Although they are all still babies, our Nursery herd are always teaching and learning from each other.
The month began with a contest of strength between the oldest bulls in the Nursery herd – Mukutan and Choka. Mukutan is the dominant bull — but only just, because Choka is also very strong. As the others were quietly greeting their friends in the early morning, Mukutan and Choka nudged each other and pushed heads. Moments later, they began a fierce wrestling match that continued all the way up the path out to the forest. Neither would give up. When we whistled, they ignored us. When Sileita, Muwingu, Mushuru and Sholumai tried to separate the bulls, they failed. The fight was brought to an end when Choka became the victor, but only because Loldaiga joined in on his side! When Choka’s best friend took sides, Mukutan had no choice but to admit defeat and walk away.
Many orphans had fun in the mud wallow later in the morning. After gulping down their milk, Kerrio, Shujaa, Mzinga and Nyambeni headed straight for the pool of cooling mud. They paddled and hosed their bodies with water before playing with each other. Shujaa enjoyed sitting on Mzinga as she lay submerged in the pool while Nyambeni clambered on Kerrio, slid off and climbed on top of her big sister again.
In the evening as they were walking back to the stockades, the orphans came across a herd of impalas grazing in their way. Most ambled around the gazelles but not Weka, Kamili, Mageno, Kitich and Mushuru. The five friends could not resist play charging the impalas amid lots of trumpeting. Weka and Kamili abandoned the game a minute later but Mushuru, Kitich and Mageno kept up the chase and were the last to pad into their stables for the night
Wamata is stealing the hearts of big girls like Sileita, Kerrio, Muwingu, Mushuru and Latika - and of young girls like Muridjo, Mzinga and Nyambeni! Out in the field this morning, Latika and Sileita were sandwiching the little girl. The older girls stood one on either side and remained glued to Wamata, trunk hugging her and draping their trunks along her back at regular intervals. The little girl looked very content and relaxed!
Wamata has settled in so well and loves the big girls and her Keepers. Yesterday, a Keeper was picking wild fruit from a tree and giving these to her (as she is too short to reach the tasty treat). Today, as Muwingu plucked fruit off the same tree, Wamata stood under the tree, gazing almost wistfully to the sky! We took pity and picked more fruit for her to enjoy. The smallest orphan in the herd, Wamata was the only one who could not stretch her trunk up high enough.
Later in the morning, best friends Shujaa and Muridjo were playing the pushing game in the forest. The agemates are evenly matched and jostled against each other for several rounds of the game before ambling away to continue browsing.
Back at the mud bath, Pardamat was misbehaving. He padded down the path with Talek and Taroha in the first group of younger orphans, gulped his milk and ran at Talek. The little girl drinks slowly and carefully, enjoying every drop rather than downing her bottle. He did his best to grab the bottle from her mouth and the Keeper’s hands. Two of us saw off the naughty boy, taking him a few metres away for a timeout and standing guard so the others could enjoy their milk in peace. Pardamat trumpeted loudly in protest at his treatment!
In contrast to most days, this morning in the forest, no one was showing off or playing wrestling or pushing games. Big boys like Mukutan, Choka, Loldaiga, Mageno and Kitich were instead browsing quietly, occasionally pausing to massage their backsides against trees. The herd ambled around in small groups looking for tasty greens.
Later in the morning, the orphans woke up properly. Sileita, Latika, Pardamat and Weka rolled around on a heap of soil created by warthog burrows in the forest. They rubbed faces and backs and each other. Pardamat – who cannot resist mounting every prone elephant he comes across – climbed onto mini matriarch Sileita, resting his bulk while waving his trunk, and then did the same on Latika.
Visiting the mud wallow for a milk feed, none of the orphans in the first younger group were interested in getting wet today – even water babies like Mzinga, Shujaa, Nyambeni and Kerrio did not dip a toe in the water. The second group was a different story with Loldaiga and Kitich being the main characters! As Kitich wallowed energetically in the deepest part of the pool, Loldaiga stood on the edge, showing off his kicking and splashing skills. Using both fore and hind legs, he kicked gouts of mud in every direction. He ended his show with loud trumpets as he ran into the water to join Kitich. Choka and Mageno were less playful – instead hosing themselves with mud and rubbing their faces along the edge.
Today was a day for games and showing off. In the forest in the morning, the older elephants browsed only for a short time before beginning their wrestling games. Mukutan and Choka pushed heads and clinked tusks in a contest of strength while Mageno and Loldaiga did the same in a second clearing and Kitich and Mushuru played in a third.
Mushuru is an unusual orphan - she is the only big girl who loves to play pushing games with the boys but is also a caring older sister, especially to Olomunyak and Wamata. She is often found either cavorting with the bulls or fussing over her favourite babies.
Latika was enjoying one-on-one time with Wamata this morning in the forest and also at the mud wallow. The death of Mokogodo left Latika with a bruised heart and for a time she took out her sadness on younger orphans like Pardamat, Olomunyak and Taroha. Of late, she has become her caring gentle self again, focusing her attention on little Wamata.
Most of the first group went swimming today in the wallow. Mzinga, Nyambeni, Shujaa, Taroha, Pardamat and Kerrio splashed in the muddy water together. Nyambeni and Shujaa tumbled over each other while Pardamat and Taroha competed as to who could climb onto Mzinga and Kerrio. When one little boy clambered onto either girl, the other little boy rushed around and pushed him off into the water. The second boy took his place whereupon the first boy rushed over and pushed him. And so the game continued!
As the herd browsed in the forest this morning, Mzinga began charging and chasing after a family of warthogs grazing close to the elephants. The poor pigs tried to return (they like to be close to the orphans and Keepers who give them security from the lions) but were charged by the young girl every time and eventually gave up. Choka, Mukutan and Mushuru were in playful moods. Choka lay down and rolled around on the ground while Mukutan and Mushuru took it in turns to climb on top of him. Mushuru loves to wrestle with big boys Choka, Mukutan, Loldaiga and Mageno.
Later in the morning, many orphans paddled or wallowed in the mud pool. After climbing out of the wallow covered in thick mud, Muwingu and Mageno walked along the rope cordon, rubbing their sides against visitors standing close to the rope. Many enjoyed a mud rubbing from the two elephants! Watching her friends, Weka then took the game too far – she decided to charge at the visitors with ears flared and had to be shepherded away for a timeout. Meanwhile, Sileita, Kitich and Loldaiga continued to wallow. Sileita rubbed her face and trunk against the edge before crawling out of the water with trunk waving while the two boys tumbled together in the middle of the pool.
Whenever there is rain at night, at least a couple of the babies are affected. Last night, there was a heavy downpour that lasted for hours. Taroha, Pardamat and Kerrio had difficulty sleeping. They walked around their stockades, rumbling and trumpeting and rumbling again. They tried to climb over or through the partitions to their neighbours and pushed their heads against their gates. We were kept busy calming them down.
Rather than hanging out on her own in the forest this morning, Kamili was playing with Shujaa. We were happy to see the two orphans draping trunks on backs and pushing heads and bodies. Kerrio was not so happy about the games. She tolerated best friend Shujaa playing with Kamili for a time before stepping in to separate them.
Mageno was mischievous today from the moment he emerged from his stockade. Every time he came close to one of the older girls, he made a move to mount her. Latika was the most tolerant of the bull’s attentions, allowing him to clamber on her back without shoving him off. Mageno and Latika played all day long and so did Mukutan and Choka – the bulls played chasing and wrestling games in the forest from early morning to late afternoon.
Wamata hardly has a minute on her own! The little girl is always close to at least one of the older females. Today, Sileita, Kerrio, Mushuru, Muridjo and Muwingu took it in turns to browse with and protect Wamata.
Shujaa has gotten used to his new sleeping quarters. At first, he rebelled against the decision to move him from a stable to a stockade, trumpeting indignantly and refusing to enter his room without the carrot of milk and the stick of shoves from several Keepers. Although he sometimes still heads towards his old, smaller stable next to Mzinga’s in the evenings, he likes his stockade. Last night he had a wonderful time rolling around on the ground.
Boy elephants usually will be boys, whatever their age! The big bulls of the herd are always wrestling each other, wanting to weigh up who is stronger. Most of them also cannot pass up the opportunity to play mount any elephant found lying on the ground. The younger boys catch on to this behaviour sooner or later. Shujaa loves pushing games and climbing on top of his friends and Taroha has been imitating his big brother. Today, it was Olomunyak! Rather than browsing with the older girls or greeting a Keeper, the youngest boy in the Nursery herd was playing the mounting game with Shujaa and Kerrio. Kerrio lay down as usual, inviting the others to climb on top of her. Never a shy boy, Shujaa immediately climbed on and slid off. Moments later, little Olomunyak did the same thing, clambering onto the bulk of his big sister and sliding off onto his bottom!
Later in the day at the mud bath, Muridjo drank her milk and headed for the mound of loose soil. She hosed herself with red soil and lay down for a dust bath. Cheeky Shujaa climbed on top of her - whereupon she sprang to her feet and gave him a hard shove. He had chosen the wrong girl to mess with!
On a chilly morning, two Keepers went round the stockades opening the orphans’ doors. Taroha and Olomunyak were the first to come out of their rooms. Taroha made a beeline for Mzinga’s stable and began pushing and pulling the door with his head and trunk. Although Mzinga was awake, she was not ready to stretch her trunk over the door. Getting no response, Taroha walked on to Nyambeni’s room. Her door was still closed and so he walked back to Mzinga’s room and stood outside waiting for his big sister.
While this was going on, Olomunyak was entertaining Maxwell at his gate. The black rhino – possibly because of the cool wet weather – was in a friendly mood. The little elephant stretched his trunk through the gaps to touch Max who stood still enjoying the attention. Moments later, a posse of nannies arrived to check on Olomunyak. Weka, Mushuru, Muwingu and Kerrio clustered around the small boy and whisked him away out to the forest, leaving Max standing by his gate.
Out in the forest, Choka and Kitich browsed briefly before beginning another wrestling match. As they clashed heads, Weka and Mushuru rubbed themselves against tree stumps next to Talek who were twisting up clumps of green grass. Returning to the mud bath for a milk feed, Pardamat was running down the path when a warthog startled him. The feisty boy shouted for help and ran away. Sholumai padded after and brought him back with assistance from a Keeper.
Latika is becoming attached to little Wamata. She is a selective older girl who chooses which babies to like and protect, rather than looking after all of them. Today, she spent almost the whole morning with Wamata, standing close and following her wherever she went in the forest.
Kamili is an unusual girl – rather than looking after the babies, she sometimes bites their tails! This morning at the mud bath, Talek, Olomunyak, Shujaa and Latika were browsing together on supplementary greens. Kamili approached the group and began nipping the little ones’ tails, one after the other. Latika didn’t know what was going on as Talek and Olomunyak merely changed position or faced another direction. Then Wamata toddled over to join the small group, whereupon Kamili grabbed her tail to prevent her reaching Latika. Wamata screamed and Latika drove Kamili away with an enormous shove!
Loldaiga and Sholumai were left behind in the forest when the herd returned to the stockades in the evening as they did not respond to our whistles. We found them deep in the forest, happily feeding on wild fruit, and shepherded them back to their rooms – our orphans are growing up and showing signs of independence!
Elephants are born with their own characters but learn from and imitate others in their herd. Kerrio never walks past a tree with holes in its trunk without poking her own trunk in the holes to check for water. Having learned this habit from Kerrio, Mzinga also does the same. For the past couple of days, Olomunyak has been walking with Mzinga. Every time Mzinga spots a hole in a tree, she curls her trunk into the hole and sucks out the rainwater. Olomunyak has been moving his trunk in tandem with Mzinga’s, dipping it into the same spaces!
Best friends Nyambeni and Mzinga are two years old and sprouting tiny tusks. Mzinga used to often greet little Raha at the mud bath or in the forest. As they are different species, we did not encourage the relationship and Mzinga has not come across Raha in recent weeks. In the afternoon, the two girls snuck away from the herd and found the little rhino in a clearing. Nyambeni and Mzinga greeted Raha with trunk touches and rumbles before we shepherded them back to the herd.
Raha was not well in the evening as she suffered a prolapse in her rectum. Noticing that the area was swollen during the day, we had kept her close to the stockades. She slept well enough in her stable but refused to eat any greens.
It rained this morning and so babies Olomunyak and Wamata headed out to the forest tied up in layers of blue blanket. The herd browsed quietly on the lush green grass amid the drizzle. When the sky cleared, the orphans began playing in the mud and we removed the babies’ blankets.
With Mageno and Mushuru standing close, Olomunyak began his favourite game of rubbing his face and head on the ground while slapping his trunk in the mud. Not far away, Shujaa, Latika, Taroha, Sileita and Muridjo gathered in an open area. Four of them paddled in the mud and lay on their sides while Latika also enjoyed a face massage. Choka and Kitich pushed heads and clinked tusks in yet another contest of strength, becoming covered in mud as they twisted apart and clashed again. Little Wamata watched on from the sidelines, sandwiched today by Kerrio and Mzinga.
Our vet visited Raha in the morning to repair the prolapse. The little rhino spent most of the day resting in her stable, although she was happy to go out for a couple of short walks. She drank bottles of milk but refused to eat any greens.
As usual the herd visited the mud bath in the afternoon where they drank their milk and browsed on supplementary lucerne before returning to the forest on a grey overcast day. Sholumai, Muwingu and Mukutan wandered deep into the woods but returned to the stockades in time for the early evening milk feed. They padded down the path in the last group and into their stables with trunks aloft in anticipation of more milk.
On another wet morning, the herd ambled out to the forest, settling down to browse a few metres from the stockades. Loldaiga, Choka, Mushuru and Sholumai wandered into the woods with little Pardamat in tow. He still enjoys hanging out with the big boys and girls – we are happy for him to spend time with older elephants as he is a polite boy with them. Closer to the stockades, many of the others were having fun in their muddy, slippery playground. Shujaa rolled in the mud and rubbed every part of his face against the ground while little Talek played with big bull Mageno. She leant against him while he lay on his belly enjoying a mud massage.
Raha resumed her daily excursions to the forest today. She toddled up the path for a short walk but was reluctant to browse on greens. Although she is drinking bottles of milk, we are concerned about her weight.
Later in the morning at the mud bath, the first group of younger orphans padded down the path in groups, drank their milk and spread out around the wallow. When Pardamat dared to approach Talek as she carefully drank every drop, Taroha accosted his agemate before he could push Talek. Taroha pushed Pardamat away, turned around and walked back to continue browsing next to little Olomunyak. The two boys stood close together while Pardamat walked away to browse with Kerrio and Latika.
The first group soon returned to the forest and the second older group took their place. After drinking their milk, Mushuru and Muwingu paddled in the mud bath while Sileita and Choka slapped their trunks against the water, splashing themselves with soothing mud.
When the herd went exploring this morning, Sileita and Wamata were left behind. Rescued three months ago, little Wamata is thriving but is still underweight and walks more slowly than the others. Devoted nanny Sileita was happy to stay back with her little charge as the others ambled further into the forest.
When she emerges from her stockade in the morning, Sileita often heads down to Wamata’s stable, standing outside to welcome her and escort her out to the bush. Wamata has Nyambeni in the room on one side and Mzinga in the room on the other side. Neither big sister ever pinches pellets from the younger girl but both check on her regularly, stretching their trunks through gaps in the partitions.
Raha walked out to the forest with her Keepers today. She ate some grass and was happy to walk quite far before returning to her stable in the afternoon. We were pleased that the little rhino was starting to feel better.
In the afternoon, Mukutan and Choka were pushing trees with their heads while Shujaa and Kitich rubbed their backsides against a large tree stump. Mageno played the pushing game with Loldaiga while Taroha and Olomunyak played a very gentle version of the game, merely nudging heads before going back to browsing. Kerrio and Sileita rolled around in the mud and lay on their sides, allowing Mzinga, Nyambeni, Talek and Pardamat to clamber up and slide off their large round bodies.
Sileita ushered Wamata out to the forest this morning with Nyambeni, Mzinga and Taroha wandering along in their wake. After browsing for a time, little Wamata walked over to spend time with Muridjo, lifting her trunk in greeting as she toddled towards her big sister. All the girls love Wamata! Muridjo stayed with the little girl until Shujaa challenged her to a game. Shujaa is a bull taught sparring skills by Kerrio but Muridjo still had the upper hand! The agemates pushed each other and twisted apart and clashed again. At the end of a noisy contest, Shujaa reluctantly admitted defeat and walked away to browse with Kitich and Loldaiga.
In the afternoon, the sun came out and the orphans spent time browsing and playing around the heap of discarded hay in the forest. With Olomunyak and Pardamat watching on, Sholumai and Choka took it in turns to climb on top of Loldaiga. The growing bull put up with being mounted for a time before walking away to play the pushing game with Mushuru. When she tired of the game, he ambled over to best friend Kitich. The bulls played several rounds of sparring while others browsed around them. Meanwhile, Mzinga and Muridjo chased around after a family of warthogs grazing close to the herd. The pigs ran a short distance and then returned to grazing, whereupon the girls flared their ears again and gave chase.
The herd emerged from their stockades as usual on an overcast morning and wandered out to the forest. Mzinga, Kamili, Taroha and Kerrio browsed together on the lush green grass, twisting up trunkfuls and popping them in their mouths. As Kamili and Taroha continued browsing, Mzinga lay down for a roll around on the damp ground while Kerrio draped her trunk affectionately along her little sister’s back.
Latika and Wamata were together today. The older girl has become attached to the little girl and is at her happiest when looking after her. The nanny and her baby spent most of the morning with each other. Talek was in an independent mood today. She found a dip in the earth that was perfect for playing, lay down on her belly and twirled her trunk.
Shujaa continues to amuse us during the mid-morning milk feed at the mud bath. In contrast to the rest of the herd who head straight to the Keepers standing with bottles aloft, Shujaa often diverts along the way. On some days, he picks up sticks from the ground; on others, he drinks from a water bucket before casually ambling over for his milk.
Olomunyak and Wamata are becoming good friends. In the afternoon, he followed along behind her in the forest. Meanwhile, Pardamat was playing with Muridjo. Finding her relaxing on a patch of dry ground, he pushed her with his head, rested his forelegs on her belly, slid off and played the game again.
The rainfall was so persistent in the forest this morning that we took little Wamata back to shelter in her stable. Many others, however, made the most of the muddy forest. Loldaiga and Choka played the pushing game while sliding around in puddles of rainwater while Weka dug into the wet ground with her growing tusks and Mukutan and Mageno enjoyed a slippery wrestling match. Kerrio lay on the ground with trunk twirling while Olomunyak, Taroha, Pardamat, Mzinga and Nyambeni took it in turns to clamber onto their big sister and then slide off onto their bottoms.
Raha stuck to her normal routine despite the rain. Covered in two layers of blankets, she set out to the forest with her Keepers later than the elephants. She walked a short distance before settling down to graze on a patch of green grass, suckling occasionally on the trouser leg of a Keeper.
In the afternoon, the orphans paddled in puddles of rainwater in the forest. Taroha, Sileita and Mushuru spent time in an especially deep puddle, splashing the water and sucking up trunkfuls to spray along their backs. The little boy stuck close to the two older females, touching them regularly with his trunk.
The weather was cool and wet. Olomunyak (and his friends) love playing in the mud. When he found a patch of thick mud in the forest this morning, first he paddled and slid around and put his face in the mud, and then he lay down in the large puddle with his trunk sticking up in the air. After a few minutes on his own, Talek, Taroha and Pardamat padded in to join him. The four toddlers splashed mud in every direction with their trunks and tussled against each other. When Talek and Pardamat went back to browsing, Taroha and Olomunyak carried on playing in the puddle.
Not far away, Kamili browsed on her own – she often chooses to move a few metres away from the others but always stays close to her herd. Kerrio was busy massaging her backside against a tree trunk and trying to push her way between two trees. The gap was only just wide enough and so she had to squash her big body through the trunks. Nyambeni also rubbed herself against a tree and then relaxed on her belly in a patch of mud.
In the afternoon, the orphans visited the mud bath as usual. They stood around the wallow browsing on supplementary greens but no one went in the water – most were still covered in mud from the forest.
Pardamat was up to his tricks at the mud bath this morning. After finishing his bottle, rather than walking on to the wallow, he stood suspiciously close to Talek while she drank down every drop. We knew that he was planning to either grab her bottle or pinch an extra one from the wheelbarrow. Two Keepers shepherded him away from the tempting wheelbarrow so the others could drink their milk in peace. He is a confident young bull who will even stand up to older elephants like Kerrio, Shujaa, Nyambeni and Mzinga. Later in the morning, Pardamat padded along behind Mushuru and Loldaiga – although he is playing more with his agemates, he still prefers hanging out with older orphans.
In the afternoon, Mzinga, Shujaa and Talek were cavorting in the forest, climbing all over each other. At one point, Mzinga squatted on Shujaa, balancing her bottom on her friend while Talek leant against him. Mzinga went back to browsing and Shujaa climbed to his feet and began mounting little Talek! She squirmed out from under him and made a beeline for the safe space that is Kerrio. Ambling along in her wake, Shujaa found Kerrio lying on the ground so he mounted her too. Meanwhile, best friends Mzinga and Nyambeni played together nearby.
On another wet morning in the forest, Muwingu and Muridjo went exploring. They disappeared into the bush for half an hour before jogging back to join their friends, splashing through puddles along the way. As the rain continued to fall, Shujaa and Talek tried to shelter under a Keeper’s umbrella, standing with heads close under the small canopy rather than opting for one of the large trees in the forest! Enjoying the rain, Nyambeni squatted on her backside in a green clearing, waving her trunk in circles between mouthfuls of browse.
At the mud bath mid-morning, best friends Choka and Mageno were wrestling with each other. They were so busy with their game that they began knocking into some of the other orphans and so we had to shepherd them away from the wallow before one of the smaller elephants was knocked down.
Later in the day, Kitich and Mageno began playing the pushing game in a clearing in the woods. Usually, their contests of strength are good-humoured games but today the contest turned into a fight. They were pushing heads hard and chasing each other through the trees. Kitich could not hold his own against his stronger friend and so ran for cover with Choka – whereupon Choka somehow inserted himself between the two bulls and restored the peace.
Taroha loves hanging out with Wamata even though he is a bull – he used to spend lots of time with Mokogodo but is now gravitating towards the new girl. This morning, we kept little Wamata in her stable because it was very wet and she is still quite thin. As soon as we opened the door of Taroha’s stable, he headed for Wamata’s room and waited outside her door. When we opened Olomunyak’s door, he did exactly the same thing. The two boys hovered next to her room, pushing the door with their heads! We had to persuade them to abandon the quest and join the herd in the forest.
All roads seem to lead to Wamata! An hour later, Taroha, Mzinga, Nyambeni and Kerrio sneaked off behind a bush and back to the stockades to check on the little girl – who was still sheltering in her room. Luckily, the rain had eased off and so we were able to open Wamata’s door. She toddled out and her four friends ushered her up the path and out to the forest, rumbling along the way.
Loldaiga and Mukutan went exploring this morning. The two bulls are big strong boys who refused to follow the herd today and instead headed off in the opposite direction. They walked deep into the woods but returned to the mud bath in time for the mid-morning milk feed. As we were sending the orphans down in groups of three or four, they cantered towards the wheelbarrow. Approaching from a different area of the forest, Loldaiga ran in first with ears flared and a trumpeting Mukutan close behind. They gulped down their bottles and ambled over to join their friends.
This morning, it was raining again and Latika and Mukutan were reluctant to leave their warm dry stockades. We allowed them a short lie-in and then shepherded them out to the forest. Latika walked over to join Wamata and Olomunyak while Mukutan browsed on his own for a time and then challenged Choka to a strength contest. The two bulls, whose tusks are growing, are evenly matched and continued their good-humoured game almost until it was time for the next milk feed.
Sileita was doing her imitation of an enormous play cushion today, lying on the ground and inviting the small ones to play on her. Needing no encouragement, Talek and Taroha and Olomunyak and Pardamat took it in turns to lean their front legs on her belly and do their best to climb on top of the mini matriarch. Meanwhile, Muwingu was overreacting to the presence of a group of impalas – rather than allowing them to graze safely next to the herd, she insisted on kicking up a fuss and chasing them away.
In the afternoon the sun came out from behind the clouds. Mzinga, Nyambeni and Kerrio were together yet again. The three sisters wandered through the puddles and around the trees in a line. They browsed and paddled and played a pushing-and-tumbling game and even found a patch of dry soil for dusting.
In the early morning, Sileita and Weka were spending time together, draping their trunks on each other while they browsed. When Sileita lay down, Weka leant against her and the two girls enjoyed a relaxing moment.
As usual, the second group visited the mud bath mid-morning after the first younger group had returned to the bush. Kamili browsed quietly on the supplementary greens while standing next to the visitors but Weka was not so friendly – when some guests became noisy, she did a little warning charge toward them. Mushuru did not want to move away from the wheelbarrow of milk and stood her ground, whisking her tail from side to side and kicking her back legs. Three Keepers were required to persuade the feisty girl to move on today. As all this was going on, Kitich and Loldaiga paddled in the wallow, climbing in and out and back in again.
Later in the forest, Sholumai and Kitich were browsing together while Nyambeni fussed over cheeky Olomunyak, sticking with him wherever he wandered. Talek and Mzinga explored a hole in a tree, darting their trunks all over the bark and then leaning contentedly against each other.
Wamata is a cosseted baby who almost always has an adoring female in attendance. This morning, Latika and Mushuru were with her for the morning, trunk hugging her regularly as they stood protectively on either side. They were happy to walk at her pace and to stay close for hours. Meanwhile, Muridjo was being a model nanny to Talek and Kerrio was with Mzinga and Nyambeni. The big girls really were at their most caring today!
Loldaiga, Muwingu, Choka, Mukutan and Pardamat wandered deep into the forest, exploring their territory while filling their bellies with tasty greens. The mini herd returned in good time for the mid-morning milk feed, announcing their arrival with a series of loud trumpets.
In the afternoon, the sun was shining. Maxwell enjoyed a sunbathe while browsing on lucerne and pellets. After warming up, he relaxed in the shade of a tree before plodding down to the covered area of his enclosure to lie on his bed of hay. Raha returned from the forest a little earlier than the orphans (which is her routine). She walked slowly down the path and into the stable where she began browsing on her hanging bunch of greens. Although she is still reluctant to eat a lot, Raha will nibble on fresh soft greens.
Although it was a sunny morning, the orphans were in subdued moods. They walked out to the forest slowly and spent a long time browsing before they seemed to wake up properly. As a family of warthogs grazed around them, some orphans began playing pushing games while others rubbed their rumps against tree stumps or each other. Choka and Mukutan clashed heads and clinked tusks in a clearing while Kitich and Loldaiga played in another and Talek and Pardamat enjoyed a gentle version of the game close by. Kamili scratched her bottom on one side of a large tree stump while Weka and then Mushuru did the same on the other side. Mzinga and Olomunyak rubbed the undersides of their trunks in the mud.
In the afternoon, the herd browsed peacefully in small groups. Some wandered far afield while others stayed close to the Keepers. Big girls Kamili, Mushuru and Mzinga walked along together, trunk touching each other, while Taroha hung out with Wamata (and Latika) for a bit and then played pushing games with Pardamat.
Later on, we gathered the herd in groups and sent them back to the stockades for another milk feed on their way into the stockades for the night. Nyambeni sprinted down the path at the head of her group followed by Mzinga and Olomunyak. In the evening, some orphans were pinching greens from their neighbours’ rooms – Muridjo stretched her trunk through the gaps in their shared partition to pick up greens in Kitich’s room while Loldaiga did the same from Kerrio’s room.
This morning, the orphans were keen to head out to the forest. Rather than lingering around the stockades, they walked up the path in a long line and settled down to browse in the lush green forest. Two Keepers led them out with several others wandering along at the end, making sure that the babies kept up with the herd.
After filling their bellies, Sholumai and Mushuru began playing. They wrestled and pushed heads and then rolled around in the mud together. Sholumai used to spend a lot of time on her own but, as months have gone by, she has changed and become quite playful sometimes. Others joined in the muddy game while big boys Mukutan and Loldaiga played several rounds of the pushing game in a clearing.
Returning to the mud bath in the afternoon, Kamili led her group down the path for a milk feed. After drinking their milk, the elephants spread out around the wallow. Sholumai twisted her trunk around her bottle to feed herself while Kitich ran away from his Keeper, bottle held up high. Today, Muwingu was the first to play in a large puddle next to the wallow. She rubbed her belly and her face in the mud. Moments later, Latika and Weka joined in the game and then Choka also lay in the mud, while Wamata and Sileita watched on from the sidelines.
In the forest this morning, while Wamata stood between them, Sileita and Latika played around a tree! The two big girls explored the crevices with their trunks and leant against the tree and trunk touched each other. Safe and secure with her two favourite nannies, Wamata continued twisting up small clumps of grass. Not far away, Mzinga and Nyambeni were massaging themselves against another tree.
This morning at the mud bath, as her friends browsed on greens, our Mushuru was chasing warthogs. Whistling and trumpeting and flaring her ears, she chased away a family of pigs trying to graze near the elephants. She ran into the bush after one small pig before twirling around and returning to the herd.
In the afternoon, it poured with rain and the herd gathered together in a huddle. We decided to take little Wamata back to her stable. As two Keepers shepherded her back from the forest, they realised that they had a tail – Olomunyak was padding along behind them. He had stopped playing with Taroha when he noticed that Wamata was moving away from the herd. The Keepers whistled to him to turn around but he ignored them, trumpeted loudly, and continued walking behind his little friend. He was determined to stay with Wamata!
The herd headed out as usual in the early morning and settled down to browse in the green muddy forest. Latika, Kerrio and Weka browsed peacefully while Mukutan investigated a tree with his trunk, stretching up high, and Mushuru, Muwingu and Loldaiga played pushing games, taking it in turns to play with each other.
Muridjo, Mzinga and Shujaa were lumbering around after some impalas, running towards them every time the impalas approached. Eventually, they abandoned their hopeless quest and allowed the antelopes to go back to grazing in peace. The three friends walked over to Kitich who was lying on the ground. When Shujaa and Mzinga both mounted him, the older bull stood up and chased them away.
Choka was busy trying to eat fruit from a tree. His challenge was that the fruit was beyond the reach of his trunk. He stretched up tall, then he stood on his back legs to stretch up even taller, and finally he pushed the tree with his head so that it shook and the fruit fell to the ground. After all his effort, however, he had to share the spoils with Mushuru and Sileita who both swooped in to feast on his fruit! Choka was not amused but the easy-going bull accepted the inevitable and browsed with his friends.
Wearing two blankets, Raha took a detour on her way to the forest today. The stubborn girl walked into one of the elephant’s stables to browse on leftover pellets and lucerne. Ten minutes later, Raha continued her journey to the forest, pausing regularly along the way to suckle her Keeper’s trouser leg.
Poor Weka was subdued this morning after a disturbed night. Once or twice in recent weeks, hyenas have walked through the stockades in the middle of the night, coming close to the rooms where Weka, Choka, Sileita and Muwingu sleep. Their presence woke up the elephants and led to lots of agitated trumpeting. Last night, Weka was marching around her stockade, trumpeting loudly and waking up everyone. Expecting to find hyena tracks, we calmed her down and looked carefully at the ground. Finding no tracks and no other explanation for her behaviour, we decided that Weka had probably had a nightmare.
Muwingu, our resident tomboy, was hanging out with the big boys in the forest again this morning. She wandered around with Mukutan, Loldaiga and Choka, browsing and playing pushing games. Mischievous Loldaiga is possibly her (and several others’) favourite playmate as he is happy to accept a challenge and always plays fair.
In the afternoon, the older orphans had a wonderful time in a large puddle of rainwater in the forest. They paddled and played and rolled around. Choka and Sileita pushed up against each other while Mageno knelt with his face in the water for an elephant goggle and Latika, Sholumai and Kamili wallowed on their sides like enormous ticks. Kamili even put her head under the water, waving her snorkel-trunk in the air.
Resident rascal Pardamat was soundly disciplined today, not just once but three times! His first misdemeanour involved Maxwell. Early in the morning, he walked up to Max’s gate to greet the rhino in the hope of pinching some pellets. Sensing his presence, the rhino walked over to the gate whereupon Pardamat pushed the gate with his head rather than stretching his trunk through in greeting. Seconds later, Mageno strolled over and shoved the little boy hard. Two hours later at the mud bath, Pardamat tried to pinch Talek’s bottle after emptying his own. As Talek ran away clasping her bottle with her trunk, Latika came out of nowhere and knocked Pardamat over! Hammering home her point, Shujaa then knocked him down again as soon as he stood up. A subdued young bull spent the rest of his morning on his own.
In the muddy forest in the afternoon, it was Kerrio’s turn to play with Loldaiga. As she lay in the mud twirling her trunk, the big bull ambled over to her. Loldaiga climbed on top of Kerrio and the two friends jostled each other happily, twisting their trunks and rubbing heads affectionately and plastering themselves in mud.
Shujaa was running no risk this evening of Sholumai pinching his greens! The pinching trend has caught on in recent weeks and trunks can often be seen stretching through gaps in partition walls to pluck up bunches of tasty lucerne. Every evening, the orphans drink their milk as they pad into their rooms where a pile of lucerne and a bed of hay awaits them. The Keepers leave the lucerne in the middle of each stable. Today, crafty Shujaa carefully pushed every piece of lucerne into the corner of his stockade next to the door - so that it was impossible for Sholumai’s long trunk to reach his stash!
The herd padded up the path from the stockades in a long line this morning, spreading out in the lush green forest. Muridjo and Latika were both browsing up high, using their increasing height to pull down soft greens with their trunks. Taroha and Olomunyak wandered around together, browsing but also paddling in puddles in an almost waterlogged forest. Sandwiched between Mzinga and Nyambeni, Talek selected tasty branches with her trunk while Wamata stayed close to Latika.
Raha was happy to head out from her stable today. She marched out to the forest and settled down to browse, choosing to stay close to her Keeper and suckling his trouser leg between mouthfuls. The little rhino is regaining her strength but remains very small for her age.
Mageno was a hero later in the morning at the mud bath! This strong bull is challenging Mukutan’s position as dominant bull. Today, he was leading the herd back to the forest from the mud bath. They all followed along behind him, except for Olomunyak who stayed back because he was waiting for one of the Keepers. As the young boy stood on his own, two buffaloes started walking in his direction. Aware of what was happening, Mageno ran back to Olomunyak and faced off the buffaloes. The bull stood large with ears flared, the buffaloes turned around, and Mageno shepherded his little brother back to the herd.