding after which they enjoyed playing on the mounds of soil in the stockade compound. Mbegu took her milk atop the stockade terrace making sure she drank every last drop before following the orphan herd out to the Park for the day.
At noon the orphans visited the waterhole after their noon milk feed but did not wallow as it was another cold day. Tagwa enjoyed playing in the small hole near the mud bath until Ngilai came and joined her at which point she left despite Ngilai’s attempts to get her to stay.
Later in the day the weather improved and the orphans had a lot of fun playing in a muddy puddle that they found out in the bush. They then spent the rest of the time browsing before heading back to the safety of the stockades for the night.
It was drizzling again this morning as the orphans exited their stockades following a heavy downpour last night. They had to walk carefully to avoid slipping and falling! The milk-dependent elephants headed to the milk feeding area where they quickly downed their morning milk bottles.
Our newly rescued orphan elephant has been named Mtata and is doing okay but is very weak; he occasionally takes a milk bottle from a Keeper though he does still charge at the Keepers when he sees them coming towards him.
The orphan herd spent the morning browsing peacefully before making their way to the baobab tree waterhole for their noon milk feed and a drink of water. As the weather is still cold none of them entered the mud bath. Later in the afternoon the sun started shining and Mashariki led the orphan group for a mud bathing session at the same small water hole that they visited yesterday. They all enjoyed rolling around in the water with Mbegu enjoying a private wallowing session in a small waterhole adjacent to the larger one. Ngilai was busy pursuing the buffalo Ivia for a sparring session but Ivia skillfully avoided him and he was more interested in feeding on the fresh green grass that was shooting up thanks to the recent rains.
The morning was good with the milk dependent orphans quickly downing their morning milk bottles before joining their older friends at the Lucerne pellet feeding area after which they headed straight out to the Park for the day.
The orphans settled to browse at the southern foot of Msinga Hill where Ndotto approached Suswa for a sparring session but Suswa wasn’t really interested in playing. Godoma was the last to leave the stockade this morning but quickly joined the group who spread out to browse as they all enjoyed feasting on the green grass shoots.
Today the orphan herd enjoyed playing and mud bathing in the many water pans that they found while out in the Park before visiting the baobab tree waterhole where they had their noon milk bottle and a drink of fresh water, before resuming with their browsing activities on the southern side of the waterhole.
After the morning milk feed all the Voi orphans gathered for the routine Lucerne grass pellet feeding before engaging in games around the stockade compound. The orphans then headed out to the Park where they stopped to browse at the southern foot of Msinga Hill.
Ndotto was busy browsing with Suswa while Mbegu kept company with Sagala. The morning browsing session was peaceful with the orphans visiting the waterhole at noon for their milk bottle before resuming with their browsing activities. Out in the bush Ngilai and Emoli stood in front of their friends to enjoy a sparring session which Tagwa came to break up. The two sneaked away from the serious girl to resume their pushing game where she couldn’t see.
In the evening Sagala, Tagwa and Tamiyoi took the lead of the orphan herd back to the safety of the stockades for the night.
It was a calm morning with the orphan elephants concentrating on their milk and supplement feeding before following Tagwa, Mbegu and Sagala out to the browsing grounds for the day. Mbegu has given Tagwa and Sagala the leading role, which has resulted in Tagwa coming out of her shell and looking much more confident and happy, following her return to Voi from the Nairobi Nursery.
Just as the orphans were leaving the stockade compound Godoma decided to lie on the ground and roll around for a quick dust bath while Suswa leant against the big rock close to the stockade waterhole. Ndotto came to try and get Godoma to her feet and climbed on her back in an effort to get her to get up so that they would not be left behind. Once Ndotto got Godoma moving he went and pushed Suswa away from the rock so that they could follow the rest of the group.
The orphans browsed in single file before making their way to the waterhole where they had their noon milk feed but avoided the mud wallow as it was a chilly day. Only Suswa and Arruba entered the water and had a brief mud bath after which they rejoined their friends and together they all continued browsing for the rest of the afternoon.
The morning began with the orphan elephants concentrating on their usual milk and supplement feeding once the orphans exited their night quarters following a good night’s rest. The orphans all seemed to be in a good mood with Mudanda heading off to engage Ngilai in a sparring session, which Ngilai ran away from as Mudanda plays quite rough. Embu enjoyed a scratching session between the trunks of two trees in the stockade compound while Ndii and her adopted baby Tahri enjoyed scratching their bottoms against the stockade terrace.
Once the orphans left the stockade compound for the Park they settled to browse half way up the northern side of Msinga Hill where Suswa enjoyed browsing together with Tamiyoi. As noon approached the orphans came down and made their way to the baobab tree waterhole where they had their noon milk feed and enjoyed playing mud bathing games before returning to their browsing activities in the afternoon.
It was drizzling this morning making the ground damp as the orphans exited their stockades at dawn to begin their day. The orphans all enjoyed playing around the compound following the morning’s milk and supplement feeding.
Tagwa and Tamiyoi led the orphans out for the day and the group settled on the western side of Msinga Hill for the duration of the morning. Tagwa enjoyed a scratching session against a tree which resulted in her falling behind the rest of the group who browsed as they walked. Godoma, Tahri, Mbegu, Ndotto and Emoli browsed slowly through the open grasslands as they waited for Tagwa to catch up to them, while Mashariki led the rest of the orphans deeper into the thick bush.
On their quest for greener pastures the orphans came across a natural water pan that the wild elephants have been using and decided to have a quick mid-morning mud bathing session. Mashariki led the orphans in their wallowing session where she enjoyed scratching against the edge of the mud hole while Suswa rubbed her feet against each other. The mud bath was quite crowded as all the orphans were in it but they all managed to get covered in mud. Pika Pika and Arruba were waiting patiently for the rest to finish so that they could have the wallow to themselves.
At noon the orphans headed to the baobab tree where they had their noon milk feed, a little higher up the hill than the waterhole. When they finished their bottles they made their way to the water trough for a drink of clean water. As they had already had fun wallowing out in the bush they went straight back to browsing without swimming in the main water hole today.
The orphan elephants enjoyed hanging out around the stockade compound following the morning’s milk and supplement feeding. Ngilai wanted to engage his favourite playmate Emoli in a sparring session but Emoli wasn’t in the mood and continued trying to pick up any remaining pellets that he could find lying around. Pika Pika enjoyed a scratching session against the terrace wall but was ousted from her position by Tahri. Pika Pika then sought out Arruba and the two enjoyed browsing at the far end of the stockade compound.
Sagala led the orphan herd out for the day followed closely by Tagwa and Tamiyoi. They spent some time browsing along the western foot of Msinga Hill before paying a visit to the same natural water pan that they visited the last few days in a row. The orphans were all having a lovely time wallowing and after a short while, Ngilai exited the water to engage Ivia in a sparring session. Tamiyoi enjoyed a private mud bath away from the rest of the group.
At noon the orphans all visited the baobab tree waterhole where they had their noon milk feed before drinking clean water from the water trough. They then returned to their browsing activities for the afternoon as they had already enjoyed a lovely mud bath earlier in the day.
The day started with the milk-dependent elephant’s orphans running to the milk feeding area and downing their milk before joining their older friends from Kenia’s herd to feed on some Lucerne. Mudanda and Mashariki were busy stretching their trunks high into an acacia tree in order to reach the greenest leaves.
Once the mornings stockade activities were over the orphans headed out to the Park for the day. At noon the milk dependent orphans arrived at the baobab tree waterhole in groups of four with Emoli, Ngilai, Pika Pika and Sagala being the first to arrive for their milk bottles. The Voi orphans then joined up with a wild elephant herd at the water trough for a drink of water. They were delighted that there were some babies with the wild herd and they tried to play with them. Tamiyoi walked off with the wild elephants as she took a liking to one of the calves and remained with it and its mother for a while, completely focused on the baby. The Keepers had to call her back to join the orphan herd again as they had started to walk away to continue with their browsing for the rest of the afternoon. Tamiyoi listened to the Keepers and returned to join her friends.
It was a chilly morning following heavy rains last night. The orphans all enjoyed browsing, playing and bonding around the stockade compound following the milk and supplement feeding. Tundani carefully stretched his trunk over the electric fence in order to reach some green vegetation on the other side. The orphan herd then followed Tagwa and Sagala to the Park for the day and the group settled to browse along Msinga Hill.
Pika Pika enjoyed a scratching session against a rock boulder while Ngilai had fun playing a sparring game with Emoli. Once he was done playing Ngilai went and enjoyed a scratching session of his own on the same rock as Pika Pika. Ishaq-B then joined and the two enjoyed scratching a short distance apart from one another while Tundani pulled a branch from an acacia tree and walked away munching on it.
About an hour before the noon milk feed the orphans came down Msinga Hill and settled at the foot of the hill to browse for a bit before making their way to the milk feeding place. Once the milk feeding was over the orphans all headed to the mud wallow beside the baobab where Ivia the buffalo was the first to enter the water while the orphans were drinking from the water trough.
Arruba was thrilled to be able to enjoy some time alone in the mud bath with Pika Pika and the two continued playing there after the others had left.
While the orphans were browsing this afternoon it started to rain for a while, which the orphans enjoyed as it had been a hot morning. Ngilai stopped browsing to try and push a big rock with his head but was unsuccessful in his attempts.
As soon as the milk and supplement feeding was over this morning the elephant orphans enjoyed playing around the stockade compound bonding with one another. Ngilai and Emoli became engaged in a sparring session which lasted until it was time to head out for the day.
Pika Pika took the lead this morning alongside Kenia and Ndii while Tagwa, Tamiyoi and Sagala followed them closely with the rest of the group following them. Tahri then took Pika Pika’s place alongside Kenia and Ndii as they browsed at the foot of Msinga Hill with Pika Pika joining Arruba for the morning browsing session.
After the noon milk feed the orphans made their way down to the baobab tree waterhole for a mud bath. Ndotto made a beeline for the soil piles while Sagala and Godoma enjoyed rolling around at the edge of the waterhole. Godoma and Lasayen then teamed up to play in the mud bath where they were soon joined by the rest of the orphan herd. The afternoon was spent browsing in thick bush until it was time to return to the safety of the stockades for the night.
The morning was cold as the orphan elephants stood enjoying their morning milk bottle before heading to the supplement feeding area. Once the feeding activities were over the orphan herd had fun playing dust bathing games after which they followed Sagala out to the Park for the day, spending the morning browsing as they made their way to the waterhole at noon.
Once at the baobab tree waterhole the orphans downed their noon milk bottle before playing in the damp soil that had been excavated from the mud bath. Ndii and Tahri were having fun lying and rolling on each other while Sagala, Rorogoi and Embu teamed up to play together. Ngilai tried to engage Godoma in a sparring session but Godoma had other plans, choosing instead to join her friends for the afternoon browsing session.
Today the new orphan Mtata came out of his stockade and joined Mbegu’s herd. He was eagerly welcomed into the group who kept touching him as they were also excited to have him with them. He is still very weak and we thought the Voi orphans might be able to perk him up a bit. Pika Pika, was the only one who seemed unhappy with the newcomer as she felt that he was taking attention away from him and started a pushing game with him. Godoma came to his rescue getting Pika Pika away from him and stayed close to him the entire night to ensure that he wasn’t bothered by Pika Pika or anyone else.