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On a wonderful sunny morning, matriarch Mbegu and her friend Emoli enjoyed a sparring contest in their shared stockade as breakfast was being prepared. As soon as a Keeper opened the gates, Ashanti, Busara, Losoito, Rokka and Manda sprinted down to the feeding area for the morning milk feed. Ashanti emptied her bottle, dribbling milk on the ground in her enthusiasm, and then tried to pinch Busara’s bottle. Luckily Busara had also finished her milk – she ran over to the feeding trough, leaving Ashanti still searching for an extra bottle. 

The rest of the herd soon joined the babies. Ngilai wandered over to the lucerne area, picked up a bunch of lucerne, balanced it on his head, and ambled back to the trough. He performed his party trick several times, tempting his friends as he strolled past with a store of lucerne. When Godoma tried to pinch his special stash, he twisted around and ran away, waving his trunk in triumph. 

Tamiyoi, Rokka, Losoito and Lemeki led the herd out to the browsing fields. The elephants spread out to browse in the grasslands overlooking the baobab tree mud wallow. In the afternoon, the orphans walked down for a milk feed and then visited the water hole. On a cool and windy day, they drank from the water trough and stood quietly around the wallow. Only Lemeki and Thamana were in playful moods – they wrestled against each other while good friends Ngilai and Lasayen entwined trunks at the trough.

On another bright sunny morning, the dependent elephants gathered in front of the stockades for breakfast. Manda massaged his backside against the rock at the entrance while Mbegu and Baraka walked away from the lucerne feeding area. When the matriarch and the little boy met Godoma, Mbegu trunk touched Godoma affectionately, handed Baraka into her care, and wandered on. Godoma and adopted baby Baraka were left standing close together. 

The orphans left the stockades in a long line and spread out to browse on the lower slopes of Msinga Hill. We now see Losoito as Lemeki’s adopted baby as the bond between them is becoming stronger and stronger. This morning Lemeki padded along behind Losoito, browsing with her and trunk touching her regularly.

In the afternoon, the orphans returned to the stockades for their milk feed, rather than visiting the baobab mud wallow. Tamiyoi scratched her bottom on the edge of the small wallow while Ngilai rolled around on the mound of red soil. The herd hung out on the terraces for some time before heading out for a final wander of the day.

The orphans padded out of their shared stockades soon after dawn as usual and gathered in the feeding area. Mbegu stood close to Busara at the range cubes trough, shielding her from potential bullies. When a jealous Dabida tried to shove Busara away, Mbegu stretched out her trunk, draping it along Dabida’s back to calm her down.  The two younger elephants then stood happily on either side of the matriarch. 

The orphans soon headed for their daily browsing adventures, settling on the open grasslands. As they browsed together, Tagwa kept trunk hugging Lemeki. Perhaps tiring of all this affection, Lemeki ambled away to hang out with Ushindi instead! Godoma stretched out her trunk to touch Emoli as they browsed together and Baraka soon joined the two older elephants. When the herd walked down for their milk feed near the wallow in the afternoon, Mbegu chose to stay behind with Seri and Epiya. 

Afterwards, the orphans had fun playing on the pile of red soil and in the mud wallow. Manda, Rokka, Mbegu, Godoma and Ndotto rolled around on the mound of soil, rubbing against each other as they squirted soil over their bodies. Meanwhile, Epiya, Kenderi and Pika Pika wallowed in the cooling water while Hildana paddled along the edge.

In the early morning, the orphans headed out on their browsing adventures, settling around the foot of Msinga Hill. Kenderi and Thamana clambered into the erosion gulley to play. Ngilai trunk hugged Pika Pika while they browsed on the grasslands. Ashanti, Lasayen, Godoma, Baraka and Thamana were spending time together. Adapting to her short trunk, Ashanti was using her foot to kick up greens from the ground. Later in the morning, Lemeki played with Itinyi, one of the cool boys in the herd, before ambling over to Thamana. The close friends played with a branch, twisting it around and then twisting their trunks together while shaking their heads in excitement. 

Later in the afternoon at the mud wallow, Ngilai rested his front foot casually on the water trough as he drank and then played the sparring game with Lasayen. None of the herd were tempted to swim on a cloudy day. When the orphans meandered back to the bush, Mbegu was left behind drinking. Moments later, a wild bull arrived to drink from the trough and Mbegu jogged away to catch up with the herd.

On a sunny morning, Ngilai was first at the lucerne area, striding over while the rest of the herd were eating range cubes from the feeding trough. After filling their bellies, the herd headed out to browse. Lemeki and Losoito led their friends up to the top of Msinga Hill. The orphans manoeuvred their way along the sides of the hill, twisting off delicious acacia branches, ipomea leaves, and sandpaper tree branches. 

In the afternoon, the orphans returned to the stockades for another milk feed, mud wallow and dust bath. Today, many got wet in the wallow and then dusted themselves on the dry soil. Full of excitement, Kilulu flared his ears as he rolled around on the pile of red earth. Ushindi clambered slowly out of the mud wallow while Tamiyoi posed on the edge, digging into the ground with her tusks. Covered in thick mud, Emoli got out of the wallow and headed over for a dust bath. Tamiyoi scratched her bottom on the edge while Murit strode over for a dusting with his friends. A muddy Kilulu massaged himself on the terrace wall while Manda, Tamiyoi, Kenderi and Rokka rolled around happily on the pile of soil. 

Later in the day, the orphans browsed calmly on the hill before returning to the safety of the stockades for the night. On their way back, Thamana and Itinyi enjoyed an evening sparring game.

On another wonderful morning, the orphans emerged from their stockades and gathered in the feeding area. Godoma stretched her trunk out to Rokka who walked over to Mbegu. As Rokka trunk hugged the matriarch, Godoma struck a pose next to the favourite rock. Manda, Kenderi and Juni enjoyed an early morning dust bath while Kilulu massaged her rump against the terrace wall. Hildana was twisting her trunk around her feet while Manda took on Itinyi in a sparring game. Ushindi was showing off on the mound of red soil as Ashanti continued to scoop up range cubes. 

On a cold and windy day, the elephants browsed quietly around Msinga Hill. In the afternoon, the herd headed down to the baobab tree mud wallow as usual. Rather than swimming in the wallow, many orphans played on the pile of red earth. Kilulu play mounted Ushindi and Thamana lay down for a rest on the pile of soil. Ngilai and Lasayen sparred against each other inside the wallow while Murit stood on the edge, observing the two bulls. When the game became exciting, Murit decided to join in. After all the orphans had climbed out of the water, they ambled out to continue browsing.

At dawn, the dependent orphans stood quietly in their stockades, waiting patiently for the gates to be opened. Moments later they lined up at the range cubes feeding trough and gathered in the lucerne area. Once again, they had the trough to themselves as the ex-orphans were nowhere to be seen. When the grasslands dry up and there is not so much browse, the ex-orphans go wandering far afield, usually towards Mageno Ranch or Sagala Hills where the grass is still green. 

The orphans set out from the stockades to the browsing fields as usual. Today, two wild elephants joined the herd and spent the morning browsing with the dependent orphans. Best friends Ndotto and Lasayen enjoyed a wrestling match as the younger members of the herd continued to browse. 

In the afternoon, the orphans ran down in groups for a milk feed before continuing on to the baobab mud wallow. After cooling off in the wallow, the orphans meandered back out to the bush, browsing deep in the woods. Ngilai and Murit played the pushing game on their way back to the stockades for the night.

On a sunny morning, the orphans were in excited moods, running around and pushing each other and squabbling like toddlers. As usual, Ngilai was going back and forth between the lucerne area and the range cubes trough, carrying a stash of lucerne on his head. Lemeki and Losoito had an early morning dust bath and then lay chilling on the red soil. Ndotto, Emoli, Itinyi and Lasayen continued browsing on lucerne grass.

When two Keepers whistled, Lemeki and Losoito led the herd out for their daily browsing adventures. Mbegu stood by the water trough, waiting for all the orphans to make their way out from the stockades before bringing up the rear. Ngilai ambled up Msinga Hill in search of soft acacia branches while the rest of the herd spread out to browse on the lower slopes. After rolling around in the erosion gulley with Ashanti, Kilulu relaxed on his belly before challenging Thamana to a sparring contest.

In the afternoon, Losoito rested her front foot on the baobab water trough as she drank. She was soon joined by Lemeki and the two friends stood quietly together before catching up with the herd as they headed out to browse on their way back to the stockades.

Early in the morning, the orphans lined up belly to belly at the range cubes feeding trough. Once again, Ngilai was the first to wander over to the lucerne area – today, he was followed by Lemeki and Losoito. Ngilai welcomed Losoito but she walked away nervously from the older bull as a relaxed Lemeki did some impressive stretches next to the pile of grass. Not far away, Rokka was rolling around on her own on the mound of dry soil, enjoying a break from Manda. Ashanti was playing a lying-down pushing game with Akina and Kilulu challenged Thamana to a sparring contest. 

Tamiyoi led the herd out to browse and the orphans settled in the grass fields at the foot of Msinga Hill. In a repeat of a few days ago, the wild bulls chose to spend the morning with the dependent herd, remaining with them until we sent the orphans down for their afternoon milk feed. 

After emptying their bottles, the elephants padded on the baobab tree mud wallow. Manda and Thamana wrestled against each other until Ndotto joined the game. When the older bull came to Manda’s defence, Thamana walked away. Kenderi and Lasayen stood close together under the tree while Ngilai tried to clamber on top of Godoma at the water trough. When she strode away, Ngilai began sparring with Murit instead. The games continued until three Keepers whistled and the orphans obediently ambled back in the direction of the stockades.

As the sun rose into a clear sky, the dependent elephants set out on their daily browsing adventures. They spread out over Msinga Hill, browsing on leafy acacia branches and dry ipomea vegetation. Lasayen spent the morning on his own at the foot of the hill. Nanny Lemeki wandered around with Losoito, fussing over the little girl affectionately. 

In the afternoon, the orphans sprinted down the slope for another milk feed and a visit to the mud wallow. After a dip in the cooling water, the orphans gathered on the mound of red soil for a herd dust bath. Tamiyoi enjoyed a good scratch on the creamy peacock tree and Pika Pika on the acacia tree before joining the dusting gang. When the herd headed back out to the bush, Ndotto remained behind, enjoying a solo red soil bath.

After breakfast, Tamiyoi led the herd out for their daily browsing adventures. The dependent orphans settled in the open grass fields, browsing in the direction of the baobab tree mud wallow. The herd was less active than usual, probably because it was a cloudy morning. Itinyi, Kilulu, Ngilai and Thamana spent the morning together, browsing quietly on shrubs. 

In the afternoon, the orphans visited the baobab water trough and wallow. Rather than paddling or swimming in the muddy water, the herd clustered around the trough today. Ngilai trunk hugged Ushindi while resting his front foot on the edge of the trough. Hildana copied the older bull’s pose while drinking with Tagwa and Ushindi. Ambling away from the others, Ngilai tried to peel the bark off the creamy peacock tree until we told him to stop. Leaving the mud wallow, the herd browsed deep into the woods.

The sun was shining as the orphans emerged from their stockades to enjoy milk, range cubes and lucerne. Ngilai arrived at the feeding trough with a bunch of lucerne balanced on his head as Lemeki whisked Losoito away to the lucerne area. Ashanti was leaning on her knees to scoop up pellets and a jealous Juni was doing her best to push Busara away from Mbegu so she could stand next to the matriarch. Calmly, Mbegu protected Busara while at the same time allowing Juni to stand close.

The orphans set out to browse, settling today at the top of Msinga Hill. In the afternoon, we shepherded the herd back to the stockades for the milk feed as a pride of lions were sighted this morning at the baobab tree wallow. As Epiya and Ushindi clambered out of the stockade mud wallow, Godoma stood on the edge, kicking up clouds of dust and then lying down for a roll around. Ushindi enjoyed a dust bath on the mound of red soil as Itinyi tried to trunk hug and bond with a reluctant Ashanti. Hildana and Thamana rubbed their forelegs against the dry soil as Godoma and Baraka rolled around next to them. Not far away, Rokka scratched her rump against the terrace wall. When the herd ambled out for another wander, Lasayen was left behind. He enjoyed a solo dust bath and a massage against the terrace wall before catching up with his friends.

The orphans drank their milk in groups and lined up at the feeding trough as usual. They were in subdued moods again this morning. Ashanti stood sandwiched between Mbegu and Pika Pika, and Epiya between Tamiyoi and Tagwa. After filling her belly, Losoito scratched herself on the rock along the fence line while show-off Ushindi pranced around the terraces and then lay down in the lucerne area for a nap. Tagwa and Lemeki draped their trunks all over each other and Kilulu play mounted Ushindi as the herd began making their way out to the bush. 

The orphans settled in the open fields, browsing in the direction of the milk feeding area near the mud wallow. Ashanti played in the erosion gulley and a drongo bird gave Baraka a fright by landing on him as he browsed. He sprinted away trumpeting, in turn startling Epiya who ran off in a different direction. In the afternoon, the orphans stood around the mud wallow quietly in friendship groups and meandered back to the stockades in a long line.

The orphaned elephants left the stockades soon after the milk and range cubes feeding. They were full of energy and playfulness this morning. Arriving on the eastern side of Msinga Hill, Lasayen and Murit immediately began a noisy sparring contest. Godoma stuck closely to adopted baby Baraka, following the little boy wherever he went. The rest of the herd spread out over the hill, plucking up shoots in an area that is drying out fast. 

As usual, in the afternoon we sent the elephants down to the mud wallow in groups. They gulped down their milk and padded on to the pool. A few orphans cooled off in the water and then joined the others around the mound of red soil. Manda rolled around on his back on the soil as Rokka stood watching his antics. Ashanti lay down behind Manda, hoping to imitate her friend, but was pushed away by Lemeki who rolled up close to Manda. The rest of the browsing day was peaceful.

After drinking their milk, the orphans gathered at the feeding trough to eat range cubes. As the others stood belly to belly, Ashanti knelt to scoop the cubes directly into her mouth. Pika Pika, Epiya and Tagwa were the first to amble over to the lucerne area while Hildana drank from the water trough. 

Tamiyoi and Manda led the herd out to browse around Msinga Hill for several hours before Ndotto led them down to the mud wallow in the afternoon. On another cloudy afternoon, the orphans did not get wet but chose to stand around the pool and under the baobab tree. Murit and Emoli spoilt the peace by engaging in yet another sparring game as Ndotto and Lasayen lay back to back relaxing on the pile of dry soil. Eventually, the two bulls climbed to their feet and jogged out to catch up the herd.

On a wonderful sunny morning, the dependent orphans gathered as usual in the feeding area in front of the stockades. Juni enjoyed an early morning dust bath while Hildana hosed dry soil all over himself and then stood still being a show-off. Akina was digging and spraying soil all over the place. Kilulu massaged his backside on the terrace wall and dug into the ground with his strong tusks. Losoito joined Juni on the mound of red soil while Kilulu took on Hildana in a sparring contest. Losoito and Itinyi played the pushing game as Thamana rolled around on the ground, waving his legs in the air. 

After spending the morning browsing in the bush, the herd walked down the hill for a milk feed and a visit to the mud wallow. Losoito lay on the edge showing off as the rest of the herd cooled off in the water. Busara began playing with Losoito while Juni scratched herself on some boulders next to the wallow. 

When the elephants set out to browse again, Ndotto stayed back at the water trough and Godoma was also left behind, rolling on the ground with Baraka balancing on top of her. After the orphans disappeared into the bush, a wild elephant family took their place at the baobab mud wallow.  The orphans spent the rest of the afternoon browsing on the slopes of Msinga Hill.

The orphans gathered outside their stockades for breakfast as usual in the early morning. They drank milk, ate range cubes and browsed on lucerne. Rokka rubbed her bottom on the rock in the compound and Lemeki massaged her backside against the rocks along the fence line and then ambled over to be with Losoito. As Mbegu looked for leftover milk in the feeding area and Ndotto browsed on acacia branches, the herd headed out for their daily adventure. The orphans settled on the slopes of Msinga Hill, browsing on delicious acacia branches and dry ipomea leaves. 

In the afternoon, the orphans returned to the stockades for another milk feed. Thamana squatted on the pile of dry soil, Kilulu sparred with Thamana and Ushindi scratched herself on the terrace wall as Hildana did his best to play mount her. Playtime over, the herd meandered out for a final wander of the day.

On a beautiful sunny morning at the Voi stockades, some orphans enjoyed range cubes and others picked up pieces of lucerne in the corner of the compound. Ushindi drank from the water trough with Mbegu and Lasayen while Itinyi and Murit finished up the pellets.

Lemeki, Losoito and Tamiyoi led the orphans out for their browsing adventures and the herd spread out over the slopes of Msinga Hill. Ngilai, Pika Pika and Tamiyoi climbed up to the peak of the hill as the rest of the herd browsed on the lower slopes.

In the afternoon, the orphans came down for their usual milk feed and padded on to the mud wallow. On a cool and cloudy day, the elephants did not get into the pool. Tagwa trunk hugged Juni at the trough as Epiya and Emoli stood posing next to them. Pika Pika draped her trunk affectionately on Busara who stood still for a time before walking back over to Mbegu. The orphans soon left the wallow and meandered back to the safety of the stockades for the night.

The orphans enjoyed their breakfast on a wonderful morning. After eating lots of range cubes, Busara and Kilulu chased each other around the compound and Lemeki kept trunk hugging adopted baby Losoito as they ambled over to the water trough. Ngilai and Lasayen sparred on the terraces, clashing heads and trumpeting loudly. 

Led by Tagwa, the herd headed out for their usual browsing adventures and settled on the lower slopes of Msinga Hill. After browsing for several hours on grasses and shrubs which are no longer lush and green, they gathered in the milk feeding area, waiting for the truck to arrive. Ngilai was showing off, posing with ears flared, and Lasayen was playing the pushing game with Murit.

After the milk feed, the orphans stopped off at the water trough to quench their thirst before heading into the mud wallow for a swim. Pika Pika, Kenderi and Epiya paddled on the edge and then submerged their bodies in the middle. Lasayen splashed water with his enormous feet while Kilulu play mounted Ashanti on the mound of red soil. After his dust bath, Ngilai scratched himself against the bark of the baobab tree. He was soon joined by Lasayen but Ndotto chose a smaller tree next to the wallow for his massage.

The sun was shining when the herd headed out from the stockades this morning. They left in a long line led by Lemeki and Rokka. Matriarch Mbegu stood waiting on the path leading from the stockades to make sure that everyone was present and correct. Ndotto and Itinyi were the last two to leave. She nudged them gently with her trunk and padded along behind them. 

Out in the bush, the orphans spread out to browse and play. Ngilai and Murit spent most of the morning together, flapping their ears as they twisted up greens. Thamana and Itinyi played the pushing game, entwining trunks and then breaking apart. Ndotto browsed peacefully at a distance from the herd while Godoma, Baraka and Manda stayed close together.

In the afternoon, the orphans cooled off in the wallow and then gathered for a dust bath. The mound of red soil was covered with elephants either splashing themselves with soil or rolling around on their backs with legs in the air. Lemeki was rolling on top of the mound. Itinyi and Pika Pika were the last to climb out of the water and join the dust bath party. When the herd ambled back out to the bush, Ndotto, Mbegu and Ngilai remained behind for a time. Ndotto and Mbegu lay relaxing on the red soil and Ngilai scratched his backside against the baobab tree.

The orphans were in excited moods this morning. As the sun rose in a clear sky, many were playing chasing and pushing games. Itinyi and Manda enjoyed a sparring contest on the lower terrace while Lasayen and Murit wrestled on the upper terrace. Thamana was spraying soil all over the place while Epiya paddled for a few minutes in the wallow and then challenged Ushindi to a sparring contest. Ndotto and Ngilai stayed at the feeding trough, continuing to scoop up cubes as the others played.

When we whistled to the herd, the elephants headed out happily to browse in the bush, spreading over the open grasslands overlooking the baobab water hole. After the afternoon milk feed, the orphans gathered around the water trough. No one went swimming on a cloudy afternoon and everyone was keen to wander into the woods and then back to the stockades for the night.

On another wonderful morning, the orphans gathered in front of the stockades for their breakfast range cubes and lucerne grass. Ngilai performed his daily party trick with a twist today. As usual, he was first to reach the lucerne area, piled some on top of his head, and ambled back to the feeding trough. When he encountered fellow bull Murit, he hung a left and headed for a quiet corner to feast on his special stash.

The herd headed out to browse in the surrounding bush, wandering all over the rocky side of Msinga Hill in search of tasty acacia branches. In the afternoon, the orphans gathered around the baobab tree mud wallow and water trough. Losoito rested her forelegs on the trough as she stood drinking with Lemeki. When Thamana walked up to join them, Lemeki was careful to stand between her old friend and her new one, just in case Thamana was feeling jealous. Epiya, Emoli and Manda had a quick dip in the wallow followed by a dust bath. Pika Pika led the herd back out to the bush with Mbegu and Busara bringing up the rear.

This morning, the orphans’ focus was on browsing rather than playing. As soon as they had finished the milk, cubes and lucerne, they gathered in the walkway to Msinga Hill, making it clear that it was time to go. We responded and walked with the herd out from the stockades. 

Mbegu and Tagwa paused along the way, stretching up their trunks to pluck green browse from over the fence line. They were unsuccessful because of recent repairs to the fence. Unbothered, they ambled along behind the herd.

On a cloudy afternoon, Itinyi and Kenderi played a tough sparring up game, clashing heads and pushing hard against each other in a contest of strength. Not far away, Kilulu and Ashanti were busy playing in a small dip, sucking up dry soil and squirting it in every direction. Busara rolled around happily on the mound of red soil, enjoying the protective presence of Mbegu and Tamiyoi. The two older females stood one on either side of the little girl, just in case Kilulu or Kenderi or any of the other boys tried to play mount Busara. Meanwhile, Ndotto, Murit and Ngilai stood next to the baobab tree, taking it in turns to massage their rumps against its trunk.

On a cool morning, the orphans engaged in wonderful soil dusting games and, led by Godoma, Baraka, Tagwa and Juni, headed out from the stockades at the beginning of a long day of browsing. The elephants spread out over grasslands that are increasingly dry, searching for palatable green browse. 

In the afternoon, we sent the orphans down for their milk feed in groups of three or four. Naughty Epiya tried to pinch Baraka’s bottle by pushing the little boy away. A Keeper quickly intervened to give Baraka some peace and move Epiya on to the mud wallow. The herd drank from the water trough and stood relaxing around the wallow but no one went swimming today. While dust bathing, Thamana picked up a chunk of soil and tossed it into the air, showering his friends with red soil. They moved away, leaving the young bull on his own on the mound. Although they are close in age, Rokka was gentle to Busara during their brief wrestling match. She entwined her trunk around Busara’s trunk during the game, being careful not to hurt the little girl.

After the morning feeding and socialising session in the stockade compound, the orphaned elephants headed out to enjoy a day of browsing. Busara was so busy rolling around on the mound of dry soil that she did not notice that the herd was on its way out to the bush. Mbegu rumbled and Busara jogged off to catch up with her friends. After browsing for three hours, Itinyi approached his friend Kenderi from behind and climbed on her back. Kenderi strode away and Itinyi fell off but then he began chasing her around playfully. Many of the others copied the two elephants and began running around, playing hide and seek while trumpeting and kicking up lots of dust with their enormous pads. Little Seri did not join in – instead she sat in a shallow trench, watching her friends chasing one another.

Later at the baobab tree water hole, two wild elephant bulls joined the herd of orphans. They ambled in, drank from the water trough, stood among the orphans for a short time and headed back out to the bush. Soon after, we shepherded our elephants back to the stockades for the night.

The morning was wonderful as the orphans were full of energy and playfulness. Some tumbled on the pile of red earth as others played pushing and chasing games on the terraces. As Kilulu rolled around on the soil, little Ashanti took advantage of an opportunity and climbed on top of her friend. As she relaxed on Kilulu’s back, Hildana in turn climbed on top of Ashanti. Sandwiched between the two, Ashanti eventually managed to wriggle out from underneath Hildana. Meanwhile, Ndotto and Ngilai were sparring on the upper terrace and Murit and Lasayen on the lower one. 

Tamiyoi and Tagwa led the orphans out to the field this morning. Walking in a long line, they spread out when they reached Msinga Hill. Manda was pestering Murit, following behind him and trying to play with the older bull, until Itinyi challenged him to a wrestling match. Manda left Murit in peace and instead sparred with Itinyi. 

On a sunny afternoon, many orphans had a wonderful mud bath. As Tagwa and Pika Pika splashed in the water, Baraka climbed out and lay down on the mound of red soil. He had a relaxing dust bath under tight security from Mbegu and Godoma who stood on either side of the young boy. At first, they did not even allow little Seri to join him, but then they relented and the two young elephants rolled around together.

The herd was in a quiet mood today. They ate range cubes and lucerne and immediately set out for the browsing fields. The orphans spread over the grasslands as the sun rose in the sky. Ndotto was staying close to Lasayen this morning. To our surprise, the gentle bull kept pulling green browse from Lasayen’s mouth. Lasayen did not seem to mind but Pika Pika did! She walked over and tempted Lasayen to move away and browse with her instead. 

As the treeless plains became hotter, little Busara took shelter under the shade of Mbegu’s enormous ears. Later in the morning, the orphans began moving in single file towards the baobab tree mud wallow.

 In the afternoon at the wallow, large and small plunged into the muddy water for a cool down. Some paddled along the edges as others lay down in the middle. Itinyi loves wrestling with his friends – today, he challenged Ushindi to a contest. The two bulls pushed heads and twisted apart and then together again on the edge of the wallow. Ndotto and Lasayen stood close with heads touching and trunks hanging down in the shade of the baobab tree. Ashanti toddled over to join them, standing as close as she could. When the herd headed back out to the bush, Ndotto and Lasayen strode away on their own. Three Keepers ran after the independent bulls and brought them back to the herd.

The orphaned elephants were full of excitement after the milk, range cubes, and lucerne grass morning feed and played lots of games in the stockade compound. As Juni squatted on her bottom on the mound of soil, Ashanti did her best to push her off, nudging her friend who just flapped her ears and refused to move. Baraka and Epiya rubbed their backsides against two boulders while Ushindi expertly knelt to climb onto the upper terrace. 

We led the orphans out to a dry Msinga Hill where green browse is increasingly hard to find. After wandering all over the hill, they enjoyed an afternoon swim in the mud bath. As many submerged their bodies, Thamana lay on the edge, rolling around with legs in the air, and Juni massaged her bottom against underwater rocks. Ndotto, always a reluctant swimmer, walked round and round the pool - the referee of the mud bathing competition! 

Later in the day, the orphans wandered to the top of the hill. Godoma went into a large cave near the summit, checked that it was safe and then invited adopted baby Baraka to join her in the shady refuge.

Soon after dawn this morning, when Losoito – who was still in her stockade – saw us carrying out bottles of milk from the mixing room,  she began trumpeting loudly. We opened the door of her shared stockade first and she sprinted down the path for her milk feed, followed by Rokka, Manda and Ashanti. The orphans drank their milk in groups and spread out in the feeding area. 

The herd soon headed out to browse all over Msinga Hill before padding down to the mud wallow in the afternoon. Today, there was lots of mud bathing and rolling around on the pile of red earth. Ushindi and Godoma went back to the water trough for a second drink. When Ushindi tried to climb into the trough, a Keeper intervened to keep the water clean. Kilulu rolled around on the mound of soil and Ashanti squatted on top of him until Tagwa shepherded the little girl away. When the herd wandered away, Kenderi was left standing on the top on his own. 

Later in the evening as the orphans browsed on Msinga Hill, Ndotto massaged himself against large boulders and trunks of trees.

After the early morning milk and range cubes feed, the orphaned elephants headed out to the bush. They browsed in single file, with Lemeki staying close to Losoito, Godoma to Baraka, and Mbegu to Busara. 

In the afternoon, the orphans sprinted down the hill in groups for another milk feed. When her friends tried to overtake her, Losoito trumpeted and somehow stayed in the lead. Afterwards, the elephants gathered around the mud wallow and many plunged into the water. An excited Itinyi climbed onto Dabida in the middle of the pool. As Busara was standing in front, Dabida was unable to throw off Itinyi and he continued to play mount him.  After cooling off, Lemeki lay on the dust hill and Thamana sparred with her while she remained on her haunches. Godoma was a water baby today, staying in the wallow after the whole herd had climbed out except for Mbegu. 

As the orphans played in and around the wallow, two wild elephants drank from the water trough and showed off by trying to push over a tree. Soon after the dependent herd left, a large herd of wild elephants took their place.

In the early morning, beautiful red sunlight lit up the stockades as we were opening the doors. Emerging from her stockade, little Busara stretched up her trunk affectionately to Tamiyoi (who sleeps in a different stockade) in greeting. The orphans drank their milk in groups and settled for a time to eat and play in the compound. Best friends Emoli and Thamana enjoyed another sparring match next to the water trough.

As usual, the orphaned elephants spent the morning browsing in the bush and then padded down to the baobab tree mud wallow in the afternoon. Ngilai, Seri, Emoli and Pika Pika drank from the water trough for a long time before joining their friends in the mud bath. On a hot afternoon, many splashed around in the middle of the pool. After cooling off, they climbed out for a dust bath or a tree massage. An excited Murit squatted on his backside on the mound of soil and slid around with trunk waving. Emoli, Thamana and Pika Pika scratched themselves against the peacock tree and then moved away so Lasayen and Ndotto could take their places.

We have not seen Kenia’s and Edie’s herds of ex-orphans at all this month. During dry times, they head towards Mageno Ranch or Sagala Hills where there is still plenty of green browse. We are looking forward to their return - when rain falls and Voi turns green again.