Keepers' Diaries, October 2019

Ithumba Reintegration Unit



This month began with the first hint of the short rains arriving early this year; a huge relief given how dry the conditions were becoming. October the 1st was a chilly morning following the rain that had fallen throughout the night. Orwa and Bomani were there as usual waiting for the orphans to emerge from their night stockades so that they could accompany them to the Lucerne feeding area. Their predictable morning routine finally changed around the 6th of the month, perhaps with the onset of the rain, and Orwa and Bomani didn’t return again until much later in the month, having spent a considerable amount of time in the past weeks around the Ithumba stockade area. 

01 October 2019

It was a chilly morning following light showers we had overnight. Orwa and Bomani as usual reported early as three wild bulls enjoyed drinking water at the stockade water troughs. The orphans settled for their favourite breakfast of lucerne before leaving for browsing. Challa joined them, and Sapalan had a brief chat with Malima. The Keepers wondered if Sapalan was wondering how old she was, and whether it was appropriate for her to come over and share the lucerne he had decided to carry off and enjoy feeding on privately. Malima didn't respond, but left so as to avoid getting herself in trouble with Sapalan. 

The Ithumba dependent orphans were happy because the overnight showers had made it cool and enjoyable as they went on with their browsing activities. At mud bath time, the orphans were joined by ex-orphans Kibo, Naisula, Kitirua, Kandecha, Kasigau, Melia, Tumaren and a wild female elephant. The weather was cool and the orphans only had their milk and some water before they headed back out to browse. After the orphans left for browsing, five wild bulls showed up for water. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the upper Kalovoto area. In the evening shortly before going back to the stockades, the weather changed and it started raining lightly again. This prompted Kauro to perform a soil dusting exercise in order to cover his back with nice damp soil.

02 October 2019

It was a chilly morning as the orphans left the stockade and settled for their lucerne. Orwa and Bomani were present as usual. Tusuja and Wanjala exchanged morning greetings with each other before settling for some breakfast Lucerne. Soon after feeding on Lucerne, Ndiwa led the way out to browse. Kuishi teamed up with Galla to browse while Garzi settled to browse with Barsilinga. Just before it was time to go to mud bath it started raining lightly again. The change in weather changed the orphans’ mood as well, as they took a break from feeding to a have a wet-soil dust bath. They were rolling all over the place and having fun. Kauro and Rapa continued soil dusting as their friends stopped and started heading to the mud bath. The two boys followed them later when they felt that they had done enough. 

At the mud bath, the temperature was moderate and the orphans only had their milk bottles and some water again before deciding to go back out to browse and not have a mud bath. In the afternoon, Jotto ran into trouble with Kamok when he settled on a shrub that Kamok had her eye on. Kamok pushed Jotto away to get what she thought was rightfully hers. The rest of the afternoon was quiet as the orphans browsed calmly without any major distractions. 

03 October 2019

Mutara’s group was present in the morning and settled to share the Lucerne with the dependent orphans. The sky was clear and this was an indication of a hot day ahead. After feeding of Lucerne, Mutara led the way to the browsing field where they were joined by Olare’s group. The groups concentrated mostly on browsing without any major distractions. Thirty two wild bulls attended the mud bath due to the hot weather today. The orphans felt that the mud bath was too crowded for them to have fun and only Mundusi and Namalok decided to play with mud at the edge of the mud bath. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill and in the evening they passed by the roadside mud bath for a cool-off. Pare decided to have fun by rolling on the ground as he was being watched by his friends. Shortly later, the orphans headed back to the stockade for the night. 

04 October 2019

Twenty two wild elephants were present at the stockades in the morning and amongst them were two wild calves. When the orphans were let out, the breeding herd joined them to feed on Lucerne. One of the wild babies kept on threatening the orphans simply because her mother was so close by, so they couldn’t retaliate or do anything to her or face being reprimanded by her mother; she was being a little madam for sure. Rapa doesn’t take threats lightly and especially where Lucerne is concerned and so waited until the baby moved away from its mother before deciding to get his own back. The baby didn’t wait around to be pushed by Rapa and his tusks again and ran back to her mother for help. Namalok had a game of pretending to do head-stands and pushing his trunk into the ground (perhaps practicing a defense tactic used by elephants) and after he had enough of his game he too left to join his friends who were leaving the compound. Siangiki teamed up with Enkikwe to browse while Malkia decided to feed on roots by digging them out using her feet. At mud bath time, only one wild elephant showed up. The orphans had their milk and decided to skip the mud bath. In the evening, Ambo, Mundusi and Roi passed by the roadside mud bath where they covered themselves in mud as Kithaka decided to scratch on the walls.

05 October 2019

It was a quiet morning with only one wild elephant showing up for water at the stockade compound. The orphans left the stockade early as usual and settled for Lucerne. Orwa and Bomani were not late either but were punctual for the morning Lucerne. Ndiwa and Kuishi decided to keep themselves busy by scratching on the nearby rocks as they waited for the Lucerne to be brought out by the Keepers. Shortly afterwards, Barsilinga, Olsekki, Pare, Namalok and Wanjala walked down to the water trough to join the wild bull drinking water. Later, Orwa and Bomani accompanied the orphans out to browse. A troop of baboons passed by chattering and making noise, scaring Malima, Ambo and Jotto. The three ran to the Keepers as Orwa single handedly tackled the baboons and chased them away. 

Just before noon the orphans made their way to the mud bath to have their milk bottles. It was cool and the orphans decided to boycott the wallowing exercise after having their bottles, and went straight back to browsing. The afternoon was cool and the orphans concentrated on browsing throughout the rest of the day. Mapia led his friends back to the stockades with the Keepers in the late afternoon. 

06 October 2019

Melia, Olare, Tumaren, Kalama, Chemi Chemi, Kitirua and Naisula reported early at the stockade compound and waited for the juniors to come out this morning. The ex-orphans then joined the dependent Ithumba orphans to feast on lucerne. Orwa and Bomani were missing in action today; perhaps they decided to go wandering since they had spent a considerable number of days around the stockade area. Olare’s group parted ways with the orphans soon after feeding on lucerne. 

Later the dependent orphans were joined by Kibo, Kandecha, a wild female, Kasigau, Challa and Kanjoro. Sapalan decided to have fun by scratching on some rocks while Enkikwe, who had an appetite for roots, spent time digging for them. At mud bath time, Kuishi competed with her seniors Sana Sana and Ndiwa of who could get to the milk feed first, but came second after defeating Ndiwa. Due to the chilly weather, only two wild elephants showed up for water while the orphans were at the mud bath. The orphans didn't stay for long and left for browsing soon after having their milk bottles. Tusuja led Kamok, Kauro, Enkikwe and Karisa to look for their friends who had left them while drinking water. The orphans settled to browse in the Imenti area. Jotto found a suitable tree that he used to scratch his belly on as Kanjoro played with Garzi. In the evening, Kuishi led the way back to the stockades. 

07 October 2019

It was a clear bright sky when the orphans were let out in the morning. Ndiwa was the first one to leave followed by Namalok. Enkikwe, as usual, was escorted by Kauro to get his wound treated. The orphans settled for Lucerne without any disturbance as no wild elephants or ex-orphans showed up this morning. Sana Sana shared her pile of Lucerne happily with Malima as Ndiwa and Namalok scratched against the stockade compound wall. Later, the orphans left for browsing and settled west of the stockades for the entire morning. 

Later the orphans went for their 11am milk bottle at the mud bath as usual. Seven wild bulls were present drinking water from the water trough and the moment they saw the orphans approaching, they walked down for a mud bath. The orphans were happy to drink the water without the bulls around and when they had enough they walked back out to browse. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of the Ithumba Hill where they were joined by Meibai with a wild friend. Since the sun was hot, Meibai, his wild friend together with the dependent orphans took a break from feeding to relax under a tree. The orphans resumed browsing later after it got cooler. In the evening, Meibai accompanied the orphans back to the stockade. His wild friend didn't trust the Keepers and so didn’t join them.

08 October 2019

Rapsu, Challa, Kibo, Kandecha, Kasigau and Kanjoro were among fourteen wild bulls that showed up for water in the morning. Kanjoro, who normally belongs to Mutara’s group, appeared to have abandoned those girls, perhaps because he was the only boy in that group. The older boys joined the orphans to feed on lucerne. Naughty Kibo, who appeared to have no mercy on the injured Enkikwe, was reprimanded by the Keepers when he tried to ride on him. Kibo wasn't happy about being told off and walked away. The other older boys followed the orphans out to browse and had good time together up to mud bath time, when Kuishi led the first group to the mud bath. The sun was really hot and today for the first time in a few days the orphans decided to go swimming. After having enough of wallowing, Kanjoro appeared to be in an excitable mood and had a few minutes of charging and trumpeting around. No one joined in his excitement and so Kanjoro eventually calmed down then followed his friends out to browse. In the afternoon, the orphans were joined by Tomboi, who only joined them for a short time before leaving for the stockades to look for water. In the evening, it took longer than usual to gather the orphans up and get them back to the stockades since they had scattered far and wide in search of food to eat. The orphans ended up reporting back to the stockade late, a few minutes past six in the evening. 

09 October 2019

Ex-orphans Melia, Olare, Chemi Chemi, Naisula, Kitirua and Kalama were amongst some wild elephants that showed up for water at the stockade water troughs early in the morning. Once the orphans were let out, Olare and her group joined them to feed on lucerne. The two wild elephants were not left out either but also joined in on the feast. Olare was greeted by Tusuja and responded well without aggression, while Kalama had a moment with Enkikwe as she communicated by rumbling affectionately at him, as if enquiring how his leg is doing. One of the wild bulls walked down to have more water after he had enough of the lucerne. The orphans followed him and shared the water before bidding goodbye to the wild bull who appeared to be in a hurry to catch up with his friends who had already left. The orphans returned to pick whatever Lucerne they had left behind and it when it started drizzling, the orphans left for browsing in the company of Olare’s group. 

When the drizzle stopped, Tusuja, Olare, Sapalan, Kithaka, Naseku and Karisa settled for soil dusting as they tried to dry themselves. Kauro found a suitable rock that he used to scratch himself on, while Maramoja had fun rolling on the ground. Galla picked up a branch that had been broken by a wild elephant, and then walked to stand under a tree to enjoy its flavour. 

On the way out to brows, Ambo carried a branch with him that he had broken himself and continued to enjoy feeding on it as he tried to catch up with his friends. 

At mud bath time, only half the group decided to wallow in the water hole. When Esampu got out from the water, she trumpeted and ran around as if she was being followed by something, but she was just messing around. Her actions however prompted the other orphans to run too. Esampu felt happy as this was just a ploy, which was successful in scaring her friends. The Keepers intervened by calling the orphans and the orphans eventually all calmed down, leaving Esampu thinking up what to do next to see her friends running around again. In the afternoon, the temperature soared making the orphans take a break from feeding and relax under some trees before resuming browsing. In the evening, the orphans returned back to the stockades for the night. 

10 October 2019

It was a quiet morning with no single wild elephants or ex-orphan showing up at the stockade compound. The orphans left the stockade and settled for the morning Lucerne without disturbance therefore. Kuishi started her day’s activities by scratching on the nearby rocks as Mteto stretched her trunk to warn Malima not to interfere with her pile of Lucerne. 

Shortly before 7am the weather changed with the clouds opening and it began to rain quite hard. The orphans walked and stood under the acacia tree as they decided which way to go. A consensus was reached and the orphans headed west of the stockades. Ambo and Sapalan settled for scratching exercises before going back to browsing, while Galla and Mundusi had a strength testing exercise that ended after a short time when Mundusi surrendered. 

At eleven o'clock in the morning, the orphans attended mud bath as usual and since the weather was chilly, the orphans only had their milk bottles and some water from the water troughs, before walking back out to the bush. Later, after the orphans left for browsing, Limpy, with two wild friends, showed up for water before walking away. Limpy is a wild bull we treated a couple of years ago for a terrible snare injury around his foot, who still chooses to visit from time to time. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of the Ithumba Hill and they had a peaceful remaining part of the day. On the way back to the stockades, the orphans passed by the roadside mud bath and decided to cool-off there as the afternoon had warmed up a bit, before heading back for the night. 

11 October 2019

The ground was slippery following a 9mm rain at dawn and the orphans walked carefully while leaving the stockade. Malima settled for scratching immediately after leaving the stockade and was copied by Rapa, Mapia and Kithaka. Once the orphans were done feeding on lucerne, Kamok led the way to the water trough but Garzi and Mteto opted to enjoy rain water that had collected along the stockade wall. Shortly afterwards, all the orphans left for browsing. Following the rains, the temperature has dropped and the orphans browsed calmly throughout the entire morning. 

At mud bath time, the orphans only had their milk bottles then went around the mud bath before heading away from the mud bath to continue browsing. The group split into two with Kithaka, Naseku, Garzi, Barsilinga and Karisa heading the wrong way, but the Keepers were quick to turn them back to join the others. Barsilinga briefly settled for soil dusting before catching up with his friends. In the afternoon Namalok had some fun by rubbing on a fallen tree. The rest of his friends concentrated on browsing. In the evening on the way back to the stockades it started raining again and the orphans hurriedly walked back to the stockades to get their evening milk bottles.

12 October 2019

The sky was clear after the rain yesterday and we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise. It was still wet following the previous days rain. The orphans as usual settled for lucerne before heading north to browse. It was a morning without much fun as the orphans mostly concentrated on browsing without any distractions. Tusuja settled to browse with Oltaiyoni while Enkikwe teamed up with Turkwel. 

After the orphans had their 11am milk bottles, they decided to just walk around the mud bath as if pondering whether or not to go in the water or just go back out to browse. After some time, the orphans left for browsing after Wanjala tested the water for them using his trunk and found that it was too cold for a swim. Sapalan scratched his neck against a nearby tree before settling for a pushing game with Namalok. Mundusi held a brief conversation with Esampu before heading to catch up with his other friends. Olsekki appeared to be unwell as he looked dull and walked slowly but still keeping pace with his friends. He did spend some time relaxing under a tree.  

13 October 2019

The weather was chilly in the morning when the orphans were let out. As they waited for lucerne, Kamok, Esampu, Mapia and Turkwel kept themselves busy by scratching on the nearby rocks. As the orphans were leaving for browsing led by Karisa, two ibis flew past making a lot of noise. The noise scared the orphans prompting them to run back to Keepers. Only Karisa didn't run and he turned around to wonder how his friends can be scared just by a couple of birds. Karisa stood his ground and when the tension was over, the orphans turned again to follow Karisa. 

The soil has softened due to the rains and the orphans were happy as they uprooted shrubs and roots with ease and feasted on them. Wanjala settled to feed with Kauro, Kuishi and Mapia while Ndiwa teamed up with Maramoja. On the way to the mud bath it started raining lightly promoting Kauro to dig at the moist soil with his tusks and throw it on his back. It was chilly and none of the orphans dared to step into the mud bathing water. The rest of the afternoon was chilly with frequent showers as the orphans browsed calmly throughout. In the evening Olsekki was given injections since he was not feeling well.

14 October 2019

Soon after leaving the stockade, Ndiwa headed straight to the water trough outside where she took a little bit of water then came back to wait for the Lucerne. Kuishi and Mteto kept themselves busy by having a light pushing game while Galla played with Sapalan. The orphans settled for Lucerne as it was provided by the Keepers. Karisa agreed to share his pile of lucerne with Ambo. As soon as the orphans had enough, Ndiwa led the way out to browse. On the way to the browsing field, Barsilinga had a strength testing exercise with Garzi that lasted for quite some time and later, Galla and Sapalan resumed their strength testing exercise as Karisa tackled Mundusi in a pushing game. Oltaiyoni found a shallow hole, which she got in and started playing her own game of digging soil and rolling around on the edge of the hole. Lemoyian took a break from feeding to scratch his belly against a fallen tree. On the way to the mud bath, the orphans came across a small pool of rain water that they drank from before proceeding on. 

After having their milk, the orphans headed to the water trough where Jotto stepped inside and started drinking water. This annoyed Barsilinga and Oltaiyoni who pushed him out to stop making their water dirty. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse along the western side of Ithumba Hill. Light showers were received and this brought the temperature down, so the orphans enjoyed browsing all afternoon. Later in the evening, Ndiwa led the way back to the stockades. 

15 October 2019

The little rain that we got appears to have sent the ex-orphans and wild elephants away as none are showing up in the morning. The dependent Ithumba orphans settled peacefully for their Lucerne before getting bored and leaving to see if they could meet up with their ex-orphans or wild friends. Malima led the way out but the orphans had a quiet morning without being joined by any other elephants. The sky was clear and the sun shone brightly. It began to get very hot which made Siangiki, Olsekki and Turkwel relax under a tree that had nice shade. At mud bath time Kuishi led the way, and following the heat of the day some of the orphans decided to wallow in the mud bath. After mud bathing, Roi spend some time rolling at the edge before joining her friends who were now heading back out. 

In the afternoon it was still very hot which promoted the orphans to seek refuge under a tree that had a good shade for almost two hours. The orphans resumed browsing when it became a bit cooler later on. In the evening on the way back to the stockades, the orphans decided to have a roadside mud bath in all the collected rain water to cool down. Once they were cooler the orphans headed straight back to the stockades. 

16 October 2019

Soon after taking her milk, Ndiwa decided to have fun by rolling on the ground as she waited for the gates to open. Mundusi came over and tried to climb on her. The Keepers opened their gates and the orphans rushed out heading for their Lucerne. Naseku lay down to play but Roi disrupted her game when she came over to scratch on her. Sapalan had a disagreement with Namalok when Namalok came over and tried to take his share of Lucerne. The disagreement ended up in a fight that ended when Wanjala passed by and pushed Namalok away. 

The rains appear to have taken a break as the sky was clear this morning, an indication of a hot day ahead. At mud bath time five wild bulls showed up briefly then left when they saw the Ithumba orphans approaching. After having their milk and water, the orphans jumped into the water hole to cool off before heading back out to browse. The afternoon was quiet as the orphans took a break from browsing for nearly two hours because it was so hot. Later, the orphans resumed browsing when it became cooler. 

17 October 2019

It was a lovely and quiet morning today as the orphans had their milk bottles and walked down to feed on Lucerne. They looked active as Namalok and Sapalan started play fighting and greeting each other with their trunks. The orphans walked to the water trough to drink water and then out to the bush. There were no ex-orphans or wild elephants around.

Jotto and Ambo showed their friendship by browsing together. Wanjala was stretching up to reach some leaves that he fancied eating and Enkikwe was very actively browsing today. Oltaiyoni and Lemoyian were browsing separately, away from the others. 

When the orphans visited the mud bath later, Malkia and Mteto were patting each other with their trunks and talking to each other. The rest walked straight to the water trough to drink water and walked back to the bush as it was cloudy today and they did not fancy playing in the water.

Back out in the bush, Olsekki looked much better and much more active as he browsed more energetically than recent days. As the orphans made their way home in the evening they passed a roadside puddle which was very full and they all drank from that. Olsekki and Roi were the last ones to get there and drink some water and when they were done they followed their friends back home. No ex-orphans appeared today. 

18 October 2019

We were visited by a mixed group of ex-orphans including, Kilaguni, Zurura, Tumaren, Narok and Chaimu this morning. They came early and waited for the orphans to come out and join them for Lucerne. Zurura has been away for some time and it was nice to see him; he joined the others after having arrived alone. Kilaguni and Chaimu are always together, Tumaren is always with Olare's group and Narok is usually with Bomani and Orwa. The orphans came out after having their milk and started interacting with the ex-orphans who were around. Sapalan and Namalok started play fighting after they were done eating their supplements. Mapia scratched his neck on the wall and started patting Naseku with his trunk. 

We have had some rain but we are still waiting for all the vegetation to grow lush and plentiful again and we watched as Lemoyian stretched his trunk high to reach the green leaves high in the trees. Kilaguni and the whole ex-orphan group followed the dependent orphans in the bush and stayed with them the whole day. The orphans walked to the mud bath just before 11am to have their milk bottles.

It was a hot day today and the majority of the orphans walked into the water to swim. They swam from one side to the other in a line led by Pare. Zuzura was also with them in the water hole. They walked out and walked straight back out to the bush to browse for the afternoon.

All the orphans browed quietly to have enough food and when they walked back to the stockades later in the evening, they came across a water point on the road and started playing in it to cool down. Garzi and Kilaguni started play-fighting, with Sapalan and Turkwel enjoying the mud bath in the pool separately. The two groups made their own way back home. 

19 October 2019

This morning we were visited by the same ex-orphans who were here yesterday. They slept on the slope of the hill behind the Keepers kitchen and came to see the dependent orphans again in the morning. It was Kilaguni, Chaimu, Tumaren, Narok, Orwa and Bomani who decided to visit us again today. They came down to the Lucerne feeding area after the orphans had finished their bottles of milk and came out of their stockades. Kamok and Olsekki started scratching their neck and bottom respectively. Tusuja and Sapalan started play fighting while Enkikwe joined his friends after his daily treatment on his leg. Chaimu was busy feeding on Lucerne with the dependent orphans, and later the whole group walked to the bush to browse.

All the orphans looked very busy all morning as they searched for enough browse to fill their tummies. Kamok was stretching high in the trees. Enkikwe was not left behind and was actively browsing too. The group later walked to the mud bath for their milk. When they finished their bottles they walked straight to have some water from the water trough while the water bowser was still pouring water in. It was not very hot so the orphans didn't feel like going in the mud hole except for Wanjala and Rapa who were the only ones who went in the water and started playing vigorously with each other; the other orphans all just walked around the water hole and didn’t go inside. The two groups later walked back out to the bush to browse.

Later in the evening on the way back to the stockades, the orphans came to the same water puddle they usually come across and they all stopped and started playing in it. Chaimu was the most playful with Kilaguni as they were rolling around in it energetically. Orwa was on the road but rolling in the dust instead. The orphans were led back home by Enkikwe. They all followed him to the stockades with Keepers closely behind.

20 October 2019

It was a bright morning today as we were visited by one of our other ex- orphans by the name Challa, who is 15 years old now. He arrived very early and drank some water and waited for the dependent orphans to come out. He shared Lucerne with them before they all decided to walk out to the bush.

Ukame was struggling to stretch high to reach green leaves from one of the trees out in the bush. The orphans browsed separately until later when Oltaiyoni led the group to the mud bath. They all had their milk bottles and then Enkikwe walked to the water hole and knelt down to reach the mud and scooped some up to splash on his body and cool himself down. The others walked to the water trough to drink water and after they walked around the water hole as they felt the water was too cold to get in. Instead they started playing just in the mud at the side of the water hole. Rapa was the most courageous and walked to the centre of the water hole and started wallowing there on his own. Two wild elephants arrived and walked over to share water with the orphans. They looked tired and were resting their trunks on the tree. 

On the way back out to the bush, Sapalan started playing in a small pool of water along the road. The other orphans continued walking so they could start browsing. Rapa looked sleepy and rested his head on a tree. Garzi and Kithaka started play fighting. The dependent orphans walked back home in the evening.

In the stockade today two wild bulls visited to drink water. Challa came again and socialized with the wild bulls for a while.

21 October 2019

The orphans had their milk at 6:00am as usual and walked down to the Lucerne field. No ex-orphans or wild elephants appeared today. They Ithumba dependent orphans quietly fed on lucerne and quietly walked out to the bush to browse.

It is still quite dry in the bush as we wait for more rain. We spotted Malima patting Mapia with her trunk while Kuishi was scooping and tossing soil in the air and throwing some on her back. Later Tusuja led the group to the mud bath for their milk.

At mud bath four wild bulls came to drink water and walked away when the babies walked towards the water trough to drink. One of the wild bulls walked into the mud hole but he didn't stay in for long. The three walk away and stood under a nearby tree to wait for the babies to finish, and when the orphans walked away they all sauntered down to continue drinking.

All the orphans concentrated on browsing in the afternoon and they kept up a fast pace as they tried to find enough food to browse on. They played for a bit in a water pool along the road on their way back home. Enkikwe played in the water too and started scratching on a tree. 

Kithaka’s ‘rebel’ group has started browsing separately from the babies quite a lot but after two buffaloes were killed near the stockade by lions recently, they have stuck close to the dependent herd and the Keepers.

22 October 2019

The orphans were not very active when they came out of their stockades today but Kauro and Kamok started playing, hugging each other and patting each other with their trunks. Tusuja and Lemoyian were also play-fighting while Barsilinga and Garzi were together feeding on Lucerne grass. Later the whole group walked out to browse.

All the orphans were busy browsing in the morning, stretching their trunks high to reach the green branches. Olsekki is improving and browsing well in the bush and still gaining strength. Sapalan, Kamok and Turkwel were busy browsing separately on their own. Later, Siangiki led the herd to the mud bath for their noon milk feed.

Ex-orphan Challa decided to visit with two wild bulls while the dependent orphans were at the mud bath. When the orphans walked to the water trough to drink after their milk bottles, the two wild bulls walked away and stood watching the young babies from a short distance away. The orphans didn't want to play in the water today and walked around the mud hole; some decided just to splash mud on their bodies before walking to the dust bath. They played in the dust bath and later walked back out to browse. Olsekki looked active and was browsing well, and we watched Turkwel cleverly uprooting some fresh grass from in between two rocks. Later, Sana Sana led the herd back home in the evening for their milk. It was very quiet in the stockade today with no other ex-orphans or wild elephants showing up.

23 October 2019

This morning the orphans had their milk and walked out of their respective stockades to have some Lucerne. It was cold and they were not very active today. Kithaka and Siangiki started scratching their bottoms on the wall while Ndiwa was feeding on Lucerne and storing some on her head and behind her ears for later, wearing it like a hat. The others were busy feeding on Lucerne but later they all started taking off to the bush to browse.

It is still quite dry as we await more rain but there are few places which are greener than others and that is where the orphans obviously like to browse. Later they walked to the mud bath for their milk bottles.

At the mud bath, two wild bulls shared water with the orphans without bullying them or chasing them away. Tomboi also arrived and shared water from the same trough as the orphans. Kilaguni and Chaimu also came in to drink water and later walked to the mud hole to play. It was very cloudy and the dependent Ithumba babies didn’t want to swim, so they just walked around the mud hole without setting foot in it. Kilaguni and Chaimu also didn’t get in directly but were splashing mud on their bodies while standing at the edge. The orphans later walked back out to the bush.

As the orphans were browsing this afternoon it started to drizzle. This made the orphans very happy and they started playing around, with Pare and Naseku playing and rolling on the ground and scooping soil and throwing it in the air. The others were busy playing around too. Later in the evening they walked back home happy after having received some rain. 

24 October 2019

It was a quiet morning today when the orphans woke up and came out of their rooms after having their milk bottles. Mteto was leading the younger group and Maramoja was leading the middle group. Some walked directly to the water trough and some to the lucerne feeding area. Kilaguni and Chaimu came to join them. The two looked happy to share Lucerne with babies. Chaimu was sharing with Mundusi and Mteto and then she walked to the water trough to drink water with Ambo. 

Later when the orphans were browsing, Rapa was scratching his neck on a tree while Oltaiyoni drank rain water from the rocks. We had some rain last night and the elephants were very happy drinking water everywhere in the bush.

At mud bath after having their bottles, the orphans walked around the main mud bath to the smaller mud hole a short distance away, and started playing in that instead – perhaps because the water was warmer there. The orphans browsed for the rest of the afternoon and happily played in the mud all over the place, and later in the evening Turkwel led them back home for their milk. We recorded 16 mm of rain today and we are hoping for more soon.

25 October 2019

We were visited by Kilaguni and Chaimu again today in the early morning. They went down to the Lucerne feeding area to wait for the orphans to come out and share with them. Esampu and Galla led their respective groups out of their stockades after their bottle of milk. Kamok started sharpening her tusks on a rock and rubbing her eyes. The orphans walked to the water trough to drink water and then they all walked out to the bush, together with Kilaguni and Chaimu.

As they were all busy browsing, Barsilinga was spotted climbing on a rock to reach some green branches. Enkikwe was being funny and rolling around in the dust waiting for all the orphans to walk to the mud bath for their milk bottles. They came across a puddle of rain water on their way and most of the orphans started playing in it. 

After their bottles, they felt the main mud bath was too cold and none of the orphans bothered to play in it, they all just walked back out to browse. Very little green shoots have just started sprouting which the orphans love to eat. Pare and Namalok were sucking rain water from the rocks as they felt thirsty, the rest were busy searching for food. Later, Sapalan and Namalok led the herd back home in the evening. Barsilinga, Kithaka Garzi and Lemoyian were left behind and came from a different direction an hour later. We had no proper rain today but little drizzle.

26 October 2019

It was a cold morning today after we received some rain last night. The babies had their milk and walked down to the Lucerne feeding area. A bunch of orphans lined up against the loading wall stretching their trunks over to reach rain water that had collected there. Enkikwe had his leg treated and joined his friends to feed on Lucerne grass after. Kuishi was feeding on lucerne from the top of a rock, like it was a table. 

The orphans then all walked out to browse and they all looked happy and active after yesterday's rain. Turkwel was enjoying feeding on fresh green shoots while Kuishi was stretching high to reach new leaves on the branches. At mud bath it was still cold and the orphans walked around the mud bath to avoid getting in. They walked straight to the new smaller water hole which is warmer and started playing there instead. Mundusi got his front legs stuck in the mud but he is very strong and managed to pull himself out. Kauro seemed very excited to see a centipede crawling towards him and he got up from rolling on the ground and ran away. Jotto was busy browsing separately from others. Oltaiyoni was stretching high to reach fresh green leaves from the trees too, while Malkia was browsing in a very relaxed manner with her front legs crossed. The herd later walked back home in the evening for their milk and to go to bed. Turkwel was left behind with Siangiki, Oltaiyoni, Ukame, Galla and Karisa. She wanted them to join her group with Kithaka, Barsilinga, Garzi and Lemoyian but they came back to the stockades a short time later.

27 October 2019

The sky was partly obscured by clouds when the orphans left for browsing early this morning. The ground was still wet and the orphans looked forward to a good day ahead. New shoots have started to emerge and the orphans really enjoy feeding on them. The orphans settled to feed north of the stockade where Esampu had a private time rolling on the ground. Mapia came across a bent tree that he used to scratch his thighs on, as Kamok settled on some rocky terrain to feed. Barsilinga, Kithaka and Lemoyian parted ways with the rest of group and walked off. 

At mud bath time, the Ithumba dependent orphans only had their milk bottles and some water from the water troughs before walking back out to browse. Galla tried to dig soil using his tusks for soil dusting but found it was still quite wet and he wasn’t able to use it properly for dusting and so gave up the exercise. Mapia was seen playing around on the side of the road which has a raised edge and which he was using to roll against. Garzi settled to feed with Roi as Wanjala pushed Namalok away from the shrub he had settled to feed on. Namalok had no option but to leave and search for another nice shrub to feed on. Shortly later the orphans came across a muddy pool that they enjoyed wallowing in for quite some time. In the evening on the way back to the stockades, Malkia scratched against a tree as Ambo dusted himself with some wet soil. Lemoyian and Kithaka reported back to the stockades late, at around nine o'clock at night. 

28 October 2019

The orphans left the stockades early as usual and settled for lucerne before going out to the bush. Ambo settled to feed behind Turkwel but was disappointed when Turkwel threw a back kick to him that landed on his face. Ambo left quietly probably cursing Turkwel and wishing he was bigger than her. Kauro settled for a scratching exercise against the stockade acacia tree before joining his friends who were walking out. 

Mapia loves scratching and settled on a rock for a scratching exercise as Barsilinga, Kithaka and Garzi parted ways with their friends for the day. Enkikwe, who is becoming very active these days, engaged Tusuja in a strength testing exercise which is a good sign that he is recovering well. Naseku took a break from feeding to relax under a tree. At milk feeding time, Lemoyian, who is becoming quite brutish towards the younger orphans, finished his milk quickly and tried to take Pare's milk but the Keepers quickly intervened to save the situation. Lemoyian then left unhappy as he failed to accomplish his mission in getting extra milk. The orphans had their milk then went back to browsing, settling to the west of Ithumba Hill and having a quiet afternoon. 

29 October 2019

Ex-orphan Kinna, baby Kama, Naserian, Kenze and a wild elephant visited the stockades in the morning. Soon when the orphans were let out, Kinna and her small group interacted with the dependent orphans briefly before leading them out to browse, and later walking away. Barsilinga and Enkikwe lagged behind but later caught up with their group. Sapalan and Namalok had brief strength testing exercise before resuming browsing. Later Namalok, Tusuja, Oltaiyoni, Ambo and Siangiki came across a small pool of water that they used to drink from before dispersing to continue with their browsing. 

At mud bath time the orphans had their milk bottles and didn’t bother wallowing. There was an unidentified sound from the west which scared the orphans including Enkikwe, who walks with a limp, and he surprised everyone when he started running and overtook Karisa, meaning he can really run when there is danger. The orphans calmed down when they got close to their Keepers. Mteto teamed up with Mundusi to browse as their friends stood under a tree relaxing since the sun was getting hot. In the evening, the sun was still hot and therefore the orphans passed by the mud bath for an evening cooling-off exercise. 

30 October 2019

It was a rainy morning as the rain had started early before dawn. After giving the orphans their early morning milk, the rain subsided and the orphans, led by Ndiwa and Sana Sana, walked out to start their day. The orphans enjoyed each moment as they played with the wet soil and scratched on rocks. Garzi, Barsilinga, Mundusi, Ambo, Roi, Enkikwe, Jotto and Kauro enjoyed these games more than the rest. The orphans then had a quiet morning as they settled for browsing up to mud bath time when Mapia and Jotto led the first group to the mud bath. In afternoon, the clouds cleared giving way to sunshine and in the evening the orphans passed by the mud bath which has filled up nicely, to enjoy a swim. 

31 October 2019

The sky was partly covered by clouds and several orphans were quite grumpy this morning. While having their morning milk, Jotto, Mundusi, Roi, Naseku, Turkwel and Mteto seemed quite irritable for whatever reason. Jotto pushed Ambo, Mundusi pushed Malkia, Mteto pushed Sana Sana, Roi pushed Wanjala, Naseku pushed Pare and all while Lemoyian pushed Tusuja. After getting their morning milk, the orphans left the stockades and settled for some Lucerne pellets before heading out to browse and hopefully improving on their day. It was a day without many games as the orphans mostly concentrated on browsing throughout the entire day. In the afternoon the clouds cleared, giving way to sunshine and in the evening; the orphans passed by the mud bath where they cooled off in the water hole.