June began with Raha’s grand debut at the mud bath. She was rescued last September, but given her extensive injuries and vulnerable condition, she kept a low profile in the intervening months. At last, however, we felt she was ready for this new experience. Raha toddled down with her Keeper, ahead of the elephants. She behaved beautifully and seemed to really enjoy the experience.
The month began, most unusually, with a troubled night for Muridjo. In the middle of the night, the little elephant stood up in a panic, trumpeting in alarm as she tried to get closer to Mokogodo. Affected by her friend’s behaviour, the tiny orphan stood up, and paced up and down. Every time Mokogodo tried to go back to sleep, Muridjo woke her up with cries. Mini matriarchs Kerrio and Sileita woke up and responded with rumbles to their young friends as they pushed at their doors. Eventually, the Keepers sleeping in Muridjo’s and Mokogodo’s rooms were able to calm them down. As day broke, a Keeper opened Muridjo’s door – whereupon she sped out, ran off, and darted around the forest for some time before plodding back to the stockades. We’re not sure what bothered her so much.
The rest of the herd were standing quietly around their stockades, preparing to head out. When Muridjo arrived back, Kerrio and Sileita welcomed her warmly, touching her with their trunks. They remained with her and the other blanket babies as the older orphans wandered out to the forest. Nyambeni, Mzinga and Shujaa were trundling happily around after each other, playing hide and seek and a gentle version of the pushing game, watched by Taroha and Mokogodo. The three friends then greeted Maxwell and popped their tiny trunks through the gaps in his gate. Eventually, the mini herd set out to join their friends in the woods.
Today, Raha, the orphaned baby black rhino rescued in September 2022, visited the mud bath for the first time. She toddled down with her Keeper, ahead of the elephants. She wandered around for a time, behaving beautifully, before leaving as the first group of younger orphaned elephants arrived. After emptying their bottles, the orphans browsed and played next to the mud bath as it was too cold for swimming. Kitich and Mageno enjoyed several noisy rounds of wrestling, clashing heads and chasing each other around.
Translocation training started again today, this time for Ahmed, Rafiki and Kitiak. The three trainees kept running off – they did not want to be fed in the truck and refused to even go near the vehicle in the morning. The Keepers persevered, whistling and pointing in a reassuring manner. By the end of the day, they had succeeded in getting Rafiki and Kitiak to feed in the truck.
The arrival of little Mokogodo has turned some relationships in the Nursery upside down. Many of the older females are drawn towards looking after her and some of the younger ones too. Nyambeni and Mzinga have become big sisters rather than little sisters — big, competitive sisters at that! The Keepers have noticed that the two friends have a roster of who scoops up Mokogodo each morning when she potters out of the room.
Today, the roster went wrong. Although it was Mzinga’s day, Nyambeni happened to leave her room first. She walked directly to the little one’s room and started pushing and pulling at the door with her trunk and body in an effort to open it. Mzinga emerged from her stable, saw what was happening, and sprinted at her friend. Caught out, Nyambeni darted off to the safety of the herd and Mzinga took her place, waiting patiently at the door. Mokogodo toddled out, Mzinga scooped her up and the two orphans walked side-by-side in step out to the forest.
Mokogodo’s close friend, Taroha, was waiting for them on the path. The orphans greeted each other with lots of rumblings and carried on in a huddle of three. Hearing all the chat, Kerrio sprinted back along the path to be with her young friends and escort them to the herd.
Meanwhile, Tingai and Choka were spending their time playing rather than browsing. They clashed heads and twisted trunks and wrestled with each other before breaking off and running around and then starting again. Their sensible friends stood at a distance, browsing contentedly.
In the afternoon, the herd returned to the mud bath for more milk and some supplementary lucerne. It was a cloudy day and no one felt like paddling or swimming. Nyambeni stood close to the Keepers, enjoying their attention and affection, until Shujaa arrived. The reserved little boy was in a feisty mood! He ran up, knocked her over from behind and ran off – the toddler tantrum took everyone by surprise.
The orphans padded home in small groups in the early evening, around the corners and into their stockades. Still shy, Loldaiga, Mushuru and Sholumai were the last elephants to arrive back from the forest.
Choka was the star of the show this morning! He has developed into a happy young bull who loves to play with anyone and everyone. This morning, he plodded up to Maxwell’s enclosure and head-butted his gate. His large friend woke up, clambered to his feet and waddled over to see him. They played a kind of rhino-elephant game through the gate before Choka decided it was forest time.
Off he sprinted to join the herd. His next playmate was Sileita. The two friends spent hours playing pushing and wrestling games in the forest as the rest of the herd browsed in small groups around them. The games continued later at the mud bath, when Choka and Sileita were joined by Mushuru and Loldaiga.
Sweet, reserved Kamili was not herself today. Usually gentle and polite, today she was giving her friends small grumpy shoves. This afternoon at the mud bath as the older elephants played, she waddled up to Kerrio and then Muridjo and then Sholumai, gave each elephant a push and wandered away. Her friends had the wisdom to ignore her behaviour rather than retaliate. Later in the afternoon, the elephants returned to the forest for a final wander before bed. As Mageno and Kitich played quietly together, Kamili plodded between them and shoved again. They also ignored the grumpy toddler.
Rafiki, Ahmed and Kitiak continued their truck training today. They certainly are reluctant under-graduates! The Keepers spent over half an hour cajoling their charges up the ramp and into the truck. The three big orphans stood stubbornly still, resisting the temptations of milk and range cubes and lucerne for ages.
As light filled the sky, the Keepers opened the doors and the orphans wandered out quietly. The older ones set out for the forest almost immediately, leaving Kerrio, Sileita and the blanket babies in the stockades. Leading the herd, Elerai came across a group of warthogs sleeping on the path to the forest. He walked up to them, he nudged them, he rumbled — but the pigs would not move. Running out of patience, he blew out a loud trumpet. Way back along the line, Kitich and Choka reacted to his alarm by overtaking those in front of them and sprinting towards Elerai. They trumpeted too! Soon everyone was excited and finally the stubborn warthogs were chased away by a herd of noisy elephants.
Kerrio and Sileita heard the commotion back in the stockades. Leaving Mokogodo, Nyambeni, Shujaa, Muridjo, Mzinga and Taroha in the care of their Keepers, the two nannies ran out to join the others in the forest, trumpeting as they darted between the trees. They arrived and greeted their excited friends. Eventually the herd settled down to browse. Mukutan, Tingai and Choka browsed briefly and then played wrestling and back-mounting games.
Later in the morning, the orphans plodded down to the mud bath in small groups for more milk and lucerne. They all love their bottles of milk but show their appreciation in contrasting ways. As usual, Sileita carefully knelt on her forelegs with her trunk aloft to drink her two bottles. In contrast, naughty Weka demanded her second bottle before she had finished her first! Her noisy complaining about nothing was brought to an abrupt end by a shove from an irritated Mushuru.
Back out in the forest in the late afternoon, Taroha was in a playful mood. When a wagtail bird hovered around him to catch flies, he waggled his trunk and then his body before chasing around after the little bird. The wagtail teased the elephant by staying close but just out of reach.
Before dawn, the baboons were clattering over the roofs of the stockades, jumping from one to the next and then down onto the ground, searching for leftovers to eat. The orphans paced around their rooms, annoyed by the baboons and pushing at their doors. Taabu, Mukutan, Tingai and Ahmed were making the most noise, trumpeting their demands to be allowed to chase the visitors. The Keepers opened Taabu’s door first and out he charged. Without waiting for support from his friends, he darted around the stockades, chasing away every single baboon. By the time reinforcements arrived in the shape of Choka, Sileita, Loldaiga and Mukutan, Taabu was browsing on the edge of the forest and no baboons could be seen. His friends settled down to browse too, except for Choka who could not resist a wrestling match with Taabu. As the day became warmer, the blanket babies padded out to join the herd and the orphans wandered quietly for a few hours.
The herd returned to the mud bath later in the morning. The first group gulped down their bottles and spread out around the wallow to browse and to paddle. As Muridjo was standing quietly eating her greens, naughty Shujaa ran at her from behind, head-butting her and pushing her over. Although the two little orphans are good friends, they often squabble.
It was a hot afternoon in the forest — a perfect day for a dip. Big sister Nyambeni led Taroha and Mokogodo off for a wild mud bath! She found a cool puddle in a clearing for her little friends to swim in. The three rolled around in the water happily until a Keeper whistled at them to get out as it was time for another milk feed.
Back at the Nursery, Mzinga was not in the mood for sharing the mud bath with any wild visitors. Flaring her ears and raising her trunk, she indignantly ran at all the warthogs, chasing them away into the bush. Once they were out of sight, she paddled into the pool and lay down with her friends.
The orphans pottered out of their stables and set off for the forest on a cool clear morning. The blanket babies were slow to wake up today and toddled out after the older ones. Taroha and Mokogodo — the youngest orphans in the Nursery — go everywhere together, as if linked by an invisible string. In the mornings, Taroha comes out of his stable, pops over to pick up Mokogodo and the two head out with their Keepers. In a break with routine, this morning Mokogodo and her Keeper set off towards the top of the stockades to join the other orphans without Taroha. Mokogodo had only taken a few steps, going as far as the gate to Maxwell’s stockade, when she realised that something was wrong. Where was her friend? She stopped, dug in her pads, about turned, trumpeted and ran as fast as she could back down the path to find Taroha. Her little friend was wandering out of his room as she thundered up to him, screeched to a halt and started trunk touching him all over. All was well again and the two friends paddled off to join the herd.
Later in the morning, the first group of orphans walked down to the mud bath, downed their bottles and calmly ambled around as they enjoyed their supplementary greens. The second group were much livelier. They ran in with several trumpets of excitement, drank their milk and started playing. Some pushed against each other as others played the wrestling game. Tingai and Taabu were the sparring stars today – keeping up their antics for almost an hour to the amusement of the Keepers.
Rafiki, Kitiak and Ahmed are not enjoying their training. They continue to be suspicious of the truck and reluctant to go anywhere near it. This afternoon, as the time approached for the three orphans to head back to the truck for a milk feed, they ran away. Each elephant ran off into the forest in a different direction. Ahmed went the furthest. Eventually, the Keepers rounded them up, calmed them down and cajoled them as far as the steps of their truck. It was a day for compromise.
The day did not start peacefully, as the elephants held a gate protest. Ahmed was the instigator. Early in the morning, before dawn, she took hold of her gate with her trunk and repeatedly pushed and pulled it. The gate rattled loudly, waking up Mukutan, Kitiak, Sileita and Weka. The four friends thought that the noise was a Keeper opening Ahmed’s gate and so they trumpeted loudly, asking for their gates to be opened, too. Their unusual behaviour attracted the attention of more orphans. Minutes later, Mageno, Mushuru, Loldaiga, Kitich and Muwingu joined in the chorus of protests with no cause. The Keepers had no choice in the face of the deafening trumpeting – they opened the gates, the noise stopped, and the orphans plodded out.
Later in the morning, the first group of orphans paddled down for their bottles and settled around the mud bath on a cool cloudy day. Their peace was soon disrupted by the second older group, specifically by Muwingu, Weka, Choka and Taabu. Rather than pad quietly down the path to the line of the Keepers with bottles held aloft, this little group started racing, trumpeting as they pushed past each other. Choka and Taabu took the lead with Muwingu in third place and Weka in fourth. As the first three began drinking their milk, Weka let out the loudest, longest trumpet as she tried to push past them. A Keeper offered her a bottle - but she was too cross. She yelled again before drinking her milk and trumpeting yet again. Feisty Weka could never be described as easy-going!
The remainder of the day was uneventful – the elephants wandered far in the still-green forest before returning to the safety of the stockades for the night.
The Keepers opened the gates one-by-one and the orphans wandered out on another cool morning, all yesterday morning’s drama forgotten. They gathered in friendship groups and set off to the forest led by Sileita. Maxwell was up and about this morning before the elephants. As they headed out, he was standing close to his gate, waiting for them to wander past. Tingai, Taabu and Choka stopped by his gate, stretching their trunks through the gaps and doing their best to grab his ears. Maxwell stood completely still, clearly enjoying the attention. When he turned side-on to the gate, naughty Choka pulled his tail. Max lumbered away and the three young bulls waited for him to return. A few minutes later, he walked back and stood with his backside against the gate, presenting a tempting target. Sure enough, Choka stretched out his trunk to grab his tail - whereupon the rhino sprayed urine on the cheeky elephants and they ran off to join the herd. Out in the forest, everyone was browsing either in groups or on their own. In contrast to most mornings, no one was playing today.
Soon, the sun came out and the temperature rose. The orphans headed back for more milk and a paddle or wallow in the mud bath. Many gulped down their bottles of milk and immediately plodded over to the pool. Kitich and Loldaiga sprinted shoulder-to-shoulder up to the edge of the water. As Kitich carefully lifted a foreleg into the mud bath, Loldaiga was in such a hurry that he gave his friend a strong shove. Kitich fell headfirst into the water, doing an elephant somersault as he fell. Loldaiga jumped in after him and lay down. Forgiving his friend, Kitich rolled around with him in the mud. After lots of swimming, the orphans clambered out and hosed themselves with soothing red soil before heading back out to the forest.
The orphans pottered out of their rooms at dawn, some with less enthusiasm than others on a cold cloudy morning. They greeted their friends, touching trunks and mingling in the central area surrounded by stockades. Some played as others stood quietly. Full of energy, Mushuru and Kitich were wrestling against each other, clashing heads as they tested each other’s strength. Mushuru was doing her best to impress the young bull — and she was holding her own admirably, until Taabu spoiled the game by play-mounting her. She rejected his advance and indignantly stalked away to find someone else to play with.
Loldaiga has settled into his new life and is also asserting himself. After finishing his bottle of milk at the mud bath this morning, he trumpeted as loudly as he could manage. At the same time, he tried to grab Mageno’s bottle. A Keeper warned him off with a stern finger and a whistle. He walked away for a moment before heading back to the wheelbarrow full of bottles in an attempt to pinch one of them. When the Keepers told him off, he trumpeted his annoyance, only to try again minutes later. A solution was found: The naughty elephant was given an empty bottle, which satisfied him for a time and gave everyone else some peace.
In the early afternoon, as the herd was clustered in an open area waiting for their next milk feed, little Mzinga was feeling bored. To amuse herself, she started darting around after the warthogs who were grazing near the orphans. She was successfully chasing them away, feeling proud of herself, when they turned around and faced her. Nonplussed, she ran at them - but they stood their ground. Reinforcements were required. She turned tail and trundled back to her friends, trumpeting a request for help. As Kerrio, Nyambeni and Muridjo could not be bothered to chase warthogs, she abandoned the game and headed down the path with her friends to the mud bath.
As usual, the older orphans headed out to the forest this morning as light filled the sky. They moved in a peaceful line with Sileita lagging behind at the end. Noticing her reluctance, the Keepers encouraged her to keep up with the herd but without success. She walked a few more metres, turned around and sprinted back to the stockades. The reason for her reaction became clear as the babies toddled out of their rooms. Sileita scooped up Nyambeni, Muridjo, Taroha, Mzinga, Shujaa and Mokogodo, greeting each one and giving Mokogodo an especially-affectionate trunk hug. She had been missing the little ones! On arrival at the Nursery, Sileita was shy and reclusive — but she is blossoming into a caring mini matriarch. Happily, she escorted them out to the forest, padding along behind the six babies and ensuring that all was well. A Keeper commented that Mokogodo, in particular, has melted Sileita’s heart.
Out in the field, the elephants browsed for some time – many of the older ones headed off on their own but the babies stayed close together in a cluster. Nannies Sileita and Nyambeni stood with little Mokogodo between them, not allowing her to stray for even a moment. The tiny orphan happily accepted their attention.
As it was a cool morning, the older orphans set out for the forest first and the blanket babies stayed in their stables for a couple of hours. They headed out around the same time as Raha and her Keeper, although they went in different directions.
Translocation training is ongoing – Rafiki and Kitiak are having most of their milk feeds in the truck and Ahmed on the ramp. The two boys will plod in without much fuss, but Ahmed remains wary. She stands next to the ramp and will sometimes put her forelegs on it but rarely enters the truck. She does not feel safe in the vehicle, perhaps because it brings back memories of her rescue less than a year ago.
After the afternoon milk feed, the orphans returned to the forest for a wander and a browse. Sweet Kamili generally potters around either close to the others or on her own. Today, however, she decided to lead Weka, Kitich, Loldaiga and Sholumai deep into the forest. The Keepers found the five elephants browsing happily quite far away from the stockades, rounded them up and whistled them home. They were surprised that reserved Kamili had been the one to lead the others astray!
On a crisp clear morning, the orphans emerged from their rooms and headed out to the forest, led by their Keepers, to browse and to play. Mini matriarch Kerrio was looking after the two youngest orphans, Taroha and Mokogodo. She browsed next to them, touching them regularly as they toddled around in their blankets. Nyambeni was also being a responsible nanny – her new role since the two babies arrived at the Nursery. This morning, she was being unusually protective and would not even let best friend Mzinga come close.
Later in the morning, the Keepers sent the orphans down to the mud bath in groups of three or four. On a hot day, many plunged into the pool after downing their bottles of milk. They paddled and splashed and rolled around in the water. Muridjo played happily on dry land while Taabu squatted in the mud, leaning his enormous forelegs on the edge as he waved his trunk. After submerging her body, Sileita stood up and hosed herself with cooling water. Tingai was one of the few members of the herd who did not have a dip. In a feisty mood, he was stomping around, shoving his friends as he challenged them to play. Swimming over, the elephants stood around the mud bath, covering themselves with soothing red soil before meandering out for a final browse of the day.
Before light, the Keepers prepared the wheelbarrows of milk and went from stockade to stockade, giving each orphan one or two bottles of milk (depending upon their age). They put the bottles through the gaps in the stockade walls, holding them aloft as the orphans drank. Then, they opened the gates and the orphans ambled out to the forest in a line. Sileita was at the front and Kerrio and the blanket babies at the rear.
The herd settled down to browse and to play on a bright sunny morning. Muridjo and Mzinga were chasing warthogs. They ran around in circles, flapping their ears and making lots of noise. The pigs trotted out of their way and then came back again. Taabu and Choka, as usual, were playing the pushing game, butting heads and twisting around in the forest. After several rounds of the game, Taabu strolled over to challenge Kitiak to play. A relatively recent rescue who is still sometimes nervous, Kitiak misinterpreted the friendly challenge as something more serious. He trumpeted in alarm and Mukutan came to the rescue. As Kitiak wandered away, Mukutan and Taabu started wrestling and then Tingai joined the game. Several sessions later, the young bulls decided it was time to browse. They spread out around the herd and switched their focus to feeding on greens.
On a hot afternoon, many of the orphans went swimming in the mud bath. A dip was followed by a dusting - and then another wander in the forest.
After an early-morning walk in the forest, the orphans headed back to the mud bath for their mid-morning milk feed. The Keepers sent Nyambeni, Mzinga, Taroha and Mokogodo down the path first for their bottles. Nyambeni likes to paddle down the slope at the head of the line, but today Mzinga overtook her, leaving her friend with the little babies a few metres behind her. Mzinga gulped down her bottle as Nyambeni arrived with Taroha and Mokogodo — she is taking her new role of nanny most seriously. Mzinga was not content with just one bottle and toddled around after the Keepers, touching them affectionately as she did her best to cajole another bottle from them. As she did so, Nyambeni gave her a shove from behind and the two toddlers began squabbling – Nyambeni had not forgiven Mzinga for overtaking her on the path. By this time, the remainder of the first group of elephants had arrived at the mud bath, including Kerrio. Observing the confrontation, Kerrio walked between the two orphans, standing still as she laid her trunk on Nyambeni. Tension diffused, the best friends pottered over to the lucerne scattered on the other side of the mud bath and settled down next to each other.
In the afternoon, the herd wandered quite far into the forest, playing as they browsed. As usual, the younger ones stayed close together as the older ones spread out around them. Kamili and Shujaa were hanging out together today, affectionately laying their trunks on each other’s backs.
Kerrio is becoming such a caring, responsible nanny – she is almost always to be found looking after or playing with the blanket babies. This morning out in the forest, as many of her friends were searching for green browse, she was, as usual, with her gaggle of babies. Having shepherded Mokogodo, Taroha, Mzinga, Nyambeni, Shujaa and Muridjo out from the stockades, she was lying down in a clearing, encouraging Mzinga to climb all over her. Mageno soon joined in the game and the three elephants tumbled around like puppies in the forest. Sometime later, as the small ones browsed, Kerrio hovered nearby – she looked as if she was engrossed in browsing but she had eyes in the back of her head and, if any of the older bulls came close, she nudged them away from her little charges.
Later in the morning, the herd headed back to the mud bath for more milk, a roll around in the mud and a wallow. Best friends Mageno and Kitch were in playful moods – after downing their bottles, they started a noisy and lengthy session of sparring. Mageno may be two months younger than chubby Kitich but she holds her own with ease. Several rounds in, Kamili wandered over in her dreamy way, plonking herself between the playmates. Mageno and Kamili stood quietly together as Kitich waddled off to the mud bath. He lay down on the edge and rolled around in the mud, legs waving in the air.
The orphans pottered out of their rooms – some drank from the water troughs as others touched each other in greeting. The Keepers whistled them together in preparation for setting out to the forest. Taroha and Mokogodo were still in their stables, but the older blanket babies were out and about. Obediently, the orphans plodded off to the bush behind two Keepers, except for Nyambeni. She was playing hide and seek, darting off round corners and into stables and refusing to leave the area. As one man chased after her, another brought the two tinies, still wearing their blankets of course, out of their rooms. Problem solved! She sprinted up to them, rumbling over and over as she trunk hugged both babies. Almost squeaking with happiness, she led them out to join the herd in the forest. As they approached, Kerrio and Mzinga walked over to welcome them - and the little gang started playing.
Raha, the baby rhino, visited the mud bath later in the morning, as she does every day. Clad in her tiny blanket, she toddled along the path with two Keepers and confidently plodded around the mud bath. After her little walk, the Keepers took off her blanket and she lay down on the pile of dry earth for a dust bath. She rolled around with her legs in the air as a Keeper shovelled dry sand onto her body. She had a lovely time, leaving as the first orphans arrived.
The orphans set out enthusiastically to the forest this morning – it was a sunny day and there were no stragglers at the end of the line. They wandered far afield before returning to the mud bath for their mid-morning milk feed. The first group gulped down their bottles and settled quietly around the pool. Kitich was rolling his round body in the mud on the edge of the wallow as some of the blanket babies enjoyed a small paddle. All was peaceful until Muridjo took out her grumpy mood on the youngest members of the herd. As she rolled around in the mud, she ended up on top of little Taroha, giving him a big fright. The Keepers told her off and she wandered away in a sulk.
After the first group had ambled back out to the forest, the big boys and girls cantered down the slope. Many were in boisterous moods today – they plunged into the wallow, submerging their bodies as they played. Sensible independent Elerai had a dip to cool his body, stood relaxing on the edge for a short time, and then dusted himself.
Ahmed, Kitiak and Rafiki are continuing to be fed in the training truck. They have become less reluctant to enter the truck – today, the boys walked in without a fuss and Ahmed followed them almost all the way up the ramp.
This morning, the orphans meandered around happily in the lush forest that still has plenty of green grass and shrubs. They set out at dawn led by their Keepers. Kamili happily browsed on her own for a time before choosing to hang out with the blanket babies.
Little Raha, under the care of her Keeper, sets out later than the elephants. Most days, a Keeper takes her for a walk about two hours after dawn – they wander in the bush and then return to the mud bath. Raha toddles around, walking all the way round the area and then lying down for an assisted dust bath, Today, she was making cheerful squeaking sounds as she waddled along.
As usual, the first group of orphans trundled down in threes or fours to the mud bath. The group was made up of Kerrio, Kamili, Latika, Mageno, Kitich, Shujaa, Mzinga, Nyambeni, Mokogodo and Taroha. Normally, Muridjo belongs to this group, but the Keepers have moved her to the second group for a few days in response to her behaviour yesterday. She will not dare to be naughty in the company of the older orphans! They drank their milk and spread out around the wallow. Latika was managing to hold a long thin stick in her mouth and pick up small pieces of browse at the same time. Shujaa did his best to copy her, with a degree of success.
Mokogodo and Taroha have become best friends and are rarely apart. As the first group was leaving the mud bath, Mokogodo let out an anguished trumpet, dug in her pads and stood still. As Taroha was at the front of the line, she could not see her friend! The Keepers cajoled her to move but she would not take a single step. She trumpeted again, Taroha responded and little Mokogodo charged off to catch up with her friend.
In a rerun of a few days ago, the herd set out to the forest this morning without Taroha and Mokogodo. Nyambeni could not settle out in the bush without her small friends and so darted back to find them. She stood resolutely outside Mokogodo’s door. Realising that Nyambeni would not budge, a Keeper opened the doors and the two babies toddled out. Nyambeni then escorted them out to the forest where they were welcomed by Kerrio and Mzinga. The mini herd rumbled to each other, thus attracting the attention of the rest of the herd. A few minutes later, the whole herd was surrounding the small ones. Nyambeni and Mzinga took this attention in their stride, but newbies Taroha and Mokogodo were overwhelmed. They tried to move away but this was of course impossible.
Later in the afternoon, bellies filled, the elephants were in playful moods. Some lay down in a muddy patch in the forest as others frolicked in a dusty patch. Muwingu, Choka and Mageno played the pushing game and climbed on top of each other and rolled around in the dry soil. Mageno has recently improved his dusting skills and was carefully hosing himself all over with powdery soil.
Most of the time, Maxwell enjoys the company of his warthog friends, allowing them to share his pellets and lucerne. This morning was not one of those times. Today, he wanted to be left alone. Ears on high alert for any intruders, he lumbered around his enclosure in a grump. Whenever he heard the rustling of pigs, he ran in the direction of the sound. The pigs trotted to a different area of the field and Maxwell ran at them again. Eventually, the warthogs left the large rhino to enjoy his breakfast in peace.
Rafiki, Kitiak and Ahmed, the training truck trio, went for a walkabout in the afternoon. After drinking their milk in the truck, they darted off in different directions into the bush as the Keepers led them down to join the rest of the herd at the mud bath. The oldest orphans are showing signs of rebellion, especially Kitiak! The Keepers rounded them up and shepherded them back to the herd - as they are far too young to spend a night out in the forest.
In the late afternoon, the orphans wandered contentedly in the bush surrounding the mud bath, pulling up clumps of green grass with their trunks as they went along. Mushuru is looking chubby and well, four months after her rescue. She ambled around, sometimes with friends, sometimes on her own.
The orphans emerged from their stables as the sun rose in a clear sky. They greeted their friends while they stood waiting to head out to the forest. Two of the oldest bulls in the Nursery, Mukutan and Taabu, could not resist a few rounds of wrestling as they waited. Although Taabu is younger (he will be three years old in September), he looks stronger than Mukutan (who was three in April). What Mukutan may lack in strength, he makes up for in determination. As they continued to play, the herd wandered out to the forest and settled down to browse.
Returning to the mud bath later in the day, the elephants pottered down the path in small groups to meet their Keepers standing with bottles aloft. As usual, Sileita and Kerrio were keeping a close eye on the little ones as they wandered around and paddled. In contrast, Mushuru and Kamili discouraged the little ones from coming close as they browsed on greens. They may well change as they grow stronger and recover from their traumas but, at present, they show few signs of becoming mini matriarchs.
On a sunny afternoon, several orphans went swimming or paddled in the wallow as they rubbed their faces and trunks against the edges. Mageno sat happily in the cooling muddy water as Muridjo played on the edge.
On a cold morning, the older orphans headed out first to the forest, leaving Kerrio and the blanket babies in the stockade area. The Keepers opened Kerrio’s door first and then, one by one, Nyambeni, Shujaa, Mzinga, Muridjo and Mokogodo trundled out wearing their blankets. As Taroha was still lying down, his Keeper had not opened his door. Another Keeper set off to the bush with the five babies following behind him – until Mokogodo realised that Taroha was missing. She refused to take another step, turned around and charged back to the stockades, trumpeting again and again. Kerrio followed her. As she arrived, Taroha plodded out, the best friends were reunited and set off happily to join the herd, with nanny Kerrio bringing up the rear.
In the afternoon, many of the older bulls were playing sparring and wrestling games in the forest, while the smaller ones stood watching in a cluster. Taabu and Choka twisted and turned and trumpeted as they tested each other’s strength. Tingai and Mukutan were also enjoying several sessions of wrestling. Nearby, Elerai browsed quietly on his own – he rarely joins in the games. As dusk approached, the Keepers sent the elephants back to the safety of the stockades for the night – the blanket babies were in the first two groups, followed by the older ones.
After Bondeni and Esoit graduated from the Nursery and went to live in Tsavo, Tingai became the dominant bull of the herd. A reserved but obedient orphan, he still likes to do his own thing but is one of the leaders. As the Keepers shepherded the orphans into groups this morning to come down to the mud bath, Tingai stood by patiently, waiting his turn as some of the others tried to push their way into the first groups.
Down at the mud bath, it was playtime again. Mukutan finished his bottle, trundled over to Tingai and shoved him from behind as he challenged him to a game. Tingai turned around, accepted the challenge and the game began – the bulls pushed heads and rolled around on the ground as they play-mounted each other. Keen to join in, Choka mounted Mukutan but fell over onto his back – best friend Taabu immediately came over to help Choka up onto his feet, checking him with his trunk.
Back out in the forest in the afternoon, the elephants found some dry patches of ground that were perfect for dust bathing. They lay down to rub their bodies in the soothing soil or stayed standing to hose the dry earth over themselves with their trunks. Little Shujaa has learned to suck up the soil, lift his trunk and squirt it onto his back.
This morning at the mud bath, as usual, little Raha waddled around with her Keeper for a short time before the orphans arrived for their bottles of milk. Growing in confidence, she is less upset by noise than she used to be, but the Keepers still need to protect her from loud or unexpected sounds. She likes to hold the trouser leg of her Keeper almost like a dummy when she is feeling tired or nervous. After walking around in a large circle, she lay down for a roll around in the dust as her Keeper shovelled dust all over her. As she left, the first groups of orphans trundled down the slope to drink their milk and browse on supplementary lucerne. It was a quiet morning at the mud bath, too cold for swimming and maybe even for playing. The orphans stood peacefully, picking up lucerne or drinking from the trough.
The sun came out in the afternoon as the elephants browsed in the forest. After filling their bellies, several played games or enjoyed dust baths. Babies Mokogodo and Taroha were having a lovely time in a patch of dusty red soil. They are not yet able to squirt earth on their bodies, but they made up for this lack of skill by rubbing their faces and trunks on the ground and then lying down with their legs in the air.
On a bright sunny morning, the orphans spent a few hours wandering in the forest before heading back to the mud bath for their mid-morning milk feed. They enjoyed a peaceful time pottering around the little pool and then followed their Keepers back to the bush. Ahmed browsed close to Mushuru and Loldaiga, who are becoming good friends, as Kerrio fussed around the smallest members of the herd.
Returning to the mud bath in the afternoon, several elephants paddled and wallowed on a hot afternoon. Water baby Weka submerged her body and then stood on the edge, splashing everyone around her. Muridjo was playing near Taroha and Mokogodo until they toddled away when she gave them both an unwarranted shove. Although she used to be a gentle big sister, Muridjo is growing fast and underestimates her strength. Her position as a cosseted baby is also under threat since the arrival of the two small babies. As a result, she is playing rough. Today, Sileita reacted immediately, protecting the newbies and firmly telling off the naughty girl. Muridjo ran away in a sulk. Meanwhile, Latika and Shujaa were hanging out together again next to the water trough. Shujaa was drinking quietly with his mouth in the water and his trunk waving in the air as he has not yet learned to suck water up his trunk. Latika stood close to him, trunk touching him occasionally.
Rafiki, Ahmed and Kitiak have not been easy undergraduates – all three, especially Ahmed, have been suspicious of the training truck and reluctant to walk into it for their regular bottles of milk, dairy cubes and lucerne. With patience and persistence, the Keepers have made great progress with their charges. Today, they snuck away from the herd and ambled into the truck without being asked. Even Ahmed walked right in and settled down to eat her special treat of sugar cane. Despite their progress, it was decided today to delay the move to the Ithumba Reintegration Unit for reasons unconnected to the Nursery. The Keepers are hoping that, when training resumes, the three orphans will remember what to do and that the truck is not a threatening place.
This afternoon at the mud bath, Weka was at her naughtiest. She cantered down the slope while trumpeting loudly and grabbed a bottle from the waiting Keeper. As soon as she had finished the milk, she raised her trunk again, opened her mouth and walked right up to the Keeper to demand another. When she was unsuccessful, she made a beeline for the wheelbarrow which still contained several bottles of milk. Three Keepers told her off sternly, whistling and pointing at her. In response, she sprinted away into the bush, trumpeting in indignation. Bemused by her behaviour, sweet quiet Kamili trundled off after the noisy girl.
Later in the afternoon in a still-green forest, Sileita foraged contentedly, doing her own thing while keeping an eye on the blanket babies, especially Taroha and Mokogodo.
Led by Sileita, the orphans headed out this morning without encouragement from the Keepers. They ambled around browsing quietly as the sun rose in the sky. Big sister Nyambeni was staying close to Taroha and Mokogodo, having learned how to be a responsible nanny from Kerrio. She made sure that none of the boisterous orphans came anywhere near the little ones, despite still being rather small herself. Sholumai and Elerai browsed far afield, relaxed in each other’s company.
Mzinga caught sight of Raha, the baby rhino, and paddled over to greet her. Raha is still nervous of most of the herd but not kind Mzinga — she is the only orphan who is really trying to make friends with the little rhino. If one of the other elephants approaches her, especially if they are running, Raha reacts aggressively, as she feels threatened. But she accepts Mzinga. This morning, they stood together, with the elephant trunk touching the rhino for a few minutes before she toddled back to join the herd.
Once the orphans had woken up properly and filled their tummies, several began to play. They pushed their heads together or clambered over and under each other or rolled around. Good friends Choka, Muwingu and Mageno were having so much fun that they had to be persuaded to return to the mud bath for their mid-morning milk feed.
As the sun rose over the horizon, little Nyambeni led the herd out to the forest this morning in a straggly line. Although the forest is still green, the browse is not as lush as it was – thus, the orphans are having to forage further afield to fill their bellies. Many were in a playful mood again this morning. Mushuru and Loldaiga were sparring with each other as Mageno and Kitich clambered on top of each other nearby. Muridjo hung out happily with Shujaa, Mzinga and Nyambeni but was not welcoming to newbies Taroha and Mokogodo, choosing to turn her back if they came close. The two newbies were glued to each other, standing so close that they were touching most of the time.
It was a perfect day for swimming and almost the whole herd ended up getting into the mud wallow in the afternoon. Most of the rainwater pools in the forest have dried up so the orphans only have the option of the wallow. They paddled and splashed and cooled their hot bodies. Ahmed has become more confident about having a dip with the herd and Weka squatted in the water, waving her trunk, for ages.
Later in the afternoon, Kerrio, Mzinga and Nyambeni were playing together in the forest. Rumbling happily, Kerrio lay down so her little friends could lean or climb on her. After the game, the three friends squirted soothing soil over their bodies before returning, at the rear of the herd, to the safety of the stockades for the night.
Heading to the mud bath for their mid-morning milk feed, many of the orphans were in the mood for a wallow on a hot sunny day. The Keepers sent the first group — Kerrio, Kamili, Latika, Kitich, Mageno, Shujaa, Nyambeni, Mzinga, Taroha and Mokogodo — down the path for their bottles of milk. They drank quietly — no one demanded an extra bottle today — and ambled over to the wallow. All of them had a paddle except for Taroha and Mokogodo, who stood next to each other watching their friends. Mageno and Shujaa rubbed themselves against the edge as they played happily in the muddy water. Water baby Kerrio remained submerged in the middle for some time.
Some Keepers gathered up the younger ones and led them back to the forest as others sent down the second group. Predictably, there was some jostling for extra milk but, when their demands were unsuccessful, they too headed for the water. Taabu lay in the water and then sat happily splashing everyone around him. Even Elerai had a dip today. This young bull is growing stronger every day but remains on the fringes of the herd, preferring to be on his own and often reacting nervously to human beings. Today, he was part of the gang! He swam with the others and then stood on the edge, scooping up mud with his trunk and shooting it all over the place. Swimming over, the orphans covered themselves with dust before ambling back out to the forest.
On a cold morning, Raha’s Keeper kept the little rhino indoors until the day became warmer. She toddled out to the forest for a walk later in the morning, still wearing her blanket. She is beginning to eat greens which is such a promising sign. As usual, she stayed close to her Keeper, frequently grabbing his trouser leg in her mouth.
The blanket babies also headed out later this morning with only the older orphans leaving the stockades at dawn. Taroha is bonding with the herd, rather than just with Mokogodo, and was spending time with other orphans in the forest. Soon it was time for their morning milk feed. Usually, Taroha walks down the slope to the mud bath but today he was running, a sign of improving health. After downing his bottle, he trumpeted assertively for a second. He is turning into a greedy boy! Nearby, Mokogodo was standing next to a Keeper, raising her trunk to touch him and ask for affection. Butterball Kitich was holding a stick in his mouth as he picked up small pieces of lucerne with his trunk. Belly full, he started sparring with Mageno – even though he is his best friend, he still prevents him from coming close to the youngest orphans. As usual, Kerrio was being a responsible nanny, but with some assistance today from Kamili and Latika.
In the afternoon, the herd enjoyed a peaceful time in the forest before returning to the safety of the stockades for the night.