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The orphans guzzled down their milk bottles on this beautiful morning before coming out to have their lucerne breakfast. Some ex-orphans arrived to share lucerne with them too. Sunyei and her baby Saba were present, and Saba was running around with the orphans trying to play pushing games. Eventually the two-year-old settled to play with Suguroi, before following her mother back out to the bush. Kinna’s herd then arrived; they came running in for water and were clearly very thirsty, before settling to have some lucerne as well. The dependent orphans decided it was time to browse and walked out to the bush in the direction Sunyei had taken.

All the orphans quietly concentrated on browsing this morning, with even the bulls in the herd taking a break from their wrestling matches to concentrate on feeding. We kept watching Bondeni and Esoit to see if they would give into their usual wrestling match, but the two young bulls looked very intent on filling their tummies.

While at the mud bath most of the orphans decided to wallow after having their milk bottles. Lodo and Esoit managed to get themselves into a bit of trouble when they decided to walk through the area where the mud was thick and deep. They got stuck but after struggling for a bit they managed to free themselves. Jotto, Dololo, Ambo and Kuishi thoughtfully came back to rescue their two friends, but by the time they reached them, they were already free. They all walked together to join their friends who were showering themselves with loose soil. Some wild bulls arrived and drank water from the trough.

In the afternoon the orphans looked very busy browsing and didn’t really play many games. They browsed right up until it was time to return home.

It was an interesting morning for the dependent orphans, as a huge herd of wild elephants and ex-orphans joined them at the stockade compound. Most of the ex-orphans with babies were present, which was a wonderful sight. This included Kinna with Kama and Kaia; Wendi with Wiva, Wema, and Wimbi; Yatta with Yoyo and Yogi, Galana with Gawa; Sunyei with Siku and Saba; Naserian with Njema; Lualeni with Lulu and Lexi; Loijuk with Lili; Lenana with Lapa; and finally Nasalot with Nusu and Noah. All the orphans, wild and dependent, interacted nicely together. The wild babies especially enjoy sizing up their age-mates in the dependent herd.

Out in the bush Bondeni started his usual playfight with Esoit while the rest of the orphans concentrated on browsing. Kinyei and Kindani slowly started to face in the direction of the mud bath and this alerted the rest of the herd that it was time for their noon milk feed. Led by Kinyei and Kindani they all slowly made their way to the mud bath.

One wild bull arrived to have some water while the orphans had their milk feed and a short dust bath. He cut a lonely figure next to all the orphans! Larro started to walk slowly back out to the bush to continue feeding and the rest of the herd followed soon after. Mukkoka was the last one to leave the mud bath area as he was enjoying a dust bath.

It was a hot and dry afternoon and the orphans concentrated on browsing. At one stage they bumped into some of the ex-orphans as well, who were with some wild elephants. Eventually, the ex-orphans moved on and the dependent orphans slowly started to make their way back to the stockades for the night, led by Kuishi and Larro.

Once again, the stockade compound was full of elephants. The dependent babies had their milk bottles and joined the ex-orphans and wild elephants waiting outside. The water bowser arrived and it didn’t even have a chance to park properly before the elephants surrounded it, as they knew that it was bringing fresh water to the troughs. The dependent orphans and ex-orphans interacted for a while in the lucerne feeding area until the dependent orphans decided it was time to head out for the day. It was fun to watch the three wild-born babies Mambo, Nyx and Wimbi playing with some of the orphans like Roho, Bondeni and Olorien, while their mothers Mutara, Melia and Wendi were busy feeding on lucerne.

Kinyei was observed being very affectionate to Lodo while browsing. Esoit and Kuishi browsed together as well. Kuishi is always taking good care of Esoit and we think that’s because of his slightly lame leg. 

As soon as they arrived at the mud bath, after having their milk feed, the orphans walked straight up to some wild bulls who were having water at the trough. The bulls were very patient and happy to share water with the youngsters. When they were done they walked out to the bush to continue browsing, leaving behind Bondeni with the big boys. Bondeni has always been on the small side and he looked even smaller now next to the huge wild bulls! What he lacks in size he makes up for in courage however, and he was quite content to stay drinking alone next to the wild bulls until he had his fill, evidently not in a hurry at all. When he was done, he slowly walked to catch up with his friends.

Some of the orphans took time to relax in the shade of some trees this afternoon as it was very hot. When they arrived back at the stockade compound this afternoon they found only a few wild bulls and no ex-orphans. We haven’t seen Ngasha recently but we are still searching around to see if we can see him.

It was a cloudy morning today, but as usual, we had a few ex-orphans and wild elephants at the stockade compound. The orphans did manage to enjoy their lucerne peacefully however without any interference from the older elephants, as there were only a few ex-orphans around.

It is very dry at the moment so the orphans concentrated on looking for food. Kuishi has been looking after little Esoit since he arrived from the Nursery and although he is very capable, she likes looking after him more than any of the other babies. She's always with him out in the bush and likes browsing with him. Slowly the orphans started to walk in the direction of the mud bath as they knew it was time for their midday feed.

There were some huge wild bulls who had come for fresh water but they were very friendly and happily shared water with the orphans without disturbing them. Esoit, Bondeni, Naboishu and Lodo all looked up to these huge bulls that they were not used to seeing at the Nairobi Nursery! None of the orphans could be bothered to wallow today as it wasn’t too hot, so when they were done drinking they slowly drifted off into the bush to continue browsing while the Keepers had their lunch.

Everyone was quite active this afternoon, perhaps as a result of the cooler weather. A number of orphans chose to play; Ambo and Naboishu were busy engaged in a wrestling match and Esoit and Bondeni took the opportunity to have their second pushing game today. Olorien was rolling around on the ground and the Keepers thought she resembled a little frog while she did her exercises! Later the orphans started walking back home for their evening milk bottles and to safely go to sleep for the night.

Kinna, Nasalot, Lualeni and Sunyei’s families joined the orphans for lucerne in the morning. After having their fill and playing with their wild friends for a while, Roho, Sagateisa and Kindani led the way out to the bush. On the way, the three orphans in the lead got distracted by some loose soil that they used to have a soil dusting exercise.

Out in the bush, Esoit engaged Bondeni in their usual strength testing exercise. When the going got tough, Bondeni surrendered and went off with his oldest friends Kinyei and Kindani. Larro settled to play with Lodo while Olorien played with Suguroi. Slightly later the orphans were joined by Tusuja, Sapalan, and Enkikwe, who are now living wild. Jotto teamed up with Kuishi and Esoit to browse. Later, Roho and Naboishu had a disagreement over a branch they came across at the same time. This resulted in a fight that went on for quite some time, and while the two were battling it out, opportunistic Lodo passed by and picked up the tasty branch for himself! By fighting, Roho and Naboishu ended up losing the prize, and they felt a little foolish when they realised.

Ambo led the first group for the midday milk feed, followed by Musiara. It was very hot and as soon as the orphans had their milk, Sagateisa led the herd for a mud wallow. After splashing about and enjoying larking around in the water, Naleku led everyone out again. Sagateisa remained in the water the longest, and later joined a few wild bulls heading to drink water at the mud bath water trough. She is such an independent young girl.

The orphans dried off on the loose soil before being led back out to browse by Dololo. The afternoon was quiet as the orphans browsed calmly for the rest of the day.

Orwa, Bomani, Olsekki, Sana Sana, Malkia and Enkikwe spent the night just outside the stockade compound and joined the orphans in the morning for lucerne. Kenze, Kalama, Chyulu, Cheka, Melia and Milo showed up a bit later. A wild bull arrived and we were surprised to see that he only had a quarter of his tail. He was a new bull to us, and he walked up to where the orphans were enjoying their lucerne to learn more and see what was going on. He didn't taste the lucerne but left after a few minutes after he had completed his investigation.

Milo ran into trouble with Naboishu when he bumped him from behind. Naboishu turned and pushed Milo as punishment for disrespecting him. Milo ran to report Naboishu to his mother, but Melia didn't react as she understood that her son can be a rascal sometimes! Kinyei, Bondeni and Kidani walked away off to the side from where their friends were enjoying eating, and started a game of rolling on the ground.

Later in the morning, Bondeni came across a rock that he used to scratch his belly on. When he was done he spotted Esoit who he decided to tackle. Esoit was ready for him though, and the two boys had a pushing game that lasted for quite some time, before Esoit’s guardian Kuishi intervened and separated them.

At mud bath time it was very hot, but only Roho, Sagateisa, Naboishu, Naleku, Lodo, Suguroi and Mukkoka decided to fully wallow in the water. The rest just waded through the shallow end. After having some fresh water and playing for a bit in the red soil, Kinyei, Kindani and Bondeni led the way back out to browse. The heat continued into the afternoon and at one stage the orphans had to take a break from feeding to relax under a tree until it was cooler. In the evening, Olorien led the first group back to the stockades, while Kindani led the second one.

Sapalan and Enkikwe spent the night just outside the stockades and joined the orphans to feed on lucerne. Later, Orwa, Kibo, Kanjoro, Mutara’s herd and Mambo, Barsilinga and three wild bulls arrived. Kinyei and Larro walked down and joined two wild bulls briefly to have some water. When the orphans had enough lucerne, Kindani led the way out to the bush. Kuishi lagged behind to spend time with Mutara’s herd, before leaving to run and catch up with her friends. When she caught up she found Esoit waiting for her. Perhaps poor Esoit thought that Kuishi had abandoned him to join the ex-orphans. It doesn’t seem like Kuishi is going anywhere anytime soon though as she is far too besotted with Esoit!

Olorien teamed up with Lodo to browse while Roho engaged Naboishu in a strength testing exercise. Sagateisa came across a bent tree that she used to scratch her belly. At mud bath time, Suguroi led the first group for their milk feed and Kindani led the second one. It was a hot day and all the orphans decided to wallow in the mud bath after having their milk. When they came out they went to dry off on the loose soil and had fun rolling about there and throwing soil in the air with their trunks.

In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. It was still very hot and the orphans took a break from feeding to relax under some trees until it became cooler. Eventually they continued browsing without any major distractions, as they wanted to fill their tummies before heading home. In the evening, Orok, Tomboi and Kasigau were among the wild bulls that came for water.

Yatta, Yogi, Yoyo, Enkikwe, Mutara, Mambo, Kainuk, Chaimu, Suguta, Turkwel, Ithumbah, Iman and Queen's family joined the orphans for lucerne in the morning. The wild babies were very busy being social with the dependent orphans. Naleku had a brief chat with one of the babies in the wild elephant Queen’s family. Yoyo had a disagreement with Kuishi that resulted in a fight. It has been a while since we have seen Yatta’s oldest daughter Yetu. We presume that she is with Mwende, who is a similar age to her. The last time Mwende was around she was pregnant, so perhaps Yetu is with her. Since she is in the company of her mother as well, our ex-orphan Mulika, we are sure all is well. After feeding on lucerne, Kindani led the orphans out to the bush.

Dololo decided to remain behind with Mutara’s herd. He used to be the absolute favourite with this herd, before Mutara had her baby Mambo, and they always used to try and kidnap him to spend time with him! Suguta was always particularly fond of Dololo, and she patted him in an affectionate way, but the truth is they had to devote all their time to being excellent nannies to Mambo. Perhaps she was hoping Dololo might join them so they could have two little boys to look after! Kanjoro, who used to be with Mutara’s herd as well and the only bull in the group, left them some time back to spend more time with wild bulls, as they do. When he was ready, Dololo left Mutara’s herd near the compound to find his friends.

The orphans had a quiet morning as they concentrated on browsing up to around eleven o'clock when it was time for the midday milk feed. The orphans had their milk then participated in wallowing before winding up the mud bath activities with a soil dusting session. In the afternoon, the orphans were joined briefly by Kinna, Kaia, Kama, Nasalot, Noah, Yatta, Yogi, Yoyo, Loijuk and Lili. The two groups parted ways later. In the evening, on the way back to the stockade, the orphans passed by the small roadside mud bath where they cooled off before heading home.

Kauro and Rapa were outside the stockade compound when the dependent orphans came out this morning. Six wild bulls were busy drinking water. The two boys joined the orphans for lucerne. Loijuk, Lili, Wanjala, Kauro, Ndiwa, Neshashi, Malkia, Chyulu, Cheka, Tumaren and Ndiwa joined later. After the orphans had enough lucerne, Mukkoka led the herd away to begin their day out in the bush.

Rapa and Kauro decided to follow the orphans. Rapa had a brief strength testing exercise with Lodo before leaving with Kauro. Suguroi rolled on the ground quite content in her own company, while Bondeni played with Naboishu. Olorien and Sagateisa settled for a soil dusting game while Larro teamed up with Kuishi to browse. The rest of the morning was quiet.

At eleven o'clock in morning Kindani led the first group for their noon milk feed while Naleku led the second group. Ndiwa escorted the last group to the mud bath. The weather was chilly and none of the orphans felt like wallowing. They had some water and a short soil dusting session before going back to browsing to the west of Ithumba Hill. Kindani teamed up with Suguroi in browsing as Esoit engaged Bondeni in a pushing game. It was very late in the day for them to have their wrestling match, which they normally do first thing in the morning! It was Lodo who led the first group back to the stockades in the evening and everyone was happy to follow him.

Melia and Milo were outside when the orphans came out this morning. The Keepers put out some lucerne pellets and shortly later Zurura with two wild bulls arrived too. The little rascal Milo tried to engage Sagateisa in a pushing game but Sagateisa wasn’t interested, and continued feeding on pellets as Milo continued to push her from behind. Naleku passed by and Milo changed his mind and turned to play with Naleku, as he wasn’t getting very far with Sagateisa. Naleku was ready for Milo's games and played with the little bull for some time, until Milo grew tired and went to nurse from his mother. When the pellets were finished Kindani led her friends out for the day.

Esoit teamed up with his favourite Kuishi as all the orphans browsed quietly throughout the morning.

Later in the morning at the mud bath, the orphans were joined by Mutara’s herd, Kinna, Kaia, Kama, Yatta, Yoyo, Yogi, Challa, Olare, Lenana, Lapa, Malima, Oltaiyoni, Enkikwe, Sapalan, Siangiki, Namalok, Olsekki, Barsilinga, Neshashi and Ndiwa. The orphans had their milk then walked to have a mud bath. It was quite sweet to watch Kama saunter over and join the dependent orphans while they were swimming. Roho had a strength testing with Naboishu while still in the water and they had a lot of fun sparring. Later, Kama pushed Roho aside so that she could challenge Naboishu too. Their game ended in a draw. Meanwhile Olorien had some kind of disagreement with Lapa that resulted in a fight. Suguroi, who was passing by, assisted Olorien in fighting Lapa. Lapa couldn't withstand the strength of two girls and so surrendered and walked away.

In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill where they were joined by Mutara’s herd again. An hour later, Mutara’s group walked off, but in doing so they kidnapped Naleku, Sagateisa, Suguroi, Roho, Olorien, Naboishu and Dololo at the same time! It took the Keepers three hours to locate the kidnapped babies and led by Naleku, the orphans were frog-marched back to the safety of the stockades for the night.

Kithaka, Barsilinga and Olsekki, who arrived late at night and slept outside the compound, probably due to fear of the lions in the area at the moment, joined the dependent babies for their lucerne breakfast. Shortly later more ex-orphans reported. Zurura and Buchuma were among them.

Larro led the way out to the bush and the orphans settled to browse north of the stockades. They all scattered out, each trying to find enough browse to eat.

At mud bath time the orphans were joined by Vuria, Yatta, Yogi, Yoyo, Nasalot, Noah, Chyulu, Cheka, Loijuk, Lili, Kinna, Kama, Kaia, Narok, Mundusi, Nabulu, Mteto, Malima, Oltaiyoni, Teleki, Barsilinga, Karisa, Namalok, Makena, Kitirua, Maramoja, Sana Sana, Malkia and several wild bulls. After having their milk, the dependent orphans joined some of the ex-orphans already mud bathing. Kinyei, Narok, Kama and Kitirua were the last ones out of the water. While his friends started to walk out to the bush, Ambo refused to join them, and instead insisted on staying with the group of ex-orphans. It was only later in the evening that he was escorted back to the stockades by his wild-living friends. Meanwhile, the rest of the herd spent their afternoon west of the hill. It was very hot and for a while they had to browse in the shade until it was cooler and they could come out into the open again. Roho browsed with Kuishi, as Esoit and Bondeni engaged in their usual wrestling match!

The orphans settled for lucerne in the morning soon after leaving their stockades. Ex-orphans Chyulu, Cheka, Rapsu, Kinna, Kama, Kaia, Sunyei, Siku, Saba, Yatta, Yogi and Yoyo arrived to join the orphans. They all fed peacefully together and an hour later, the dependent herd withdrew from the ex-orphans and headed east to begin their day of browsing.

Bondeni and Esoit started their day in the usual way — with their perfunctory warm-up exercise and sparring match. Kuishi passed by and decided to collect her favourite little friend Esoit, which brought an end to the two bulls’ pushing games! Musiara came across a nice tree that he used to scratch an itchy ear. The orphans generally had a quiet morning and browsed calmly as they slowly made their way to the mud bath for their next milk feed.

It was becoming a very hot day and eventually Suguroi led the first group to the mud bath. All the orphans quickly finished their milk bottles so they could jump into the cool water. When they were done, Sagateisa was the first one in and the rest of her friends soon followed. They had such fun splashing and rolling about. Only Bondeni, Jotto and Ambo decided not to get into the mud bath. After the orphans had enough of wallowing, Kindani led her friends for a soil dusting exercise. While the rest of his friends started to make their way away from the mud bath, Ambo lagged behind with the wild bulls beside the water trough. After interacting with them politely for a bit, he rejoined his friends.

The heat continued into the afternoon and the orphans decided to take a break from browsing to relax under some trees.

It was a clear morning and we knew it was going to be another hot day ahead. Kaia was sleeping just outside the compound, with her mother Kinna and older sister Kama watching over her. As soon as Kaia heard the orphans coming out she woke up and joined them to wait for lucerne from the Keepers. Sagateisa led everyone out to the bush today, when they were ready. Larro and Kuishi escorted their friend Esoit. As they walked along, Kuishi pushed Larro aside; she wanted to have Esoit all to herself!

The orphans settled to browse north of the stockade compound. Olorien, Roho, Sattao and Kindani came across some loose soil which they had fun playing with and throwing on their bodies. Bondeni had his usual pushing game with Esoit, as Jotto settled to browse with Mukkoka. Later, Kindani came across a small anthill and had fun rolling and sliding against it. Naleku concentrated on peeling bark from some trees using her small tusks.

Soon after finishing their noon milk feed the orphans decided to get into the mud bath to cool down. A wild bull, who appeared a bit aggressive, joined the orphans while they were wallowing, but the orphans were a bit uncomfortable with that. Suguroi led the herd out of the water and away from the wild bull, to keep the Keepers safe as well. Esoit headed for a soil dusting exercise but unfortunately he decided to lie down on the wrong side, the right side with the stiff leg. Kuishi and Larro realised the mistake Esoit had made and stood by his side. Kuishi tried to help him up but she couldn't manage. After struggling to get up for a bit, Esoit managed to turn himself to a sitting position and from there it was easy for him to get up. Once he was up on his feet, Kuishi led him away, and looked as though she was talking to him about how to be more careful when playing around! Kilaguni, Challa and Buchuma graced the mud bath session and later Kilaguni escorted the dependent orphans back out to browse.

Musiara chose to feed with Ambo for most of the afternoon. In the evening the orphans returned safely back to the stockade for the night.

The ex-orphans reported in large numbers this morning to join the orphans for lucerne. Lili played with Sagateisa. Lodo held a brief meeting with Kinyei. The competition for lucerne was high and rather than get in the way, the dependent orphans decided to leave and head out to the bush. They chose to go north east of Ithumba Hill. Kinyei teamed up with Esoit to browse while Olorien and Bondeni had their own game of rolling on the ground. Kuishi teamed up with Larro while Mukkoka competed with Naboishu over who could reach the high leaves from a tree. Esoit left Kinyei and went looking for his playmate Bondeni. The two boys had a strength testing exercise that lasted for quite some time. Bondeni eventually gave up and went to join Kinyei to browse instead. Naleku and Larro found suitable trees that they used to scratch their necks against. Later, Kinyei and Bondeni shared the trunk of a tree to scratch the side of their tummies.

At mud bath time, a wild bull accompanying baby Milo and Melia tried to charge at the milk bottles that had been neatly arranged on the ground in preparation for the arrival of the babies. Pare arrived in the company of several wild bulls for a while and enjoyed a mud bath, then walked away. It is wonderful to see the seven year old so settled in the wild at Ithumba and in the company of wild bulls. Meanwhile the dependent orphans had their milk then headed for a swim in the mud bath.

In the afternoon, while browsing to the west of Ithumba Hill, Naleku, Suguroi and Jotto came across some loose soil that they played with, throwing it up in the air and on their bodies too. Naboishu and Lodo took a break from feeding to scratch against some trees. In the evening, Olorien led the way back to the stockades. Motomo came for some water in the company of wild friends. 

Several ex-orphans joined the orphans to feed on lucerne this morning. Kuishi, Olorien and Esoit tried to pull a string off a bale of lucerne, but they couldn't manage and had to wait for a Keeper to come and cut the strings. Sattao, Musiara, Ambo and Mukkoka walked down to the water trough and joined a wild bull drinking water. The wild bull was friendly and wasn’t hostile to the youngsters. After the orphans had enough of lucerne, Kindani led the way to the browsing field.

Lodo, who is slowly becoming closer and more friendly with Kinyei, settled to browse together with her. Hardly a day passes without Bondeni and Esoit locking trunks at some stage, and today was no different as no sooner had the orphans relaxed into a slow browsing pace, Bondeni and Esoit met and had their usual pushing game. Ambo came across two dik diks in the undergrowth that he decided to chase away. The dik diks saw him coming though and disappeared, leaving Ambo charging at empty thickets. Roho developed an itchy ear and walked to a nearby tree to scratch against the trunk. Later, Naboishu joined Roho to browse.

At eleven o'clock in the morning Larro led the first group to the mud bath for their next milk feed. The orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill in the afternoon as there are quite a few trees in that area with good shade. The sun was bearing down and the orphans decided to take advantage of the shade for a bit until the temperature dropped to a more favourable level. In the evening Naleku led the way back to the stockades.

Eight wild bulls were busy drinking water at the stockade water troughs when the orphans were let out this morning. Two of the wild bulls joined the orphans for lucerne. Several ex-orphans showed up later too. Naleku, Suguroi and Sagateisa walked down to the water trough as they prepared themselves for the day ahead. Lodo led his friends out.

Roho and Naboishu started the day’s activities by engaging one other in a pushing game. Esoit and Bondeni were next in line, performing their daily strength testing match. As the day progressed, the temperature started to skyrocket, encouraging the orphans to seek shelter under some trees with nice shade as they tried to browse and get enough to eat as well.

Because it was such a hot day all the orphans chose to wallow in the mud bath at midday. After wallowing, Kuishi led Esoit and Larro in a different direction from their friends, thinking that the Keepers had not spotted them. The Keepers followed them and brought them back to the group before they disappeared. Suguroi chose to browse with Naleku in the afternoon as Naboishu made a truce with Roho, and teamed up together to browse with him. Musiara led the way back to the stockades when it was time to head home.

Mutara’s herd were outside the stockades when the orphans came out this morning. After lucerne was distributed, Kalama appeared in the company of five wild bulls. It was evident that Kalama was in season. At one stage one of the bulls pursued Kalama and she decided to run away as fast as she could. Enkikwe accidentally got caught up in the melee as there was so much trumpeting and bellowing from the ex-orphans. He was knocked to the ground by the bull as he hurried after Kalama, but he managed to quickly get back to his feet despite his bad leg, wondering what had happened to him! Sagateisa decided this was a good time to leave the compound and head out to the bush, and the rest of the herd followed her. Naleku seemed to get confused and took a different direction from her friends, and the Keepers had to go after her and call her back to join the herd.

Later in the morning, Esoit had a disagreement with Kindani for some reason that escalated into a fight. Kuishi, who was feeding close by, came forward and helped Kindani and Esoit sort out their differences. Ndiwa joined the orphans while they browsed, and managed to convince Ambo, Jotto, Sattao and Kuishi to leave the dependent herd and follow her to feed in a different area. Ndiwa later brought the group she went with to the mud bath area when it was their feeding time. When they arrived, she joined the ex-orphans present at the mud bath and informed Ambo, Kuishi, Sattao and Jotto that they were free to go and rejoin their friends — perhaps she found looking after her own little group a bit tiresome!

It was a hot afternoon and later the orphans decided to go and cool off in the small roadside mud bath, before Olorien led the way back to stockades for the night.