Mayan is only a month into Ithumba life, but he is already making a name for himself! He has emerged as a famous wallower. Every day, be it cloudy or sunny, chilly or hot, he goes into the water. He never lets the weather dictate what he does, and at the very least goes in for a cursory splash. More often, he is the first in and the last out!
Tumaren and her son, Tembo, were at the stockade compound early in the morning. As soon as the orphans were let out, Tembo was so happy to have good company. Tembo happily kept charging and running around the orphans. At one time he even threatened to push Vaarti. Vaarti didn't mind about Tembo and just tried to avoid him. Eventually Tembo got tired and decided to lie down and take a nap while the orphans and his mother enjoyed feeding on lucerne. When the orphans had enough of lucerne, Vaarti and Mayan led the way to the browsing field, leaving Tumaren and Tembo behind.
The orphans settled to browse at the Kone area, where they met Mapia, Ambo, Kauro, Kithaka, Enkikwe, and Rapa. These boys have formed their own team and rotate between the Kone area, Kalovoto, and the stockade compound. The boys interacted with the orphans and parted ways when it was time to head for the mud bath. The junior ex-orphans saw no need to follow the orphans as they were not entitled to any milk bottles. Larro led the way to the mud bath. The orphans had their milk and then returned to the browsing field.
Kinyei and Naleku came across a muddy water pan and decided to cool themselves down by splashing mud behind their ears. Lodo and Mukkoka had a friendly strength-testing exercise that lasted for quite some time. The two boys later resumed browsing. In the evening, Kindani led the way to the stockade compound for the night.
After finishing their morning milk, Vaarti led the way out, followed by his friend Mayan. The orphans settled for lucerne briefly, after which Naleku led the way to the browsing field. Vaarti stopped at the water trough for a drink and was joined by Mukkoka and Kinyei. On the way to the browsing field, Esoit engaged Mukkoka in a friendly pushing game.
Orwa joined the orphans out in the bush. It was unclear where he had left his friends. Orwa didn't stay for long and left soon after holding a meeting with Mukkoka, Sattao, and Roho. Nothing was disclosed about what they had talked about; we assumed it was boys' talk.
The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Later, they passed by Kone Dam, where Lodo, Roho, and Mukkoka got into the water for a cooling-off exercise. At mud bath time, only Mayan participated fully in the wallowing exercise. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse at the Imenti area. It was all quiet as the orphans browsed calmly throughout the afternoon without any major observations. In the evening, Vaarti led the way back to the compound for the night.
The sky was clear, and it was a quiet morning when the orphans left their stockades and settled for lucerne. Roho decided to put some lucerne on his head as he kept walking and picking the best pieces. Bondeni noticed this when Roho passed close to him, and he stretched his trunk to bring the lucerne down. Roho wasn’t bothered and allowed Bondeni to pick the lucerne from his head. Naleku and Kinyei walked down to the water trough to have a drink before heading to the browsing field.
Bondeni engaged Esoit in a strength-testing exercise. Two dik-diks passed in front of Kinyei, which irritated her. She charged and trumpeted, intending to trample the dik-diks. The dik-diks, understanding Kinyei's mission and being very good at running and dodging, disappeared, leaving Kinyei charging at empty bushes.
The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Roho and Olorien visited the Kone dam for a drink and were later joined by the rest of the group. At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk, then headed for some water before returning to the browsing field without mud bathing.
In the afternoon, Mukkoka settled to browse with Suguroi, while Kuishi chose to browse with Larro and Esoit. The rest of the day was quiet as the orphans scattered all over, enjoying the still lush vegetation, which will soon start to dry due to the forthcoming and anticipated dry season.
The orphans left the stockade compound early in the morning as usual and settled on lucerne for quite some time before Kuishi led the way out to begin their day of browsing. The ever-playful and happy Suguroi came across a troop of dwarf mongooses and enjoyed running after them. The mongooses disappeared quickly, leaving Suguroi charging and trumpeting. Naleku, Roho, and Esoit joined Suguroi in the search for the mongooses but had no success. The four orphans then decided to resume browsing while keeping an eye out in case the mongooses showed up again.
The orphans settled to browse at the Kone area where they were briefly joined by ex-orphan Tomboi. Tomboi headed to the Kone dam and was followed by the orphans. After drinking water together, Tomboi headed south while the orphans started their journey to the mud bath. Vaarti led the first group while Olorien led the second one. The orphans had their milk and then skipped the wallowing exercise. They headed to the water trough for a drink and later settled for a soil dusting exercise.
In the afternoon, the orphans chose to browse along the upper Kalovoto seasonal river. Mayan and Esoit took a break from feeding to relax under a tree because of the hot sun. Later, the temperature dropped, and the two boys had a brief strength-testing exercise before resuming browsing. Naleku and Suguroi came across a swampy area and cooled off by splashing water behind their ears. In the evening, Vaarti led the way back to the stockades.
After getting their morning milk, Bondeni led the way out of the stockades. Kindani was limping on her way out, and, upon inspection, it appears that her left front foot has been poked by a sharp object. She seemed fine the previous day, and we will closely monitor her, in case she needs veterinary intervention.
Suguroi and Larro walked down to the water trough soon after they felt they had enough lucerne. They were joined by Kindani, Kinyei, and Bondeni for a drink of water. Naleku then led the way to the browsing field. Bondeni developed an itchy ear and scratched against a nearby tree. Vaarti and Mayan briefly settled to browse with Olorien but left her company when Olorien started throwing back kicks at them. She can be a little grumpy sometimes, but she has always been like that, even in the Nairobi Nursery! Mukkoka and Roho engaged in a brief strength-testing exercise, with Mukkoka emerging as the winner.
Lodo, Sattao, and Bondeni browsed a distance away from their friends and rejoined them later when it was time to go the mud bath. The sun was shining with a cool blowing wind. After having their milk, the orphans headed for wallowing, but only Lodo, Mukkoka, Kinyei, and Larro fully participated in the wallowing exercise. Kindani led the rest of the group in a soil dusting exercise.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. Lodo settled to browse with Mayan while Vaarti teamed up with Kuishi. The rest of the day was quiet as the orphans browsed calmly without any major incidents or observations.
Soon after getting their morning milk, Vaarti led the way out, carrying a leftover branch that he continued to enjoy feeding on until Bondeni took it away from him. Kindani woke up walking better compared to yesterday. The orphans settled for lucerne for a while before Naleku led the way out. Vaarti chose to browse with Naleku but kept his distance since he knew that Naleku could change her mind and push him away.
The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Kuishi, Larro, and Esoit visited Kone Dam to drink water and later resumed browsing. Shortly before mud bath time, Larro left the company of Kuishi and Esoit and joined Naleku and Sattao to browse. At mud bath time, the weather was chilly and none of the orphans dared to step into the mud bathing water.
Lodo, Roho, Kinyei, Olorien, Kindani, Mukkoka, and Suguroi settled for a soil dusting exercise while Bondeni and Mayan headed to the water trough to drink water. Kuishi started to walk back out to the bush and the rest of the herd followed. They chose to browse west of Ithumba Hill where they browsed calmly throughout the rest of the day without any major incidents.
It was a beautiful morning as the babies awoke as usual and found their milk bottles ready for them. The Keepers practised their duties as usual, feeding them at 6 a.m. and then letting them out to feed on the lucerne supplement. The orphans were very happy after their milk feed and, without hesitation, walked out to feed on the lucerne. They were lucky as there were no ex-orphans or wild elephants today, allowing them to enjoy the lucerne freely. They later started walking towards the bush for browsing.
Out in the bush all the orphans busied themselves with feeding and everyone browsed on their own. Only the new babies, Vaarti and Mayan, browsed together next to the keepers as they are still a little shy and anxious. Esoit went to the dam to drink water and was later followed by Kuishi, Vaarti, and Mayan. The four drank water together in the dam. Kuishi seems to be trying to get a little closer to the youngsters but doesn’t want to risk losing Esoit; sometimes she accompanies them but later she returns to Esoit. The babies then walked to the mud bath for their midday milk feed and wallowing.
Some of the orphans got in the mud bath after the milk feed. A wild bull visited and was just patrolling around the mud bath. The orphans who got in the mud wallow, including Sattao, didn't play much but just washed their feet and splashed a bit. The wild bull came a little closer to interact with the babies and later walked away. The orphans then made their way to the soil piles to dry off, with Mayan vigorously rolling around and playing. Mayan was certainly the most playful baby elephant of the day.
In the afternoon the orphans busied themselves with browsing again, with Kindani proudly flapping her ears while feeding. Some of the herd went on to play in the mud along the roadside. Vaarti started scratching his neck. Sattao approached him and they started browsing together. Mukkoka and Bondeni began playing, patting each other. The herd returned to the stockade compound at the end of the day for their milk bottles and to go to sleep for the night.
It was a quiet morning today, with the babies enjoying their breakfast before heading out to feed on lucerne. As they walked out, they found their ex-orphans, Melia and Tumaren, with their babies, Milo and Tembo, waiting to share the lucerne. Tembo was very active, playing here and there while suckling from his mother. Siangiki, Maramoja, Kandecha, and Roi were also among them. Afterward, the babies walked to the bush for browsing.
In the bush, Mayan was busy browsing with Vaarti next to the Keepers while the others browsed separately. Later, the babies walked to the mud bath for their milk bottles.
At the mud bath, the babies had their share of milk and walked to the mud wallow. Unfortunately, no one attempted to wallow except Mayan. The whole group later walked to the dust bath to dry off after crossing the dam and washing their feet. Mayan was also at the forefront in dust bathing. The rest joined in and later walked back to the bush for browsing.
Back in the bush, Mayan and Vaarti were chatting and kissing each other. Mukkoka started play-fighting with Bondeni and then moved on to play with Roho, patting one another. Kinyei led the group back home in the evening for their milk bottles and then to bed.
It was a beautiful morning, with the babies enjoying their milk breakfast before heading out to feed on lucerne. They were happy to enjoy the lucerne alone, undisturbed by ex-orphans or wild elephants. Suguroi shared lucerne with Roho, while Mayan kept to himself, avoiding being pushed by other elephants. Later, the babies walked to the bush for browsing.
In the bush, Vaarti was seen browsing peacefully while the others were busy enjoying their browse. Mayan started playing by scooping and tossing chunks of soil into the air and onto his back. He later rolled on the ground like a frog before Vaarti came over to stand him up to start playing with him. Bondeni, meanwhile, was busy browsing with Kinyei, and then the babies walked to the mud bath for their milk bottles.
At the mud bath the orphans chose not to swim as it was not that hot. They had their milk bottles and walked back to the bush to browse.
Back in the bush, Kuishi played with Esoit, who was rolling on the ground. Bondeni joined in and started play-fighting with Esoit. Later, Suguroi and Naleku led the group back home in the evening for their milk bottles and bed. The area was much quieter today and very peaceful for the orphans.
The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. The feeding was brief as Kuishi started walking out to the bush and the herd followed. Lodo entwined his trunk with Kinyei in a morning greeting and then engaged her in a friendly pushing game that lasted for quite a while. The orphans slowly headed towards Kone and eventually arrived at Kone Dam, where they stopped for water before changing direction to head west of the dam. Suguroi teamed up with Roho and Bondeni while Kindani browsed with Olorien.
At eleven o'clock in the morning, Vaarti led the way to the mud bath, followed by Mayan and Esoit. Despite the shining sun it was quite cool, so the orphans skipped any wallowing and briefly settled on soil dusting before Larro led everyone back out to browse.
In the browsing field, the orphans were joined by Malkia, who browsed with them for the rest of the day. In the evening, Malkia escorted the orphans back to the stockades and then left for the night.
The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockade compound. Ex-orphans Kibo, Chemi Chemi, and Meibai emerged from the west and briefly joined the orphans in feeding. Curious about these new arrivals, Mayan approached Kibo, but was warned to keep his distance. Naleku had a brief interaction with Chemi Chemi before heading out to browse. Meibai walked down to the water trough where he shared water with Sattao. Later, the three big boys headed west while the dependant orphans walked south.
Lodo settled to browse with Esoit and was later joined by Kindani. Roho and Vaarti headed to Kone Dam where they drank water, followed by Bondeni, Mayan, and Lodo. At eleven o'clock, Suguroi led the first group to the mud bath. There was a cool wind so the orphans only washed their feet, except for Mayan, who splashed some water behind his ears. The orphans then has a soil dusting session, with Kuishi and Larro standing watch over Esoit who was enjoying rolling in the soft soil.
In the afternoon the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. They browsed calmly throughout the afternoon without any major incidents. In the evening, Vaarti led the way back to the stockades.
Vaarti and Mayan settled for a scratching exercise on a nearby rock soon after leaving the stockade, while the rest of their friends enjoyed lucerne. After finishing their lucerne, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. Lodo engaged Roho in a light pushing game that lasted for quite some time. Vaarti and Mayan enjoyed a soil dusting session and later had a brief strength-testing exercise.
The orphans stopped at Kone Dam to drink water before resuming their browsing. At eleven o'clock, Larro led the first group to the mud bath while Mayan led the second group. The orphans had their milk and then headed for wallowing. The water proved to be cold, and the orphans only washed their feet before heading for a drink. Mayan, once again undeterred by the cold water, was the only one who properly wallowed. The orphans briefly settled for a soil dusting exercise before heading back to the browsing field. In the afternoon, they settled to browse in the Kanziku area and continued to browse calmly for the rest of the day.
The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving the stockades. Bondeni and Mukkoka entwined their trunks in morning greetings. After filling their bellies, Kinyei led the way to the browsing field. An hour later, the orphans arrived at Kone Dam and settled for the fresh water before resuming to browse. Vaarti settled to browse with Larro while Mayan teamed up with Kuishi and Esoit. Bondeni and Roho took some time off from feeding to engage in a strength-testing exercise that saw Roho emerge as the winner. Olorien, Suguroi, and Kindani came across loose soil and settled on a soil-dusting exercise.
Lodo spotted a squirrel ahead of him and charged. The squirrel was wise and wasn’t going to wait to lose its precious life. He dodged and disappeared into the thickets, probably crawling into a hole, as Lodo couldn't locate it. Lodo gave up and returned to join his colleagues.
At mud bath time, the orphans had their milk and thereafter walked to the water trough to drink water before returning to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill and browsed calmly throughout the remaining part of the day. In the evening, the temperatures were high, and the orphans passed at the mud bath for a cooling-off exercise before returning to the stockade for yet another night.
Barsilinga joined the orphans in the morning. Mayan and Vaarti started their day by scratching on a nearby rock. Esoit and Kinyei had a brief meeting. No one understood what the two were talking about. Barsilinga whispered something to Mukkoka and Larro, and a few minutes later, the trio started walking away.
At the browsing field, Bondeni engaged Esoit in a pushing game that lasted for quite some time. Mayan teamed up with Kuishi in browsing while Barsilinga teamed up with Kinyei. Vaarti kept himself busy in a soil-dusting exercise before resuming to browse as Mayan quit the company of Kuishi when the real owner, Esoit, joined Kuishi.
At mud bath time, Lodo, Esoit, and Suguroi jumped into the smaller mud bath soon after having their eleven o'clock milk. The mud bath was brief as the three orphans quit the exercise barely three minutes after getting into the mud bath. The two boys and one girl headed for a soil-dusting exercise where they were joined by the rest of their colleagues.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Mukkoka settled to browse with Roho and Naleku. Later in the day, the orphans met with Nasalot, Nusu, and Noah. Larro, Esoit, and Barsilinga had a brief interaction with Noah before parting ways. In the evening, Barsilinga escorted the orphans back to the stockade.
The orphans settled to feed on lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. Shortly later, the orphans were joined by Barsilinga and the troublemaker Kibo. Mayan walked over to meet Kibo, but Kibo turned hostile towards him. Mayan turned and went back to his colleagues to avoid more trouble from Kibo. Barsilinga was nice to the orphans, but Kibo started pushing the orphans to abandon feeding on lucerne and head to the browsing field.
The orphans passed by the water trough for a drink before heading for browsing. The keepers took the orphans north as they tried to avoid Kibo, who kept on following the orphans. Later, the orphans changed direction and headed to the Kone area, where they participated in a brief cooling-off exercise.
At eleven o'clock in the morning, Olorien led the first group to the mud bath. The orphans had their milk and then headed for a soil-dusting exercise. Shortly later, Kibo emerged from the nearby bushes and displayed bad manners by attempting to harass Kuishi and Olorien. The Keepers were annoyed by Kibo's behaviour and told him off, thereafter taking their orphans west of Ithumba Hill.
In the afternoon, Esoit engaged Bondeni in a strength-testing exercise that lasted for quite some time. Kuishi settled to browse with Vaarti and Mayan. In the evening, Namalok, Tumaren, Tembo, Chaimu, Kalama, Nasalot, Noah, Kitirua, Siangiki, Teleki, Kibo, and two wild bulls showed up at the stockade compound and left an hour later left.
Melia and her son Milo arrived early at the stockade compound before the orphans were let out. After taking their milk, the orphans joined Melia with her baby outside. The orphans interacted fully with Milo, although the baby acted tough on Olorien, Vaarti, and Kindani. After the orphans had enough of lucerne, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. Vaarti settled to browse with Mayan, while Kinyei teamed up with her friends Kindani and Bondeni. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area.
At around ten o'clock in the morning, Kinyei, Lodo, Kindani, Suguroi, Kuishi, Esoit, and Bondeni visited the Kone Dam and had water before starting their journey towards the mud bath. The orphans briefly met Namalok, Chaimu, Tumaren, Tembo, Mutara, Sities, Turkwel, Mambo, Kainuk, and several wild bulls that were heading towards Kone Dam. Kuishi, Mukkoka, and Sattao decided to follow the ex-orphans and later changed their minds and came back to the mud bath to join their colleagues.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. The sun was hot, prompting the orphans to attend the roadside mud bath and thereafter resume browsing. Naleku settled to browse with Roho and Olorien, while Sattao settled to browse and played with Mukkoka. Vaarti had a strength-testing exercise with Mayan as Kuishi settled for a scratching exercise. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockade.
Tumaren, Tembo, Chaimu, Maramoja, Kalama, and a wild bull showed up and joined the orphans in the morning for feeding on lucerne. Later, Naisula, Nyx, and Karisa checked in and also joined in feeding on lucerne.
Mayan led the way to the browsing field soon after having enough lucerne. Vaarti, Suguroi, Naleku, and Roho followed Mayan. The rest of the group followed later. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area where they met Enkikwe, Barsilinga, and Sapalan. The three ex-orphans settled to browse with orphans for two hours then parted ways and disappeared into an undisclosed location.
The orphans browsed as they slowly headed to the mud bath. The sun was shining but with a cool blowing wind. Only Mayan participated in wallowing. The rest of his colleagues only washed their feet then headed for a soil dusting exercise. In the afternoon, Lodo teamed up with Naleku while Esoit and Larro took a break from feeding to relax under a tree as Kinyei participated in a soil dusting exercise. Later, Kinyei teamed up with Bondeni as Roho joined Esoit. Larro, Lodo, Suguroi, and Olorien came across a swampy area and had fun rolling in it. In the evening, Sattao had a lengthy conversation with Mukkoka. At five o'clock in the evening, Vaarti led the way back to the stockades.
Nasalot, Noah, Nabulu, and Malkia arrived early at dawn and relaxed in the stockade compound, waiting for the orphans to come out. The orphans had their milk at six o'clock in the morning, after which Vaarti led the way to the lucerne feeding area. Noah engaged Mukkoka in a pushing game and later with Kindani. After the orphans had enough lucerne, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. Noah decided to follow the orphans, leaving his mother behind.
In the browsing field, Sattao settled to browse with Larro while Kinyei browsed with Kindani and Noah. Olorien teamed up with Naleku while Kuishi browsed with her favourite, Esoit. An hour later, Nasalot retrieved her baby Noah and left. Kinyei and Sattao headed to Kone Dam to drink water and were later joined by their friends. At mud bath time, Larro led the first group for the eleven o'clock milk feed. The orphans were briefly joined by Kitirua and Namalok. The orphans entered the water with Kitirua but only washed their feet. Only Mayan and Lodo wanted to have a full bath and later headed for a soil dusting exercise. Namalok taught Mukkoka and Sattao how to do a proper soil dusting exercise.
Kanjoro emerged from the nearby bushes and made one round around the orphans. It was unclear why Kanjoro did that, but he was probably checking on particular friends but couldn't find them. Kanjoro then headed north of the mud bath. Later, six wild bulls briefly checked in at the mud bath and then headed west. The orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. The temperature was moderate, and the orphans browsed calmly for the rest of the day. In the evening, Mutara's group arrived at the stockade compound, had water, and left later under the cover of darkness.
At six o'clock in the morning, the orphans had their milk and shortly afterwards left the stockade and settled for lucerne. As the orphans were busy feeding, they were joined by a large group of ex-orphans and wild friends including Yatta, Yoyo, Yogi, Yetu, Nasalot, Noah, Nusu, Yebo, Mulika, Mwende, Mkuu, Mala, Sunyei, Siku, Saba, Kinna, Kama, Kaia, Ishanga, Sita, Makena, Sapalan, Sidai, Silas, Ithumbah, Iman, Mundusi, Lapa, and Lenana.
The orphans, led by Kuishi, decided to give their seniors space and left immediately for the browsing field. Only Naleku lagged behind to greet Yebo and Iman before following her friends. The orphans settled to browse southeast of the stockade. Vaarti and Mayan decided to head to Kone Dam for fresh water and were later joined by the rest of the group. After drinking enough water, the orphans browsed calmly as they headed towards the mud bath.
At eleven o'clock, the temperatures were low and the orphans only took their milk before returning to the browsing field. Larro settled to browse with Naleku, while Kinyei, Suguroi, Olorien, and Kindani enjoyed acacia pods that had fallen on the ground under an acacia tree. Bondeni engaged in a pushing game with Esoit, while Vaarti practised peeling bark from a tree using his tusks.
In the evening, on their way back to the stockade, the orphans were joined by Enkikwe and Barsilinga, who escorted them all the way to the stockade for yet another night. The two boys later left, we’re not sure where to.
Sapalan, who appeared to have spent the night outside the stockades, joined the dependent orphans as soon as they were let out. Sapalan exchanged morning greetings with Kuishi, Sattao, and Mukkoka. The orphans settled for lucerne and twenty minutes later, the ex-orphans reported in large numbers. The orphans became uncomfortable because they were being pushed around by their seniors, so they decided to give their seniors some space by walking away.
Suguroi and Naleku gave the keepers a hard time as they tried to play a seek-and-hide game among the ex-orphans. The two girls didn't want to leave the company of the ex-orphans' babies. Finally, the keepers managed to call them to join the rest of the herd. The orphans settled to browse northwest of the stockade compound. It is slowly becoming drier — today, the orphans concentrated fully on browsing without wasting any time. Lodo settled to browse with Mayan and Vaarti while Olorien teamed up with Larro, Roho, Kindani, and Bondeni.
Moments later, the ex-orphans showed up, and their intentions were not clear. The keepers, wary of any potential kidnapping incidents, decided to head south with their orphans. The ex-orphans realised they had been outwitted by the keepers and decided to head straight to the mud bath and later to Imenti Dam.
Bondeni engaged Roho in a brief strength-testing exercise as they waited to head for the eleven o'clock milk. At eleven o'clock in the morning, Olorien led Larro, Suguroi, and Vaarti in the first group while Kindani led Naleku and Mayan in the second group. Lodo led Roho and Esoit in the third group while Kinyei led Bondeni and Kuishi in the fourth group. Mukkoka and Sattao were the last ones to report to the mud bath.
The orphans had their milk and then had a soil dusting exercise before heading back to the browsing field. Esoit enjoyed scratching his belly on Naleku while Larro settled to browse with Sattao. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockades.
It was a quiet morning. The orphans settled for lucerne soon after leaving their night stockades. Naleku, Mayan, Kuishi, and Larro decided they had enough lucerne and headed out to browse, leaving their friends behind. Olorien led the remaining group to rejoin those who had left earlier. Sattao, Olorien, Roho, Esoit, Kuishi, and Lodo visited the Kone Dam for water before resuming their browsing.
Vaarti settled to browse with Suguroi, while Lodo teamed up with Kinyei and Mukkoka. The orphans browsed slowly and calmly as they headed towards the mud bath. At eleven o'clock, Larro led the first group to the mud bath. It was a chilly day, so none of the orphans dared to go into the water; they only washed their feet before heading for a soil dusting exercise.
Maramoja briefly joined the orphans and was welcomed by Suguroi and Naleku. Maramoja brought special regards from Melia and Milo, who were browsing a short distance away but opted to not join the orphans. When the Keepers began steering the orphans east, Maramoja rebelled and walked back to join Melia.
In the afternoon, Kindani teamed up with Vaarti while Olorien settled to browse with Sattao. In the evening, Mayan led the way back to the stockade.
The orphans settled on lucerne soon after leaving the stockade. Shortly later, Tumaren, Tembo, Barsilinga, Melia, Milo, Kilabasi, Kofi, Enkikwe, Kalama, Maramoja, Kasigau, and Makireti showed up and joined the orphans in feeding. Suguroi tried to greet Melia but was surprised when Melia whipped her with her trunk. Suguroi left immediately to avoid further humiliation. Naleku walked over to Tembo and had a nice time together.
After the orphans had enough of lucerne, Kuishi led the way to the browsing field. The ex-orphans escorted the orphans for about one hundred metres before parting ways. The orphans headed towards Kone while the ex-orphans went north of the stockade. Kinyei bid goodbye to Kofi, and Naleku saw Tembo off, hoping to meet another time.
The orphans browsed calmly and stopped at Kone Dam before proceeding to the mud bath. The temperatures were low, and the orphans were briefly joined by Vuria and Namalok. The orphans walked through the water just to wash their feet and then headed for a soil dusting exercise. Rapsu passed by, heading to an undisclosed location.
In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Vaarti browsed with Mayan, while Kinyei teamed up with Kindani. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockade.
The sky was partly covered by clouds when the orphans were let out. As usual, the orphans settled for lucerne and shortly after, Kauro and Mapia appeared from the western side. Mayan and Vaarti were the first ones to meet and welcome Kauro back home. Kauro acknowledged their greetings before settling for lucerne. Mapia talked to Larro and Kuishi, questioning Kuishi why it had taken her so long to make up her mind about joining them in the wild. Kuishi was lost for words, unable to answer Mapia. Kuishi had come to Ithumba with Mapia and Malima in May 2019. Malima and Mapia have since joined the wild, enjoying life where they belong.
As Vaarti and Naleku led the way to the browsing field, Kuishi lagged behind with Mapia, having a private discussion. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. Mapia and Kauro left for an undisclosed location. Lodo engaged in a strength testing exercise with Suguroi. At mud bath time, Olorien and Vaarti led the way to the mud bath. They were joined by Mutara's group, Chemi Chemi, and Barsilinga. The Keepers immediately saw that Chemi Chemi had a spear wound on his left hip that was bothering him. They alerted headquarters, and a treatment was organised.
After mud bath time, the Keepers took the orphans and Mutara's group, including Chemi Chemi, west of Ithumba Hill, where they waited for the vet to come and treat Chemi Chemi. Naleku was happy to be joined by Mutara's group as it gave her more time to interact with Mambo. The vet arrived at three o'clock in the afternoon and commenced the treatment immediately. The orphans and ex-orphans were kept at a distance by the Keepers to avoid disrupting the treatment process.
The treatment went well, and after Dr Limo was through, Mutara and her team came to wish Chemi Chemi a quick recovery. Moments later, Chemi Chemi headed south while Mutara's group escorted the orphans back to the stockade.
Mutara’s group joined the orphans in the morning. Shortly after, Melia, Milo, Chaimu, Kilabasi, Kofi, Makireti, Kibo, Barsilinga, and Kalama arrived and joined in feeding on the lucerne. The orphans shared the lucerne peacefully with the ex-orphans. When the orphans had enough of lucerne, Naleku led the way to the browsing field, leaving the ex-orphans behind to finish the remainder of the lucerne.
The orphans settled to browse at the Kone area and had a quiet morning. They visited Kone Dam for a drink and later headed to the mud bath. As the orphans were leaving, Chemi Chemi, accompanied by a wild friend, visited Kone Dam for water. Chemi Chemi, who was treated the previous day, was recovering well. Chemi Chemi and his wild friend followed the orphans, but midway, his wild friend changed his mind and ran away. Chemi Chemi decided to follow his wild friend.
The orphans met Orwa, who greeted them before heading to an undisclosed location. The orphans arrived at the mud bath, had their milk, and then enjoyed a soil dusting exercise. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill. Esoit and Kuishi took a break from feeding to relax under a tree, while Lodo decided to have a soil dusting exercise. Mukkoka and Roho ended the day's activities by engaging in a strength-testing exercise. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockades.
Kibo and Suguta were at the stockade compound early in the morning. The two ex-orphans joined the orphans for feeding on lucerne once they were let out. Bondeni and Roho exchanged morning greetings by entwining their trunks. Larro, Vaarti, Mayan, and Lodo decided they had enough of lucerne and started their journey to the browsing field. The sky was clear, and the sun shone brightly as the orphans settled comfortably into browsing.
The orphans later visited the Kone Dam to drink water before resuming their browsing. Mukkoka, Sattao, Roho, and Lodo had a brief meeting discussing boy child issues before parting ways. At eleven o'clock in the morning, Olorien led the first group to the mud bath. Despite the shining sun, the temperatures were low. The low temperatures prompted the orphans to boycott the wallowing exercise and instead settle for a soil dusting exercise.
In the afternoon, Larro settled to browse with Esoit while Lodo briefly engaged Roho in a strength testing exercise. Kuishi, Mayan, Vaarti, and Sattao came across a muddy water pan. The four orphans decided to have fun in the mud. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockades.
Teleki, Melia, Milo, Kalama, Tumaren, Tembo, Mutara’s group, Chemi Chemi, Chaimu, Kilabasi, Kofi, Tusuja, Makireti, and two wild elephants joined the orphans in feeding on lucerne. Shortly afterward, Kuishi led the way to the browsing field. Naleku tried to play a seek-and-hide game with the keepers, wanting to spend her day with the wild-born babies. However, the Keepers eventually succeeded in getting Naleku to join her colleagues.
The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area, browsing calmly until mud bath time when Mayan led the first group to the noon milk feed. After taking their milk, the orphans drank water and then settled for a soil dusting exercise. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse in the Kanziku area. Lodo browsed with Mukkoka, Kuishi, Esoit, and Kinyei. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockades.
The sky was partly covered by clouds when the orphans were let out. They settled for lucerne peacefully as no outsiders showed up for the sharing of lucerne. Larro, Vaarti, and Mayan walked down to the water trough for a drink before heading to the browsing field. The rest of the group followed later after having enough lucerne.
In the browsing field, Esoit and Vaarti engaged in a strength-testing exercise, which didn’t last long as Roho passed by and separated the two boys. They then came across a water collection on a rock and helped themselves before resuming browsing. Sattao teamed up with Suguroi, while Naleku, Olorien, and Mukkoka settled on acacia pods that had fallen from an acacia tree.
With low temperatures, Kindani led the first group to the noon bottle feed at eleven o'clock. After the orphans drank their water, Lodo led the team into a soil dusting exercise. In the afternoon, the orphans settled to browse west of Ithumba Hill, browsing calmly. Kuishi teamed up with her favourite, Esoit, Bondeni fed with Vaarti, while Lodo settled to browse with Kindani. Later, Bondeni had a brief conversation with Mayan while Roho played with Lodo.
In the evening, Kinyei led the way back to the stockades.
Suguroi and Lodo had a morning warm-up strength testing exercise soon after leaving the stockades. Esoit, Sattao, and Larro had a brief meeting as they enjoyed the morning lucerne. Mukkoka walked down to the water as soon as he felt he had enough lucerne. Naleku, accompanied by Vaarti and Mayan, followed Mukkoka and had water before leading the way to the browsing field. The rest of the team followed Naleku as they headed southeast of the stockade.
As the orphans settled to browse quietly, Melia and her group passed by to say hello. Vaarti and Mayan engaged Milo in a playful pushing game. Shortly afterward, Melia's group left, heading east. There was drama when Mayan attempted to dodge the keepers and follow Melia's group, aiming to spend more time with Milo and Tembo. Mayan almost succeeded, but the quick intervention of the keepers managed to counter him. Mayan complained for some time after being separated from Melia's group but later calmed down. Melia's group consisted of Melia, Milo, Tumaren, Tembo, and Kalama.
Shortly before mud bath time, Vaarti engaged Mayan in a light pushing game, trying to find out why Mayan wanted to go with Melia's group. It's unclear what answer Mayan gave to Vaarti, but most likely he wanted to spend more time with Milo and Tembo. At eleven o'clock in the morning, Kindani led the way for the midday bottle feeds. Kuishi, Sattao, and Mukkoka were the last ones to report at mud bath. The orphans didn't participate in wallowing due to the chilly weather, except for Mayan, who at least tried to have a brief mud bath.
In the afternoon, Kinyei settled to browse with Suguroi while Naleku teamed up with Roho. Bondeni came across a tree stump of the correct height and used it to scratch his belly. Larro had a brief conversation with Sattao while Olorien passed close to Vaarti and tried to land a sidekick that fortunately didn't hit Vaarti. In the evening, the orphans returned safely to the stockades.
Mutara, Suguta, Turkwel, Sities, Kainuk, Chemi Chemi, Enkikwe, Orwa, Rapa, Ambo, and Mambo joined the orphans in the morning. The ex-orphans shared the lucerne with the orphans for nearly an hour before parting ways. Kuishi, Naleku, and Kinyei walked down to the water trough to drink before heading to browse. The orphans settled at the Kone area, where they were briefly joined by Rapsu. The orphans greeted Rapsu with their trunks raised as he passed by.
The orphans browsed calmly as they made their way toward the mud bath. On the way, they were joined by Mutara's group. Mayan and Vaarti walked side by side with Mambo, trying to befriend him. Mutara's group escorted the orphans to the mud bath. After taking their milk, the orphans followed Mutara's group to a soil dusting exercise before parting ways. Mayan and Vaarti attempted to persuade Mambo to join them, but he refused. When they tried to follow Mambo, the keepers intervened, preventing them from doing so since the group might have been heading far away and might not return anytime soon.
In the afternoon, Kinyei had a brief meeting with Esoit while Sattao teamed up with Roho for browsing. In the evening, Kibo, Ambo, Enkikwe, and Rapa showed up at the stockade and left later under the cover of darkness.
Soon after the orphans had their milk, Vaarti led the way to the lucerne feeding area. Shortly afterward, they were joined by Enkikwe, Rapa, Ambo, and the increasingly hostile Kibo, who has been turning against everyone. Olorien settled close to Enkikwe but ran into trouble when she tried picking some lucerne from Enkikwe's trunk. Enkikwe pushed Olorien as a punishment, but the stubborn girl refused to move away.
Naleku, along with Vaarti and Mayan, walked down to the water trough to drink. Afterwards, Naleku led the way to the browsing field. The orphans settled to browse in the Kone area. It was a quiet morning as they browsed peacefully without any major events.
At eleven o'clock, Kindani led the first group to the mud bath, followed by Suguroi with the second group. The chilly weather discouraged the orphans from wallowing, so they only washed their feet, drank water, and then had a soil dusting exercise.
In the afternoon, Kibo joined the orphans and openly displayed hostility towards the keepers by attempting to block their movements in the bush and charging at them whenever he sighted them. To avoid confrontation, the keepers resorted to watching the orphans from rocks or higher grounds. In the evening, the keepers managed to dodge Kibo, who kept following them, and finally, along with the orphans, arrived safely back at the stockade.