At three years old, Emoli and little Pika Pika are the youngest and the smallest currently at our Voi Reintegration Unit. They are also the two most likely to start demanding their milk bottles first thing in the morning, and are the first to the milk feeding area, finishing their bottles in a matter of seconds! Emoli’s diminutive size doesn’t hold him back from being one of the most playful at the Voi stockades either and he will happily take on the likes of Godoma, Tagwa, Lasayen and Ngilai for wrestling matches. The older orphans are always careful when they play however and never use all their strength against the little ones.
Godoma was the first to come rushing out of the stockades this morning making her way to the milk feeding area, with Pika Pika, Emoli and Tamiyoi arriving a few seconds later. The orphans hung around the compound feeding on Lucerne pellets while Ngilai and Emoli kept busy playing a sparring game. Mudanda was being a bit of a bully towards Pika Pika while they were feeding on the pellets but Ndii quickly came in to protect Pika Pika by pushing Mudanda away.
Sagala, Tagwa and Tamiyoi led the way out to browse today navigating their way through the rocky side of Msinga hill. On the way Suswa, Ishaq-B, Kenia and Araba stopped to browse on some leafy acacia branches that they came across. The morning browsing session continued at the foot of the hill close to the baobab tree feeding area. The milk-dependent orphans arrived for the noon milk feed a few minutes after the milk truck arrived. Suswa lead the weaned group down to the water trough after the youngsters had finished their milk bottles.
Rorogoi headed straight into the mud wallow and made her way to the deepest part of the water hole where she was joined by Suswa. The two enjoyed playing in the water, splashing and rolling around showcasing the wallowing skills until the rest of the orphans joined them. A wild bull visited the water hole and spent some time interacting with the orphans before they left for the afternoons browsing activities.
The orphans exited the stockades early this morning ready to begin their day. Ndotto and Mbegu started their day with a sparring session while Ngilai tried to engage Emoli in a pushing game but was prevented from doing so by Godoma who came in between them. Godoma then stood on the terrace wall to embrace Mudanda who she had previously been trying to climb on.
Tagwa and Emoli led the way out to the bush with Suswa and Tundani bringing up the rear. The orphan herd spent the morning browsing at the foot of Msinga Hill with Embu and Pika Pika slowly climbing further up hill in search of fresh vegetation while Kenia and Mashariki led the rest further afield.
The orphans all met up at noon at the milk feeding area after which they made their way to the mud wallow where they drank water from the water trough. None of the orphans seemed interested in wallowing today, which was attributed to the weather as it was a chilly day. Once they were done drinking they left the waterhole to return to browsing. They remained out in the bush until it was time to return to the safety of the stockades for the night.
Following the morning milk feed the orphans enjoyed playing around the stockade compound as they engaged in different activities from sparring sessions to pushing games and dust baths. Once the fun and games were over Sagala led the orphan herd out to browse. Ishaq-B and Mbegu hung back from the rest to browse on acacia branches while the others went into a forested area to feed. The herd reunited mid-morning and continued to browse until it was time for the midday milk feed at which point they assembled under a commifora tree, and waited for the milk truck to arrive with their bottles. Pika Pika, Murit and Ngilai were stood holding trunks while Godoma held a piece of wood between her front legs.
After the milk feed the orphans walked straight to the water trough for a drink before heading to the mud wallow where Tamiyoi headed straight into the waterhole and stirred the water with her trunk. Arruba stood at the edge of the wallow and splashed water over herself before moving away, leaving Pika Pika digging at the muddy ground at the edge of the water with her tusks.
Godoma and Lasayen were having a great time rolling in the mud with Godoma showcasing her playing skills while Lasayen scratched his bottom. Mashariki, who had gone for a dust bath, was joined by Ndotto and Pika Pika and they all enjoyed tossing dust over themselves until it was time to go back to their browsing activities. In the evening Emoli invited Ngilai for a wrestling game after which the group returned to the stockades for the night.
After the morning feed, the orphans immediately left the stockade compound to head out to the bush to begin the days browsing activities. They were not far from the stockade when Rorogoi stopped to strip the bark off of a lovely branch that she found while Ngilai browsed on a leafy acacia tree right next to Rorogoi. Suswa, who was at the back, was walking slowly, picking up anything edible that she could find. She also took the time to stop and enjoy a scratching session against a commifora tree.
Once the orphans reached their desired destination they settled to browse together with Cheza, Ivia, Diria and Nzuki the orphan buffaloes and zebras. The entire group spent the morning browsing at the foot of Msinga Hill before making their way to the milk feeding area where they downed their bottles and returned to their browsing activities intent on eating as much vegetation as they could find, until it was time to return to the safety of the stockades for the night.
The stockade dependent orphans exited their night quarters ready for their morning milk bottle while their older friends headed straight to the feeding area for the Lucerne pellets. After the feeding session the orphans enjoyed an early morning dust bath with Godoma and Pika Pika pairing up for the dusting session. Godoma was busy rolling on the ground while Pika Pika stood next to her.
The dust piles were soft and Tundani and Godoma enjoyed a quick nap before being joined by Kenia who relaxed with them. Tundani and Godoma then enjoyed a sparring session as Ngilai tried to engage Murit for the same but was turned down. Rorogoi was the last to come to the dust bath and came running in kicking dust into the air.
Sagala, Tagwa and Tamiyoi led the group out to the Park for the day and they all settled to browse on Msinga Hill, where Sagala stopped to scratch her foot while Ngilai engaged Emoli in a pushing game as the rest were busy browsing. The orphan herd then made their way to the baobab tree waterhole for their noon milk feed. At the water trough they met up with a wild elephant family and enjoyed interacting with them for a while. A wild bull that was with the wild group became a bit aggressive which scared the orphans and they soon left to continue their browsing activities.
In the evening as the orphans were returning to the stockades for the night, Ngilai and Murit stopped to engage in a sparring session.
This morning Sagala and Murit were busy feeding on pellets making sure to pick up every last one, while Tagwa headed straight to the dust piles for an early morning dust bath where she was joined by Sagala, Emoli and later on Mashariki who came to lie down and relax on the dust piles while everyone engaged in a variety of games and activities around the compound.
Ishaq-B enjoyed a scratching session against a rock next to the water trough while Emoli was busy riding on Sagala’s back. Mudanda also enjoyed a scratching session once Ishaq-B was done. Godoma was busy playing along the terrace wall while Lasayen stood by minding his own business, despite Godoma trying to engage him in a game which he eventually relented to and took part in, while Ndotto invited Tundani for a sparring game and Emoli took on Pika Pika, who knocked Emoli down with such force! Araba came over to help Emoli, giving assistance to stand up by pushing him from behind.
Godoma and Murit were holding trunks while Pika Pika, who had finished playing with Emoli, was breaking up chunks of red soil while Godoma and Ngilai relaxed on the dust piles. Ndotto sparred with Arruba. Ngilai then took on Emoli for a pushing game, after which Emoli tried to climb on Mbegu’s back, and Ndotto tried to climb on Rorogoi who was enjoying a dust bath.
The orphans then left the stockade compound for the Park following a very playful morning of fun and games.
Godoma and Emoli rushed out of their stockade today for the morning feed and once done with their milk bottles, they immediately made their way to the feeding trough to enjoy the Lucerne pellets where they were joined by Kenia’s herd, and they all enjoyed the supplements before heading out for the day.
Once out in the Park, Ngilai paired up with his favourite playmate Emoli for the morning browsing session while Sagala joined up with Tagwa and Tamiyoi and together the three slowly made their way to the baobab tree waterhole. Mashariki likes to explore new browsing areas, and separated from the rest of the group as she headed further afield in search of greener vegetation to feed on.
Ngilai led his friends down to the milk feeding area in the afternoon and he came running in for his share, closely followed by Godoma, Emoli and Sagala. Tahri, who likes spending time with Kenia and Ndii, came running down trumpeting when she realized that she was one of the last to come for her milk bottles. Once she had finished her share she ran back to Kenia who was slowly walking to the baobab tree mud bath. After a quick wallow, the orphans resumed their browsing activities.
The stockade-dependent orphans exited their stockades early this morning ready for their milk bottles. They lined up at the feeding area with Ngilai, Godoma, Emoli and Tamiyoi being the first to arrive. Tamiyoi and Tagwa then made their way to the dust piles where Tamiyoi lay down with Tagwa resting against her. Ndotto and Emoli joined them at the dust pile where Godoma had fun crushing mounds of soil at the edge of the dust hill. Mashariki came and joined the others at the dust pile and lay down and watched Emoli riding on Godoma.
The orphans headed out for the day and settled on the eastern side of Msinga Hill for the morning browsing session. After the noon milk feed the orphan herd made their way to the baobab tree waterhole where they had a drink of water before enjoying a dust bath. Murit and Ngilai left their friends playing on the soil piles to enjoy a sparring session. Ndotto came to the dust pile and lay down kicking at the soil as if he was in the water. Araba was the last one to come for a dust bath, arriving as the others were leaving to make their way up Msinga Hill with Emoli bringing up the rear of the group, slowly following the others up the hill for the afternoon browsing session.
The orphans left the stockade compound this morning as soon as the milk and supplement feeding was over and headed to the bush where they settled at the foot of Msinga Hill for the morning browsing session. At 11am they started to make their way towards the baobab tree waterhole for the noon milk feed and a mud bath.
Godoma led the orphan herd to the wallow where she stood at the edge, swirling her trunk in the water. Emoli came to join her and enjoyed climbing on her back while the rest of the orphans busied themselves having a drink. A wild elephant family came and joined the orphans and interacted with the orphan herd. Meanwhile Sagala led some of her friends to the dust pile for dust bath. Emoli, Godoma, Araba, Sagala Ndotto and Ngilai spent a long time soil dusting while Pika Pika enjoyed spending time with Kenia in the mud bath where they were joined by a wild bull. Tahri paired up with Ndii and the two had a great time dust bathing before the orphan herd followed Mashariki back out into the bush for the afternoon browsing session.
The stockade-dependent orphans enjoyed feeding on Lucerne pellets following the morning milk feed. Ndotto and Mbegu enjoyed a sparring session with Ndotto play mounting Mbegu. Mashariki had a scratching session against the twin trees while Ndotto continued his wrestling game with Mbegu.
Tagwa and Tamiyoi led the herd out to browse today and they spent the morning browsing peacefully before heading to the baobab tree for the noon milk feed. Tagwa, Godoma and Ngilai then led the orphan group to the mud wallow where Pika Pika had fun rolling around in the water at the edge of the mud bath while Ndotto led Tamiyoi and Tagwa for a dust bath. Suswa and Embu had been showcasing their bathing tactics before heading to the dust bath, at which point Kenia took centre stage in the water which she had to herself as everyone else had exited and headed to the dust bath. Ndotto paired up with Tundani and Embu, lying between the two as they soil dusted.
Later in the afternoon Lasayen engaged Murit in a sparring session on the rocky side of Msinga Hill. Mbegu and Godoma were busy scratching against a rock while Suswa stood on the other side patiently waiting for a scratching session.
After the morning milk feed the orphans left the stockade immediately for the browsing fields, with no fun and games today! On the way to Msinga Hill, the orphan herd met up with a group of wild elephants who were browsing and seemingly on their way to pass the stockades for a drink of water. They spent a few minutes greeting each other before both herds continued on their way, with the orphans enjoying the morning browsing session before making their way to the noon milk feeding area.
Once the orphans arrived at the milk feeding area they waited for the milk truck which came in a few minutes after them. Pika Pika held her own bottle as she downed its contents and when done she joined her friends at the water trough for a drink of water. None of the orphans wallowed or dust bathed today, choosing instead to return to their browsing activities which continued until the late evening, at which point Ngilai led them all back to the safety of the stockades for the night.
This morning the orphans left the stockade compound as soon as the milk and supplement feeding was over. Mashariki led the orphan herd up Msinga Hill and they spent the morning browsing there until it was time for the noon milk feed at the baobab tree waterhole.
Rorogoi led the independent orphans down to the mud wallow and dust bath with the buffaloes Ivia and Cheza joining Tagwa at the soil piles. Embu joined Godoma in the water and the two had a great time submerging themselves in the muddy water while Ngilai showcased his dusting skills which had Emoli and Mbegu joining him. Lasayen posed at the edge of the mud bath and watched Godoma who was wallowing in front of him. Rorogoi left the water and headed for a dust bath where she had fun rolling around displaying her dusting tactics.
In the afternoon Godoma, Ngilai and Rorogoi all settled on the rocky side of Msinga Hill to browse. It was quite a hot afternoon which had Rorogoi coming down to seek shelter from the sun, while Mudanda hid behind a huge rock which cast some shade for her to get some respite from the hot sun.
This morning at the stockade milk feeding area, Godoma gulped down her morning milk bottle before joining the others for the supplement food that had been put out for the orphans. Mashariki had fun rolling around on the dust piles while Suswa and Kenia stretched their trunks over the fence to browse on the tasty branches they found there.
Once out in the bush, the orphans settled to browse at the foot of Msinga Hill. Tagwa enjoyed a scratching session while Emoli kept busy browsing, with Tamiyoi coming and stretching her trunk towards him trying to take some greens right out of his mouth, as Tahri did the same with Ndii.
After the noon milk feed, Sagala led the herd to the dust pile, where she enjoyed showcasing her dust bathing skills as she rolled around on the loose soil. Tamiyoi enjoyed scratching against Ndotto who was on the ground dusting. Once all the fun and games were over at the dust bath, the orphans returned to their browsing activities for the rest of the afternoon.
It was an early morning breakfast for the Voi orphan herd with the milk dependent orphans joining their older orphan friends for the Lucerne pellet supplement feeding after downing their milk bottles.
The sun was shining brightly as the orphan elephants, buffalos and zebras left the stockade for a day out in the Park, following the morning stockade activities. The elephant orphans spread out across the grassy plains, grabbing as much vegetation as they could get their trunks on as it is all drying up rather fast now we are in the midst of the dry season.
Emoli, Murit, Pika Pika, Sagala and Ngilai ran ahead of their friends to get to the noon milk bottles first, which were waiting for them close to the baobab tree waterhole. The rest of the orphan herd came in a couple of minutes later and after they had all drank their share they made their way to the waterhole for a drink of water and a mud bath. The orphans all enjoyed wallowing with Suswa having the most fun as she rolled around in the water and remained in the mud bath after the others had left, rejoining them when they headed back out to the fields for the afternoon browsing session.
The morning feeding area was a hive of activity this morning as the milk-dependent orphan elephants lined up for their milk bottles which they gulped down, before joining their friends at the Lucerne pellet feeding area. The orphans hung around the stockade compound for a while following the milk and supplement feeding with Mashariki, Tagwa and Tamiyoi enjoying a dust bath. Mudanda picked on Pika Pika a bit, who was enjoying her pellets, but Ndii swiftly came to her rescue and chased Mudanda away.
Sagala led the orphans out for the day together with her closest friends Tagwa and Tamiyoi. They all settled to browse on the northern side of Msinga Hill and spent the morning there. As the orphans made their way to the baobab tree waterhole they were joined by a wild bull who followed them as they browsed their way to the milk feeding area, after which they made their way to the waterhole.
Emoli had fun playing at the edge of the mud bath as Godoma and Embu watched him digging the dirt with his tusks to loosen the soil so that he could enjoy a dust bath, changing his colour to that of Tsavo red. Ndii and Suswa were busy having fun in the water as they splashed around longer than the rest, who had left the water and were heading off to begin the afternoon browsing session.
At 6:30 this morning, Pika Pika was banging on the stockade gate asking that it be opened so that she and the other orphans could begin their day. When it was time and the Keepers came to open their gates, Pika Pika and the other milk dependent orphans exited their stockades and made their way to the milk feeding area, with Pika Pika feeding alongside Godoma, Emoli and Tamiyoi.
The orphans played around the stockade for a while before heading out to the Park where they settled to browse along Msinga Hill, before making their way to the baobab tree waterhole for the midday milk feed. After the milk feeding as done, Ishaq-B, Tundani, Araba and Kenia joined up for a drink at the water trough while the rest of the orphans were busy playing in the mud wallow.
Godoma, Ndotto, Emoli, Suswa and Tagwa submerged themselves completely in the water as they had fun rolling around and splashing water everywhere, with Emoli then enjoying a ride on Godoma’s back. Ndotto sat at the edge of the waterhole and scratched his bottom while Emoli, who had exited the water, enjoyed rolling around on the soil pile where he was joined by Godoma and Ndotto. Mudanda and Rorogoi also came to the soil bath with Mudanda enjoying a rolling game. When the orphans left to resume their browsing activities, Godoma stopped to enjoy a scratching session.
The afternoon was spent browsing on the rocky side of Msinga Hill with Suswa browsing at the base while her friends browsed further uphill. The orphans came down in the evening and headed straight home to the safety of the stockades for the night.
The orphans were ready and eager to start their day following the morning milk feed. They hung around the stockade playing games and bonding with one another before heading out for the day. Godoma enjoyed playing along the terrace wall while Ndotto and Mbegu were engaged in a sparring session. Ndotto climbed the terrace wall while play pushing games with Mbegu at which point Mbegu gave up and left the game, so Ndotto tried to engage Ngilai instead and Suswa had fun on the soil piles.
On the way out to the Park, Ndotto invited Suswa for a sparring session which resulted in the two of them lagging behind the rest of the orphan herd. The morning was spent browsing until it was time for the noon milk feed after which the orphans made their way to the waterhole for a mud bath. Godoma, Emoli and Ndotto all enjoyed cooling down in the muddy waters which gave them some respite from the blazing sun. After the mud bath the orphans enjoyed feeding on Lucerne pellets that the Keepers had brought for them, before resuming their browsing activities until it was time to return home for the night.
Sagala, Tagwa and Tamiyoi led the orphan herd to the rocky side of Msinga Hill this morning once the milk and supplement feeding was over at the stockade compound. On the way to Msinga Hill the orphans stopped along the way to browse on the leafy branches of an acacia tree. Pika Pika had fun playing with a piece of wood which she held and rolled around with her trunk.
Tahri and Araba are doing well and are happy with their adopted mother Kenia but Ndii makes sure to always be around in case she is needed by either of them.
As the orphans were running down for their noon milk feed, Tahri decided to lag behind and keep company with the older orphans and did not seem at all worried about missing her bottle, though that would never happen as the Keepers ensured that she got her share. Once the milk feed was over the orphans resumed their browsing activities, going deep into the wooded area in search of greener vegetation.
In the evening the orphans returned to the stockades for the night, stopping at the water trough for a drink of water before settling down in their stockades where they browsed on greens and some lay down to sleep.
The morning began with the orphans exiting their stockades and lining up to enjoy the Lucerne pellet supplement feeding having downed their morning milk bottles. Kenia was ready to head out for the day and lead the group but the others were more interested in dust bathing or scratching. Sagala headed over to the orphans’ favourite rock where she enjoyed a scratching session, before joining Godoma and Tagwa who were browsing from acacia trees around the stockade compound. Tagwa started taking leaves from Sagala’s mouth to feed on them, after which the three joined their friends who were leaving the stockade compound for the Park.
The morning browsing session was peaceful and lasted until it was time for the orphans to visit the baobab tree waterhole where the milk dependent orphans drank their milk and the group made their way to the mud bath. There was a lot of fun and games in the water with Suswa staying in the water longer than any of the others, as she was having a lovely time rolling around and playing in the muddy waters. She then rejoined her friends who were leaving the waterhole to being the afternoon browsing session.
This morning Ngilai enjoyed climbing on his best friend Emoli while Sagala stood in front of Emoli, preventing him from moving, so that Ngilai could enjoy his ride. Mashariki utilized her height and stretched her trunk to reach some green branches to browse on before the orphans headed out for the day.
Soon after arriving in the area they were going to browse, Godoma engaged Murit in a sparring session. Godoma was in a very playful mood as when the sparring session was over she sat between some small rocks at the foot of Msinga Hill and enjoyed rolling around in the soil while Murit pursued her to being another pushing game.
After the noon milk feed the orphans made their way to the mud bath where they were joined by Ivia and Cheza the buffaloes, who plunged into the middle of the waterhole to cool down from the hot sun. Ivia lay down in the water and Pika Pika approached him to try and get him to move, which he wouldn’t do. Emoli enjoyed climbing on Godoma’s back while she lay in the water which had Godoma quickly getting to her feet, resulting in Ivia running out of the water not wanting to get stuck in the middle of a sparring session between the two orphan elephants. All the commotion brought a quick end to the wallowing games and the orphans left the waterhole to resume their browsing activities.
It was another wonderful beginning to the day with the orphan elephants coming out of their stockades in a happy and playful mood. They quickly finished their milk bottles and then fed on Lucerne pellets before engaging in a game of hide and seek around the compound. Ndotto and Tundani enjoyed a sparring session away from the rest of the orphan herd. Rorogoi came walking between all the orphans carrying a stick which she wielded around like a whip, signaling that it was time to leave and she led all the orphans out for the day.
The morning browsing session was quiet with the orphans visiting the mud wallow at noon following the milk feed. Godoma seemed to be intent on preventing Ivia from coming into the wallow and kept charging at Ivia from the edge of the mud bath. Godoma then lay at the water’s edge to play, thus ensuring that she could quickly prevent any attempt made by Ivia to enter the water. Godoma then went and stood behind Emoli as she waited her turn to enjoy a scratching session against a tree trunk, while Mashariki went and got Suswa out of the water with the two then joining Emoli and Godoma for a scratching session. The afternoons browsing activities took place on the southern side of the waterhole.
It was a perfect beginning to the day with the orphan elephants exiting their stockades full of energy as they made their way to the milk feeding area and downed their morning milk bottles before settling to enjoy the supplement foods that had been put out for them by the Keepers.
The orphans left the stockade compound under Tagwa and Sagala’s leadership. The morning browsing session went well with Arruba feeling the loss of her adopted baby Pika Pika who was spending the morning browsing next to Kenia, who has taken the youngster under her wing.
The orphans browsed their way to the baobab tree waterhole where they had their noon milk feed followed by a drink of water. Emoli surprised everyone by lying in the middle of the water trough while they were busy drinking. The orphans then enjoyed a mud bath with Emoli being the last to leave the water as he was enjoying relaxing and playing in the water. Sagala enjoyed a scratching session against the baobab tree while Ndii and Tahri enjoyed playing in a small hole for a while before joining their friends for the afternoon browsing activities.
It was a perfect morning for the orphans who enjoyed playing around the stockade compound following the milk and supplement feeding. Emoli invited Godoma for a sparring session with Emoli leaning on Godoma’s hind legs while they played. Araba seemed to be jealous of the fun they were having and came and interrupted the two, and tried to take Godoma away from Emoli. Godoma lay down to prevent Araba from getting between them, while also allowing Emoli to ride on her back.
The orphan herd made their way to the southern foot of Msinga Hill where they settled to browse. Emoli was soon engaged in a sparring session with his best friend Ngilai who had missed playing with Emoli during the mornings stockade games. The orphans made their way to the baobab tree waterhole for the noon milk feed and it started to drizzle when they arrived. They all drank water from the water trough but did not have a mud bath today because of the rain. Godoma was the only orphan to have a partial mud bath in a rain puddle close to the main waterhole.
This morning, as with every morning, the milk and Lucerne pellet feeding was the orphans’ priority, after which they engaged in the usual stockade games with Kenia and Ndii taking centre stage and playing inspectors as they went around watching and checking all the games that the others were playing.
Once out in the Park, Emoli and Lasayen sought shelter from the sun under a small tree where the two became engaged in a sparring session. Ngilai saw them playing and went over to intervene, taking his friend Emoli away and leaving Lasayen on his own.
At noon the orphans had their milk feed after which they joined up with a big wild elephant herd and enjoyed spending some time browsing and interacting with their wild friends. The afternoon browsing session took place at the eastern side of the waterhole.
It was a beautiful beginning to the day with the birds singing in the trees as the orphans exited their stockades and ran to the milk feeding area where they downed their morning milk bottles. The orphans then enjoyed playing around the stockade compound before heading out for the day. Tawi, the ex-orphan male eland, who has not been seen for the last three months, arrived at the stockade compound for a visit. He is looking wonderfully healthy and we were thrilled to see that he had not fallen prey to any of the lions that have been seen in the area. Ivia, the orphan male buffalo, was extremely excited to see Tawi and wanted to engage him in a sparring session. The Keepers had to intervene as Tawi has long sharp horns which can cause serious injury to any of the other orphans as Tawi can at times be unpredictable and even in a play fight could unintentionally injure whoever he is playing with.
The orphans browsed their way to the baobab tree waterhole where they had their noon milk bottles before heading to the water trough and mud bath. Murit was the only one to enter the water as his friends stood watching from the sidelines. The orphan elephants, buffalo and zebra then left the waterhole to resume their browsing activities as several wild elephant herds arrived at the water hole for a drink and a wallow.
The morning began as usual with the orphan elephants exiting their stockades in a happy mood ready to begin their day. After the milk and supplement feeding the orphans teamed up in groups to either play at the soil piles or enjoy a game of hide and seek while charging around chasing baboons away from the stockade compound. Godoma lay atop one of the soil piles and invited Emoli and Araba to come and play with her. Since the arrival of Kenia’s herd, Ngilai has had to adjust how he plays with Emoli, worried about Kenia and Ndii’s reaction should they think he is being too rough.
The orphan herd made their way out for the day and spent the morning browsing as they moved towards the waterhole, arriving there in time for their noon milk feed, after which they walked down to the baobab tree waterhole where the orphans all enjoyed wallowing in the mud bath. Suswa, Mudanda and Ndoria then enjoyed a dust bath at the soil piles while Diria the zebra lay in the middle and rolled around enjoying a private dusting session.
As the orphan herd was leaving the waterhole to return to their browsing activities, a few herds of wild elephants arrived for a drink of water from the water trough. The orphan herd did not interact with their wild friends as they were already on their way out and did not want to lose any browsing time due to it being very dry in Tsavo and wanting to concentrate on feeding this afternoon.
Pika Pika and Emoli came running out of their stockades rumbling loudly this morning as they competed over who would be the first to get to the Keepers who were ready and waiting with the morning milk bottles. The two downed the contents of their bottles in a matter of seconds before joining their friends at the Lucerne pellet feeding area. Ndoria was quite naughty this morning and began fighting with Suswa over the pellets, and the Keepers intervened to maintain calm. Ngilai was happy to engage Emoli in a sparring session this morning while Lasayen tried to take on Sagala who had no interest in playing and instead went off to browse on the acacia trees.
The orphan herd left the stockade compound under Tagwa and Sagala’s leadership to spend the day out in the Park. After the noon milk feed the orphans had a lot of fun playing in the mud bath with Emoli enjoying sparring with Godoma who sat down to play, allowing Emoli to ride on her back. Tagwa felt that Emoli was misbehaving and quickly came to Godoma’s assistance to get Emoli off of Godoma so that she could enjoy a mud bath in peace.
By 6am in the morning, the sun had risen and was shining brightly as the orphans exited their stockades in a happy and jovial mood. The milk dependent orphans downed their morning milk bottle before joining their older friends at the Lucerne pellet feeding trough. They all then enjoyed playing around the stockade compound as they socialized with one another and enjoyed dust bathing on the piles of soil.
The orphan herd headed out for the day once the stockade games were over and enjoyed a peaceful morning browsing before making their way to the baobab tree water hole for the noon milk feed and mud bath. At the wallow Kenia was keeping a close eye on Araba to ensure that she had a peaceful time, while Suswa and Rorogoi enjoyed playing rolling games on the loose soil. In the middle of the orphans bathing games some wild elephants arrived at the waterhole to quench their thirst. The orphans made sure to give the wild elephants due respect and exited the water to allow them to wallow and drink in peace, so they left the waterhole to begin the afternoon browsing session.
It was fun and games around the stockade compound this morning following the milk and supplement feeding. Emoli went and played in the loose soil and engaged Pika Pika in a sparring match. Ngilai, upon seeing that his best friend Emoli was already taken, decided to take on Tagwa for a sparring game and the two enjoyed playing until Tagwa felt the need to get away from Ngilai who was trying to climb on her back.
Mbegu, Emoli and Pika Pika enjoyed lying and relaxing on the soil piles until Suswa decided to come and get them up so that they could all start getting ready to head out for the day. Mashariki took this opportunity to have the soil pile to herself and went and lay in the middle of it, while Tamiyoi was busy scratching against the orphans favourite rock in the stockade compound.
On the way out to the Park for the morning browsing session, Rorogoi stopped to enjoy a scratching session against a big rock boulder. At noon the orphans downed their milk bottles before heading to the waterhole where Godoma and Emoli were the stars, showcasing their wallowing games, while all the orphans enjoyed a mud bath.
The morning began with the milk dependent orphans downing their morning milk bottles before joining their older friends for the supplement feeding, after which they all became engaged in socializing games around the stockade compound. Ndotto engaged Mbegu in a sparring game and once that was over the orphan herd headed out to the Park for the day.
Godoma stopped along the western foot of Msinga Hill for a scratching session against a big rock. The orphans browsed in single file, arriving at the baobab tree water hole for their milk bottles and a mud bath, where they were joined by a wild group. Godoma teamed up with Sagala and Emoli and the three enjoyed playing in the water together while Tamiyoi rolled around at the edge of the waterhole. Rorogoi had fun charging in and out of the water and her games caught the attention of a wild elephant that came to play with her. Rorogoi’s interaction with her wild friend came to an end when she had to exit the water to join the rest of the orphan herd who were leaving the waterhole to resume the days browsing activities.