November was a very special month in Ithumba — highlighted by the birth of two new grandbabies, which arrived within a span of 24 hours.
It was a quiet morning. The orphans left the stockades soon after getting their morning milk. No single wild elephant or ex-orphan showed up at the lucerne feeding venue. The orphans enjoyed each moment as they fed and roamed freely around the stockade compound without any fear of outsiders. Mayan settled to share his pile of lucerne with Kitich, while Kindani shared hers with Bondeni. Later, Kindani had a brief meeting with Esoit that ended in a pushing game. Roho decided to have a morning yoga session by sitting and lying on the ground. Bondeni had a brief strength-testing exercise with Vaarti before heading to the browsing field.
The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area, where Choka started his day’s activities by engaging Kitich in a pushing game. Esoit played with Bondeni, while Naleku decided to have her own game of rolling on the ground. Mukutan decided to gauge his strength by trying to push down a tree he had come across. The tree proved too strong for Mukutan, so he decided to quit.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Mageno led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. The weather was chilly, and only Kinyei, Mayan, Mageno, Lodo, Shujaa, Weka, and Loldaiga fully participated in wallowing. The rest only washed their feet by walking through the water. After wallowing, the orphans had a drink and then enjoyed a soil bath before returning to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. They browsed calmly throughout the rest of the day without any major observations. In the evening, only two wild bulls showed up for water at the stockade water troughs.
The sky was clear when the orphans were let out. They settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockades. Choka had a brief strength-testing exercise with Mayan, while Roho played with Lodo. An hour later, the orphans were done with their lucerne, then stopped at the stockade water troughs to have a drink before being led to the browsing field by Naleku.
At the browsing field, Lodo came across some loose soil, which he used to dust himself. He was joined by Vaarti, Bondeni, Esoit, and Loldaiga. Muwingu came across a nice tree that she used to scratch her itching ear. Shujaa and Weka settled on a rock to scratch themselves, while Olorien teamed up with Suguroi, Kinyei, Kindani, and Mageno to browse.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Mukutan led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. The temperatures were moderate, and all the orphans participated fully in the wallowing exercise. Mayan and Esoit were the last to quit wallowing.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Bondeni and Esoit engaged in a pushing game, but it was cut short by Kinyei, who passed by and separated the two boys. In the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockades. Shortly before six o’clock, Yatta, Yoyo, Yogi, Yara, Kinna, Kama, Kaia, Kito, and Wema showed up briefly at the stockade compound before leaving for an undisclosed location.
Olare, Ola, Sagateisa, Enkikwe, and Nabulu showed up at the stockade compound early at dawn. At six o’clock in the morning, the orphans had their milk and then joined Olare and her team outside for lucerne feeding. Ola attempted to push Weka as she passed close by, but Shujaa, who was following Weka closely, wasn’t happy about Ola’s action. Shujaa decided to teach Ola a lesson by pushing her away. Ola ran to report Shujaa to her mother, but by the time she reached her, Shujaa and Weka had already moved to another position.
Muwingu settled to scratch her buttocks on a nearby rock, but shortly after, she was pushed away by Esoit, who wanted to use the same rock to scratch his belly. An hour later, Suguroi led the way to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Bondeni, Olorien, and Kinyei competed to see who could reach leaves on the tallest trees by stepping on rocks to make themselves taller. Kinyei won the competition since she is slightly taller than the other two. Loldaiga, Roho, Lodo, and Mukutan concentrated on feeding on tree bark.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Choka led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. The sun was hot, and soon after the orphans had their milk, Naleku led the team into wallowing. After wallowing, Mageno settled to scratch against a nearby tree, while Kindani led the rest into a soil-dusting exercise.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Kitich teamed up with Mayan and Vaarti in browsing, and in the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockades.
The orphans had their milk at six o'clock in the morning. Mageno and Kitich left with leftover branches in their mouths, which they dropped when lucerne was distributed. Weka settled to scratch her buttocks on a nearby rock before resuming feeding on lucerne. Muwingu and Mukutan found another rock and shared it to scratch their bellies. Mayan and Loldaiga had a brief meeting that ended in a pushing game.
When the orphans had enough of lucerne, Kinyei led the way to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. The morning was quiet as they browsed calmly and slowly made their way towards the mud bath. At eleven o'clock, Muwingu led Olorien, Mageno, Mukutan, and Choka in the first group. The sun was very hot, prompting the orphans to jump into the wallowing water immediately after getting their milk. Mayan, Weka, and Naleku were the last ones to quit wallowing.
In the afternoon, Esoit engaged Mukutan in a pushing game that ended in a draw. Kinyei tried to bring down a tree to reach the fresh leaves, but the tree was too strong and wouldn’t come down, prompting her to abandon the mission. In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockade.
Ithumbah, Iman, Naisula, and Nyx reported early at the stockade compound before the orphans were let out. The orphans had their milk at six o’clock in the morning, then Mukutan led the way out. Muwingu started her day’s activities by scratching her belly on a nearby tree. Choka threatened to push Iman when Iman crossed his path. Iman turned quickly and ran to her mother, Ithumba.
Half an hour later, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. At the browsing field, the orphans came across four warthogs. Bondeni, Shujaa, Choka, Loldaiga, and Suguroi charged at the warthogs while trumpeting. The warthogs, with their tails up, quickly changed direction and ran east. The five orphans followed them, but within a short time the warthogs had disappeared into thin air. The orphans gave up and returned to their Keepers.
Lodo engaged Roho in a pushing game, while Loldaiga played with Esoit. Afterwards, the orphans browsed calmly as they slowly headed towards the mud bath. At eleven o’clock in the morning, Muwingu led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. After getting their milk, the orphans jumped into the wallowing water and thereafter headed for a soil dusting exercise.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. The sun was still hot, prompting the orphans to take a break from browsing and relax under the trees until the temperatures dropped to a favourable level. In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockade.
The orphans had their milk at six o’clock in the morning. After taking their milk, Mageno led the way out. The orphans settled to feed on lucerne. Choka and Mayan had a brief strength-testing exercise, while Vaarti played with Lodo. Kinyei had an itchy belly and decided to settle on a nearby rock for a scratching exercise.
After the orphans had enough lucerne, Muwingu led the way to the browsing field. They settled to browse in the Kone area, where Loldaiga and Bondeni began their day by engaging in a strength-testing exercise that ended in a draw. Choka browsed alongside Suguroi, while Weka teamed up with Olorien, Mukutan, Shujaa, and Muwingu.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Mukutan led the first group to the noon bottle feeds, while Kinyei led the second. After having their milk, the orphans jumped into the water for a cooling-off exercise. Lodo, Naleku, Suguroi, and Mageno emerged as the stars of the day, enjoying a prolonged wallow. The orphans then had a soil dusting exercise before returning to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. The rest of the day was quiet as they browsed calmly throughout the remaining part of the day.
Naisula, Nyx, Ithumbah, Iman, Kinna, Kama, Kaia, Kito, Yatta, Yoyo, Yogi, and Yara arrived in the morning and joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. Roho met Yoyo, and after a brief interaction, they had a disagreement that turned into a pushing game. Shujaa approached Yara, who appeared uninterested in playing with him. Yara sensed that Shujaa might knock her down, so she walked slowly to join her mother, Yatta.
After having enough lucerne, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Olorien and Bondeni shared food by peeling the bark off one tree, while Esoit engaged Roho in a strength-testing exercise. Esoit lost to Roho, then moved to try his luck with Bondeni. Bondeni defeated him too, leaving him no option but to surrender. Choka played with Mayan, while Vaarti played with Kitich. Lodo had a light strength-testing exercise with Kindani, while Olorien came across some loose soil, which she used for soil bathing.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Weka led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. At mud bath time, the orphans were briefly joined by Ithumbah, Iman, Naisula, and Nyx. The two mothers and their babies left shortly after, leaving the orphans to enjoy the wallowing exercise.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. The sun was hot, prompting them to take a break from browsing and rest under the trees until the temperatures dropped to a favourable level before resuming feeding. In the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockades.
The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockades. Kindani scratched her belly on a nearby rock and was later joined by Kinyei. Esoit played with the lucerne, tossing it up and letting it land on his head. Kitich shared his pile of lucerne with Mageno, while Olorien shared hers with Suguroi. An hour later, Naleku led the way to the browsing field.
On the way to the browsing field, Mayan engaged Bondeni in a strength-testing exercise that ended in a draw. At the browsing field, Choka took a break from feeding to engage Esoit in a pushing game, while Lodo played with Roho. Olorien spent some time in a soil dusting exercise, while Kindani, Muwingu, and Weka enjoyed rolling on the ground.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Mageno led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. The temperatures were moderate, and the orphans skipped the wallowing exercise, instead performing a soil dusting exercise.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Mukutan, Shujaa, and Vaarti spotted jackals ahead of them. The three boys charged and trumpeted as they headed towards the jackals. The jackals didn’t wait but ran off before the three boys could catch up with them. Choka engaged Esoit in a light pushing game, but their play was disrupted by Kinyei, who pushed the two boys away.
In the evening, Weka led the way back to the stockades.
Lualeni, Lulu, Lexi, Luki, and Gawa showed up at the stockade early in the morning before the orphans were let out. Soon after the orphans had their milk and the gate was opened for them to come out, Lualeni took her family inside the stockade to check if there were any leftovers. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much they could enjoy in the stockade. They followed the orphans outside, where lucerne was distributed and shared amongst everyone.
Weka shared her pile of lucerne with Roho, while Lodo and Kinyei walked down to the water trough to drink. Shortly after, they were joined by Vaarti and Roho. Muwingu and Suguroi spent part of their time babysitting Luki. Later, Naleku led the way to the browsing field.
On the way to the browsing field, Bondeni engaged Vaarti in a pushing game while Esoit played with Shujaa. Olorien lagged behind with Lualeni’s family but later parted ways with them to catch up with her colleagues. The orphans settled to browse at the Kone area. The sky was cloudy, and shortly after, the clouds yielded rain. Roho took some time off from browsing to roll on the wet ground. His game attracted Kindani, Kinyei, Naleku, and Suguroi, who joined him in rolling on the ground.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Mageno led the first group to the mud bath, while Mayan led the second one. Soon after having their milk, the orphans jumped into the wallowing water and smeared themselves with enough mud to get relief from the tsetse flies that bother them all the time.
In the afternoon, Shujaa teamed up with Muwingu in browsing, while Bondeni engaged Esoit in a pushing game. Mageno, Kitich, Weka, Olorien, and Lodo came across an anthill and decided to play on it, loosening its soil with their tusks and rolling over it. Later in the day, Mageno browsed with Kitich and Shujaa, while Choka teamed up with Mukutan and Loldaiga. In the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockades.
It was wet in the morning following some rain received during the night. The orphans left the stockades soon after getting their morning milk. Mukutan settled to scratch his belly on a rock as he waited for the distribution of lucerne, while Bondeni engaged Esoit in a light pushing game.
Lucerne was distributed, and the orphans shared it amongst themselves peacefully. After they had eaten enough, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Suguroi had a brief meeting with Bondeni and later Kitich. It’s not clear what information the girl was trying to pass on to the boys.
Esoit engaged Kindani in a pushing game but ended up losing to her. Later, Lodo, Roho, Bondeni, and Mayan came across some soft mud. The four boys decided to have fun rolling in it. Olorien settled to browse with Naleku, while Choka teamed up with Loldaiga and Shujaa.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Muwingu led the way to the noon bottle feeds. The temperatures were moderate, and soon after taking their milk, the orphans had a brief wallowing session. After wallowing, they returned to the browsing field. Suguroi settled to browse with Weka and Olorien, while Bondeni came across a nice rock that he used to scratch his belly.
Shortly before four o’clock in the evening, the cloudy sky gave way to rain that lasted around twenty minutes. The orphans enjoyed the cool weather and browsed calmly as they slowly made their way back to the stockades.
Lualeni, Lulu, Lexi, Luki, and Gawa arrived at the stockade compound early, before the orphans were let out. The orphans had their milk at six o’clock in the morning, then were let out to join Lualeni and her team. Lucerne was distributed, and sharing went on peacefully apart from Gawa, who was hostile towards the orphans. The Keepers cautioned Gawa to stop her hostility or leave. Gawa chose to end her hostility instead of being pushed out.
Naleku and Suguroi decided to take care of Luki, as his sisters Lexi and Lulu were calm and didn’t try to block them. After lucerne feeding time was over, Muwingu led the way to the browsing field. Lualeni and her team followed the orphans and, an hour later, parted ways with them. Naleku decided to go with Lualeni’s team because of Luki. The Keepers tried to persuade her not to go, but Naleku didn’t listen. She had made her decision to follow Luki.
The orphans settled to browse at the Kone area. Esoit engaged Choka in a pushing game, while Muwingu, Kitich, Lodo, Kindani, Suguroi, and Roho decided to have fun by rolling on the wet ground. Shortly before ten o’clock in the morning, Lodo engaged Roho in a pushing game while Kitich played with Esoit.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Mageno led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. The temperatures were moderate, and only Lodo, Kitich, Roho, Kindani, Esoit, and Suguroi fully participated in wallowing. The rest only walked through the water to wash their feet.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. It was a quiet afternoon as the orphans browsed calmly without any major observation. In the evening, Weka led the way back to the stockades.
It was a cloudy morning when the orphans left the stockade. The orphans settled for lucerne immediately after leaving the stockade. Kindani shared her pile of lucerne with Suguroi as Olorien shared hers with Bondeni. Esoit requested Kinyei for a pushing game, which Kinyei accepted. The pushing game didn’t last long, as Kinyei quit to go and scratch her itching belly. Suguroi joined Kinyei in the scratching exercise as Lodo engaged Roho in a pushing game. Mayan and Vaarti found their own rock that they shared for scratching their bellies.
Soon after the orphans had enough lucerne, Muwingu led the way to the browsing field. At the browsing field, Mayan and Bondeni had a special game of pushing one another while lying on the ground. Weka browsed with Shujaa and Mageno while Mukutan teamed up with Choka, Esoit, and Kitich.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, time for the mud bath, Weka led the first group to the midday bottle feeds while Muwingu led the second one. The sun was shining and the orphans participated in wallowing soon after getting their milk. Weka and Shujaa were the first ones to quit wallowing, while Lodo, Roho, and Kindani were the last ones to finish the wallowing exercise. The orphans then headed for drinking water and thereafter returned to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. Kinyei, Kindani, and Suguroi stepped on rocks to reach the high leaves on trees that are slowly turning green. In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockade for yet another night.
Mist covered the tip of the Ithumba Hill when the orphans were let out. The orphans settled for lucerne immediately after leaving the stockades. Lodo appeared to have woken up in a bad mood as he kept pushing the juniors. The Keepers cautioned him not to continue with such behaviour. Roho assisted the Keepers in containing Lodo by tackling him in a pushing game. At last, Lodo forgot about the juniors and concentrated on defending himself against Roho.
Kindani shared her pile of lucerne with Bondeni, while Olorien shared hers with Suguroi. When the orphans had had enough of the lucerne, Muwingu led the way to the browsing field. Roho, Lodo, and Olorien had a game of rolling on the ground. Esoit came over and climbed on Roho, while Suguroi scratched her belly on Olorien. Choka engaged Mayan in a pushing game that lasted for quite some time.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Muwingu led the way to the noon bottle feeds. The orphans had their milk, then water, and thereafter Suguroi, Esoit, Roho, and Lodo jumped into the wallowing water briefly before making their way back to the browsing field. On the way back, the orphans came across stagnated water that they used for mud bathing.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at the Kanziku area. Suguroi, Roho, and Kinyei competed to see who could reach the highest leaves on the trees by stepping on rocks to increase their height.
In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockades.
The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. They shared the lucerne peacefully. When they were through with the lucerne, Suguroi led the way to the browsing field. Suguroi has taken over the group since Naleku left with Lualeni’s family, and she is still out there with the family.
The orphans settled to browse at the Kone area, where Vaarti teamed up with Esoit and Bondeni in browsing. Kinyei, Suguroi, and Olorien had a game of rolling on the ground, while Lodo engaged Roho in a strength-testing exercise. Mukutan and Choka concentrated more on debarking a tree. Later, Choka met with Vaarti and the two boys had a strength-testing exercise that lasted for quite some time.
At around ten o’clock in the morning, Lodo, Suguroi, Roho, and Kindani came across some still water that they used for a mini mud bath. Mayan challenged Kitich and later jumped on him to get a free ride. After a while, Mayan dismounted from Kitich and went to tackle Choka.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Muwingu led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. After having their milk, Esoit, Kindani, Suguroi, Lodo, Mayan, and Roho voluntarily jumped into the wallowing water, while the rest of the group opted for a roadside mud bath.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at the Kanziku area and enjoyed the sprouting leaves on the shrubs. Mageno, Shujaa, Kinyei, Bondeni, and Weka shared feeds in the same shrub.
In the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockade.
The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. Vaarti shared his pile of lucerne with Loldaiga, while Choka shared his pile with Mayan. Bondeni carried his pile of lucerne and dropped it close to the water trough. Bondeni had water first, then continued enjoying his share.
When Choka and Mayan were through with the lucerne, the two boys went to play by engaging each other in a pushing game. Lodo led the way to the browsing field, where he settled with Mageno to feed on the same shrub. Muwingu settled to browse with Esoit, while Kindani settled to browse with Kinyei.
Later, Mageno came across a nice rock that he used to scratch his neck, while Mayan played with Vaarti. Their game was stopped by Olorien, who came in between them and stayed there until the two boys walked in different directions. Suguroi took a break from browsing to have her own game of rolling on the ground. Lodo engaged Roho in a pushing game that ended soon when Lodo decided to surrender.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Muwingu led the first group to the mud bath, while Weka led the second one. After getting their milk, the orphans headed for drinking water, then walked a few metres away for a roadside mud bath.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at the Kanziku area. It was a quiet afternoon, as the orphans browsed calmly throughout without any major observation.
In the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockade.
Sunyei, Siku, Saba, Subiri, Ithumba and Iman showed up at the stockade compound a few moments before the orphans were let out. After the orphans had their morning milk, Mukutan led the way out. The orphans joined the two ex-orphans’ families and interacted as they waited for the distribution of lucerne. Subiri engaged Mukutan in a pushing game, and Mukutan handled the small baby with care. Later, Subiri walked over to Suguroi and had a nice time together before Siku came over to pick Subiri.
An hour later, the orphans were ready to leave for browsing, and Muwingu led the way, followed by Weka and Mageno. The orphans settled to browse at Kone area, where Weka browsed with Shujaa while Kitich settled to browse with Loldaiga, Esoit and Mayan. Later, Olorien, Esoit, Choka, Kinyei and Bondeni took a break from browsing to have a soil-bathing exercise. Mukutan met with Vaarti, and the two boys engaged in a strength-testing exercise.
Shortly before eleven o’clock in the morning, the weather changed. The cloudy sky gave way to drizzles that lasted for about ten minutes. At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk then water before attending the roadside mud bath.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill and enjoyed the lush vegetation coming up. Shujaa settled to browse with Kinyei while Weka teamed up with Olorien. Muwingu tried to dodge the Keepers but was caught by the Keepers as she tried to call her colleagues to join her in escaping. The Keepers blocked her, which left Muwingu disappointed. The Keepers changed the direction of the orphans and steered them towards the stockades.
The orphans had their milk at six o'clock in the morning then settled for lucerne. Shortly later, a junior wild bull emerged from the western side and joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. The wild bull was friendly to the orphans and enjoyed the lucerne together with them.
Vaarti, Lodo and Choka walked down to the water trough to have water. The three boys then raised their trunks up, directing them towards the east. This was an indication of someone approaching and, sure enough, minutes later a wild family of six emerged and slowly came up to check what was happening. The orphans welcomed the group and interacted briefly with the young ones of their age before Suguroi led the way to the browsing field.
At the browsing field, Esoit engaged Bondeni in a strength-testing exercise while Weka settled to scratch her itching ear against a tree. Lodo settled to browse with Mageno while Olorien teamed up with Kindani. Later, Vaarti and Mageno decided to take a break from feeding and relaxed under a tree that had a nice shade before resuming browsing.
At eleven o'clock in the morning, Muwingu led the way to the noon bottle feeds. The orphans had their milk, then jumped into the water for a cooling-off exercise.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. At around two o'clock in the afternoon, the weather changed, giving way to a heavy rain that lasted for twenty minutes. The orphans enjoyed rolling on the wet soil.
In the evening, Loldaiga led the way back to the stockade.
Soon after the orphans had their six o’clock milk, Mukutan led the way out. Choka, Loldaiga and Shujaa left the stockade with leftover branches that they continued enjoying while waiting for the distribution of lucerne. Muwingu settled to scratch her buttocks on a nearby rock, while Mayan exchanged morning greetings with Roho by entwining their trunks. Lucerne was distributed and the orphans settled on it for some time before heading for browsing.
The orphans settled at Kone area and visited the Kone dam, which has very little water in it. This is because it is only light rains that we have been getting in this area, which are not enough to fill up the dams. Roho started his day’s activities by engaging Lodo in a pushing game that did not last long, since it was still early and the two boys needed time to fill up their stomachs with the sprouting green vegetation. Bondeni took a break from browsing to engage Mayan in a pushing game. Their game ended in a draw and the two boys resumed browsing.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Mageno led the first group to the midday bottle feeds. The orphans had their milk, then briefly had a mud-wallowing exercise, and thereafter returned to the browsing field. On the way, the orphans had fun playing on small valleys that are wet following the light rains. The sun was shining brightly, and the orphans decided to seek shelter under trees that had good shade. The orphans resumed browsing only when the temperatures dropped to a favourable level.
Kinyei teamed up with Bondeni and Mayan in browsing and, in the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockade.
The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. Shujaa, Mukutan and Choka found some suitable rocks that they used to scratch their bellies. Suguroi had fun with the lucerne as she kept tossing it up so that it landed on her head. Shortly later, Muwingu led the way to the browsing field.
At around seven-thirty in the morning, it started drizzling. The orphans enjoyed the cool weather as they rolled on the wet ground. Vaarti walked onto a rock and found water collected on it, taking the opportunity to enjoy drinking the rainwater. Choka settled to browse with Suguroi, while Mukutan settled to browse with Loldaiga, Esoit and Mayan.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Mageno led the way to the noon bottle feeds. The orphans had their milk, then briefly had a wallowing exercise before returning to the browsing field. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. The rest of the afternoon was quiet, as the orphans browsed calmly throughout without any major observation.
It was a beautiful morning today, with all the babies up and ready for their milk bottles. They all got their share of milk and started walking out to the field for lucerne feeding.
In the field, they shared the lucerne peacefully, without any bullying. The group later walked out to the bush for browsing.
In the bush, they all looked much more active, with Choka play-fighting with Mayan and Esoit with Loldaiga. Muwingu and Shujaa were busy browsing separately. The babies went on to play in the dust, with Bondeni, Roho, Olorien and Suguroi being the most playful in their dust games. Later, the babies walked to the mud bath for their milk.
At the mud bath, they all had their share of milk and went on to play in a small dam of rainwater. It was cold, so only a few of them went in. They later started walking back to the bush for browsing. No other animals were seen at the mud bath today.
Back in the bush, everyone was busy browsing until the evening, when they started walking back home for their milk bottles, pellets, and later, sleep. No other elephants were seen in the area today.
It was such a beautiful day from the morning hours, after the babies woke up well to find their milk ready for them. They were very active and eager for their bottles. They all had their milk and then walked out to feed on lucerne. Out in the field, they were the only ones there and fully enjoyed the feeding. Suguroi walked to the water trough and began playing and rolling around the area. Roho was busy playing with Lodo, testing their strength. A group of the babies gathered together as if having a chat, and later the whole group walked to the bush for browsing.
Back in the bush, Choka and Mayan started play fighting. Lodo and Vaarti were busy browsing together. Olorien went into a dry dam to see if there was any water but found it empty and walked out again. The others continued browsing in the bush, and later the babies began walking to the mud bath for their milk bottles and wallowing.
At the mud bath, the babies had their milk and then started playing in a small dam of rainwater. Suguroi played in the mud, rolling all around. Weka went into the dam and began playing there too. The rest of the group joined them. They really enjoyed wallowing in the small dam before walking back out to the bush for more browsing.
Back in the bush, all were busy browsing with fresh greens everywhere. Esoit was browsing separately, and Kinyei climbed onto a rock to browse. Loldaiga and Vaarti started playing as they touched trunks. Bondeni began playing and mounting on Vaarti, and Choka started mounting on Kitich. Later, the babies began walking back home in the evening for their milk bottles again. No ex-orphans or wild elephants were around today.
It was a well-spent day as the babies woke up in the morning and found their milk breakfast ready for them. They had their milk and walked out to feed on lucerne. They were very happy, enjoying the lucerne on their own. They later walked to the bush for browsing.
Out in the bush, they really enjoyed the fresh, green browse that has shot up after some rain. After a few minutes, Nasalot came to the stockades with her newborn baby girl. We were so happy to see her together with her babies Nusu and Noah, accompanied by Noah’s friend Mundusi, who is always in that group. The baby was about two weeks old and looked very strong, healthy and energetic. She was later named Nala. This is Nasalot’s third baby after Nusu and Noah.
Back with the orphan babies, they were all busy browsing, with Lodo and Bondeni browsing together. Olerien started scratching on a dead tree while Mayan and Mukutan were busy playing. Esoit and Choka also started play fighting. Lodo went to Suguroi to challenge her to a fight. A wild bull was seen near the babies in the bush, just passing by. The babies later started walking to the mud bath for their milk bottles and wallowing.
At the mud bath, the babies had their milk bottles and walked in for wallowing. They all enjoyed the wallowing in a small rainwater dam in the mud hole and later walked out to the bush for browsing again.
Back in the bush, they all looked very busy, with Vaarti trying to check on Weka. He later went to Shujaa and started playing with him. Lodo, Mukutan and Bondeni were playing together, and later the babies started walking back home in the evening for their milk bottles.
After they had settled in their pens, Mutara came in with a newborn baby boy. She was with Mambo, Musiara and Jotto. The baby looked lively and healthy. Roi, Kainuk and Chaimu came in to check on Mutara’s baby. They loved him and immediately started taking care of him. We named the little boy Mango.
It was such a happy day, as we welcomed two new babies in one day.
It was such a beautiful morning with the babies waking up to find the milk ready for them. They got their share of milk and walked out to feed on lucerne in the field.
Out in the field, Mutara also came with her baby, Mango, and started sharing the lucerne with the babies. Suguroi rushed to the baby and started acting like a nanny. Mambo did not like her and was pushing her to stay away from his brother, but Suguroi did not listen to Mambo and continued nursing Mango. Mutara came with Chaimu, Kainuk and Roi. They later walked away to the bush, with Suguroi trying to follow, but the Keepers came out to intervene and returned her to the group. The orphan babies later walked away to the bush for browsing.
Back in the bush, they all looked much more active and were happily browsing. Roho, Olerien, Kinyei and Mageno were each browsing separately from the others. Lodo started mounting on Loldaiga, while Bondeni was busy playing. Two tortoises were having fun and enjoying their love passions. Vaarti started checking on Mayan, and later the babies started walking to the mudbath for their milk bottles.
In the mudbath, the babies had their milk bottles and then started playing in the small dam of rainwater. They were all fully enjoying wallowing. Kindani, Bondeni, Kinyei and Roho were wallowing together, and later the babies started walking back to the bush for browsing.
Back in the bush, they all looked more active and were happily enjoying the green browse, with Weka and Mayan browsing together. The group later gathered and started walking back home in the evening for their milk bottles again.
Back in the stockades, we had Mutara's group with her newborn baby boy Mango and Mambo, who came to drink water and later left. Mango seems to be more active than Mambo at that age. They later walked back to the bush for browsing again. Nasalot did not appear today.
What a lovely morning today, with the babies waking up to find the milk ready for them. They were very happy and excited when the Keepers started lining up to feed them. They were very active, all had their bottles of milk, and walked out to feed on lucerne.
Out in the field, we had a little rain last night and it was still cold and wet, so they did not stay long on the lucerne, but rather started walking to the bush for browsing. The bush is very green and they prefer the green stuff to lucerne.
While in the bush, they all looked very active and happy. Kinyei was enjoying the green grass with Roho, while Mageno was scratching on a dead tree. Vaarti was in the bush browsing alone, while Roho, Suguroi and Lodo were browsing together. The babies later started walking towards the mudbath for their milk bottles.
On the way to the mudbath, they came across some mud in a dam and started playing in it. They really enjoyed themselves. Roho and Lodo started play fighting after enjoying the mudbath. The group later continued walking to the mudbath.
In the mudbath, they all had their milk bottles and walked into a small dam near the feeding point and started playing in it. They fully enjoyed wallowing and later came out to walk back to the bush for browsing again. Suguroi was left behind, wallowing in the mud, but she later came out to follow them.
Back in the bush, we had some rain and the babies were rained on while browsing. They later started walking back home in the evening for their milk bottles and beddings.
However, we had just Mutara with her babies Mambo and Mango around the stockade, and they left later. All the other babies are fine and well. We got very little rainfall today in the area.
It was such a beautiful morning, as the babies were very happy and excited when they woke up to find the milk ready for them. They all lined up and waited for their turn to be served. They all got their share of milk and walked out to feed on lucerne.
Out in the field, they were all active, enjoying the lucerne on their own. It was still wet outside after we had rainfall at night with lots of thunderstorms that contributed to the power being cut off in our camp. We recorded 35 mm of rainfall.
The babies had their lucerne and later walked to the bush for browsing. No one was around the stockades and the babies really enjoyed the lucerne in peace.
Out in the bush, the babies were fully browsing as there are lots of fresh green leaves in the area. Some of them were happily playing on the ground. Mayan was mounting on Mukutan while Mageno was digging down into the soil to play with. Lodo and Olerien were fighting for space while Mageno was rolling down as he played. Esoit and Weka were busy browsing together, until the babies started walking to the mud bath for their milk bottles.
In the mud bath, they had their milk bottles, with Bondeni enjoying the self-service feeding. The rest of the babies went to the mud bath and a few of them started wallowing. They came out and started stretching on the ground to dry, and later walked back to the bush for browsing.
Back in the bush, they were busy browsing for the whole evening, and later they all started walking back to the stockades for their evening milk and bedding. No rain, and no ex-orphans or wild elephants appeared at the stockades.
This morning, the orphan babies woke up early for their milk breakfast. They were so happy to find the milk ready for them. They had their milk bottles and walked out to feed on lucerne.
Out in the field, Roho, Kindani and Weka were having a chat. Roho started playing with Kindani while Esoit and Bondeni were hugging. Bondeni, Esoit and Kindani continued chatting, and the babies then started walking to the bush for browsing.
Back in the bush, Choka, Olerien and Kitich were each browsing separately while the others were together. Weka and Lodo found a small dam of water and started playing in it. The babies later started walking to the mud bath for their milk bottles and wallowing.
In the mud bath, the babies had their milk bottles and, as usual, walked to the water trough to drink. Lodo stepped into the waterhole and started playing. Mayan and Choka began play fighting, and the other elephants started walking back to the bush for browsing again.
They all had a good evening, as there is enough food for them. Mageno and Kitich were browsing together while Kindani was rolling on the ground as she played. Later, she got up and started leading the other babies back home in the evening. Only Lualeni and her three babies visited the stockades this evening before walking away. No rainfall today.
The day was well spent, with the babies waking up in happiness and ready for their milk feeding. They had their share of milk and walked out to feed on lucerne.
Out in the field, they were well served lucerne and enjoyed it a lot, as they were the only ones in the area. They later started walking to the bush for browsing.
In the bush, the babies were busy browsing the green pastures all over and enjoying them fully. Lualeni with her three babies, Lulu, Lexi, and Luki, together with Maramoja, came to say hi to the babies and later walked away. The babies then walked to the mud bath for their milk bottles and wallowing.
At the mud bath, they had their milk as usual and went to drink water. Only Lodo got in for wallowing, which he enjoyed a lot before walking out. Esoit and Mageno started playing, and later the babies walked to the bush to browse again.
They all looked much more active, as the weather was good for them. They stayed the whole afternoon in the bush and later found some water holes, where they started playing. They had a good mud bath in the bush, with Kinyei rolling on the ground. The babies then started walking back home in the evening for their milk bottles and beddings.
Back in the stockades, Nasalot came in with her family — Nusu, Noah, and Nala — together with Mundusi and Naleku. They shared the lucerne, drank water, and left. Joto also came to join them, happily greeting Naleku and later playing with Nusu. All the rest were fine and well. We received a little rainfall of 7 mm today.
It was such a beautiful morning as the babies had their share of milk and walked straight out to the lucerne field. It was very quiet with no ex-orphans or wild elles around. The babies really enjoyed the lucerne and later started walking to the bush for browsing.
Back in the bush, they all looked much more active, with many of them playing peacefully. Vaarti was fully playing in the dust, while Weka, Shujaa and Muwingu were playing together. Bondeni started mounting on Weka, and later Weka started kissing Esoit. Mageno, on the other side, was busy playing with Lodo, and Kinyei, who likes her privacy, was solely enjoying rolling on the ground. Shujaa went on to play with Mayan, and Esoit went on to kiss Kitich. Olerien was browsing together with Kindani, and later the babies started walking to the mudbath for their milk bottles and wallowing.
In the mudbath, they all enjoyed their milk bottles and then started wallowing. Muwingu was the one leading them into the mudwallow and later came out to the waterhole to drink before walking back to the bush for browsing.
Back in the bush, they enjoyed the fresh green pastures, where they found a small dam of water and started playing in it. The group later started walking back home in the evening for their milk bottles and bedding. No rain today.
It was a beautiful morning as the babies woke up early as usual and found their milk ready. They were all happy and already lined up for feeding. They enjoyed their milk bottles and walked out to feed on lucerne. They enjoyed the lucerne too, as they were the only ones in the area. Vaarti started playing with Choka while the others were busy feeding on lucerne. The babies later began walking to the bush for their morning browse.
Back in the bush, all the babies were busy browsing, with Weka, Shujaa and Mageno browsing together. Mayan, Vaarti and Loldaiga led the babies to the mud bath for their milk bottles and wallowing.
In the mud bath, they had their milk bottles and walked straight to the dam for wallowing. They really enjoyed the wallowing, then walked out to the dust and started playing. Olorien was the last one to get out. They all enjoyed the dust bath, with Vaarti fully rolling as he played. The babies later walked back to the bush for browsing again.
They all looked much more active this evening and were browsing well together as a group. Later, they began walking back home for their evening milk. Only Lualeni came around with her family, Lulu, Lexi and Luki. They drank water and left. No one else appeared today.
It was a beautiful morning as the babies woke up early and found the milk ready for them. They were well served by the Keepers and later walked out to feed on lucerne. Stepping out, they found Chyulu with her family, Cheka and Charlie, waiting for them. They were with Narok and Roi among them. The babies started feeding on lucerne, with Kindani checking on Keeper Galgallo. The babies later walked to the bush for browsing. After they left, Lualeni came in with her three babies, Lulu, Lexi and Luki. They started feeding on lucerne too.
Before they left, Loijuk also came in with her babies, Lili and Lisha. They did not stay long before walking away.
Back in the bush, the babies really enjoyed the green pastures. Vaarti and Loldaiga were browsing together, while Roho and Olorien were separately browsing again from the others. Mukutan was browsing on his own. The babies later started walking to the mudbath for their milk and wallowing.
In the mudbath, they all enjoyed their milk bottles and walked in for wallowing. They fully enjoyed the wallow and later walked out to the dust bath. They enjoyed playing in the dust, with Esoit, Choka, Kindani, Roho and Mayan being the most enthusiastic. Lodo was busy scratching his bottom. Choka and Bondeni were scratching on a tree, and later Mayan led the group back to the bush for browsing.
Back in the bush, they all looked much more active, enjoying the fresh green browse. They later started browsing towards home for their evening milk bottles and bedding.
Still in the stockades this evening, we had Wendi with her family, Wiva, Wema and Wimbi. Wendi came straight to the stockade parking area and started checking the vehicle, looking for something to eat. She caused trouble and later walked away. She was with a wild bull, Olsekki, Makena, Namalok and Mapia. They later walked away to the bush.