Our newest rescue, Arthi, is finding his place at the Nursery. The uncertain little bull who arrived in August has been replaced by a friendly, outgoing elephant who has really bonded with his Keepers. During feeding times, he confidently leads the herd, gulps down his bottle — dribbling drops on the ground — and demands another!
At the time that the orphans wander out of their stockades in the early morning, Maxwell often plods out from his sheltered area and over to one of his gates where he stands waiting. Orphans like Taroha, Olomunyak, Pardamat, Kerrio and Kamili often stop off to greet the blind black rhino on their way out to the forest.
This morning, the orphaned elephants wandered up the path as usual, passing Maxwell at his gate. Most paid him no attention but Olomunyak, Taroha and Kerrio paused to say hello, stretching their trunks through the bars to touch his head. Max stood very still, basking in their attention. When Kerrio teased him by kicking his gate, Max scampered (insofar as a large rhino can scamper) around his stockade happily, rocking his enormous head and kicking up clouds of dust.
Later in the morning, the sun was shining and the orphans cooled off in the mud wallow. After gulping down their milk, Nyambeni, Kamili, Talek, Muridjo, Kerrio, Mzinga, Latika and Taroha headed for the pool. One by one, they clambered into the mud where some paddled and others submerged their bodies. Pardamat and Olomunyak opted instead for a wrestling match. With trunks entwined and tusks clinking, the two playmates pushed heads in one of their daily contests of strength.
This morning, Talek was reluctant to leave her room. As the others padded out quickly with trunks aloft, she remained inside because she was busy hoovering up every last range cube with her trunk. In contrast to sloppy eaters like Pardamat and Olomunyak, Talek likes to finish every drop of milk and every range cube. At last, she walked out - and straight into neighbour Pardamat’s room to search for leftover cubes in his pile of hay.
Meanwhile, the rest of the herd headed out to the field and settled to browse in an area of thick forest. Lifting her head, Talek realised that the others had already left. Trumpeting, she ran out of the stable and up the path. She tracked the herd through the trees and was welcomed with rumbles on her arrival.
Kipekee has melted Muridjo’s heart! We are enjoying watching the older girl lavishing attention on her little sister. This morning, Muridjo was sent down to the mud bath for a milk feed in the first group of orphans. After drinking her milk, she checked whether Kipekee was already there. Realising that she was not, Muridjo turned around and walked back up the path. She found a blue-blanket-clad Kipekee, rumbled a greeting, and led her down the path for her milk. What has happened to our feisty tomboy!
This morning, the orphans walked quietly out of their rooms. In contrast to most days, no one was showing off or playing pushing and wrestling games. Instead, the herd headed straight out to the forest to browse. No one stopped along the way to greet Maxwell. On some days, Taroha or Olomunyak or Kerrio or Kamili or Talek will pause at his gate, if he is standing there, to say hello but not today.
The sun was shining and many orphans cooled off in the wallow later in the morning. Nyambeni, Talek, Mzinga, Taroha, Olomunyak, Pardamat, Wamata and Kerrio paddled and splashed and rolled in the muddy water. Olomunyak and Pardamat were clambering on top of Kerrio and Mzinga, sliding off and climbing up again.
Muridjo, Kamili and Latika did not get into the wallow. Instead, they clustered protectively around Kipekee. The little girl is a tiny elephant with a big character! She is full of confidence and becoming naughty, especially towards strange human beings! If someone bends down in front of Kipekee, s/he risks being pushed by a very small elephant! We link her naughtiness to her team of seven nannies – Kerrio, Kamili, Latika, Nyambeni, Muridjo, Mzinga and Talek – who make her feel so safe.
Latika was in a strange mood in the morning, pushing whoever she happened to encounter. Emerging from her stockade at dawn, she met Pardamat and Talek. She pushed them to the side and walked on to Taroha, Nyambeni and Olomunyak. She shoved them to the side and walked on to Murijdo, Mzinga and little Kipekee -who were given the same treatment.
Kerrio, Kamili and Wamata did not, however, receive this treatment. Latika greeted her two age mates and settled to browse with Wamata, trunk touching her affectionately as she does every day.
Taroha and Olomunyak, after the morning milk feed, had a wrestling match in the forest. Taroha learnt his skills from big boys like Mageno and Kitich and now he is giving Olomunyak wrestling lessons! The younger boy is a determined student and the elder one a kind teacher.
Later in the morning, many of the orphans got wet in the wallow. Kerrio and Latika rubbed their faces on the edge while Olomunyak and Arthi, the little bull rescued last month, lay in the thick mud and Nyambeni stood near the edge, slapping her sides with water. After cooling their bodies, they rolled around on the mound of dry soil.
In the afternoon, Muridjo and Mzinga were at their most protective! Arriving in the first group at the mud bath, they soon realised that little Kipekee was not there. Today, the two girls went as far as to refuse their bottles of milk and turn tail for the forest. They picked up Kipekee, walked her down to the wallow, and settled down to enjoy their milk, with the younger girl sandwiched between them.
Today, Talek and Wamata were left to lead the other orphans out to the field because Kerrio, Latika, Kamili, Mzinga, Nyambeni and Muridjo were milling around Kipekee! All six females were pushing up close in the hope of escorting her to the forest. Kipekee resolved the tussle by walking away from the crowd of nannies up the path. She caught up with Talek and Wamata - with six nannies following along in her wake!
The herd spread out in the forest. As the others continued to browse, Taroha, Pardamat, Olomunyak, Talek and Wamata had fun chasing and charging after several impalas who were grazing nearby. The five rotund elephants lumbered towards the impalas, who moved a short distance away and went back to grazing, whereupon the elephants gave chase again.
Later in the morning, the herd visited the mud bath for a milk feed, a drink of water, and some supplementary lucerne. After returning to the bush, Kerrio and Latika lay down on a patch of dry ground for a dust bath, offering Olomunyak and Pardamat an opportunity that they could not resist. The bulls clambered on and off their big sisters while they rolled from side to side on the ground. The two boys are very fond of play-mounting games.
After the orphans settled into their rooms for the night, Taroha and Nyambeni began pinching Kamili’s greens in a two-pronged operation! Taroha sleeps on one side of Kamili and Nyambeni on the other. Nyambeni stretched her trunk through the gaps to twist up a bunch. When Kamili turned to defend her greens, Taroha stretched his trunk through the gaps. When Kamili turned round to push him away, Nyambeni took advantage and pinched another branch of lucerne!
Mzinga was on Kipekee duty this morning. When a Keeper opened the door of the baby’s stable soon after dawn, he found Mzinga waiting outside. Mzinga walked in, scooped up Kipekee, and shepherded her out to join the herd. Muridjo, Nyambeni, Latika and Kamili immediately came over to greet and check on Kipekee outside the stockades.
A few minutes later, Mzinga, Kamili and Latika led the herd out to the forest, leaving Muridjo and Nyambeni to bring up the rear with Kipekee. A few more minutes later, Muridjo and Nyambeni handed over the little girl to Kamili and Mzinga. Our tag team of nannies are very well-organised, taking it in turns to look after Kipekee and making sure she is never left alone.
Later in the morning, the herd visited the mud bath for another milk feed. It was a hot day and the elephants headed for the cooling mud. While Taroha rubbed his face along the edge and Pardamat submerged his body in the middle, Nyambeni and Kamili stood in the wallow, slapping the water with their trunks and kicking mud in every direction with their feet.
Talek is a very easy-going girl, sometimes too much so for her own good. Even when other orphans push her, she does not respond or retaliate. This morning at the mud wallow, tiny Kipekee shoved sturdy Talek so hard that she almost fell over. Calmly, Talek regained her balance and went back to browsing. Her turn-the-other-cheek attitude is unusual.
Our recent rescue, Arthi, is thriving at the Nursery. The scared aggressive little bull has disappeared and been replaced by a friendly outgoing elephant who has bonded with his Keepers. Frequently in the forest, he chooses to stand or to browse next to a Keeper – except at milk feeding times. Then, he likes to lead the herd and runs towards the feeding area. He gulps his bottle, dribbling drops on the ground, and demands another. Today, when he began trumpeting this demand, Latika took charge. She calmed him with her trunk, and pushed him gently but firmly away from the wheelbarrow of bottles and over to the scattered greens.
As usual, the herd headed out to the forest in the early morning, settling to browse either in groups or on their own. Mzinga, Kerrio and Nyambeni were stretching their trunks high and twisting them around tasty branches. Our three sisters occasionally popped their trunks into each other’s mouths in the hope of an extra treat. When Talek walked over to join them, they were happy to share their spoils with the younger elephant whose trunk could not quite reach the branches.
Olomunyak and Pardamat play together almost every day in the bush. More often than not, the games are started by Olomunyak, the current playmaker of our herd. This morning, he approached Pardamat from behind and gave him a shove. This may have been an invitation to play but was not welcomed. Trumpeting, Pardamat turned around and the boys clashed heads in a serious contest of strength. Luckily, Pardamat calmed down quickly - and so we did not have to intervene.
Kipekee - the youngest baby in the Nursery herd – was misbehaving again at the mud wallow this morning. Our spoilt baby, knowing that at least three nannies had her back, ran towards the rope cordon and pushed two people. Two Keepers shepherded her away, realising that none of her nannies were going to tell her off!
At first light this morning, Wamata’s little trunk could be seen curling over her stable door. She was ready to begin her day! A Keeper opened the door, accepted her greeting and moved on to her neighbour’s stable. Wamata and Olomunyak ambled out to greet each other and wander up the path with the rest of the herd.
Taroha’s tusks are growing and he is now the oldest bull in the herd – but still the gentlest! Out in the bush this morning, the kind chap was pulling down branches for younger orphans who could not reach. Not only was he feeding Olomunyak, Wamata and Talek, but he was also trunk touching them to check that they were fine. Taroha is a very unusual bull! Meanwhile, not far away, Pardamat was walking around holding a long wiggly branch with his trunk and refusing to let anyone touch his special toy!
Mzinga had a marathon dust bath in the forest in the afternoon. While the others browsed around her, she settled next to a hole in the ground full of dry soil. Kneeling on the edge, Mzinga scooped up trunkfuls of dust and dug with her feet to make the hole bigger. At last, she decided that it was large enough and lay down in her very own dust bath for a relaxing roll around. Not only is she a caring elephant but also a very clever one!
This morning in the forest, the elephants gathered around a pile of discarded hay. Some searched for left over pellets while others massaged their faces or stood quietly with their friends. Kerrio lay on the straw with trunk twirling in invitation to play. Pardamat, Latika, Mzinga and Muridjo were soon standing around her, taking it in turns to push the mini matriarch or climb on top of her. After Latika wandered away, Mzinga and Muridjo lay down in the straw next to her and Pardamat had a wonderful time play mounting the three girls.
Wamata has got used to not being the youngest baby in the herd following the rescues of Kipekee and Arthi - and behaves well to her little sister and new brother almost all of the time. Today, however, Wamata could not resist giving Kipekee a shove while she was browsing in the forest. The little girl fell over and the slightly bigger girl ran away. She knew she had been naughty and was running for cover before Kerrio could discipline her!
Not far away, Taroha and Olomunyak were playing pushing and chasing games. The two boys pushed heads, one turned away and the other chased him, and then they pushed heads again in a game involving lots of excited head shaking and trumpeting.
On a cool afternoon, the herd visited the mud wallow for a milk feed. They drank from the trough and browsed on lucerne, standing around peacefully until it was time to return to the forest. No one got into the wallow today.
Today was an extra special day. After being rescued in the north of Kenya, an orphaned rhino was brought to the Nursery this morning. The young calf is around one year old and was rescued because his mother had died. Although he has an injured leg, he is in reasonable physical shape. We settled him into a stockade and a Keeper kept him company all day. He was subdued but not aggressive.
In contrast to recent days, the sun was shining today. After their milk feed in the late morning, many of the orphans cooled off in the mud wallow. Kamili was the first one in, making a beeline for the water as soon as she had finished her two bottles. Mzinga was next, climbing in, lying down and covering every part of her body with mud. Water babies Kerrio and Taroha were paddling and rubbing their faces along the edge while Latika, Olomunyak, Wamata, Kipekee and Arthi stood next to the wallow, splashing the water with their trunks.
When the visitors began laughing because they were being splashed with mud, Mzinga and Kipekee ran towards them with ears flared. Our elephants have close bonds with their Keepers but are wary of other human beings and react defensively if surprised. They are not habituated to people – as this could put them at risk in their future wild lives.
Maxwell had a very active morning today. Soon after dawn, as the elephants were heading up the path to the forest, the blind black rhino was standing by his gate. Today, Mzinga and Taroha paused to say hello. While he stood very still, Mzinga stretched her trunk through the gate to touch his front legs and Taroha touched his head, draping his trunk between the rhino’s ears. We whistled to the elephants and they continued up the path to the forest.
An excited Maxwell then began squeaking, kicking dust and leaves before running around his enclosure. Settling down, he shared his breakfast of pellets and lucerne with several baboons and warthogs who grazed around him while three oxpecker birds picked insects off his back.
Later in the morning, Max’s water trough was overflowing because we had left the hosepipe in it. He drank the water and then bent his head so the pipe was hosing his shoulders. Kicking up more dust, he lay on his back and rolled in the mud and dust like a giant puppy. Mud bath over, he lumbered around his enclosure again before relaxing in the shade of a tree. On some days, Max is content just to graze and wander around, but today he was behaving like a much younger rhino!
On some days the elephants browse more than play and on other days playing is their priority. Today was a playing day! In the morning in the forest, they browsed for just a short time and then most of the herd began pushing and climbing games.
When Olomunyak rubbed his face on the dry ground (one of his favourite habits), Taroha took this as an invitation to play. He also rubbed his face on the earth and then pushed his head against Olomunyak’s. His friend climbed back onto four feet and another contest of strength began.
A few metres away, best friends Nyambeni and Mzinga were also playing the pushing game. The two big girls pushed heads and clinked tusks with trunks draped on each other. They moved one way and then the other, trumpeting in excitement.
Talek and Pardamat were our third pair. When Pardamat found Talek browsing on her own, he could not resist play mounting her. Talek is a tolerant girl and does not mind most things. The cheeky bull climbed on and slid off and climbed up again!
Kerrio, meanwhile, was lying on the grass doing her jungle-gym thing with Latika, Wamata and Muridjo. Muridjo and Wamata rested their forelegs on her bulk but Latika was happy just to lay her trunk on the mini matriarch.
Only Kamili, Kipekee and Arthi continued to browse while the others played around them. When the little boy walked away to watch the older boys, Nyambeni ended her game and joined Kamili and the baby. An hour or so later, everyone in the herd had settled back to browsing.
The orphans walked quietly out of their rooms in the early morning. As usual, Mzinga and Muridjo popped down to greet Kipekee and shepherd her out of her stable. Wamata and Olomunyak, who sleep next to each other, stood close with trunks touching and were soon joined by Latika. Kamili greeted Nyambeni while Taroha greeted Arthi and Pardamat hung out with Kerrio and Talek.
When we whistled to the elephants, all began ambling in the direction of the forest. Two Keepers and Kamili led the herd while Mzinga, Muridjo, Kipekee and two more Keepers brought up the rear. Today, Kamili led the others quite far afield in search of green browse which is hard to find at present. Kipekee has become much stronger and keeps up well nowadays. She usually toddles along at the end of the line with at least two nannies in attendance. Arthi is a confident chap and likes to be closer to the front of the line. Today, he walked along with Nyambeni behind Kamili.
Later in the morning, the herd visited the mud bath for a milk feed. Talek, Arthi and Kipekee were the first group sent down for their bottles. Talek drank her milk carefully, finishing every drop, while Arthi gulped his. Kipekee drank slowly, taking almost twice as long as the newbie. The three orphans wandered on to the wallow where they were joined by the rest of the herd.
Emerging from their stables in the morning, Taroha and Olomunyak headed straight for each other. After being separated for the night, the two bulls rumbled a greeting and stood with trunks entwined. Kerrio and Arthi led the herd out to the forest this morning with Latika and Wamata wandering along behind the others.
Today was a day for browsing rather than playing. With only 13 elephants in our herd, everyone spends time with everyone. Our herd is smaller because of several graduations and fewer rescues over the past two years. The orphans moved quietly in the forest, browsing in groups and then on their own before coming together again. Muridjo and Kipekee were the exception because they spent the whole morning just with each other. Kerrio chose to browse at a distance from the others while keeping an eye on them. Our playful girl is also a responsible mini matriarch.
Later in the morning, the herd visited the mud bath. It was a cloudy day and no one got into the wallow. Instead, they browsed on lucerne or dusted themselves on the mound of dry soil. Kerrio, Pardamat and Taroha lay on their bellies on the soil, sending clouds of dust in every direction. When it was time to return to the forest, Pardamat did not want to leave. He ignored our calls and lay on the ground. As Pardamat becomes older and stronger, he is also becoming more disobedient!
This morning, the herd did not go far into the park, choosing to stay in an area of forest next to the stockades. While Olomunyak and Pardamat played the pushing game once again, Wamata and Taroha massaged their bodies against trees. They lay on the forest floor rubbing faces and bodies and then stood up to scratch themselves against a tree. A few metres away, Arthi was also leaning against a tree after scratching his sides and trunk against the bark. For once, the older girls were busy browsing and so Talek had a turn of looking after Kipekee. Our laidback girl stood close, trunk touching the baby often. Arthi chose to stay close to the Keepers this morning, browsing calmly next to the two men.
The little rhino who arrived five days ago is settling in well. He is already calmer and the injury to his leg is improving. For now, we are keeping him confined to his stockade – but we plan to allow him out soon. He has a thick bed of hay and is surrounded by hanging bunches of lucerne.
In the afternoon, the orphans visited the mud wallow for another milk feed and returned to the forest. Kamili and Latika, our two oldest girls, browsed together for a long time. In recent months, they have often chosen to be together.
Another rescue arrived at the stockades today – a baby zebra! The little girl was found alone covered in bruises on a road without either her mother or her herd. She was quiet and calm on the first day of her life at the Nairobi Nursery – and will stay in her stockade for a few days while she settles and gets used to the Keepers.
Nyambeni is behaving strangely at present. She has always been such a caring nanny to the babies but something has upset her in the last week or so. She is not so caring and sometimes pushes the younger elephants for no reason. This morning at the mud wallow, Nyambeni shoved first Wamata and then Arthi – we shepherded our ‘kali mama’ away from the others for a time out.
Kipekee was also misbehaving. The little girl has become very confident and likes to push unfamiliar human beings. Although she is tiny for an elephant, she is still powerful and so we have to keep an eye on her. When we see her moving fast towards the guests, we whisk the playful girl away!
Nowadays, Kerrio is less in the midst of the herd and more on the outskirts. She is still a fabulous matriarch but is keeping her distance, allowing her assistant nannies to look after the babies and only intervening when there is a problem.
Our little rhino has settled in very well. He is calm and friendly to the Keepers and is growing stronger. Today, we decided that it was time to open the door of his stockade so that he was free to wander. He is still limping and so he cannot go out to the forest. With two Keepers watching him, the young boy walked out of his stable to explore before returning to his bed of hay.
Olomunyak and Taroha play together in the forest on most days. Olomunyak is the more playful and usually instigates a game whenever he comes across his friend. Today, Taroha wanted to browse not to play. When cheeky Olomunyak would not leave him alone, the older bull lifted his head and got stuck into a serious strength contest. Taroha is bigger and stronger and so Olomunyak had no choice but to surrender, having been put in his place by his brother!
Pardamat and Talek are like rivals at the moment. Quite often, they challenge each other as soon as they walk out of their stockades in the mornings, as if they have a grudge to sort out from the night. This morning, when they began fighting, we separated them. While we expect feisty behaviour from Pardamat, this is a new side of laidback Talek!
To our surprise - and in contrast to most babies - Kipekee does not seem to have a favourite nanny. The older females tag team efficiently with at least one always in attendance – and Kipekee does not mind. She stands docilely while one arrives and another leaves. Out of them all, it is Muridjo who spends the most time with her.
Kerrio is the oldest elephant in the herd - and she seems to know this. Often, when we call the orphans together in the forest, she is the last to emerge from the bushes. On some days, Kerrio walks behind the herd at a distance and, on other days, she is last to get out of the mud bath and heads off in a different direction rather than catching up with the herd. Kerrio is sometimes an enigma – a responsible mini matriarch who can behave almost like a dominant bull.
Latika took Pardamat to task this morning at the mud wallow. When he pushed Arthi for no reason, Latika chased him away and checked the little boy was fine, laying her trunk along his back.
The sun was shining in the afternoon and three warthogs took advantage of a sleeping Maxwell. They popped into his mud wallow for a splash and then rubbed their bodies against the walls of his water trough – while Max continued dozing in the shade of a tree.
Mzinga was being crafty today but her cunning plan was not successful. Our clever girl nipped back to the stockades while the herd was browsing in the hope of pinching pellets from the others’ rooms. But her plan was thwarted. We intercepted her on the path next to Max’s stockade and shepherded her back to the forest!
Early in the morning, as the herd was wandering up the path to the forest, Olomunyak sneaked off round the corner. The naughty boy has found a corner that he can squeeze through to reach the pellets store and keeps disappearing in the mornings! Once outside the door, he stood happily scooping up extra pellets. He was not worried about being left behind as he was too busy filling his large belly. Two Keepers had to push Olomunyak away from his tasty snack and out to join the herd.
At the mud wallow later in the morning, Nyambeni was being rough towards Wamata. As the younger girl was drinking from the trough, Nyambeni pushed her from behind. Wamata rolled into the trough, knocking it over, and had an extra bath. Afterwards, Nyambeni did check on the younger girl and touched her with her trunk. Wamata, however, walked away to find refuge with Kerrio.
Arthi is a very greedy boy. Every day, after finishing his bottle at the wallow, he trumpets for more. Today, when his call for a second bottle went unanswered, the little bull headed for the wheelbarrow where Talek was busy sucking up the leftover drops at the bottom. If he could not get a bottle, he would make do with sips of milk. Talek, however, stood her ground as she was not going to share her special spoils. She pushed him away and, accepting the inevitable, the newbie walked away to join the others.
On some days Muridjo spends the most time with Kipekee and on other days Kamili is her number one nanny. Muridjo is left with no choice but to watch on from a distance when Kamili wants to look after the baby because Kamili is stronger and sees her off. In the forest this morning, Kamili browsed with Kipekee while Muridjo was with Olomunyak and several others.
Wamata is the third youngest member of the herd. She was the youngest until Kipekee arrived followed by Arthi. Latika remains devoted to her but the other females are giving lots of attention to the younger elephants. When Wamata had a squabble with Kipekee at the mud bath today, Muridjo was quick to intervene. She walked between the two younger girls and Wamata ran away to take refuge with Latika.
In the afternoon, Pardamat and Mzinga were playing while the others browsed around them. The two orphans rubbed their faces and bodies on the ground with trunks twirling. After their dust bath, Pardamat was climbing on and off Mzinga while she continued lying on the ground. Today, she tolerated his attention rather than shoving him away as she does on some days!
Maxwell was in a jovial mood this morning. Unusually, he was lumbering up and down his enclosure at first light as we were opening the gates of the orphans’ stockades. His activity attracted the attention of the elephants and Muridjo was the first to report at his gate. As she stretched her trunk through the bars in greeting, she was joined by Taroha, Mzinga and Nyambeni.
The four stout orphans stood squeezed together at his gate while he continued running around. Aware of their presence, Max came to a halt on the other side of the gate. He stood still and Muridjo, Mzinga, Nyambeni and Taroha all got the opportunity to touch him. All four wrapped their trunks around him.
Soon it was time to head out to the forest. The herd ambled up the path led by Kipekee (who can now walk much faster) and Kerrio. But we had a tough time pushing Max’s four friends around the corner because the rhino was walking alongside them on the other side of the fence of his enclosure. The elephants got excited, especially Mzinga who trumpeted and charged up and down next to Max. Eventually, we succeeded in shepherding our whole herd out from the stockades.
Today was a wonderful day at the mud bath. The sun was shining and the orphans went swimming. Muridjo and Latika were the stars of the show as they wallowed and splashed in the muddy water, showing off their swimming styles. Kerrio was also splashing water in every direction as she stood on the edge, sucking up water and slapping it over the sides of her body.
After a short while, the orphans gathered around the heap of dry soil for dust bathing. Olomunyak and Wamata had fun playing on the soil, rubbing up against each other while covering themselves with soothing soil.
As the others carried on dusting, Olomunyak stood up and challenged Pardamat to play their favourite pushing game. The two boys showed off their different fighting skills. Despite being smaller and younger, Olomunyak knows many tactics and is an expert, whereas Pardamat relies more on strength. The boys are evenly matched and pushed each other around the wallow.
Meanwhile, Latika joined the dusting party. When she lay on the top and rolled down, the others moved away to allow her a solo dust bath, especially as she is one of the largest heaviest elephants in the herd.
Mzinga is a young girl with a big heart who excludes no one and likes to make friends with everyone! The family of orphans left their stockades this morning as usual for their day out in the field. Pardamat and Olomunyak were in the lead. The two boys were wrestling with and chasing each other as they headed up the path. Not far behind, Kerrio, Mzinga and Latika were walking alongside little Kipekee.
As she walked past the new rhino’s stockade, Mzinga tried to stop off to say hello but did not get the chance because a Keeper was right behind her and kept her moving. After the herd settled to browse in the forest, tricky Mzinga dodged behind some bushes and ran back to the stockades. She was determined to make friends with the rhino!
Arriving outside his stockade, Mzinga rumbled a greeting and the rhino charged at the gate. He was not sure what she was up. But our smart girl was not giving up her pursuit. She remained standing outside the gate - he calmed down and allowed her to lay her trunk along his body. Mission accomplished, Mzinga returned to the herd of her own accord. She walked out to the forest and began browsing with the others.
In a break from routine, Maxwell's friends, the warthogs, paid him an early morning visit today. Max was still on his bed of hay resting and the elephants were still in their stockades when the warthogs arrived. The three pigs nipped under the fence and into his enclosure where two of them started fighting.
Max woke up with the noise which he ignored for a while before heaving himself to his feet and out from his covered area. When the blind rhino arrived, he tried to separate the warthogs but they were fully stuck in and neither would stop. Changing his approach, Max charged at the two pigs to drive them away.
Hearing the commotion, Taroha, Kamili, Wamata, Olomunyak and Nyambeni became agitated and began trumpeting and pushing their heads against the gates. They wanted out to see what was happening to Max.
By the time we opened their doors a few minutes later, Max had chased away the fighting pigs and was feeding peacefully on pellets with the female pig. Nevertheless, the five elephants headed straight to his gate to check that all was fine!
The herd spent a peaceful morning browsing in the dry forest, walking deep into the woods in search of tasty green browse. They began in a long line but soon separated into small shifting groups.
Latika, Muridjo, Pardamat, Wamata and Nyambeni were determined to claim the forest for themselves this morning, rather than sharing the space with other animals! They went wild, running around and trumpeting as they tried to flush the baboons out of the trees. The baboons reacted by jumping from one tree to the next. Muridjo and Pardamat were not giving up the fight – they trumpeted and tried to climb the trees and shook them by pushing with their heads. Amid the commotion, Kerrio, Talek and Mzinga were protecting Kipekee, standing in a huddle around her to make sure that none of the baboons dared to come close.
After every single baboon had been chased away, the herd calmed down and settled to browse. To our relief, they allowed the impalas to stay, browsing peacefully without driving them away.
What a show today at the mud bath from Olomunyak, Taroha, Wamata and Kerrio! After drinking their milk, the four orphans headed for the pool. Kerrio stood on the edge spraying herself with mud while Taroha, Olomunyak and Wamata clambered into the wallow. When Kerrio plunged in and lay down, the three friends had a lot of fun rolling and sliding over the mini matriarch. Taroha and Olomunyak were also playing the wrestling game, splashing mud all over the place.
Today, Olomunyak set his sights on the warthogs! The pigs were trotting around the stockades at dawn before they popped through their tunnel into Maxwell’s stockade for breakfast. The most playful boy in the herd gave chase and the pigs joined in the game. They faced him as if preparing to attack and then nipped off round a corner with Olomunyak lumbering along behind them. When Muridjo joined in, she took the task more seriously and succeeded in chasing away the warthogs. Thereafter, she led the herd out to the woods where they settled to browse and play.
Arthi is our new screamer boy. When someone leaves our herd, another emerges to take their place. Our former screaming and shouting orphans (such as Weka) have graduated from the Nursery and now we have a new shouty elephant – Arthi! He loves shouting for his milk, whether by day or by night. During the nights, we hear him calling while we are preparing the milk - and we rely on him to notify the others that their feed is ready.
In the afternoon, Muridjo was being rather over-protective of Kipekee. She stood close and kept moving her body between the visitors and the little girl, effectively preventing any human being who was not a Keeper from coming anywhere near her!
So loved, protected, guided and guarded is Kipekee! On her way out to the forest this morning, she had a four-strong security detail: Mzinga was in front, Nyambeni and Talek marched on either side, and Kamili brought up the rear. It is no surprise that she is becoming a spoiled baby.
Of all the female elephants in the nursery in recent years, Kamili stands out as one of the least maternal. Anyway, that was her character until Kipekee arrived and Sileita, Mushuru, Sholumai and Weka graduated. Since that time, our independent girl has changed into a caring older sister who is devoted to her little sister and happy to spend hours looking after her.
In the afternoon, Maxwell had a lengthy mud bath. His wild friends, the warthogs, watched on patiently from the sidelines, waiting for their turn in his mud pool. Eventually, he clambered out for a roll around on the ground and a siesta under a tree. Immediately, five warthogs jumped in to cool themselves in the scorching sun.
When it is time to head for home in the afternoon, everyone is in a hurry except for Kerrio. All the others are competitive and want to get home before anybody else. As usual, we gathered them together in the forest today and sent them back in groups. Today’s bedtime competition was between Kipekee, Wamata, Olomunyak, Arthi Taroha and Talek. We sent them off roughly at the same time and they sprinted through the trees towards stables with delicious milk and comfy beds. Olomunyak was in the lead as he rounded the corner, with Kipekee and the four others padding along behind. Down the final straight and into his stockade – he was the winner!
Kerrio and Mzinga were full of joy and mischief this morning. As soon as they emerged from their rooms, the two girls walked over to the new rhino’s stockade. Full of excitement, after pushing at his gate, one ran to the back of the next-door stockade along the side of the rhino’s room while the other waited at the gate. Then, they swopped around and the other ran along the wall. In between bouts of showing off to the rhino, Kerrio ran around the stockades, trumpeting to other orphans who were still in their rooms, and pushed and pulled at Maxwell’s gate. When the little rhino began pacing around, we intervened and calmed down our boisterous mini matriarch and her deputy.
Later in the morning at the mud bath, Kipekee was behaving strangely and wanted to be left alone. Whenever Talek or Olomunyak extended a trunk in greeting or invitation to play, she protested, attracting the attention of Mzinga, Kamili, Kerrio and Nyambeni. Her nannies kept coming over to check on her. Nyambeni then took charge, pushing Talek and Olomunyak away and standing close to Kipekee.
It rained in the afternoon, settling the dust and making puddles in the forest. The herd walked far into the woods, remaining in a huddle while it rained and spreading out to browse when the rain eased.
Taroha may be the oldest bull in the herd but is still afraid of the rain - especially at night. Last night it rained steadily and so Taroha was restless and could not sleep. At first light this morning, he was pushing at his door, letting us know that he wanted to be out and about with the herd.
As soon as he stepped out of his stockade, he ran to Olomunyak’s stable and stood outside rumbling while waiting for his friend. Olomunyak padded out and the two boys stood together for a moment before starting yet another pushing game. When Nyambeni joined them, the bulls broke apart and the three orphans played a hide-and-seek chasing game in and out of the stockades.
Olomunyak was at his most playful later in the morning at the mud bath. First he rolled around on the ground, showing off with legs in the air. When Wamata and Kerrio lay down next to him on the mound of soil, he began play mounting and sliding off them in turn.
Returning to the forest, Muridjo, Kerrio, Mzinga, Talek, Arthi and Nyambeni enjoyed a lengthy mud bath in a large puddle of rainwater. While they paddled and splashed in the pool, Latika and Kamili stood nearby with Kipekee sandwiched between them.
Later in the afternoon, the herd headed back to the stockades and into their dry stables for the night. Pinching pellets from a neighbour after dark is one of their favourite games. This evening, Kamili was stocking up on her own stash of pellets by taking trunkfuls from Nyambeni’s pile, leaving her neighbour with not very many! Our ‘kali mama’ did not seem to mind as she lay resting on her bed of hay. Perhaps, Nyambeni was too tired after another busy day of browsing and playing at the Nairobi Nursery!