“Mbikrikani”, the yearling female incapacitated by a cable snare around a hugely swollen front foot, who was rescued from the Chyulu Hills at the end of last month. The cable snare had obviously been in place for a long time, for it had cut through to the bone with the skin grown over. The snare was removed by the Vet attached to the KWS/DSWT Tsavo Mobile Veterinary team, but it was clear that the resulting wound would need further attention. She responded well to captivity and within a week the swelling of the foot had greatly improved, and the calf had been transformed into a loving and trusting baby, who has since become a great favourite of both the Keepers and, as always, all the older female elephants within the Voi Unit. All make a habit of rushing to her Stockade as soon as they emerge each morning, and spend time rumbling greetings to her, and comforting her with the touch of tender trunks to reassure her that she was now among friends, both four-footed and two! The Voi Keepers were called upon to rescue another orphan on the 29th, this time from the notorious Taita Ranch abutting Tsavo, but sadly this yearling calf had been without milk for too long for us to be able to retrieve it, and was already in a state of collapse by the time it reached the Stockades. Despite the infusion of life supporting drips, it died a few hours later. Nor did it end there, for there was a further Rescue that took place at month end, on the 31st, this time of a young female orphan from Lualeni Ranch abutting the Taveta Road, who was loaded onto the Rescue Plane at the Salt Lick Lodge airfield and flown to the Nairobi Nursery. This baby has been named “Vuria” (the highest point of the nearby Taita Hills) With the onset of the dry season, and the drying of natural waterholes, most of the wild herds who had frequented the area utilized by the Keeper Dependent Voi Orphans last month, began to move further afield in search of browse, among them Emily’s Ex Orphan Unit. Hence the Keeper Dependent Juniors have had only limited access to their wild cousins this month, although they mingled with a friendly wild herd on the 13th when Sinya was obsessed with, and allowed to fondle, a tiny wild baby. However, although they found themselves browsing close to another wild herd a few days later, none of the orphans decided to fraternize on that occasion, even though Junior boys, Tassia, Taveta, Dabassa and Rombo are normally the first to greet visiting wild herds, ever eager to test their strength against wild peers. Before leaving the Stockades each morning, the orphans enjoy a supplement of Copra and Lucerne to help them nutritionally until the onset of the next rainy season, which is likely not until November. These days the usual September/October rains usually come late, which makes the dry seasons much more challenging for all wildlife in this arid land. Because Wasessa is possessive and greedy at such times, she is usually fed her share apart from the others, but this changed when she was challenged by Lempaute who refused to be intimidated! Now, Wasessa has been more agreeable to sharing the daily hand-out, but Shimba and Panda are usually protected so that they get their full quota. With the country becoming more arid, the resident troupe of baboons have become a daily irritation for the Elephants as they take their supplements. They take time out to try and chase them off, at the same time risking others moving in during their absence! Sinya enjoyed playfully charging the resident impalas on the 27th, which made a change from driving off troublesome baboons. We are concerned about Shimba who has lost a great deal of condition recovering from the horrendous lion mauling he endured months ago, and although the wounds are now completely healed with skin grown over the opening of one earhole, the strain of months of pain have taken a heavy toll of his condition. Panda, on the other hand, who had long been considered sickly, now looks the picture of health, and has thrived having the company of Shimba each day as the two browse closer to home. This month a keeper has had to be assigned to overseeing them due to the presence of lions in the area, who might again target Shimba in his weakened condition. On several occasions when the Orphans have chosen to browse the slopes of nearby Mazinga Hill, Shimba and Panda have been able to join them. Mzima and Tassia often choose to browse the higher slopes of Mazinga Hill, where small herbs spout near runoff from rocks. On one occasion Lesanju had to wait for them to come down before joining the others at the Big Mudwallow, and on another occasion the two boys did not come down until the late evening, only rejoining the rest of the herd at the Stockades. Being a tuskless elephant, Kivuko often chooses to browse apart from the others, probably fearful of being prodded by impish Junior Boys. Ndii and Kenia are firm friends, who are seldom apart. The daily mudbath venue now alternates between the usual Big Waterhole in the main Park, the other two artificial ones (all topped up by a daily bowser load of water brought in by the Tractor) and the small mudbath at the Stockade compound, dependent upon where the Orphans choose to browse each day. This is decided by Lesanju, Lempaute, Wasessa and Sinya, who share Matriarchal Leadership duties, even though Lesanju remains the accepted overall boss despite Wasessa being a lot larger. During the cool “winter” months of June, July and August, the elephants often find the ambient temperature not conducive to wallowing. Layoni normally takes on the duty of testing the temperature of the water, dipping the tip of his trunk in, before deciding whether or not to wallow, and the others seem to take their cue from his decision. Another mudbath daily attendant is the Hornbill chick born and raised near the Orphans’ Stockades, who follows the vehicle bringing the noon milk feed, and stays to enjoy some of the Keepers’ lunch! Wild elephants have also learnt that the drinking bins are filled each day from the bowser, and often move in to empty them as soon as the tractor leaves. Hence a Keeper normally has to keep vigil over these to ensure that our Orphans get a drink at noon when they come for the mudbath. The Youngsters have devised some new games this month during the daily mudbath; Taveta in the middle being pushed back and forth (apparently willingly) by Rombo at his head and Dabassa at the back. Wasessa has spent time teaching little Panda how to wave her trunk back and forth and up and down!