September began with visits from old friends. Our gentle junior ex-orphans, 11-year-old Kauro and 9-year-old Ambo, were amongst several wild bulls drinking water early one morning. As soon as the two boys had enough water, Kauro led Ambo to the lucerne feeding venue where they patiently waited for the dependent herd to be let out of their bedrooms. The orphans joined the boys outside and everyone shared lucerne together.
Kauro and Ambo were amongst several wild bulls drinking water early in the morning. As soon as the two boys had enough water, Kauro led Ambo to the lucerne feeding venue where they patiently waited for the distribution of lucerne. Choka and Mukutan left the stockade with leftover branches in their mouths soon after taking their milk. The orphans joined Kauro and Ambo outside and shared lucerne together.
Kitich and Shujaa had a morning warm-up strength testing exercise that ended when Shujaa surrendered. Weka settled to scratch on a nearby rock as Esoit engaged Mageno in a strength testing exercise. Shortly later, Ambo had a brief meeting with Weka but no one understood what they had talked about.
An hour later, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse at Kone area where Suguroi found a suitable tree stump that she used to scratch her chin. Bondeni teamed up with Vaarti in browsing while Choka and Lodo tested their strength by trying to push down a big tree. Kitich and Esoit took a break from feeding to engage in a strength testing exercise. Kinyei found a nice rock that she used to scratch her buttocks.
At eleven o'clock in the morning, Shujaa led the first group to the midday bottle feeds. The sun was hot. The orphans jumped into the water for a cooling off exercise soon after getting their milk. Only Mukutan didn’t get into the water, as he kept himself busy charging and chasing away guinea fowls that were present at the mud bath. Naleku was the last one to quit wallowing. Instead of following her colleagues, she disappeared into the thickets heading north. She later returned after realising that no one was interested in her theatrics.
The orphans settled for water and later attended a soil dusting exercise before returning to the browsing field. Shujaa and Esoit had a game of sitting and scratching and thereafter settled for browsing.
In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockade.
Twelve wild bulls were drinking water at the stockade water trough in the morning when the orphans were let out. Kibo and Kithaka were amongst the wild bulls. Soon after the Keepers distributed the lucerne to the orphans, Kithaka and Kibo came running to share lucerne with them.
A few minutes later, Kinna, Kama, Kaia, Kito, Lenana, Lapa, Laki, Sunyei, Siku, Saba, Subiri, Ukame, Neshashi, Mteto, Sagateisa, Olare, Ola, Galla, and Enkikwe arrived and joined in feeding on lucerne. Shujaa engaged Laki in a light pushing game. Laki left when he saw Mageno and Weka approaching, since he didn’t trust Mageno.
Soon after the orphans had enough of lucerne, Kindani led the way to the browsing field. Lodo and Roho took a break from browsing to participate in a strength testing exercise. Loldaiga, Kitich, and Muwingu concentrated on peeling bark from trees, while Bondeni teamed up with Esroit, Kindani, and Olorien in feeding.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, the sun was really hot and soon after getting their milk, the orphans jumped into the water for a cooling-off exercise. A wild bull joined the orphans but stood at the edge of the mud bath, splashing water behind his ears. When the orphans had enough of wallowing, Mukutan led the way out to the soil dusting exercise.
Mayan then led the way back to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill and concentrated more on feeding without any major observation.
Seventeen wild elephants were present in the morning as the orphans were let out to start their day. Kasigau and Rapsu were amongst the wild elephants representing the ex-orphans. The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockades. Kasigau, Rapsu, and Queen’s family joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne.
Muwingu and Kitich ganged up against one of the older calves belonging to Queen’s family. Unable to handle Muwingu and Kitich, the calf ran to seek protection from its family. Suguroi had a game of sitting and rolling on the ground, but when she saw that no one was joining her, she gave up and resumed feeding on lucerne. Shortly after, Mutara’s group arrived and joined in the lucerne feeding. Suguroi then ran off to spend some time with Sunni.
Roho engaged Naboishu in a strength-testing exercise that ended when Naboishu turned and climbed on him. Mukutan had a brief meeting with Esoit and later engaged him in a strength-testing game.
The orphans settled to browse at Kone area. Roho took a break from browsing to engage Vaarti in a pushing game. Suguroi and Kinyei concentrated on debarking trees, while Weka teamed up with Shujaa, Mageno, and Kitich to browse.
At eleven o’clock, Olorien led the first group to the midday bottle feeds. Twenty-one wild bulls watched from a distance as the orphans enjoyed wallowing. The wild bulls then came for their mud bath once the orphans had left for drinking water. After drinking, the orphans enjoyed a soil-dusting exercise before Loldaiga led them back to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Kitich and Esoit had a brief strength-testing exercise that ended when Lodo passed by and pushed the two boys away. Mayan and Mukutan had a misunderstanding that they sorted out through a pushing game.
In the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockades.
Wendi, Wiva, Wema, and Wimbi arrived at the stockade compound shortly before the orphans were let out in the morning. Ten wild bulls were drinking water at the stockade troughs. Amongst them was Customer Number One for lucerne, a wild bull who is known for always lining up for lucerne with the orphans and never being hostile to the juniors.
When the orphans were let out, they were joined by Customer Number One, Wendi, Wiva, Wema, and Wimbi. Shortly later, Kitich walked down and joined the wild bulls in drinking water. Mutara and her team also arrived and joined in feeding on lucerne.
Once the orphans had enough lucerne, Suguroi led the way to the browsing field. On the way, Bondeni engaged Roho in a pushing game, which ended when Bondeni surrendered. Choka settled to play with Esoit while Mukutan played with Loldaiga. The orphans then settled to browse at Kone area.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Kindani led the way to the noon milk feed. The temperatures were moderate, but the orphans still participated in wallowing. Shortly after, the orphans started trumpeting as they made their way towards the water trough. Naleku did not stop at the trough, but instead ran past it heading south.
Earlier, before mud bath time, Kinna, Kama, Kaia, Kito, Sunyei, Siku, Saba, and Subiri had passed the mud bath heading south. The Keepers tried to call Naleku back, but she refused to return, determined to catch up with those two families.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area. In the evening, Naleku came back to the stockade in the company of Kinna’s and Sunyei’s families. She waited outside until her colleagues returned from browsing and then joined them in entering the stockade for the night.
The orphans settled for lucerne immediately after leaving the stockade. Sidai, Sita, Silas, Sid, Mapia, Lenana, Lapa, Laki, Namalok, Chyulu, Cheka, Charli, and Pare joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. Lapa engaged Vaarti in a pushing game but surrendered when the going got tough for him. He then moved to test his strength with Roho, but again he lost.
Suguroi assigned herself the role of taking care of Laki. An hour later, Naleku led the orphans to the browsing field. Sid tried to follow the orphans but was blocked by his brothers Sita and Silas. Mukutan lagged behind drinking water with Mapia but later ran to catch up with his colleagues.
The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Mayan and Esoit had a brief strength-testing exercise before settling into browsing. Vaarti had a brief meeting with Bondeni, while Kitich tackled Loldaiga. Kitich lost to Loldaiga and moved on to play with Mukutan. Mageno challenged Roho, but his strength could not match Roho’s and so he surrendered. Suguroi wound up the morning activities by engaging Lodo in a pushing game, which Suguroi won. The orphans then browsed calmly as they slowly headed towards the mud bath.
Mayan, Mageno, and Esoit settled to enjoy the delicacies of tree bark. At eleven o’clock in the morning, Kindani led the first group to the mud bath while Kinyei led the second one. After getting their milk, the orphans jumped into the water for a cooling-off exercise. Kitich boycotted the wallowing and instead walked over to meet a junior wild bull standing at the edge of the mud bath. After a brief interaction, Kitich left and headed to the water trough to drink.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. Olorien took a break from browsing to participate in a soil-dusting exercise, while Shujaa, Weka, and Muwingu relaxed under a tree to hide from the scorching sun.
In the evening, Choka led the way back to the stockade. Dad appeared in the company of twenty wild bulls. After drinking enough water, Dad left with his colleagues to an undisclosed location.
Zurura, Melia, Milo, Naisula, Nyx, Kalama, Kapuki, Pare, Mapia, Rapa, Naseku, Olsekki, and Sapalan were at the stockade compound early before the orphans were let out. Fifteen wild bulls were enjoying drinking water at the stockade water troughs.
Soon after the orphans had their milk, Mukutan led the way out and together with his colleagues joined the ex-orphans outside. Lucerne was distributed and all shared. Loldaiga fought with Milo over a pile of lucerne, but Loldaiga won the fight after Milo decided to run to his mother. Muwingu walked down to the water trough and joined the bulls in drinking water.
Shortly later, a wild mother with a three-day-old baby arrived. Naleku ran down to meet and welcome the new baby. Choka challenged Nyx, but Nyx was not up to the challenge and so ran away. Suguroi assigned herself the role of taking care of Kapuki as Mukutan, Loldaiga, and Muwingu joined Naleku in familiarising with the new wild-born baby. Esoit engaged Roho in a pushing game that ended when Roho emerged as the winner.
Mageno led the way to the browsing field. At the browsing field, Weka teamed up with Kitich, Muwingu, and Shujaa. Roho settled to browse with Suguroi as Mayan browsed with Vaarti. At eleven o’clock in the morning, Kindani led the way to the noon bottle feeds.
The sun was hot, and the orphans participated fully in the wallowing exercise soon after getting their milk. After wallowing, Kindani tried to block Esoit from getting out of the mud. The Keepers intervened by telling off Kindani. Naleku, who has become a dramatist, disappeared into the thickets heading north. She later returned when no one followed her.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku area, where Lodo engaged Roho in a strength-testing exercise. In the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockade.
Eight wild bulls were enjoying drinking water outside when the orphans were let out. Bondeni, the slow drinker, left with his bottle and headed towards the lucerne feeding venue. Shujaa, Muwingu, and Choka surrounded him with their trunks raised, trying to beg for a little bit of milk. Bondeni finished his bottle and, as usual, threw it away. The Keepers quickly collected it before Muwingu could take it.
Lualeni, Lexi, Lulu, Luki, and a wild boy joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. Lodo had a fight with Roho when he accidentally stepped on some lucerne Roho was trying to pick. Roho got upset, grabbed Lodo’s tail, and pulled it. Lodo turned to defend himself, and the two boys locked in a fight. Choka settled to scratch on a nearby rock as the tussle continued. The Keepers intervened by shouting at the two boys. Roho quit the fight and instead tried to pour his anger onto Lulu.
Lualeni quickly turned and pointed her trunk at Roho, warning him to stop troubling her daughter. Roho wisely heeded the warning before he could face the consequences of his actions.
Vaarti had a brief interaction with his friend Mayan before walking down to the water trough to drink. Shortly after, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. Choka settled to browse with Roho, while Vaarti concentrated on digging roots from certain shrubs. Weka browsed with Mageno, while Kindani settled to browse with Kinyei, Mukutan, and Olorien.
At eleven o’clock, Muwingu led the first group to the mud bath. After getting their milk, the orphans were briefly joined by Dad, who was on his way to an undisclosed location. The orphans then enjoyed a mud bath, followed by water and soil dusting, before heading back to browse.
In the afternoon, they settled west of Ithumba Hill and browsed calmly throughout the rest of the day. In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockade
Sunyei, Siku, Saba, Subiri, Kibo, Chyulu, Cheka, Charli, Sidai, Sita, Silas, Sid, Kauro, Ambo, Loijuk, Lili, Lisha, Nyx and Naisula joined the orphans in the morning for feeding of lucerne. As lucerne was being distributed, Kibo left with a whole bale and went far to enjoy it without being disturbed by anyone. Roho had a misunderstanding with Siku that ended in a pushing game. Naleku kept herself busy by taking care of Sid, while Suguroi went for Subiri.
When the orphans had enough of lucerne, Weka led the way to the browsing field. It was a quiet morning as the orphans concentrated more on browsing without any major observation.
At eleven o'clock in the morning, Muwingu led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. The sun was really hot. As soon as the orphans had taken their milk, Loldaiga led the team into wallowing. The orphans had a prolonged wallowing due to the heat of the day. Esoit was the last one to quit the wallowing exercise.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse north of the mud bath. Weka settled to browse with Kinyei, while Roho teamed up with Mukutan. Kitich settled to browse with Mageno and Shujaa and later in the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockade.
The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. Nearly all the ex-orphan families were present, with the exception of Nasalot’s family that has been away for some time. All groups shared the lucerne calmly, with the wild-born babies engaging the orphans in light pushing games. Muwingu played with Kito while Choka played with Laki. Suguroi took care of Kapuki, while Naleku had a good time with Yara.
When the orphans had enough of lucerne, Weka led the way to the browsing field. At the browsing field, Mayan teamed up with Vaarti while Weka browsed with Shujaa, Kindani, Muwingu, and Mukutan. Bondeni settled to browse with Olorien, as Esoit held a brief meeting with Loldaiga.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Mageno led the way to the noon bottle feeds. The orphans had their milk and then jumped into the wallowing water for a cooling off exercise. Several wild bulls were present at the mud bath water trough but gave way to the juniors when they saw the Keepers approaching. The orphans drank enough water and then participated in a soil dusting exercise before Naleku led the way back to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Shujaa spotted a dik-dik and charged at it trumpeting. He was joined by Mageno, Kitich, and Mukutan. The dik-dik disappeared without a trace, leaving the boys charging at empty bushes.
In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockade for yet another night.
At the morning milk feeding, Kindani finished her bottles quickly and attempted to snatch Bondeni’s from his mouth. The Keepers intervened, and Kindani quickly turned and walked away. Mukutan left with a leftover branch but dropped it once he saw the Keepers distributing lucerne.
Shortly later, the orphans were joined by Barsilinga, Rapa, and the crazy one who was accompanied by her baby. Kitich, feeling he had eaten enough lucerne, began tossing it into the air, with some of it landing on his head. Lodo walked down to drink with a wild bull that had just arrived at the water trough. Choka scratched against a nearby rock while Kinyei engaged Mukutan in a light pushing game.
Roho challenged Barsilinga, but when the game became too tough, he climbed onto a rock to make himself a little taller. This didn’t help, as he was up against an experienced Barsilinga. Esoit played against Kitich in another pushing game that ended in a draw.
At the browsing field, Choka came across some loose soil which he used for a dusting exercise. Vaarti later joined him, and after a brief meeting, the two resumed browsing.
At eleven o’clock, Loldaiga led the first group to the mud bath. The sun was hot, and soon after their milk, the orphans jumped into the wallowing water. After bathing, Naleku disappeared into the thickets, returning later to join her friends in a dusting exercise.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. It was a quiet session as they focused on feeding. In the evening, Weka led the way back to the stockades.
Lenana, Lapa, Laki, Namalok, Chyulu, Cheka, Charli, Kithaka, Naisula, Nyx, and two wild teenagers joined the orphans for their lucerne feeding. Roho had a brief interaction with Lapa, while Vaarti played with Laki. Olorien settled to feed on lucerne with one of the wild teenagers.
Naleku walked down to the water trough and entertained herself by whipping the water and blowing bubbles. On the way to the browsing field, Lodo engaged Roho in a strength-testing exercise. At the browsing field, Bondeni teamed up with Olorien and Kinyei. Kitich busied himself with debarking trees, while Suguroi found a suitable tree to scratch her itchy ear.
At eleven o’clock, Mageno led the first group to the noon bottle feeds while Loldaiga brought in the second. After finishing their milk, Shujaa and Weka led the team into a wallowing exercise, before Mukutan guided them out. Only one wild bull was present at the mud bath trough, but he charged when he saw the Keepers approaching with the babies. He appeared new to the area and unfamiliar with the rules. After a long standoff with the Keepers and the orphans, he finally left, trumpeting. The orphans celebrated once he was gone.
After drinking, they moved to the soil piles for dusting. Mageno, Weka, and Shujaa shared one pile, while the rest of the herd used another. Roho took advantage of Olorien lying down and climbed onto her. Once Olorien stood up, she confronted him, demanding answers for his behaviour. Whatever Roho replied was unclear, but the two engaged in a pushing game that lasted quite some time.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Kindani held a brief meeting with Mukutan, while Mageno played with Mayan. In the evening, Muwingu led the herd back to the stockades.
Yatta, Yetu, Yoyo, Yogi, Yara, Yebo, Customer Number One, and several wild bulls were at the stockade compound early before the orphans were let out. The orphans had their milk at six o'clock in the morning and thereafter walked out to feed on lucerne. Yatta’s family and Customer Number One joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne.
Shortly later, Tumaren, Tembo, Roi, Tusuja, Maramoja, Mteto, Esampu, Naseku, Kitirua, Melia, Milo, Kalama, Kapuki, and Kandecha emerged from the eastern side and joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. Naleku took some time to babysit Kapuki, while Vaarti had a misunderstanding with Yebo that ended in a fight. When the going got tough for Yebo, the little boy ran to his mother.
Muwingu, Kindani, Naleku, and Suguroi walked down to the water trough, where they enjoyed drinking water before heading to the browsing field. At the browsing field, Esoit settled to browse with Loldaiga. Lodo, Mayan, Kitich, and Roho split from the main herd and browsed a distance away from their colleagues. The four boys rejoined their group at the time of heading for the noon bottle feeds.
At eleven o'clock in the morning, Mageno led the first group, while Weka led the second one. The sun was hot, and soon after the orphans had their milk, Shujaa led the team into wallowing. After having enough of wallowing, Loldaiga engaged Vaarti in a pushing game that lasted for quite some time. The rest of the team settled for a soil dusting exercise.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse along the upper Kalovoto seasonal river. Mukutan and Lodo had a brief strength-testing exercise before taking a break to hide from the scorching sun. Weka, Shujaa, Kitich, Mageno, and Muwingu relaxed under the same tree and resumed browsing when the temperatures dropped to a favourable level.
In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockades.
After getting their milk, Vaarti and Esoit had a disagreement when Vaarti tried to take a leftover branch away from Esoit. Esoit would not allow it, and the two boys began to fight until the Keepers intervened by shouting at them. Vaarti decided to let it go and walked away.
The orphans settled to feed on lucerne soon after leaving the stockades. Once they had eaten enough, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. Lodo, Roho, Loldaiga, Bondeni, and Mayan took a break from browsing to roll on the ground. Choka settled to browse with Esoit, while Kitich teamed up with Shujaa, Weka, and Mageno.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Muwingu led the way to the noon bottle feeds. The sun was very hot, and soon after taking their milk, Kindani led the team into wallowing. The orphans were joined by Kilaguni, who enjoyed wallowing with them. After the orphans had finished wallowing, Kilaguni remained behind while Mukutan led the others out of the mud. The orphans then settled for a dusting exercise before returning to browse.
Soon after, Naleku began trumpeting and ran north, indicating that she had picked up the scent of Mutara’s group. She decided to go and babysit Sunni. The Keepers tried to call her back, but she only increased her speed, disappearing into the thickets.
The orphans spent the afternoon browsing in the Kanziku area. Lodo browsed with Esoit, while Choka browsed with Vaarti. Later, Vaarti played with Bondeni, and in the evening Muwingu led the way back to the stockades. Naleku, who had spent the afternoon with Mutara’s group, returned to join her colleagues for the night.
After leaving the stockades in the morning, the orphans were joined by Yatta’s ex-orphan family, including Chyulu, Cheka, Chaimu, Lenana, Lapa, Laki, Olare, Sagateisa, and Charli. The rascal Laki engaged Suguroi, Mukutan, and Naleku in light pushing games.
After some time, the orphans decided to leave for browsing, with Weka leading the way. At the browsing field, Kinyei settled to browse with Naleku and Bondeni, while Kitich settled with Kindani, Choka, and Loldaiga. As the day progressed, the sun shone more brightly, sending out uncomfortable heat waves. The orphans chose to feed under trees that offered good shade. Olorien decided to scratch her itching ear against one of the shaded trees.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Vaarti led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. Mutara’s group joined the orphans at the mud bath. Roho challenged Malkia but eventually ran away from the contest. He then moved to tackle Barsilinga, who had briefly joined Mutara’s group. Barsilinga was happy to oblige Roho and allowed him to play.
After the mud bath, the orphans parted ways with Mutara’s group and headed north. The sun was still hot, so they paused feeding until the temperatures dropped to a more favourable level. In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockades.
Ex-orphans Kauro, Kitirua, Barsilinga, Ambo, and Meibai joined the orphans in the morning. When the orphans had enough lucerne, Kitich, Mukutan, Roho, Muwingu, Vaarti, Bondeni, and Shujaa walked down to the water trough and enjoyed a drink before heading to the browsing field. On the way, Lodo engaged Roho into a morning strength testing exercise.
At the browsing field, Kinyei settled to browse with Esoit, Bondeni, and Muwing. Mayan, Loldaiga, Shujaa, Lodo, and Choka split from the main herd and browsed a distance away. The five boys rejoined with their group later on, when it was time to go to the mud bath. The sun was hot, which prompted the orphans to have a spectacular wallowing session right after getting their milk. After wallowing, the orphans headed to drink water and thereafter participated in a soil dusting exercise. Mutara’s group passed by and made away with Naleku, who appears to be obsessed with baby Sunni.
In the afternoon, the sun was still hot. Weka and Muwingu settled under a tree that provided nice shade. Choka and Esoit engaged in a strength testing exercise, but it didn't last for long because of the heat. The two boys took a break under a tree and waited for the temperatures to drop to a favourable level.
In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockade.
Mutara’s group reported early at the stockade compound. Kilabasi, Kofi, Meibai, Loijuk, Lili, and Lisha showed up later, once the orphans had already settled for lucerne. Naleku went straight to her favourite baby, Sunni. Roho and Kofi had a brief strength-testing exercise, while Suguroi tried to befriend Lisha.
After an hour, the orphans had eaten enough lucerne and Weka led the way to the browsing field. Naleku refused to accompany her colleagues, preferring instead to remain with Mutara’s group, as she enjoyed taking care of Sunni.
Out in the browsing field, Esoit engaged Kinyei in a light pushing game, while Vaarti played with Bondeni. Olorien came across some loose soil, which she used for a dusting exercise. Choka, Loldaiga, and Mukutan settled to feed under a tree with good shade. At eleven o’clock, Mwinzi led the first group to the noon bottle feeds. After getting their milk, the orphans enjoyed wallowing.
Shortly afterwards, Rapa and Enkikwe emerged from the northern side and joined the orphans in the mud bath. After wallowing, Shujaa spotted some guinea fowls nearby and tried to chase them, but they flew away before he got close. He soon gave up and returned to rejoin his friends. The orphans then settled to drink water, where they were joined by Challa.
In the afternoon, the herd moved to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Roho and Lodo had another brief strength-testing exercise before relaxing under the shade of a tree. Loldaiga played with Esoit, while Mayan enjoyed a game of rolling on the ground. The rest of the evening was quiet as the orphans concentrated on browsing.
Shortly before five o’clock, Naleku reappeared with Mutara’s group and walked to the stockade to demand her milk. As soon as she had drunk her bottle, Naleku ran back to rejoin her newfound family as her colleagues returned to the stockade.
Zurura, Lualeni, Lulu, Lexi, Luki, Lenana, Lapa, Laki, Chyulu, Cheka, Ukame, Charli, Naisula, Nyx, Tomboi, and two wild boys reported in the morning and joined the orphans for lucerne. Tomboi shared his pile with Olorien, while Roho challenged one of the wild boys. Mukutan settled with Loldaiga as Suguroi played with Laki.
Roho lost his game with the wild boy and moved on to test his strength against Ukame. But the no-nonsense Ukame was not interested in entertaining Roho and quickly delivered a knockout. Roho had no option but to run for his life.
Luki tried to escort the orphans to the browsing field but was quickly blocked by his elder sister, Lulu. The orphans then settled along the upper Kalovoto seasonal river, where Weka browsed with Mageno while Loldaiga played with Bondeni. Later, Bondeni and Olorien enjoyed a game of rolling on the ground.
By ten o’clock, the sun was growing hot, and Weka, Kinyei, Roho, and Lodo decided to take a break from browsing under the shade of a tree until it was time for their midday bottles. Suguroi concentrated on debarking trees.
At eleven o’clock, Muwingu led the way to the mud bath, where they were joined by Sities, Sunni, Naleku, Mutara, Mambo, Suguta, Kainuk, Barsilinga, Tomboi, Kuishi, Larro, Sattao, Sapalan, Turkwel, Sana Sana, Naboishu, and three wild bulls. Roho picked on Naboishu for a pushing game that lasted quite some time.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Bondeni engaged Esoit in a pushing game while the rest concentrated on feeding.
In the evening, Naleku returned with Mutara’s group. After having her milk, she decided to wait for her colleagues so that she could enter the stockade for the night and relax
Sities, Sunni, Ndiwa, and twelve wild bulls were present at the stockade compound early in the morning before the orphans were let out. The orphans had their milk at six o’clock, and thereafter walked out to settle on lucerne. Naleku walked straight to her favourite, Sunni. Choka and Lodo walked down to the water trough and tried to join the bulls in drinking, but two bulls were hostile and blocked them. The boys left and settled for water at the small trough instead.
When the orphans had enough of lucerne, Mageno led the way to the browsing field. Naleku refused to follow her colleagues and remained behind, babysitting Sunni. The orphans settled to browse north of the stockade. Mayan, Esoit, and Vaarti concentrated on stripping bark from trees, while Kinyei had a lone game rolling on the ground.
At eleven o’clock, Muwingu led the way to the noon milk feed. The temperatures were moderate, but the orphans still participated in a spectacular wallowing. They then moved to drink water before settling into a soil dusting exercise. Shujaa had an itchy eyelid and picked a nice stick from the ground to scratch the spot. Lodo, as usual, had a brief strength-testing game before returning to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, the orphans browsed at Kanziku. Later, the cloudy weather gave way to drizzles, which cooled the air and settled the dust. In the evening, Weka led the way back to the stockades.
Queen’s family, along with Rapa, Enkikwe, Orwa, Oltaiyoni, and Roi reported at the stockade compound early, before the orphans were let out. Orwa lined up along the wall, trying his luck to see if the Keepers would give him a bottle of milk. The Keepers told him he was not allowed and that he should give the juniors space. Orwa hesitated at first but then walked away to wait for lucerne.
Suguroi joined one of the young babies belonging to Queen’s family and interacted with it briefly before settling on lucerne. After some time, Kindani, Rapa, and Enkikwe walked down to the water trough to drink. Kindani began thinking of how she might make the group leave for browsing. A wise idea came to her: she pretended to have heard or seen something approaching, then suddenly ran very fast towards the herd.
The group panicked and all abandoned the lucerne as they ran for their lives. When Kindani had scared the entire herd, she stopped running and walked slowly behind everyone. The Keepers intervened, running after the orphans and calling to reassure them that all was well. The orphans stopped about one hundred metres away to listen. After they calmed down, the Keepers steered the group northwards.
At the browsing field, Esoit engaged Vaarti in a strength-testing game that did not last long. Roho settled on debarking trees, while Bondeni teamed up with Kinyei. At eleven o’clock, Weka led the way to the noon milk feed. Several wild bulls and Challa showed up at the mud bath. The orphans had their milk, then enjoyed the mud bath, water, and a soil dusting before returning to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at Kanziku. They browsed calmly for the rest of the day. In the evening, Muwingu led the way back to the stockades.
Wendi, Wiva, Wema, Wimbi, Tusujia, Narok, Kithaka, Siangiki, Olsekki, Karisa, Tumaren, Lenana, Lapa, Laki, Sunyei, Siku, Saba, Subiri, Yatta, Yetu, Yoyo, Yogi, Yebo, Esampu, and Namalok joined the orphans for the feeding of lucerne in the morning.
Roho decided to challenge Karisa, but his strength could not match Karisa’s. Roho surrendered and walked away. The orphans did not stay long feeding on lucerne, as Suguroi led the team to the browsing field. They settled to browse at Kone. Vaarti browsed with Kinyei, Lodo, and Mayan, while Mageno teamed up with Kitich.
Later, Choka engaged Bodeni in a pushing game. Kitich attempted to knock down a medium tree that had been bent by a wild bull. He did not succeed, but he invited Mageno, Kinyei, Loldaiga, and Mukutan to join him in feasting on its bark.
At eleven o’clock, Muwingu led the way to the noon milk feed. After their bottles, the orphans jumped into the water for a cooling exercise. They were joined by Kilaguni and several wild bulls. The orphans wallowed for a long time and, when they had enough, Olorien led them to a soil dusting exercise. Lodo engaged Esoit in a strength-testing game, while Roho got a free ride from Olorien.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. The sun was hot, so they took a break under trees until the temperatures dropped to a more favourable level.
In the evening, Naleku returned to the stockades in the company of Sities, Sunni, Turkwel, Kainuk, Sana Sana, Naboishu, Malkia, Mutara, Suguta, and Mambo. Naleku went straight to demand her milk and, once she had finished, she ran back to rejoin her group.
Mageno then led the orphans back to the stockades for the night.
Kalama, Kapuki, Siangiki, Olsekki, Tumaren, Tembo, Larro, Sattao, Kuishi, Sana Sana, Sities, and Naleku joined the orphans for lucerne feeding in the morning. Esoit chose to stay close to Kapuki as he tried to familiarise himself with the little girl.
Once the orphans had their fill of lucerne, Weka led the way to the browsing field. On the way, Kindani engaged Esoit in a light pushing game. At the browsing grounds, Vaarti took a break from feeding to enjoy a lone game of rolling on the ground.
Mageno had a misunderstanding with Roho when Roho tried to push him away from a tree he was stripping bark from. Mageno seemed to question why Roho couldn’t show a little respect for him, even though he was the senior-most boy in the group. Roho offered no response, simply pushing Mageno out of the way.
Vaarti then engaged Lodo in a pushing game, which didn’t last long. After that, the orphans browsed calmly as they slowly made their way to the mud bath. The sun was hot, and after their midday milk, Shujaa led the team into the water for wallowing.
Once they had finished wallowing, Esoit challenged Vaarti to a strength-testing contest that ended in a draw. Esoit then moved on to play with Choka and later with Loldaiga. Meanwhile, Suguroi, Kinyei, Weka, Muwingu, Lodo, Roho, and Olorien enjoyed a soil-dusting session.
Later, Mukutan led the group back to the browsing field. In the afternoon, the orphans settled west of Ithumba Hill and continued browsing calmly for the rest of the day without any major observation.
Loijuk, Lili, Lisha, Olsekki, Tusuja, Sities, Sunni, Naleku, and Queen’s family arrived early in the morning and joined the orphans for feeding on lucerne. Naleku lined up along the wall and rumbled, notifying the Keepers that she had arrived. The Keepers brought milk to her, and soon after she returned to her favourite, Sunni.
Roho threatened one of the wild babies belonging to Queen’s group, but the baby stood its ground and tackled him. Roho quickly ran away when he saw the baby’s mother approaching. Shortly later, Suguroi led the way to the browsing field.
The orphans settled to browse at Kone area. Vaarti teamed up with Choka for a strength testing exercise, while Roho played with Kinyei. Kindani browsed alongside Muwingu and Olorien, while Lodo, Esoit, and Mayan split from the main herd and browsed a little distance away. The three boys later rejoined their colleagues as it was time to head to the mud bath.
Mageno led the first group, while Muwingu led the second. After getting their milk, the orphans jumped into the wallowing water and then went to drink. At the water trough, they were joined by Challa, who shared the water with them. On the way back to the browsing field, Roho engaged Lodo in a pushing game. Mukutan settled to browse with Suguroi, while Muwingu, Loldaiga, and Bondeni enjoyed a game of rolling on the ground. Later, Weka led the way back to the stockade.
In the evening, Naleku, Sities, and Malkia showed up at the stockade compound. Naleku had her milk and then requested to join her colleagues inside the stockade. Having spent three nights out, she wanted a break and to relax at night. She delegated her duties of caring for Sunni to Malkia. She was then welcomed in to join Roho and Suguroi, her stockade companions.
Twenty-two wild bulls were drinking water at the stockade water troughs when the orphans were let out. The orphans settled for lucerne and shortly later were joined by five wild bulls.
Lenana, Lapa, Laki, Makireti, Wendi, Wiva, Wema, Wimbi, Maramoja, and a wild family showed up and also joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. Laki challenged Roho in a pushing game but ended up losing the game to Roho. Laki moved on to challenge Naleku and later Esoit. Shortly before the orphans left, Laki tried to push Weka. Weka was not happy about it and grabbed Laki’s trunk, pulling it as a disciplinary measure. Laki screamed and tried to disengage himself from Weka. Weka released the trunk and warned Laki never to repeat such a mistake again.
After the orphans had enough, Naleku led the way to the browsing field, though she was slightly limping from a sprained right front ankle. This might have happened while playing, because she is always playful, running through the bushes and sometimes tripping. The orphans settled to browse heading north of the stockade and later changed direction west towards the mud bath. Naleku settled to browse with Olorien as Esoit settled to browse with Mukutan. Mageno had a light pushing game with Roho, while Mayan played with Lodo.
Shortly before mud bath time, the orphans were joined briefly by Chyulu, Charli, and Cheka. At eleven o'clock in the morning, Muwingu led the way to the noon bottle feeds. The sun was hot and, as usual, the orphans jumped into the wallowing water soon after getting their milk. Several wild bulls, including Dad, were present at the mud bath but gave space to the orphans to enjoy their wallow and drink water. The wild bulls had their mud bath and water after the orphans returned to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at the upper Kalovoto seasonal river, where they browsed calmly throughout without any major observation.
Naseku, Larro, Tusuja, Sana Sana, Naboishu, Melia, Milo, Karisa, Mapia, Lenana, Lapa, Laki, Mulika, Mwende, Mkuu, Mala, Moe, Olare, Ola, Sagateisa, Tumaren, Tembo, and Enkikwe joined the orphans in the morning for feeding on lucerne. Shortly later, Tusuja opened the last stockade and went inside to check if there were any leftovers. When it was time to get out, Tusuja did not know how to open it again, since the gate had closed behind him immediately after he walked in.
Tusuja rumbled, requesting help in opening the stockade gate. Kindani, Bondeni, and Olorien went to see what the problem was. The three orphans first laughed at Tusuja, as they could not understand how he managed to get in but then failed to get himself out. Tusuja pleaded with them to assist him. Bondeni, Olorien, and Kindani explained where he was going wrong. Instead of pushing the gate outward, Tusuja had been pulling it towards himself. Once he pushed it outward, he was able to free himself.
On the way to the browsing field, Naleku got wind of some ex-orphans passing close by. She changed her mind and ran towards them. It was Kalama, Kapuki, Malima, Ndiwa, and Siangiki who were passing. Because of Kapuki, Naleku abandoned her plan of walking with her colleagues so that she could spend the day with her.
The orphans settled to browse along the upper Kalovoto seasonal river. Vaarti and Esoit had a game of rolling on the ground. Later, Vaarti engaged Kitich in a pushing game that was disrupted by Kindani. Bondeni settled to browse with Suguroi, and later Muwingu led the way to the noon bottle feeds. The sun was hot, and soon after getting their milk, Shujaa led the team into wallowing.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. In the evening, Kalama and her team brought Naleku back to the stockade. Naleku was limping, so she needed a break from walking the whole night. After taking her share of milk, she was allowed into the stockade to relax.
Queen’s family arrived early before the orphans were let out. Enkikwe, who had arrived with Queen’s family, lined up along the wall in an effort to try his luck at getting milk with the orphans. After their milk, the orphans settled for lucerne together with Queen’s family.
Shortly later, another wild herd arrived with a few-days-old baby. Suguroi tried to get close to the little one but was blocked by its brothers. Esoit and Choka then spotted guinea fowls nearby and abandoned their lucerne to chase the birds away. The guinea fowls quickly flew off when they saw the two orphans charging at full speed. After the chase, Choka and Esoit decided to engage in a pushing game as they waited for their colleagues to finish feeding.
Tumaren, Tembo, Siangiki, Ithumba, Iman, and Orwa soon arrived and joined in the lucerne feeding. Suguroi and Kinyei walked down to the water trough for a drink, then engaged one another in a light pushing game. Shortly afterwards, Naleku led the way to the browsing field.
At the browsing field, Mageno took a break from feeding to challenge Roho in a strength-testing exercise, which he eventually lost. At eleven o’clock, Muwingu led the first group to the mud bath. The sun was hot, and soon after taking their milk, the orphans went straight into the water to cool off. They later drank and enjoyed a soil bath before returning to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled west of Ithumba Hill. The heat lingered, so they paused browsing to rest in the shade of trees until the temperatures dropped to a more comfortable level. They then resumed browsing until evening, when Mageno led the way back to the stockades.
Challa and several wild bulls joined the orphans in the morning for lucerne feeding. Shortly afterwards, Sidai, Sita, Silas, and Sid showed up. Muwingu tried to familiarise herself with Sid, but Sita was not ready to allow the interaction and pushed Muwingu away.
Esoit and Loldaiga settled to scratch on a nearby rock, while Kinyei engaged Kindani in a light pushing game. After the orphans had enough lucerne, Naleku led the way to the browsing field.
At the browsing field, the orphans were briefly joined by Suguta, Kainuk, Turkwel, Mambo, and Mutara. Choka tackled Mambo in a pushing game, but Mambo quit when the going got tough for him. Mayan and Olorien debarked a tree that seemed to have sweet bark, while Lodo browsed alongside Mukutan and Kitich.
At eleven o’clock, Mageno led the way to the noon bottle feeds. The sun was hot, and immediately after taking their milk, the orphans jumped into the water for a cooling-off exercise. They later drank and enjoyed a soil bath before returning to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled at Kanziku. The sun was still hot, so they paused browsing to relax under shady trees until the temperatures dropped to a more comfortable level. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockades for another night.
Twelve wild bulls were enjoying water at the stockade trough when the orphans were let out. Esoit left with a leftover branch in his mouth, which he continued to enjoy while waiting for the lucerne to be distributed. Soon after, six wild bulls joined the orphans in feeding.
Naseku, Kalama, Kapuki, Siangiki, Tumaren, Tembo, Galla, Oltayioni, and Roi emerged from the eastern side and also joined the feeding. Suguroi was happy to see Kapuki and walked over to her for company. Lodo engaged Vaarti in a light strength-testing exercise, while Kindani, Shujaa, Kinyei, and Naleku walked down to the trough to drink water.
An hour later, Weka led the way to the browsing field. Weka settled to browse with Roho and Naleku, while Mageno teamed up with Kitich and Mayan. Mukutan browsed alongside Muwingu. As the sun grew hotter, Loldaiga, Choka, Olorien, and Shujaa relaxed under a tree with good shade before heading to the noon bottle feeds.
At eleven o’clock, Muwingu led the first group to the bottle feeds. After getting their milk, the orphans jumped into the wallowing water for a cooling-off exercise. They were joined by four wild bulls in the mud bath. When the orphans had enough wallowing, Mageno led the way out.
In the afternoon, the orphans browsed calmly at Kanziku. It was a quiet day with no major observation. In the evening, Weka led the way back to the stockade.
It was a bright morning with a clear sky that predicted a hot day ahead. The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. It was peaceful and quiet as the orphans fed without any disturbance from outsiders. Later, Naleku led the way to the browsing field.
Lodo and Roho had a strength-testing exercise that ended soon after Lodo surrendered. Weka browsed close to Shujaa as Bondeni browsed with Kindani. Shortly before mud bath time, the juniors were joined by Sities, Sunni, and Sana Sana.
At mud bath time, the sun was really hot but, amazingly enough, Mukutan and Muwingu skipped the wallowing exercise. The rest of the group had a spectacular wallow and thereafter headed for a soil dusting exercise.
In the afternoon, the juniors settled to browse at Kanziku area. Mayan came across a green tree that he wished to feed on. He stretched his trunk high to reach the leaves but couldn’t reach. He went round the tree as he tried to devise a method to get at the leaves. Luckily, Mayan saw a rock beneath the tree, and since he needed just a slight increase in height, he happily stepped on the rock with his front legs — and surely enough, he was able to reach the leaves.
Later in the day, Esoit decided to take a break from feeding and relaxed under a tree before resuming browsing. In the evening, Mageno led the way back to the stockade.
Yatta’s family, Mulika’s family, Kinna’s family, Lenana, Lapa, Laki, Melia, Milo, Toothpick’s family, and Chemi Chemi were present in the morning during lucerne feeding time. Shujaa interacted briefly with his wild age mates. One of the wild age-mates threatened to push Shujaa. Shujaa was not ready for any embarrassment and with his full strength pushed the wild one to the ground, then took off to avoid being detected by the mother.
Naleku settled to scratch her belly on a nearby rock. Later, Kindani led the way to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Weka settled to browse with Shujaa and Mageno while Loldaiga teamed up with Lodo, Roho, and Mayan.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Muwingu led the way to the noon bottle feeds. The sun was hot and soon after the orphans had their milk, Lodo led the team into wallowing. Roho and Bondeni were the last ones to quit wallowing. The orphans had water then soil dusting exercise before returning back to the browsing field.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba hill and browsed calmly throughout the remaining part of the day. In the evening, Weka led the way back to the stockade.
Thirty-five wild bulls were present when the orphans were let out in the morning. The orphans settled for lucerne and shortly later were joined by Mutara, Mambo, Kainuk, Turkwel, Sities, Sunni, Suguta, Lenana, Lapa, Laki, and the Toothpick group. Naleku settled to take care of Sunni and later followed Sities and her baby. Shujaa and Weka interacted with the Toothpick group young ones for some time before heading for browsing.
The orphans settled to browse at Kone area where they were joined briefly by Kinna, Kama, Kaia, and Kito on their way to the stockade. Roho picked a fight with Kama but was defeated. Suguroi tried to follow the family but was turned back by the Keepers. Olorien took a break from feeding to have a game of rolling on the ground as Kinyei engaged Bondeni in a light pushing game. Mayan played with Lodo as Kitich, Mukutan, and Weka concentrated on peeling the bark of trees. Later Roho and Kinyei had a brief meeting that ended with a light pushing game.
On the way to the mud bath, the orphans met with Chemi Chemi who was on his way to an undisclosed location. Mageno, Choka, Vaarti, and Shujaa stopped to greet Chemi Chemi. Chemi Chemi appeared not to have been in a bad mood because he ignored the boys’ greetings and continued with his journey. At mud bath time, the orphans were joined by Challa in wallowing. Later, the orphans settled for a soil bathing exercise before returning to the browsing field.
The orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. The sun was still hot and this prompted the orphans to take cover under trees until the temperatures dropped to a favourable level. In the evening, Weka led the way back to the stockade. Naleku returned later in the company of Mutara group.