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Mutara, Sities, Suguta, Kainuk and Turkwel were among the senior ex-orphans this morning. Mutara’s girls, who at one time went crazy every time they saw Dololo, appear to have moved on and forgotten about him! Their attention is now directed towards the many newborns around at the moment, born to both wild elephants and our ex-orphans. They are always vying for a position to nanny any of the tiny babies! 

After feeding on lucerne, Maramoja spotted some guinea fowls and decided to charge them. The guinea fowls disappeared as soon as they saw Maramoja come charging towards them and flew up into trees! Nabulu teamed up with Galla and Ndiwa to scratch on some rocks they came across on their way out to browse. Pare enjoyed a lone game of rolling on the ground, which was disrupted when Karisa came over and started pushing him. Mapia developed an itchy ear and decided to scratch it against a nearby tree as Enkikwe teamed up with Mundusi to browse.

It was very hot today, which meant all the orphans wanted to get into the mud bath after having their noon milk feed. Nabulu, Sattao, Mapia, Esampu, Ambo, Musiara and Kuishi all settled for soil dusting soon after leaving mud bath. Enkikwe and Kauro were the last ones to leave the mud bath and they had a disagreement as soon as they were out. Their disagreement ended in a fight, but it didn't last long. Ndiwa settled to browse with Mteto. 

In the evening, only Barsilinga, Olsekki, Tusuja and Siangiki out of the Class Five members came back to the stockades to join their friends. Roi, Kamok, Oltaiyoni and Naseku decided to spend the night out.

Kibo and Kasigau were at the stockade compound when the orphans were let out. It was a quiet morning otherwise, as the orphans settled for lucerne before the ex-orphans arrived. When the orphans saw the ex-orphans approaching, Karisa led the way out so as to avoid being pushed around by their seniors. However, Sana Sana, Rapa, Mundusi, Malkia, Enkikwe and Barsilinga remained behind to compete with their seniors over the leftover lucerne and later caught up with their friends. Malkia ran into trouble with Wendi’s firstborn, Wiva, when she showed interest in meeting Nasalot’s new baby, Noah. Wiva threatened to push her if she stayed any longer around Noah, and Malkia decided to leave instead of staying where she wasn’t wanted. Wiva is very protective of Noah, just as Nasalot was of her when she was a baby!

Musiara took a break from browsing later to play with Pare, while Malkia played with Mundusi. At mud bath time, the orphans were joined by 25 wild bulls, and later the ex-orphans arrived as well. After the mud bath, they even spent some time in the bush together, until the ex-orphans went their own way while the dependent babies settled to browse in the Kanziku area. Maramoja, Musiara, Dololo, Ambo, Mteto, Kauro, Jotto and Esampu decided to take a break from feeding and relaxed under a tree until it got a bit cooler. In the evening, Galla and Kamok, who have become great friends recently, failed to turn up at the stockades.

Barsilinga, Roi, Oltaiyoni, Naseku, Tusuja, Olsekki and Siangiki returned to the stockades in the wee hours of the morning. The gates were closed and they decided to relax outside, before joining their friends as they emerged in the morning. Galla and Kamok weren’t there, but they joined the others at around eight o'clock in morning as they browsed in the Kanziku area. 

The sky was clear with not a single cloud, which meant it was going to be a hot day. The orphans browsed as they made their way towards the mud bath for their next feed. When they were done with their bottles, all the orphans decided to swim, as it was still very hot. 55 wild bulls attended the mud bath for the same reason! Mundusi, Dololo, Musiara and Rapa enjoyed climbing on their friends in the water – it is easier than when on land!

In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse along the upper Kalovoto seasonal river. Because it was so hot, they decided to take a break from feeding and relax under a tree until it got cooler. In the evening, Barsilinga and his group reported early at five o'clock. Naughty ex-orphan Wendi caused drama when she invited herself into a stockade and flatly refused to leave! At last, she left after scooping up several piles of lucerne pellets. 

The ex-orphans, as usual, joined the orphans for lucerne in the morning. Kamok, who isn’t always friendly towards little ones — especially when food is involved — pushed Kaia away when the baby passed by, following her mother. We wonder what kind of mother Kamok might be! The orphans later separated with the ex-orphan's once they finished the lucerne. Sana Sana hung out with the ex-orphans, taking for granted that her friends were still around, too. Once she realised that her friends had left the compound long ago, her trumpeting filled the air, as well as dust, as Sana Sana ran as fast as her legs could carry her to catch up with them. 

Pare and Mundusi decided to have a strength testing exercise that was disrupted by Kauro. Kauro emerged from nowhere and decided to climb on Mundusi. Mundusi wasn't happy about it and as soon as Kauro got down, Mundusi and Pare walked far away from the scene. The two boys met with Orwa and they had a good time together. Shortly before mud bath time, Kauro, the ‘stick carrier’ dodged the others and went to the mud bath early to wait for the milk bottles, with his trademark stick in his trunk. 21 wild bulls showed up to the mud bath. Notable among them was Dad, who was accompanied by several friends. 

In the afternoon, Rapa, Galla and Kamok left to team up with Barsilinga’s group. On their way back into the stockades in the evening, Musiara, Nabulu and Malima made a brief stop to say hi to Wema. Dololo walked behind them and didn't tolerate Wema standing in the way, and so pushed her aside to pave way for him to pass. Kamok, Rapa and Galla didn't return to the stockades this evening. It appears that Kamok is in the process of forming her own group! Only time will tell how long it will take for her to become fully independent.

Rapa, Galla and Kamok spent the night out and showed up in the morning with Mutara, Suguta, Sities, Kanjoro, Garzi, Namalok and Turkwel. After feeding on lucerne, Maramoja led the way out to browse. 

Maramoja settled to browse with Malkia, while Mundusi and Kauro engaged in a warmup exercise. Ambo played with Dololo while Jotto played with Sattao. Kuishi came across a nice rock that she used to scratch her bottom on. Shortly before mud bath time, Sana Sana spotted two jackals minding their own business, but she signaled their presence to her friends. Mapia, Karisa, Malima and Nabulu responded and started charging and trumpeting at the small jackals. The trumpeting alone scared the jackals away, and by the time the orphans got to the spot where they had been, the jackals had already disappeared. 

At mud bath time the orphans had their milk bottles then headed straight to wallow. Twenty wild bulls attended the mud bath. Later, Yatta and her herd passed by the mud bath as they headed towards the stockades. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. It was a quiet afternoon. In the evening, all the orphans returned to the stockades safely for the night. 

Yatta and her herd reported early in the morning and relaxed outside the stockade waiting for lucerne. It was a cloudy morning which gave everyone hope that rain might be on the way. The orphans joined the ex-orphans as soon as they were let out of their night stockades. Kinna’s baby, Kama, tried to block the orphans from having any lucerne, but the Keepers intervened by warning Kama to stop bullying the orphans — otherwise she would be the one to leave! Kama calmed down and retreated to team up with her little sister Kaia and her mum. Shortly later, the herds parted ways. Lualeni and her baby Lulu decided to team up with the dependent orphans. Lulu interacted with Mundusi, Kamok, Sana Sana and Maramoja. Lualeni decided to walk to the mud bath before the normal time. Enkikwe, who cleverly read Lualeni's moves, decided to follow Lualeni and her baby, Lulu, so as to be the first one to have a mid-day milk bottle! 

The mud bath was quiet, with not a single wild elephant showing up to join the orphans. Lualeni had a drink with the orphans before turning back and heading towards the stockades. Jotto kept himself busy by engaging Dololo in a pushing game, but Dololo quit the game early as Jotto was playing too rough. Dololo teamed up with Ambo instead, who was soil dusting, while Esampu walked over to tackle the feisty Jotto. 

In the afternoon, the cloud cover cleared giving way to sunshine. We couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. The orphans decided to take a break from feeding and relax under a tree until it got a bit cooler later in the afternoon. 

It was a quiet morning. Only one wild elephant showed up and briefly joined the orphans for lucerne. Shortly later, the wild bull walked down to the water trough for a drink and was joined by Wanjala, Rapa, Mundusi, Nabulu, Esampu and Karisa. Sana Sana led the way out to browse today. On the way, Ndiwa and Kuishi came across a nice rock that they used to scratch their bellies on.

Kauro took a break from browsing to engage Karisa in a pushing game while Malkia played with Sattao. Rapa played with Jotto while Pare played with Kuishi. Sapalan had a lone game of rolling on the ground and once he had enough he stood up to resume browsing.

When the orphans made their way to the mud bath just before noon, fifteen wild bulls were present. Soon after having their milk, Nabulu, Dololo, Karisa, Malkia, Esampu, Mteto, Enkikwe and Mundusi headed straight to the mud bath wallow as it had been a very hot morning. The rest of the group just drank some water and walked off to continue browsing. In the afternoon, Nabulu found a suitable tree to enjoy a good scratch, while Wanjala and Mundusi enjoyed a soil dusting exercise. In the evening, Barsilinga and his small group decided to stay out for the night.

It was partly cloudy this morning. Barsilinga, Roi, Oltaiyoni, Tusuja, Naseku, Olsekki and Siangiki arrived at dawn and relaxed outside the compound, waiting for their friends to come out so they could all enjoy lucerne together. Kamok and Galla weren’t among them, but we expected them to turn up a bit later, as they usually do. Apart from Barsilinga’s group, only two bulls and Challa were outside the compound. As soon as the orphans were let out, Challa joined the juniors to feed on lucerne. Shortly later, Challa walked to the water trough where he was joined by Enkikwe, Kauro, Wanjala and Pare. Mundusi engaged Roi in a conversation that lasted for quite a while. Perhaps Mundusi wanted to find out where Roi and her group usually go and if he could join in on their nightly adventures! 

Later, Sapalan and Musiara took a break from browsing to enjoy a soil dusting exercise. Mundusi decided to have a strength testing exercise with Enkikwe. The rest of the group browsed calmly the entire morning. 

14 wild bulls were at the mud bath this morning. Only Dololo, Musiara, Sapalan, Malkia and Pare joined the bulls for a swim. Later, ex-orphans Nasalot, babies Nusu and Noah, Chaimu, Lualeni and baby Lulu passed by the mud bath, heading towards the stockades. In the afternoon, Ambo, Enkikwe, Rapa, Sapalan and Nabulu settled for a soil dusting session. 

The ex-orphans and their babies arrived early before dawn. Their babies took a nap before daybreak, as their mothers waited for lucerne. At six o'clock in the morning, the orphans had their milk bottles then walked out to join the ex-orphans. The Keepers provided everyone with lucerne, but the young dependent orphans couldn't compete with their seniors, so they took whatever they could grab and then left to avoid any harassment. Some wild bulls who had come for water also decided to join the ex-orphans for some lucerne. Later, Yatta and baby Yogi escorted all the Ithumba dependent orphans out to browse, before returning to join her herd. 

The ex-orphans and wild elephants decided to visit the mud bath later, while the dependent orphans were present. In total, there were 100 elephants at the mud bath today. Amazingly, Mutara’s group and the Class Five members, who rarely come for mud bath these days, were also there! Dololo, who used to be the darling of Suguta, Sities, Turkwel, Kainuk and Mutara, appears to have been forgotten amidst all the tiny wild babies. Dololo tried to join Suguta, Sities, Turkwel and Kainuk, but the girls showed little interest in him, and he tired of trying to follow them. Dololo realised that their attention was not the be all and end all, and that he had a life before these older girls doted on him and treated him like a prince! So, he composed himself and marched forward like a gentleman. 

A wild family consisting of a mother, her three children and granddaughter showed up this morning. The family joined the orphans for lucerne soon after they were let out of their night stockades. 20 wild bulls were busy drinking water, as a buffalo tried to edge in, too. One of the bulls walked over to the dependent orphans to share their lucerne. The bull was polite, as he allowed Wanjala, Karisa, Mundusi, Jotto, Dololo and Enkikwe to surround him and even touch him. The bull understood that the boys were only in awe of him and wished they could be the same size! Shortly later, Kuishi and Nabulu led all the orphans out to browse for the day. Malkia, Galla, Kamok, Kauro and Pare lagged, but later caught up with their friends. Dololo settled to browse with Roi while Kauro played with Ndiwa. 

All the orphans decided to swim in the mud bath today, after the noon milk feed. 20 wild elephant bulls were there, too. After mud bathing, Kamok, Malkia and Wanjala walked over to share water with a wild bull. When Kamok had enough water, she went for a soil dusting exercise before leaving to join her friends. Kauro and Karisa were the last ones to leave the mud bath. This was a huge surprise for us, in regards to Kauro, who normally doesn’t even like wallowing! 

In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. Two ostriches scared the orphans as they made their way through the shrubs, but the Keepers managed to calm them down and they all eventually resumed browsing. The rest of the afternoon was quiet as the orphans browsed calmly for the rest of the day. 

It was a cool morning. Only a few wild bulls showed up for a drink. The dependent orphans were happy, as they had the feeding area to themselves, and they didn’t feel as congested or harassed as they are when the ex-orphans are around! Only one wild bull joined the orphans to feed on lucerne. After enjoying the supplement food, Wanjala, Mundusi, Esampu, Malkia and Dololo walked down to the water trough to join the wild bulls who were drinking, and then Kuishi led the way out to browse. 

A warthog disrupted the peace and quiet when it ran through the orphans as they browsed. Esampu was very upset and started charging around, and some of her friends followed suit. Mundusi, Sattao, Ambo, Rapa, Sana Sana and Dololo all volunteered to back Esampu up on her mission to teach the warthog a lesson. The warthog didn’t stick around as it knew it had upset the elephants by running through them and giving them a fright. Once at a safe distance, the warthog turned and faced the direction of the orphans, waiting to see what they would do next. The moment the warthog saw the orphans trumpeting and charging in his direction, he ran off as fast as his legs could carry him, and by the time the orphans reached at the spot where the warthog had been standing, he was long gone. Esampu’s team was left charging about empty bushes, stamping their feet. Later, when the charging mood had died down, the orphans resumed browsing. 

Shortly before mud bath time, Pare engaged Musiara in a pushing game while Kauro played with Mundusi. It was very quiet, with only five wild bulls at the mud bath. Ex-orphan Taita showed up later. Out of all the orphans, only Rapa decided to wallow, while the rest of the herd drank fresh water and resumed browsing. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the upper Kalovoto area. That evening, all the 32 orphans returned safely to the stockades for the night. 

A herd of wild elephants with a young baby arrived and started interacting with our orphans this morning. The dependent orphans stayed for a short while and then started walking out to the bush to browse. On the way, Kauro started playing and climbing on Dololo, before moving on to Rapa. The others were very much concentrating on finding enough food to eat.

When the orphans got to the mud bath for their noon milk feed, they found some wild elephants wallowing. The babies had their milk and went for a mud too, which they really enjoyed while the wild bulls stayed wallowing on the other side.

The orphans then walked out to resume browsing. Considering it is so dry at the moment, they really concentrated on feeding. It was very hot and some of the orphans like Sana Sana, Malkia, Sattao and Musiara opted to spend much of the afternoon resting in the shade.

Nabulu led the herd back in the evening. As they arrived home the orphans found a large group of wild bulls there, waiting for the water troughs to be refilled. The water bowser arrived and topped up the water. When it was done, the bulls moved forward to have a drink. Yatta’s herd have not been seen since Sidai’s treatment, but we are still monitoring their whereabouts.

The dependent babies had their milk feed as usual today and walked out of their stockades to have their lucerne. Outside, some ex-orphans with a few wild elephants were waiting for them, so they could share lucerne together. Mutara's herd was there with Suguta, Sities, Kainuk, Melia and Kilabasi, who is heavily pregnant! Kuishi and Kauro started playing and chased away two buffalos who were trying to drink from the water trough, before everyone left to browse for the day.

It was an incredibly hot morning, which made the whole area feel even drier. The orphans concentrated on feeding. Ambo and Dololo stretched their trunks high up into the tallest branches to reach the nicest food. The others were busy browsing, while a few orphans stood under the trees and rested in the shade. The babies later walked to the mud bath for their noon milk feed.

As it was a hot day, most of the orphans chose to wallow in the big mud bath after having their milk bottles. They really had a good time and enjoyed splashing about in the water. Yatta arrived with her youngest babies. Yoyo and Yogi, along with Sities, Kainuk, Melia and Kilabasi. They drank water and Yatta took Yogi to the edge of the mud bath and started splashing water on him. It was still very hot, so some of the babies sought shade for a while. Mundusi was busy stretching his trunk high up into the tree branches to find some tasty leaves. 

When the orphans returned to the stockades this evening, they found Yatta there with some of her herd. Although Chyulu and Sidai weren’t with them, we have seen them out in the bush on our monitoring patrols and they are doing just fine.

It was another wet and quiet morning today, after we received 25mm of rain last night. Everyone is very happy, including the Keepers and elephants! The orphans had their morning milk feed and then came out to welcome the day. There was a very low mist and we couldn’t even see the top of Ithumba Hill. The dependent orphans were really enjoying their lucerne without being disturbed by any ex-orphans or wild elephants today. Dololo started playfighting with Musiara before they joined their friends to walk out to the bush for the day. 

Out in the bush, it was still very wet and muddy, with small puddles everywhere. Nabulu was really enjoying herself, as this is the first time it has rained since she came to Ithumba, so everything looked different to her. Kamok and Kauro enjoyed browsing together. Naseku, Roi, Oltaiyoni and Olsekki accompanied the dependent orphans to browse this morning. Their friends Galla, Barsilinga and Tusuja did not turn up last night and spent the night out. A bit later, Sana Sana and Jotto took a break from feeding, as they were clearly enjoying the weather. They rolled around on the muddy ground, playing. Naseku and Roi browsed on the high tree branches and were later joined by Oltaiyoni. Just before noon, all the orphans walked to the mud bath for their milk bottles.

It was still very chilly this afternoon, so none of the orphans wanted to wallow in the mud bath. They just had their milk and walked straight back out to the bush to browse. Once there, they all looked very happy and active. Kauro and Mapia were browsing and playing together. When it was time, Sattao led the herd back home in the evening.

We didn’t see any animals at the stockade compound today! No buffaloes or anyone. Now that there is a bit more water around, they don’t need to come to the water troughs. It was very quiet, and we didn’t see a single wild elephant today, and we still expect more rain to come.

It was beautiful and quiet morning. The babies had their milk in the morning and fed on lucerne as usual. They are really enjoying themselves, because none of the ex-orphans or wild elephants are there to disturb them.

In the bush, the water holes and dams are full of rainwater. Some, like Enkikwe and Siangiki, drank water from the dam, while the rest searched for the freshest, greenest pastures for food. Mapia and Ambo started playing and embracing each other. Dololo interrupted their game, while Malkia was stretching high to reach the new green shoots. Pare and Mteto, who were playing in the mud, were soon joined by Kauro. 

It was very cold, so no one bothered to wallow in the mud bath today. They all had their milk bottles and went straight back to the bush to browse. Roi, Siangiki, Olseki, Oltayoni and Naseku remained with the babies from morning to evening and later returned with them to the stockades. Barsilinga, Tusuja and Galla stayed out for the second night in a row. There weren’t any ex-orphans or a wild elephant visitors today, either at the stockades or the mud bath. We got 25mm of rainfall today, which made everyone very happy.

It was very muddy this morning, after last night’s rain! The dependent babies looked a little cold and didn’t want to stick around feeding on lucerne; they wanted to get moving to warm up. Sana Sana was clever and carried some lucerne on her head, as if she was saving it for later. 

Out in the bush, the orphans looked very busy browsing. Eventually, Dololo and Jotto needed a break and started playing together. Mundusi and Kauro enjoyed a play fight as well. Kauro was climbing on Mundusi, and then went and did the same to Malima. Sana Sana, Malkia and Karisa were busy playing and rolling around in the mud created by last night’s rain. Kamok doing the same on the other side of the herd. Jotto walked over to keep Ndiwa company, but soon they started their own little wrestling match. The orphans must have gotten restless before their noon milk feed and didn’t want to browse anymore, so instead they played games while they waited for their milk bottles. 

It started drizzling as the orphans made their way to the mud bath for their noon milk feed. Understandably, none of them wanted to wallow today – they just went straight back to the bush to continue browsing. It then started raining heavily, making it hard to even take any pictures of the orphans! Later, the dependent herd walked home for the evening. We didn’t see any ex-orphans or wild elephants again today. We were very happy with the 5mm of rain we received.