The month began with a special visit from a special friend. Almost ten years ago, a one-tusked wild elephant appeared on the scene at Ithumba. She was a very disruptive presence, so the Keepers nicknamed her 'Crazy One.'
Mayan left the stockade with a leftover branch in his mouth that he enjoyed as he waited for the distribution of lucerne. Queen’s family and the Toothpick group were present and also lined up for lucerne. The Crazy One also showed up with her two-day-old baby. Suguroi tried to get close to the baby but was blocked by its mother. Naleku also tried to familiarise herself with the baby but the mother refused her moves.
At the browsing field, Kinyei settled to browse with Suguroi as Lodo had a warm-up exercise through a pushing game with Roho. Weka came across a nice rock that she used to scratch her neck. At eleven o'clock in the morning, Mageno led the first group to the noon bottle feeds while Muwingu led the second one. The orphans had their milk then mud bath before heading for the drinking water. Twenty-five bulls around the water trough moved away when they saw the orphans and Keepers approaching.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. Mayan and Bondeni had a game of rolling on the ground. Kinyei came over to check if Bondeni wanted any assistance in getting up. Bondeni informed Kinyei that he was just having fun. Kinyei then proceeded with her browsing business.
In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockade.
Choka was the first to leave the stockades after getting his milk. Fourteen wild bulls were busy drinking water at the stockade water troughs, and four of them joined the orphans for the feeding of lucerne. Muwingu, the brave girl, fed close to the wild bulls. Kinyei shared her pile of lucerne with Bondeni, while Suguroi welcomed a wild herd of three — a mother and her two calves. One of the calves was only a week old, which is why Suguroi showed so much interest in the herd, wanting to play nanny to the little one.
When the orphans had enough lucerne, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. They settled to browse north of the stockades, along the upper Kalovoto seasonal river. Lodo and Roho had their usual strength-testing exercise for a while before resuming browsing.
On the way to the mud bath, the orphans met Lualeni, Lulu, Lexi, and Luki. Mukutan, Choka, Loldaiga, Shujaa, Weka, and Kitich stopped to say hello to Lualeni’s calves. Shortly afterwards, Lualeni continued her journey towards the stockades while the orphans proceeded to the mud bath.
At eleven o’clock, Kindani led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. After getting their milk, the orphans jumped into the water for a cooling-off exercise, joined by two wild bulls. They then had a drink and a soil-dusting session before returning to the browsing field.
The rest of the day was quiet, as the orphans concentrated on browsing without any major observation. In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockades.
Orwa, Karisa, the Toothpick group, and Queen’s family were at the stockade compound early before the orphans were let out. The two families proceeded straight to the lucerne feeding area and patiently waited for the distribution of lucerne. Soon after the orphans had their milk, Loldaiga led the way out.
Roho threatened to push one of the wild juniors but was overpowered, leaving him with no option other than running away. Muwingu challenged a young wild baby that she was sure she would win against. Shortly later, Suguroi and Kinyei walked down to the water trough, where they had water before engaging in a light strength-testing exercise.
When the orphans had enough of lucerne, Weka led the way to the browsing field. At the browsing field, the orphans were briefly joined by Enkikwe. Lodo settled to browse with Kitich as Loldaiga and Mageno helped each other to bring down a small tree. Esoit had a brief strength-testing exercise with Vaarti before making their way to the mud bath.
The temperatures were moderate, and soon after getting their milk, Kindani led the group into wallowing. The orphans then proceeded for water and soil bathing before returning to the browsing field. The afternoon was quiet as the orphans concentrated more on browsing.
In the evening, the orphans were briefly joined by Mutara’s group. Naleku abandoned the orphans and followed Mutara’s group since she had an interest in Sunni. At five o’clock in the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockade.
Ithumbah, Iman, Tumaren, Tembo, Kibo, Kainuk, Mutara, Mambo, and Malkia joined the orphans in the morning for lucerne feeding. Shortly afterwards, twenty-four wild dogs ran past and stopped for water. At first, the orphans and ex-orphans panicked and ran a short distance before being calmed by the Keepers. They soon returned and continued feeding on lucerne.
Muwingu then led the way to the browsing field, where the orphans settled to browse along the upper Kalovoto seasonal river. At around nine o’clock, hell broke loose when the orphans suddenly started running for no apparent reason. The Keepers ran after them, calling out for them to stop. Naleku, Suguroi, Roho, Lodo, Olorien, Kinyei, Kindani, and Bondeni heeded the call and stopped running.
Muwingu, Mageno, Kitich, Weka, Shujaa, Esoit, Mayan, Vaarti, Loldaiga, Mukutan, and Choka continued running eastwards. Three kilometres away, Mayan, Vaarti, Esoit, Loldaiga, and Mukutan gave up and stopped. The Keepers caught up with them and turned them back, but Muwingu continued leading Choka, Shujaa, Weka, Kitich, and Mageno further east, disappearing completely into the thick bush.
Search efforts continued the entire day without success. Night fell with no sign of the six adventurers, who seemed determined to give us stress and prove they were cleverer than we imagined. In the evening, Mukutan led the thirteen obedient orphans back to the stockades for the night.
The search for the missing ones began early at dawn. Naserian reported with her new baby at six o’clock in the morning. She was in the company of Njema, Sana Sana, the Crazy One and her newborn baby, Kinna, Kama, Kaia, Kito, Tumaren, Tembo, Esampu, and Oltaiyoni. We named Naserian’s new baby, a little girl, Nyika.
The thirteen orphans present joined the ex-orphans outside for the feeding of lucerne. Esoit had a brief strength-testing exercise with Loldaiga. Challa, Kandecha, and Kilaguni arrived moments later.
Shortly before seven o’clock, thirty-four wild dogs appeared and went straight to drink water. Challa spotted them and charged towards them. The wild dogs ran a short distance, then stopped. Challa tried to chase them again, but they refused to move. He gave up and walked away towards the mud bath.
The orphans left for browsing soon after having enough lucerne and settled to browse in the Kanziku area. At 10:30 in the morning, the six missing orphans finally presented themselves at the mud bath — after stressing everyone for twenty-five hours! Muwingu was the one leading the team. Loijuk, Lili, Lisha, and Challa were already drinking water at the mud bath and welcomed back the six missing ones. It appeared that Challa had known what was going on, since he had walked straight to the mud bath from the stockades to wait for the two girls and four boys.
At eleven o’clock, Kindani led the others to the mud bath, where they reunited with their colleagues who had behaved like our current human generation calling themselves Generation Z. Kindani walked straight to Shujaa to greet him and check that all was well. Shujaa replied that he was fine, apart from fatigue from walking so many kilometres.
The missing six were all looking well and were happy to get their milk after missing it for the last twenty-five hours. After their milk, the orphans enjoyed a cooling-off mud bath, followed by a drink of water before Muwingu took the lead to the browsing field. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse again in the Kanziku area. They browsed calmly until five o’clock, when Muwingu led them back to the stockades for a peaceful and relaxing night.
It was a quiet morning. Weka, Shujaa, Muwingu, Choka, Mageno, and Kitich woke up relaxed after the disappearance incident. The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. Shortly later, Queen’s family arrived, followed by Lenana, Lapa, Laki, Loijuk, Lili, and Lisha.
After having enough of lucerne, Esoit led the team to drink water. From there, Muwingu — as always — took the lead all the way to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. Lodo teamed up with Kindani, Olorien, and Bondeni, while Muwingu settled to browse with Mayan, Vaarti, Kinyei, and Suguroi.
The temperatures were moderate, and the orphans browsed calmly as they slowly made their way towards the mud bath. At eleven o’clock in the morning, Weka led the first group to the mud bath while Mageno led the second one. The orphans had their milk and thereafter participated in a spectacular wallowing session. Lodo, Mukutan, Suguroi, and Naleku were the last ones to quit wallowing.
The orphans then settled for drinking water and a soil dusting exercise before returning to the browsing field. In the afternoon, they settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill, browsing calmly throughout the remainder of the day without any major observation.
Yatta’s family, Ithumba, Iman, Lenana, Lapa, Tumaren, Tembo, Galana, Gawa, Sities, Sunni, Mambo, Mutara, Turkwel, Larro, Kainuk, Suguta, Nasalot, Nusu, Noah, Mundusi, Wanjala, and several wild bulls were present in the morning during the lucerne feeding time. Naleku spent most of her time babysitting her favourite, Sunni.
Later, Sities, Sunni, Larro, Mutara, and Mambo escorted the orphans to the browsing field. An hour later, the ex-orphans parted ways with the juniors. Kinyei, Olorien, Kindani, and Muwingu came across some loose soil and decided to have a game of rolling on it. Loldaiga engaged Vaarti in a pushing game while Lodo played with Roho.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Mageno led the first group to the mud bath while Vaarti led the second group. After Vaarti had his milk, he decided to play a trick on the Keepers — and succeeded. Vaarti quietly walked back without the Keepers noticing and joined the fourth group that was turning up for its milk. He managed to get another bottle, but before he could sneak a fourth one, a Keeper shouted that Vaarti had already taken his share. Upon hearing his name mentioned, Vaarti knew his trick had backfired and quickly hurried off to the mud bath — still pleased with himself for having managed an extra bottle.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse north along the upper Kalovoto seasonal river. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockades.
It was a chilly morning, with the sky partly obscured by clouds. The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. The compound was soon flooded by both ex-orphans and wild elephants. The orphans didn’t stay for long due to the competition from the ex-orphans and wild elephants. Naleku rumbled, informing her colleagues that it was time to head to the browsing field.
Roho and Lodo had a strength-testing exercise that ended soon after Enkikwe appeared on his way to the stockade. The boys stopped to give way to him. Weka browsed close to Shujaa, while Kindani browsed with Bondeni. Shortly before mud bath time, the juniors were joined by Loijuk, Lili, and Lisha.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Muwingu led the first group to the mud bath while Mukutan led the second one. The sun was really hot, but interestingly, Choka, Vaarti, and Olorien skipped the wallowing exercise. Lodo and Roho had scores to settle and did so through a pushing contest.
In the afternoon, the juniors settled to browse at Kanziku area. The orphans browsed calmly throughout the rest of the day without any major observation. In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockade.
The Toothpick group and Queen’s family were present in the morning during lucerne feeding time. Later, Ithumbah, Iman, Nabulu, Nasalot, Nusu, Noah, Yatta, Yetu, Yoyo, Yogi, Yebo, Yara, Kinna, Kama, Kaia, Kito, Lenana, Lapa, and Laki arrived and joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. Suguroi had an opportunity to interact with Yara and Kito.
Naleku spotted some guinea fowls in the distance. She trumpeted and ran towards them, chasing the guinea fowls until she disappeared from sight. After the orphans had enough of lucerne, Weka led the way to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse north along the upper Kalovoto seasonal river.
Mayan browsed with Vaarti, while Kinyei teamed up with Olorien. Loldaiga charged at two dik-diks he came across, causing them to run away. Loldaiga trumpeted and chased after them, drawing the attention of Shujaa, Mageno, Kitich, and Choka, who joined him in trying to get rid of the dik-diks. The dik-diks, however, were wise and quickly dodged the unruly boys, who were left charging at empty bushes before resuming browsing once they tired themselves out.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Muwingu led the first group for their noon bottle feeds. The temperatures were moderate, and the orphans only walked through the muddy water after finishing their milk. They then enjoyed a soil dusting exercise before returning to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, the weather changed as the cloudy sky gave way to light drizzles. The orphans were delighted and began playing in the moist soil. Kinyei, Vaarti, Olorien, Mageno, Kindani, Bondeni, and Mayan enjoyed the most, having a prolonged moist soil bathing session. In the evening, Mukutan led the way back to the stockade.
The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. Several ex-orphans and wild bulls were present. Naleku, as usual, went straight to Sunni, who had reported with his mother, Sities. After the orphans had enough of lucerne, Suguroi led the way to the browsing field. Naleku refused to leave with the orphans, even after being persuaded by the Keepers.
The orphans settled to browse north of the stockade along the upper Kalovoto seasonal river. Vaarti and Loldaiga took a break from browsing to engage in a strength testing exercise. Weka teamed up with Shujaa, Muwingu, Mukutan, and Choka in browsing. The ever-playful Suguroi spotted guinea fowls ahead of her and single-handedly chased them away without seeking any help from her colleagues.
The orphans then browsed calmly as they slowly headed towards the mud bath. At eleven o’clock in the morning, Mageno led the way to the noon bottle feeds. On the way, the orphans were joined by Nasalot, Nusu, Noah, and Mundusi. Kitich, Shujaa, and Muwingu ganged up against Noah, but Nusu came to the rescue of his brother.
At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk and then jumped into the wallowing water. They were joined by Mutara, Kainuk, Mambo, Malkia, Turkwel, Sities, Sunni, and Naleku. After wallowing, Mayan attempted to charge at a passing wild elephant. The wild elephant didn’t take this lightly and decided to punish Mayan for being disrespectful. It took the intervention of the Keepers for the wild bull to pardon Mayan but warn him never to try such nonsense with his seniors again.
The orphans then settled for a soil dusting exercise, joined by Nasalot, Nusu, and Noah, before returning to the browsing field. On the way back, Esoit engaged Loldaiga in a strength testing exercise that ended in a draw. The orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area and had a quiet afternoon. They browsed calmly throughout without any major observation.
In the evening, Naleku was dropped at the stockade compound by Sities to join her colleagues inside for the night.
Twenty wild bulls were present in the morning at the stockade compound when the orphans were let out. The bulls concentrated more on water as the orphans settled for lucerne. Shortly after, Mutara’s group reported and joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. At the time of leaving for browsing, the orphans were escorted by Sities, Sunni, Malkia, Sana Sana, Larro, Kuishi, and Mukkoka. Midway, Sities changed her mind and headed south. Naleku decided she would not be left behind and so followed Sities and her team.
The orphans browsed along the north banks of the Kalovoto River. Vaarti engaged Kinyei in a light pushing game and later walked off to play with Mayan. At eleven o’clock in the morning, Muwingu led the first group to the noon bottle feeds while Mageno led the second one. The sun was really hot. Soon after the orphans had their milk, Lodo led the team into the wallowing exercise. Eleven bulls showed up and stood at the edge of the mud bath, splashing water behind their ears.
The brave Shujaa was the first one to quit wallowing and passed between the wild bulls. Shujaa led the way to the water trough where the orphans had water before settling for a soil dusting exercise. Bondeni emerged as the star of the dusting session, having a more prolonged dusting exercise than on other days.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Suguroi browsed with Mayan as Vaarti, Bondeni, Kindani, and Mageno came across some loose soil, which they used to play with by rolling on the ground.
In the evening, Sities brought Naleku back, but Naleku was not interested in getting into the stockade, preferring instead to spend time with Sunni. Naleku followed her favourite Sunni, and together with Sities’ team, disappeared into the thickets as they headed east.
150 elephants flooded the stockade compound in the morning. Giving them forty bales of lucerne was like a drop of water in the ocean. It took less than twenty minutes for all forty bales to disappear. The orphans didn’t stay for long since there was nothing left to feed on. Suguroi led the way to the browsing field. She has taken charge since Naleku showed up in the morning and refused to join the team. This arrangement will continue until Naleku decides to come back again, as she did last time. If she doesn’t return, then Suguroi will continue with her duties.
The orphans settled to browse at the Kanziku area. Mayan settled to browse with Roho and later engaged him in a pushing game. Choka came across loose soil, which he used for dusting himself. He was later joined by Kinyei, Bondeni, and Olorien.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Mwingu led the way to the noon bottle feeds. The sun was hot, prompting the orphans to jump into the wallowing water soon after getting their milk. Kilaguni emerged from the nearby thickets and joined the orphans in wallowing. Mukutan quit the wallowing and stood at the edge, facing Kilaguni. Kilaguni didn’t bother about him, as he understood what Mukutan was saying. Kilaguni continued wallowing as Mukutan charged, trying to invite him for a pushing game. Mukutan grew tired of waiting and left for drinking water instead.
After wallowing, Suguroi engaged Lodo in a pushing game while the rest of the team settled for a soil dusting exercise. Suguroi and Lodo stopped their game to give way to a bull passing close to them — a show of respect, otherwise the bull would have pushed them out of the way. Later, Kindani and Bondeni walked to some nearby bushes and settled for a scratching exercise. Kilaguni followed the orphans and joined them in the soil dusting exercise. He later held a brief meeting with Suguroi and Lodo.
In the afternoon, Weka settled to browse with Kinyei, while Shujaa teamed up with Mageno, Kitich, Loldaiga, and Esoit. In the evening, Mwingu led the way back to the stockade.
There were 120 elephants at the stockade compound in the morning. The orphans left the stockade immediately after getting their morning milk. They manoeuvred through the wild elephants and ex-orphans up to the lucerne feeding area. Lucerne was distributed, but within 30 minutes, 40 bales had completely gone, as each elephant ran away with a flake and some of the big elephants with whole bales.
Shujaa was upset by one of the wild-born babies who attempted to grab lucerne from his mouth. Shujaa pushed the baby away as Weka stood close by, ready to help in case the wild baby turned against Shujaa. Shortly later, Suguroi led the way to the browsing field to avoid the competition from the seniors.
The orphans settled to browse north of the stockade, along the upper Kalovoto seasonal river. The sky was clear, predicting a hot day ahead. The orphans browsed calmly as they slowly made their way towards the mud bath. At 11 o’clock in the morning, Mageno led the way to the noon bottle feeds. Soon after having their milk, Loldaiga led the team into wallowing. The orphans enjoyed a prolonged wallow since the temperatures were so high.
When they had enough of wallowing, Kindani led the team into a soil dusting exercise. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. The sun remained hot, and the orphans took a break from feeding to relax under shady trees until the temperatures dropped to a more comfortable level. In the evening, Lodo engaged Roho in a pushing game while Bondeni played with Esoit. At five o’clock in the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockades.
The orphans got lucerne at five o’clock in the morning before they were let out at six o’clock. This was to avoid the stiff competition from their seniors. After getting their milk at six o’clock, Mwingu led the way out. The stockade compound was still flooded with wild elephants and Ex Orphans. Lucerne was distributed for the Ex Orphans and wild elephants.
The orphans’ stomachs were full, and to keep themselves busy, they played with the wild-born babies. Mayan challenged Choka, but their game was cut short by Teleki, who passed by and pushed the two boys away. Wema and Wimbi threatened to push Esoit, but Roho, Lodo, and Vaarti, who were close by, ganged up against the two sisters. Wimbi and Wema had to run away for their dear lives, as they couldn’t stop the three boys.
On the way to the browsing field, the orphans were joined by Naleku, who had spent two nights out with Sities’ team. Suguroi had a brief meeting with Naleku as she explained what had gone on during her two days of absence. Suguroi then handed over the group to Naleku, though it wasn’t clear if Naleku had come back to stay or to bid the team goodbye. Only time will tell.
The orphans browsed calmly as they slowly headed towards the mud bath. The sun was hot, and soon after getting their milk, the orphans participated in a cooling-off exercise by wallowing before heading to drink water. At the water trough, the orphans were joined by Mutara, Mambo, Suguta, Kainuk, and Turkwel.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Esoit teamed up with Mayan while Vaarti browsed with Kinyei. In the evening, Weka led the way back to the stockades.
The orphans had their morning milk at six o’clock. Mukutan led the way out soon after taking his last bottle. Esoit left the stockade with a leftover branch in his mouth. Since the orphans had taken their lucerne from five o’clock up to six o’clock, Choka met with Kaia outside and engaged her in a pushing game. The rest of the group interacted with the wild-born babies without showing any interest in the lucerne distributed to the ex-orphans and wild elephants present that morning.
Weka went to say hi to Nyika, but instead of handling her gently, she started pulling her trunk. Nyika cried, alerting her mother that someone was hurting her. Naserian turned quickly but didn’t get Weka, as Weka had run away when Nyika cried. Weka knew she had committed an offence by mishandling a small baby. Given her character, Weka’s action was intentional, since most of the time she enjoys bullying her junior wild-borns.
Mageno spotted a nice rock nearby and settled to scratch his belly. Shujaa had a light strength-testing exercise with Kinyei, while Lodo engaged Suguroi in a similar game. On the way to the browsing field, Esoit played with Choka, while Roho played with Mukutan. The orphans settled to browse at the Kone area.
At around ten o’clock, Lodo, Loldaiga, Vaarti, Mayan, and Kitich took a break from browsing to have a game of rolling on the ground. Olorien, Mageno, and Shujaa concentrated more on debarking trees, as Esoit engaged Bondeni in strength testing. At eleven o’clock, Mwingu led the way to the noon bottle feeds.
The temperatures were moderate, and soon after having their milk, the orphans jumped into the wallowing water. Kilaguni emerged from the nearby bushes and joined the orphans in wallowing. Afterwards, the orphans had a water and soil bathing exercise before returning to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at the Kanziku area. Vaarti engaged Esoit in a pushing game, while Lodo played with Roho. In the evening, Weka led the way back to the stockades.
Nasalot, Nusu, Noah, Mundusi, Larro, Sattao, Naserian, Njema, Nyika, Lualeni, Lulu, Lexi, Luki, Esampu, Mteto, Sapalan, Wendi, Wema, Wimbi, Wiva, and several wild bulls were present in the morning.
Soon after the gates were opened for the orphans to come out, Loldaiga walked out carrying a leftover branch, which he dropped when he met Noah. Noah picked up the branch and finished what was left on it. The orphans settled for water to wash down the lucerne they had eaten before leaving the stockade. As lucerne was being distributed for the ex-orphans and wild elephants, the orphans relaxed at the water trough enjoying their drink.
Nusu picked up a whole bale of lucerne and ran away to enjoy feeding in a quiet spot, later joined by his brother Noah. The orphans didn’t stay long at the stockade compound since they had already taken enough lucerne. Naleku, who is now back, led the way to the browsing field.
Lodo, as usual, engaged Roho in a pushing game while Vaarti had a light pushing game with Kindani. Later, Roho invited Olorien to join him in a game, but she declined. Roho lay down, trying to entice her to play, but Olorien was too wise to fall for his tricks. She walked away and continued browsing, leaving Roho to stand up again after getting tired of waiting.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Weka led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. After taking their milk, the orphans enjoyed wallowing before heading for a drink and a soil dusting exercise. They then returned to the browsing field.
The afternoon was quiet, with the orphans concentrating on browsing without any major observation. In the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockade.
Kauro, Rapa, Ambo, Mapia, and Kithaka were at the stockade compound early before the orphans were let out. The orphans left the stockades soon after getting their six o’clock milk. They then joined the five boys outside briefly before heading to the browsing field. Bondeni, Esoit, and Roho walked down to the water trough to drink, while Mukutan joined Mapia in his pile of lucerne just to taste if it was the same as what they had before leaving the stockades. Lodo and Kindani settled to scratch on nearby rocks as Choka engaged Mayan in a light pushing game.
On the way to the browsing field, Mageno engaged Esoit in a pushing game while Kitich played with Vaarti. The orphans settled to browse at the Kone area and browsed calmly as they slowly headed towards the mud bath. At eleven o’clock, Muwingu led the way to the noon bottle feed.
At mud bath time, the orphans were joined by ex-orphans Kalama, Kapuki, Roi, Mutara, Mambo, Larro, Kilabasi, and Kofi. After wallowing, Suguroi tried to get close to Kapuki but was pushed away by Kalama. The orphans had water, then soil dusting, before returning to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, they settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Vaarti and Bondeni took a break from browsing to engage in a strength-testing exercise that ended in a draw. Weka teamed up with Shujaa and Muwingu to browse, while Loldaiga joined Mukutan, Mayan, Kinyei, and Olorien. In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockades for yet another night.
It was a peaceful morning, with the babies having their milk bottles before walking out to feed on lucerne. A big group of ex-orphans was in the area and came to share the lucerne with the babies. Mulika and her family were among them. Mwende, Mala, and Mayan enjoyed feeding together, while Esoit and Mayan started play-fighting before Vaarti and Mukutan took over. After finishing their lucerne, the babies began walking out to the bush to browse.
Out in the bush, Lodo was very curious about Suguroi and spent much of the day play-fighting with her. The rest of the babies browsed calmly through the morning before heading to the mud bath for their midday milk bottles and wallowing.
At the mud bath, they all enjoyed their bottles and then walked into the mud wallow to cool down. As usual, Roho had a free ride on Mayan’s back. Suguroi rolled happily in the dust after wallowing, while some wild bulls enjoyed the mud bath nearby. After drinking water, the babies returned to the bush to browse for the afternoon.
Back in the bush, they enjoyed their evening browsing despite the hot weather. As the day came to an end, they walked back home for their evening milk and bedding. A few ex-orphans and wild elephants were still in the area, stopping by to drink water before moving on.
It was a wonderful morning with the babies waking up for their milk bottles before walking out to feed on lucerne. They found their ex-orphan friends already there waiting for them, and everyone began interacting as they were served lucerne. Sidai and her two babies were present as well. Mayan rested his trunk on Mageno’s back while the others fed, then later started playing with Choka. Soon after, the babies began walking out to the bush to browse.
Out in the bush, they all looked much more active, with everyone trying to find something to eat. Esoit and Loldaiga started playing, and Loldaiga later went to Choka for another game, pushing him gently. Esoit then began play-fighting with Roho, while Lodo and Esoit exchanged a friendly kiss before the group made their way to the mud bath for their midday milk bottles and wallowing.
At the mud bath, a few wild elephants and ex-orphans were present. The babies had their milk bottles as usual before walking into the mud wallow. Kindani rested and played with Roho, while Shujaa was busy playing with the wild bulls in the mud. Olorien came out of the mud hole and rolled in the dust to dry off. Lualeni arrived later with her babies Lulu, Lexi, and Luki; they drank water and later walked away. Vaarti played with Bondeni before the group headed back to the bush to browse again.
Back in the bush, everyone was active browsing despite the heat in the area. Some sought shade while others continued feeding. Later, the whole group started walking back home in the evening for their milk bottles.
Back at the stockades, a big group of wild elephants and ex-orphans came to drink water. They stayed for some time before slowly leaving one by one back into the bush.
It was a very busy morning as we received a big number of ex-orphans and wild elephants who came to drink water and share lucerne. The babies had their milk bottles as usual and walked out to share lucerne with their friends. Yatta, Wendi, Nasalot, Kinna, and Sunyei with their babies were among them. They all shared lucerne before the babies walked to the bush for browsing, leaving behind the ex-orphans and wild elephants still feeding on lucerne.
The babies were busy in the bush this morning, as it is very dry everywhere and getting enough to eat has become difficult. But they always struggle to find something to feed on every day. Kindani was seen playing with and kissing Bondeni. The babies later walked to the mud bath for their milk bottles and wallowing.
At the mud bath, there were a few ex-orphans and some wild elephants who came to drink water and later wallow. Our babies had their bottles, then went into the mud and started wallowing. They fully enjoyed themselves — Shujaa and Weka went on to the dust bath and started playing, while Mayan and Choka were busy play fighting. We had some wild bulls around too, with one standing under the shade. Some of the babies went to drink water, while Olorien and Bondeni continued playing in the dust. A few more babies came to join them before the group walked back to the bush for browsing.
However, it was very dry in the bush and most of the babies hid under the shade. They came out later to browse a bit before walking back home in the evening. We had a huge group of wild and ex-orphans at the stockades today who came to drink water.
All the elephants are doing fine and well.
It was a beautiful morning as the babies had their milk bottles and walked out to feed on lucerne. A group of ex-orphans and wild elephants were waiting outside for the babies to come out so they could be served lucerne. Kithaka, the naughty boy, was among them. Kinna and her family — Kama, Kaia, and Kito — were also present. Kinyei and Bondeni were seen sharing lucerne together.
After a few minutes, some wild dogs appeared, frightening the babies. They started running here and there, leaving the ex-orphans still feeding on lucerne. The Keepers quickly controlled the babies and led them into the bush to browse.
In the bush, the herd remained restless, with many of them waving their trunks in the air as they tried to smell where the wild dogs were. It took some time for them to settle, and the whole morning they did not browse well. Later, they began walking towards the mud bath for their milk bottles and to wallow.
At the mud bath, several wild bulls were waiting for the water truck. The babies had their milk bottles and walked in to wallow, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Afterward, Weka and Shujaa came out to enjoy a dust bath. Olorien and Bondeni were also busy rolling in the dust, soon joined by the others. They played for some time before walking back to the bush for their evening browsing.
Back in the bush, it was very hot, and most of the babies were hiding under shade. Later, they came out and started browsing again as they headed back home in the evening. We had some wild elephants and ex-orphans at the stockades this evening, including Kalama and Sities with their babies. They drank water and then returned to the bush. All the elephants are doing well.
It was a beautiful morning, with the babies waking up well to find their milk bottles ready for them. After finishing their milk, they walked out to feed on lucerne. They found many ex-orphans already waiting for lucerne and joined them happily. After feeding, the babies drank some water before walking out to the bush to browse.
Out in the bush, they were all very active, with some climbing up the hill at a fast pace. Later, they started walking to the mud bath for their milk bottles and wallowing. The babies were all in good spirits, fully enjoying the wallow before rolling on the ground. They then drank water before heading back to the bush to continue browsing.
Back in the bush, it was very hot, but they still managed to find something to eat. Mukutan and Mayan were seen enjoying a dust bath together. Later in the afternoon, the babies started walking back home for their evening milk bottles and to settle for the night. Naleku is still out in the wild, looking after Sities’ baby, Sunni. She is enjoying her nannying role and doesn’t want to return to the stockades at night.
We had a large group of ex-orphans and wild elephants at the stockades this evening, including Nasalot, Suguta, Yatta and her family, Kibo, and Chyulu. They had strong interactions with the wild babies before leaving for the bush again.
It was a beautiful morning as the babies had their milk bottles and walked out to feed on lucerne. We had a few ex-orphans today, including Olare and Ola among them. Sidai with her two babies, Sita and Sid, were also present. There were no wild elephants this morning. After finishing their lucerne, the babies started walking out to the bush for browsing.
In the bush, everyone looked very active, with Bondeni and Vaarti play-fighting while Choka was busy browsing. Vaarti later went to join Esoit and started playing with him too. After some time, the babies walked to the mud bath for their milk bottles and wallowing.
At the mud bath, the babies really enjoyed wallowing. Kindani stayed inside the longest, rolling fully in the mud, while Lodo also played happily, trumpeting as he splashed around. After wallowing, they went to drink water and then enjoyed a dust bath, rolling on the ground together. Choka and Esoit had fun climbing and playing on a tree stump nearby.
A huge wild bull came in to drink water, followed by Zurura, who stood under the shade. A big group of wild bulls then started wallowing, so the babies walked away to the bush again for browsing.
Back in the bush, it was very hot, and many of the babies hid under the shade to keep cool. Later, they came out and continued browsing before heading back home in the evening for their milk bottles and bedding.
We had a large number of wild and ex-orphans at the stockades this evening, who came to drink water before walking back to the bush. Naleku has now spent three nights out with Sities and her baby Sunni, though they keep visiting daily. All the rest are well and doing fine.
It was a beautiful and busy morning as the babies had their milk bottles as usual and walked out to feed on lucerne. Outside the stockades, there were groups of ex-orphans, with Kalama, Sunyei, Lualeni, and Galana with their babies among them. The babies interacted with the ex-orphans on the lucerne before later leaving for the bush to browse. The ex-orphans didn’t stay long before walking away to the bush.
Back in the bush, the babies were busy browsing despite the hot weather in the area. Later, they started walking to the mud bath for their milk bottles, drinking water, and wallowing. They were led by Weka to the mud bath.
At the mud bath, some wild bulls were in the area, including Challa. The babies had their milk and went directly to the waterhole to wallow. After wallowing, they came out and enjoyed the dust bath. Sities, with her baby Sunni and nanny Naleku, arrived and joined the babies. Naleku stayed very close to baby Suni. When Roho came too close to Snuni, Naleku stepped in between them to keep Roho from getting nearer. Challa began playing in the dust with the babies after wallowing, while Roho and Bondeni started play-fighting. The babies later walked back to the bush for evening browsing.
Back in the bush, it was still very hot, and most of the babies were hiding under the shade. They came out later in the afternoon to browse before walking back to the stockades in the evening for their milk bottles and bedding. Muwingu still has a habit of suddenly running off, which startles the others and makes them follow her for no reason. Because of this behaviour, we have nicknamed her “Shortwire.”
Back at the stockades, a huge group of wild elephants came to drink water and left later in the evening. All the rest are well and doing fine.
It was such a beautiful morning as the babies first had their milk breakfast and later walked out to feed on lucerne. They came out and found many ex-orphans waiting for them. They immediately started interacting as they shared the lucerne. Upon checking, we noticed that Galana had a wound on her left thigh, so we referred the matter to the main office in Kaluku. Roan came with a metal detector to check if there was an arrow or anything inside. Luckily, nothing was found, and the wound was already healing. The babies then walked away to the bush for browsing.
In the bush, they were all busy browsing, with Kinyei and Vaarti browsing together. Muwingu was stretching high to reach some food, while other babies were hiding from the sun under the shade. Later, the babies, led by Mayan, started walking to the mud bath for their milk bottles and wallowing.
At the mud bath, there was a huge group of wild bulls who came to drink water and wallow. The babies had their milk bottles as usual and walked into the waterhole for wallowing. They fully enjoyed themselves, then came out and walked to the water trough to drink before heading to the dust bath. They were all red after the dust bath. Challa was there too, playing in the dust before walking away. The babies later returned to the bush for browsing again.
Back in the bush, they all looked more active and were browsing well. Mageno started kissing Esoit while the other elephants were busy browsing. Later, the babies started walking back home in the evening for their milk bottles and bedding. Naleku did not turn up, as she is still out with Sities and her baby Sunni. All the other elephants are fine, and some wild bulls appeared at the stockades this evening to drink water before walking away.
It was a happy morning today as the babies had their milk bottles as usual and walked out to feed on lucerne. They all looked more active as they went out to meet some ex-orphans. Mulika with her family, Mwende with her baby Mala, Mkuu, and Moe were among them. Yatta with her family Yetu, Yoyo, Yogi, Yara, and her grand-calf Yebu were also present. They all started interacting with the babies as they fed on lucerne. Yara began scratching on a rock while Kitich and Esoit were busy playing. After some time, the babies started walking to the bush for browsing.
In the bush, they all looked more active as they focused on finding something to eat. Kinyei was seen peeling tree bark to get some food, while the rest were browsing separately. Later, the babies started walking to the mud bath for their milk bottles and wallowing.
At the mud bath, they all had their milk bottles and went directly to the waterhole to wallow. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves, with Kinyei being the most playful today. Afterwards, they walked to the water trough to drink and then to the dust bath for drying. Roho was the most playful in the dust bath, and soon all the babies joined in before walking back to the bush for evening browsing.
Back in the bush, it was very hot, and everyone was standing under the shade. They came out later in the afternoon to browse again before heading back home in the evening for their milk bottles and bedding. Naleku has now spent five days out with Sities and Sunni as she trains to be a nanny. She comes to the stockades with them and returns to the bush in their company. All the rest are well and doing fine.
Soon after leaving the stockades, the orphans joined Queen’s family and several ex-orphans that had arrived that morning. Shujaa and Weka attempted to bully two juniors in Queen’s family. The family matriarch spotted Shujaa and Weka harassing her family members and turned to discipline them. Weka and Shujaa anticipated such a reaction from the matriarch and had prepared themselves for how they could dodge her. They ran fast when they saw Queen turning and disappeared amongst the orphans.
Roho had a brief interaction with Esampu, while Naleku headed straight to take care of Sunni. After a brief interaction with the ex-orphans, Suguroi led the way to the browsing field, since Naleku had found company in Mutara’s group. Suguroi steered the group north and settled along the upper Kalovoto seasonal river, where the orphans began to browse. The day became hotter with each passing moment. Vaarti, Mayan, Kitich, Mageno and Choka decided to take a break from browsing and relaxed under trees that offered good shade before making their way to the mud bath.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Muwingu led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. Twenty-five wild bulls were present at the mud bath. When the orphans had their milk, Lodo led the team into wallowing. Given the heat of the day, the orphans had a prolonged wallow. Later, they drank water and then enjoyed soil dusting before returning to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. The sun was still hot, and the orphans took a break from browsing by relaxing under trees with good shade. They resumed browsing once the temperatures dropped to a more favourable level.
In the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockades for yet another night. Shortly before dark, Naleku returned from her daily exploration and joined Roho and Suguroi, who are her bedmates.
Fourteen wild bulls were busy taking water at the stockade water trough when the orphans were let out. The boys appeared to be in a happy mood as they engaged in pushing games. Choka engaged Mayan in a pushing game, while Vaarti played with Esoit. Lodo played with Roho, while Loldaiga engaged Shujaa in a strength-testing exercise.
Shortly later, Makireti, Kilabasi, Kofi, and our newest baby girl arrived at the stockade compound. The baby belonged to Kilabasi, who saw it wise to come and introduce her to her human family. Makireti, who has been a long-time friend of Kilabasi, was the main nanny. Suguroi and Naleku were excited to see the new baby, Kanika, and wanted to be close to her. Kofi blocked the two girls from interacting with his sister, so Suguroi and Naleku walked away, hoping to get another chance to meet Kanika.
Olorien shared her pile of lucerne with Roho, while Bondeni shared his with Kindani. After having enough lucerne, Muwingu led the way to the browsing field. Naleku ran in the opposite direction as she went to look for Sunni and Sities.
The orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area and browsed calmly as they slowly headed towards the mud bath. The day was hot, prompting the orphans to take a break from feeding and relax under trees with good shade. At eleven o’clock in the morning, Muwingu led the first group, while Mageno led the second one. After getting their milk, the orphans jumped into the wallowing water, where they were joined by several wild bulls.
After having enough of wallowing, the orphans attended a soil dusting session and thereafter had water before returning to the browsing field. Shortly before evening, the weather changed, with heavy clouds gathering that eventually gave way to light rain. The rain helped bring the temperatures down, and the orphans enjoyed playing in the moist soil.
At five o’clock in the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockade.
It was a chilly morning following light showers received the previous day. Galana, Gawa, and Gala were the only elephants outside the stockades. The other elephants had left to check how far the rain had reached.
Soon after the orphans were let out, Sunyei, Siku, Saba, and Subiri emerged from the eastern side and joined the Galana family and the orphans. The team settled for lucerne. Siku threatened to push Roho, but Roho didn’t take these threats lightly and prepared himself to tackle Siku. When Siku saw that Roho wasn’t cowed by her threats, she decided to surrender and walked away.
Gala pushed Suguroi, who was passing close by, simply because she counted on her mother to defend her in case Suguroi turned against her. Suguroi just walked away, knowing that Gala was only a baby and that’s how most babies behave. Gala then made the mistake of attacking the no-nonsense Shujaa. Shujaa couldn’t take this attack lightly and, without wasting time, turned to defend himself. He knocked Gala to the ground, then ran away before Gala’s mother, Galana, could get to him.
Mageno held a brief meeting with Kitich as Bondeni engaged Kinyei in a light pushing game. Lodo tackled Roho before making their way to the browsing field. On the way there, Choka engaged Mayan in a pushing game that lasted for quite some time. Subiri followed the orphans, but midway the baby realised she was in the wrong group and ran back to her family.
The orphans settled to browse at the Kone area and browsed calmly as they slowly headed towards the mud bath. At eleven o’clock in the morning, Muwingu led the way to the noon bottle feeds. After getting their milk, the orphans jumped into the water for a cooling-off exercise. After having enough wallowing, Mukutan engaged Mayan in a pushing game while Lodo played with Roho. The rest of the team settled for a soil-bathing exercise.
Vaarti joined a wild bull for a drink of water before leaving to catch up with his colleagues. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at the Kanziku area. They browsed calmly throughout, without any major observation. In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockades.
It was a quiet morning. Not a single wild elephant or ex-orphan showed up at lucerne feeding time. The orphans enjoyed every moment, walking freely and feeding on lucerne without any disturbance. Mageno challenged Esoit after having enough of lucerne, but the challenge was disrupted by Lodo, who pushed the two boys away. Soon after pushing them away, Lodo walked over to the other side to engage Roho in a pushing game.
Kindani picked up a pile of lucerne and walked while feeding on it as her colleagues decided that it was time to leave for browsing. The orphans settled to browse at Kone area. Choka teamed up with Roho in browsing, while Naleku and Kinyei concentrated more on debarking trees. The rest of the team browsed calmly as they slowly headed towards the mud bath.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Muwingu, as usual, led the first group while Mageno led the second one. The sky was cloudy and the temperatures moderate. Only Loldaiga, Mukutan, Kitich, Lodo, Naleku, Roho, Shujaa, and Weka fully participated in wallowing. The rest only walked through the water just to wash their feet.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. The orphans browsed calmly throughout the remaining part of the day without any major observation. In the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockade.
Chyulu, Cheka, Charli, Neshashi, and Dololo were the only outsiders during the morning lucerne feeding time. The group had reported early before dawn and waited for the orphans to be let out. Neshashi and Dololo were hostile towards the orphans, as they kept pushing them whenever they passed close by. The Keepers warned them against such behaviour towards the orphans.
Lodo shared his pile of lucerne with Bondeni and Muwingu, while Olorien settled to feed with Kindani. Half an hour later, Olare, Ola, Sagateisa, Nabulu, Kandecha, Kinna, Kama, Kaia, Kito, Mteto, Yatta, Yoyo, Yogi, and Yara arrived and joined in feeding on lucerne. When it became crowded, the orphans decided to give space to the ex-orphans. Naleku led the way to the browsing field. Roho lagged behind playing with Yoyo but later left to catch up with his colleagues.
At the browsing field, Loldaiga engaged Esoit in a pushing game and later, when he lost, moved to play with Bondeni. The rest of the morning was quiet as the orphans concentrated on browsing as they slowly headed towards the mud bath. The temperatures were moderate, and soon after getting their milk, the orphans jumped into the water for a cooling-off exercise.
After wallowing, Choka engaged Kitich in a strength-testing exercise, while Naleku did a scratching exercise against a nearby acacia tree. Two wild bulls briefly visited the mud bath and then headed to the water trough for a drink. Shujaa, Weka, and Suguroi approached the bulls with their trunks raised. One of the bulls warned the trio not to come close by pointing his trunk towards them. The three orphans heeded the warning and turned back to join their colleagues.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. Kitich teamed up with Shujaa, Weka, Choka, and Muwingu in browsing. In the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockade.