It was an action-packed month for our Ithumba herd. The dry season continues to grip Tsavo, which means an influx of wild visitors. This includes lots of familiar faces, as many of our ex-orphans circled back “home” to say hello and avail themselves of the fresh water and lucerne supplements to be found at Ithumba.
Taita and Kilabasi were outside the stockades when the orphans were let out this morning. Kilabasi, who is heavily pregnant, doesn't walk far these days. The dependent orphans met the two ex-orphans outside. Taita pretended to be supervising Pare, Maramoja, Rapa, Kauro, Sapalan and Enkikwe, who take their milk lining up along the terrace wall, but in truth, Taita was salivating for the milk and hoped to get a bottle! Of course, that wasn’t going to happen. Later, fourteen wild dogs and two wild elephants showed up for water. Galla and Kamok, who had spent the night out, appeared later in the morning. It's not clear where they left the ex-orphans who they had been with the previous day.
Out in the bush, Sana Sana kneeled on her front legs to reach a favourite shrub. Mundusi engaged Kauro in a pushing game. The game ended when Mundusi surrendered, and just to make sure Mundusi knew who was more superior, Kauro decided to climb on him. Later, Kauro played with Jotto and then with Rapa.
At mud bath time, Nabulu and Sana Sana competed who could get to the milk feed first. Nabulu, who is younger and lighter, won the contest. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the upper Kalovoto area. The afternoon was quiet, as the orphans concentrated on browsing without any major distractions. When it was time to return to the stockades, Kamok, Galla and Tusuja couldn't be found, but the three orphans brought themselves back an hour later.
The ex-orphans arrived early to join the dependent orphans feeding on lucerne. Kauro got into trouble with Kama when he tried to reach for some lucerne that she had stepped on. Surprisingly, Kauro, who is older than Kama, didn’t even try to defend himself and just ran away when she charged at him. Dust rose in the air as Kauro increased his speed to make sure that she didn’t get him Kama is tough, just like her mother, Kinna.
Karisa led the way out to browse and Sapalan and Mapia settled for a soil dusting session when they got there, before going back to browsing a while later. Jotto spotted a dik dik ahead of him and decided to chase it out of the way. He was joined in the chase by Mundusi, Musiara, Sattao, Ambo and Malima. The dik dik disappeared as soon as it saw the elephants running towards it! The orphans took several rounds trying to locate the dik dik but they didn't succeed, and they abandoned the mission of chasing the small antelope to resume browsing.
At mud bath time, Sana Sana led the way followed by Malkia, Ndiwa and Mteto. The temperature was moderate, so the orphans only had their milk bottles and some water, and then skipped the wallowing exercise entirely. Esampu led the herd away from the mud bath to continue browsing. A bit later, Jotto took a break from feeding to play with Pare. After losing the game to Pare, Jotto decided to climb on Malima just to vent his anger after losing his game. Mapia, Karisa, Rapa and Galla parted ways with the rest of the group and walked off deep into the bush on their own but reported back to the stockades later and rejoined their friends.
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.
The ex-orphans joined the dependent orphans early in the morning for lucerne. Shortly thereafter, the groups parted ways. The dependent orphans headed east while the ex-orphans headed south. Out in the bush, Ambo stood under a small tree while Mapia leaned against another, perhaps wondering when will this drought will come to an end. At the moment, they have to walk very far each day in search of nice food. Malkia teamed up with Sana Sana, while Malima took a break from feeding to scratch her hind against a rock.
The orphans browsed calmly as they made their way to the mud bath for noon. It was very hot indeed and the orphans headed straight for wallowing soon after having their milk. Ex orphans Tomboi and Challa joined them, and they all had fun together in water. Sana Sana spotted some baboons drinking at the water trough and decided to chase them to clear the way for her friends to come and drink.
After the orphans had enough wallowing, Esampu led everyone to continue browse. Shortly after the dependent orphans left, we were delighted to see Nasalot arrive with a brand new baby! She arrived with her older son, Nusu, as well as Chaimu, Namalok, Olare, Melia, Lenana and three wild elephants. The group was running and clearly very thirsty, as they immediately settled for a drink. After having enough water, Nasalot took her two sons to cool off in the mud bath. The group was last seen in April this year, when Nasalot only had Nusu, and now she has returned with a second little boy! Now she joins the club of mothers at Ithumba with more than one baby – Yatta, Mulika, Kinna, and Wendi all of whom have two babies now. Yatta will have a third one soon, and even her eldest daughter, Yetu, is pregnant! Later, Nasalot took her herd to the stockades where they were provided with some lucerne after what was evidently a long journey. In the evening, Kuishi, Mapia and Rapa dodged the Keepers as the orphans were returning home, but arrived shortly before seven in the evening.
It was a clear and quiet morning. The dependent orphans settled for lucerne before the ex-orphans showed up a bit later. Tusuja had a moment with Kanjoro and they seemed to be deep in conversation. Barsilinga engaged Teleki in a pushing game as he tried to demonstrate his strength towards the other bull. Rapa walked down to join a wild bull who was drinking water. The rest of his herd joined in and shortly afterwards, they all left for browsing.
A wild elephant herd showed up later, trailing a pack of wild dogs. There was a bit of drama when the wild elephants tried to chase the wild dogs away from the water. The dogs were adamant and only left after drinking enough water.
Out in the bush, Kauro engaged Mundusi in a pushing game that didn’t last for long. Jotto settled to browse with Ambo. while Sana Sana teamed up with Ndiwa, Malkia and Mteto. Nabulu and Kuishi led the way to the mud bath for the milk feeding. 26 wild bulls where present when they arrived, but as it was quite cool today, none of the orphans wanted to wallow and they all just went back to browsing after having their milk bottles. Sapalan was the naughty one today as he didn’t return with his friends at five o’clock in the evening. He showed up later, just after 6 o’clock, and was allowed in to join his friends for the night.
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.
This was another morning to call for celebration. At 5am in the morning Yatta arrived with her bundle of joy, a little baby boy, and stood standing proudly outside the stockades ready to show her third born to her human family. Her entire herd was present for this happy occasion: Nasalot, Nusu, Noah, Kinna, Kama, Kaia, Naserian, Njema, Lualeni, Lulu, Makireti, Chaimu, Kilabasi, Sunyei and Siku. Yetu and Yoyo arrived later too. It will be interesting to see over the coming days how Yetu and Yoyo react to a new sibling. Yetu herself is pregnant, and next year she will make her mother a proud grandmother.
The orphans came out early as usual and joined the ex-orphans for lucerne. Due to the respect they have for Yatta, the orphans kept away from the little calf who we have named Yogi, and they will probably wait until he is a bit stronger to greet him. Then, they will be able to interact with him properly. Malkia just passed close by and managed to sniff at Yogi before moving on to join her friends.
The weather was cloudy today and the orphans were happy as they concentrated on browsing. Because it wasn’t too hot, the orphans only had their milk bottles and some water before going back to browsing. Only a few wild bulls visited the mud bath today.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. Sapalan, Rapa, Enkikwe, Kuishi, Mapia and Galla teamed up and left their other friends as they went on an adventure. The six orphans didn't return to the stockades with the others but arrived back by themselves about an hour later.
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, as the ex-orphans didn't show up. The orphans enjoyed feeding on the lucerne without any competition! As soon as they finished, Sana Sana rumbled, signaling the orphans that it was time to leave for browsing before it got too hot. Malkia, Mteto and Esampu responded and trailed behind Sana Sana. The rest of the herd followed too.
Out in the bush, Ndiwa settled to feed with Jotto and Malima. Karisa teamed up with Sattao and Enkikwe, but Karisa and Sattao left when Enkikwe started harassing them. Barsilinga, Roi, Kamok, Galla, Naseku Olsekki, Siangiki, Oltaiyoni and Tusuja parted ways with their friends and walked off into the bush. Musiara and Sapalan came across a nice tree that they shared to scratch the side of their bellies on.
Pare and Jotto had a competition about who could run the fastest to have their milk bottle at noon. Pare won the competition. It was hot and the sun was beating down, so all the orphans decided to swim in the mud bath. 22 wild bulls were there, too. Later, Naserian, baby Njema, Ithumbah, Makena, Wendi, Wema, Wiva, Sunyei, and baby Siku showed up at the mud bath. They relaxed under a tree before finally walking away towards the stockades. Buchuma and some friends also visited the stockades during the day to have water.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area before returning to the stockades in the evening — except for Kamok, Galla and Siangiki, who failed to turn up. Kamok and Galla are avoiding the stockades these days and often just choose to turn up in the morning. They are slowly finding their feet and becoming more independent! This is a sign that when it rains, only few of the Class Five members might choose to come back to the stockades at all. We are sure that if the conditions were more favourable, they might have chosen to leave already.
It was a cloudy morning. 12 wild bulls were drinking at the stockade water troughs, with well-known bull Dad among them. As the orphans came out of their night stockades, Rapa tried to challenge Wanjala but couldn't withstand Wanjala’s strength and so he surrendered. Shortly later, Enkikwe walked down to the trough to share water with the wild elephants, while Ambo settled to play with Musiara. As the orphans were leaving for browsing, Galla and Kamok checked in from their nightly adventures. Sana Sana happened to meet Galla on her way out and asked him whether it was morning or evening; she couldn't understand that they were leaving for browsing, yet he and Kamok were only just arriving!
The orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. It was still cloudy when the orphans made their way to the mud bath. Only five wild bulls showed up while the orphans were there. Because it was cloudy, the orphans boycotted wallowing and soon after having their milk and water, Esampu led the herd back out to the bush.
In the evening, all the orphans returned to the stockades for the night. Yatta and her herd visited for a short time, staying just long enough to have some leftover lucerne and a drink.
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.
A family herd was waiting outside the stockade compound early in the morning. It seemed they were waiting for the orphans to come out so that they could share their lucerne. Barsilinga and his herd arrived in the morning and immediately went into their stockade to feast on the branches that the Keepers had put out the night before. Two buffaloes came to join the wild elephant bulls that had come for water. Kuishi spotted them and tried to charge at them, but the buffaloes remained unmoved and so Kuishi saw no point wasting her time and energy in a task that seemed rather futile. Nabulu, who was close by, just watched Kuishi and didn’t even bother joining in to try and help.
Later in the morning, Olsekki engaged Enkikwe in a pushing game while Ambo played with Nabulu. The orphans settled to browse at in the Kanziku area and had a quiet morning. At eleven o'clock, Sattao led the first group to the mud bath.
Later, when the dependent orphans had already left the mud bath area, the ex-orphans started trickling in, led by Yatta. Last in line was Sunyei followed by her tiny baby that was wobbling along while walking. Olare, Mwende, Ishanga, Olare, Lualeni, baby Lulu, Naserian, baby Njema, Makireti and Siku escorted Sunyei and tiny Saba. Sunyei walked to the water trough to have a drink and Saba accidentally fell into the water trough. Sunyei, assisted by Olare, tried to get the baby out, but the Keepers intervened and helped Saba out. Sunyei then decided to walk the baby to the stockade compound. In the evening, only Barsilinga out of the Class Five members decided to come back for the night.
Twenty wild bulls were drinking water outside the stockades when the orphans were let out this morning. Roi, Naseku, Olsekki, Siangiki, Oltaiyoni and Tusuja, who spent the night out, were waiting outside too. The Keepers provided some lucerne and then the orphans settled to feed peacefully, as the ex-orphans were late to report this morning. After feeding on lucerne, Karisa, Mundusi, Wanjala, Sana Sana, Olsekki and Malkia walked down to the water trough and joined the wild bulls there drinking water. Later, Nabulu tried to squeeze herself in amongst the bulls to drink, but one of the bulls was hostile and chased Nabulu away. She waited until she found a gap and then she was able to have some water.
Later, Jotto ran in trouble with Enkikwe when he inadvertently bumped into him from behind. Enkikwe didn't take it lightly and must have thought that Jotto did it intentionally, simply because he walks with a limp. Enkikwe turned to teach Jotto a lesson, but Jotto was well prepared, as he knew that Enkikwe would overreact and that there would be no way to placate him. The two locked trunks and started a pushing game. Finally, Jotto found a way to escape when Enkikwe reversed to gather momentum to tackle him, and Jotto just ran off and joined the others who were browsing!
The rest of the morning was quiet, up to mud bath time, when Jotto led the first group to the mud bath. Ambo competed with Ndiwa to see who could get to the milk bottles first and won the race. Ex-orphan Rapsu joined the orphans and headed straight for wallowing. The orphans decided to only drink water and have a dust bath, and not to wallow today.
Later it became so hot that the orphans were forced to seek shelter under some trees to hide from the scorching sun. The rains are late, and no one is sure when they will ever come. Only hope remains — it is the only thing that will keep us moving. When it became cooler, the orphans resumed browsing. In the evening, everyone behaved and returned to the stockade for the night.
Kilaguni and a wild friend were the only older elephants around when the orphans were let out this morning. The wild bull feared joining the orphans to feed on lucerne and left. Kilaguni was only too happy to join the orphans and did so with great fervour, taking his own big pile to enjoy. A lone buffalo came to drink at the stockade water trough, and Tusuja, Karisa and Esampu were so good and didn’t cause any drama at all, but quietly joined the buffalo! It appears that Esampu had woken up in a good mood, as she never spares the buffaloes as far as charging and trumpeting is concerned.
On the way out, Nabulu, Pare, Enkikwe, Mteto and Sattao scratched against some rocks they came across. As Barsilinga’s group headed out, Keepers held back Kamok, who has been spending most nights out with Galla. She has lost a bit of weight recently, due to walking long distances and not getting enough food in the current drought. Kamok knows that her Keepers’ decisions are only made with her best interests in mind, so she was happy to follow them.
The temperature skyrocketed later that morning, forcing the orphans to take a break from feeding to relax under some trees. At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk bottles then some water, before heading back out to browse. In the afternoon, Galla bullied Mapia by climbing on him without his consent. We thought perhaps Mapia might be wising for Galla to go back and rejoin Barsilinga’s herd, since then he won’t be any trouble! The orphans browsed calmly throughout the rest of the day.
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.
It was a slightly busier morning today, as the orphans had their morning milk bottles and walked out to join the ex-orphans, who had decided to visit. Some of Yatta’s herd was at the stockades with their babies, including Mulika and Kinna with their babies. We were delighted to see that Chyulu and Sidai were there as well! Chyulu was with her baby, Cheka, and Sidai was with her daughter, Sita, and a very tiny newborn! As the Keepers were excitedly checking on the new baby, they found that Sidai had an arrow in the side of her stomach. Sita was also quite thin and not in the best condition. The Keepers very quickly organized for the SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Vet to come and treat her. Meanwhile, the dependent babies ate their lucerne supplement before going out for the day to browse.
The vet soon arrived and set about treating Sidai. Sita and her youngest baby, who we named Silas, were well protected by Mwende and Yatta. Everything went smoothly, as Sidai’s friends remained very calm. They seemed to know that their friend was getting help and just quietly observed the treatment. When the vet was done and reversed the anesthetic, Sidai got to her feet and walked off into the bush with the rest of Yatta’s herd.
Out in the bush, the dependent orphans focused on browsing, trying to find enough to eat in the dry conditions. On the way to the mud bath, they met up with Yatta’s herd. Sidai was there, looking perfectly fine after her treatment this morning. The orphans enjoyed a short mud bath before going back to browsing.
We didn’t see Sidai for the rest of the day and she didn’t return to the stockades this evening, but we are sure we will see her tomorrow. When the orphans walked home for the night, they found Kibo and Kandecha drinking water with some wild elephants. We are still waiting for more rain at Ithumba.
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.
The dependent orphans came out of their stockades after having their morning milk bottles and met up with the ex-orphans from Mutara's herd and a group of wild elephants. There was a very tiny baby with the wild herd, and Sities was trying her best to get close to it. The mother didn’t seem to mind Sities being a nanny to the little one, so she enjoyed a wonderful interaction with the baby. At one point, the baby even tried to nurse from her, but of course Sities doesn’t have any milk. Clearly, Sities will be a very loving mother one day.
The dependent orphans left the compound to head out for the day, leaving Mutara’s herd behind with the wild elephants. The area is still very dry, so Maramoja and Mteto shared leaves from the same branch. The rest of the herd were scattered across a wide area as they searched for enough food to eat. Later in the morning, Kuishi led the herd to the mud bath for their noon milk bottles.
Because it was so hot, all the orphans decided to go for a swim in the mud bath. A small group of wild bulls were there, too, wallowing on the other side of the mud bath. Others stood in the shade beside the water trough, patiently waiting for the water bowser to bring more fresh water for them to drink.
The hot dry weather continued into the afternoon. Some of the orphans chose to take a break from browsing to rest in the shade, until it was time to return home for the night. They browsed slowly on their walk home.
Sidai and Chyulu visited the stockades today with their babies Sita, Silas and Cheka. Sidai is recovering well and Sita is gaining back her strength. She was looking a little skinny, perhaps because she doesn’t get as much milk since her brother was born. She is also missing the very tip of her trunk; we are not sure why, but perhaps this affected her feeding. Nonetheless, she is looking much better now.
It was a quiet morning, after we were blessed with 42mm rainfall last night! Perhaps that was why it was so hot yesterday, in a build-up to rain. Everything has gone quiet; only the birds are singing and dancing about in happiness that the rain has come and there will be an abundance of insects and food about!
The orphans had their milk bottles and walked down to feed on lucerne. Only Kibo and Chaimu arrived to accompany them. The orphans smelled the air with their trunks to decide which direction they would take to browse. After few minutes, they seemed to reach a consensus and started off on their journey.
Once again, the orphans spread out over quite a wide area to browse. Sana Sana was busy with Maramoja, while Ambo, Nabulu and Sattao played in a muddy pool they came across. Rapa and Pare started playfighting while Mapia climbed on a rock to reach some higher branches of a tree.
When the orphans made their way to the mud bath for their noon milk feed, they didn’t find any other elephants there; they have all dispersed with the onset of some rain. Some orphans went to swim in the main waterhole while others, like Sapalan, Jotto, Kauro and Enkikwe, walked off and just played in some muddy pools in the bush.
The orphans continued to browse for the rest of the afternoon without many distractions and later Sattao led the herd back home in the evening.
It was a very cool morning today. The orphans enjoyed their normal routine, and the only other elephants present were ex-orphans Kibo and Chaimu.
Out in the bush, Jotto took a break from browsing to scratch his head on a rock. As it is still quite dry, the orphans mostly concentrated on browsing, without messing around. Esampu stretched her trunk high into the trees to reach some food. Later, Mapia and Jotto couldn’t resist taking a break to start a pushing game with one another. Karisa also took a break to roll around in the dust. Chaimu and Kibo accompanied the babies all morning. It was quite cloudy and the sun wasn’t so harsh today, which meant the orphans could browse in comfort.
It stayed cloudy into the afternoon, so the orphans didn’t feel like wallowing after their noon milk feed. Malima found a small puddle and she started playing in it, splashing water on her body for fun and to cool down a little. The orphans then walked back home to the stockades for the night. Barsilinga's herd arrived yesterday, but without Siangiki and Oltaiyoni, who stayed out for the night. In the afternoon, we received another 54mm of rain, which was wonderful.
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.