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Having been poorly despite her good appetite in recent weeks, Mokogodo was very unwell today. We kept her in her stable all day and the vet visited to treat her with additional medication.

On their way out to the forest this morning, Mzinga, Nyambeni and Shujaa stopped off to greet Maxwell, our blind black rhino. He stood on one side of his gate while his three elephant friends stretched their trunks through the gaps to touch his head and back. Greetings over, they ambled on up the path and Max returned to his pile of pellets. In the company of three warthogs, who nibbled on pellets while on their knees, Max grazed for a time before lying down in the shade of a tree for a rest.

As usual, the first group of nine younger orphans – Kerrio, Latika, Kamili, Nyambeni, Mzinga, Shujaa, Talek, Taroha and Olomunyak – padded down to the mud bath for a milk feed later in the morning. After draining their bottles, some settled down to browse on supplementary lucerne while others enjoyed dust baths around or on top of the mound of soil. Kerrio lay down, covering herself with soil while Nyambeni and Shujaa took it in turns to climb on her. Nyambeni (one of the most playful orphans in the herd) relaxed on Kerrio’s ample belly and then Shujaa rested his forelegs while wiggling around on her bulk. The mini matriarch is not only caring but also endlessly patient!

Mokogodo, our sweetest and most loved baby, was no better today. Three of us took it in turns to be with her as she rested in her stable. The rest of the herd were content to leave her in our care, knowing that we would look after her. They headed out to the forest as normal and settled down to browse in small groups. This morning, Loldaiga and Muwingu were hanging out together, browsing for a bit, entwining trunks and leaning close, then browsing some more.

Mzinga, another young girl beloved by the herd, is gentle, caring and clever. Today, she was in a strangely feisty mood. After padding down the path to the mud bath, she pushed Talek and Taroha while they were drinking and then tried to pinch an extra bottle from the wheelbarrow. A Keeper ordered her away and she flounced off to try her luck with the next group of orphans. (We send the elephants down to the mud bath for their milk feed in groups of three or four.) The silly girl made the mistake of accosting Latika. Her older sister stopped drinking, faced Mzinga, pushed her over, and turned back to continue drinking. Latika may be a gentle elephant but Mzinga had crossed a boundary!

In the forest in the late afternoon, Sileita was looking after little Talek. Our current mini matriarch is so responsible, spending time with all the younger members of her herd. Today, she stayed close to Talek, touching her regularly as they walked through the bush together.

Soon after first light this morning, Mzinga stretched her trunk over the door, playing with the latch and attracting our attention. We opened her door first and she strode out, full of playful energy. Minutes later, the rest of the herd emerged from their stockades and gathered in the walkway. Out in the forest, Nyambeni and Shujaa stood together quietly under a tree with trunks draped on each other and then wandered on to browse. Spotting some tasty green branches on a tree, Shujaa stretched his trunk up tall and crouched on his back legs for better balance. No matter how straight he made his trunk, he could not quite get hold of the branch – fortunately for him, a Keeper helpfully pulled it down.

As the weather is getting warmer, Raha no longer needs a lie-in! This morning, the little rhino was full of cheer and energy (in contrast to some days when she is grumpy and lethargic). After nibbling from her hanging bunch of greens in the early morning, she marched out of her stable as soon as her Keeper opened the door. Raha walked up the path to the forest with two Keepers. She led the men all the way to a rocky area, filling her belly along the way, and lay down for a nap on the warm rocks.

Despite our very best efforts, Mokogodo faded away today. After lying peacefully in her stable for the day, the little girl died in the early evening. We are heartbroken.

The herd headed out as always to the forest in the early morning. After browsing for a time, some rubbed their backsides against tree stumps as others played pushing and chasing games. Mageno and Choka found a patch of dry ground that was perfect for dusting. They hosed up trunkfuls and squirted the dry soil along their backs. Sileita, Sholumai, Muwingu, Mushuru and Kerrio spent the morning browsing quietly, walking deep into the forest in search of green shoots.

Although the older females did not try to visit Mokogodo’s stable this morning, of course they knew that she was gone. We noticed secretions from the temporal glands of Sileita, Kerrio, Mushuru, Latika, Nyambeni and Mzinga, a likely sign of their distress.

Loldaiga was not his normal laidback self this morning at the mud bath. After gulping his bottles and rolling around on the mound of dry soil, he strolled over to little Talek and tried to take her bottle. When a Keeper saw him off, he accepted the reprimand without a fuss and walked away to play the pushing game with Kitich. Meanwhile, Kerrio lay relaxing by the side of the wallow while a growing Nyambeni climbed on top of her big sister, standing tall with trunk waving. Less playful elephants like Kamili and Sholumai ignored their game, instead focusing on scooping up branches of supplementary lucerne.

Talek and Pardamat were up to their night-time antics last night. They love play fighting through the gaps in their shared partition. Talek stretched her trunk through to pinch some tasty greens and then Pardamat did the same. Ten minutes later, they were pushing heads against the partition, twisting trunks and trumpeting loudly, waking up several other orphans. A Keeper calmed the naughty pair and – eventually - everyone went back to sleep.

In the morning, the two babies padded out, looking at their most innocent, greeted each other and set off to the forest behind the older females. Pardamat marched off to browse with some older boys and Talek made a beeline for Muridjo, an unusual choice of nanny. Muridjo and Talek spent the day together - to our delight, as the older girl (like Kamili, Muwingu and Sholumai) often prefers eating to looking after babies. But not today! The two girls stayed close for hours with Muridjo fussing over and trunk hugging Talek.

After visiting the mud bath for another milk feed, the herd returned to the forest. They walked far afield again today in search of green browse, padding along in a line behind Nyambeni and spreading out in a less dried out area of the forest. Returning to the stockades later in the afternoon, Kerrio, Talek and Pardamat ran down the path together.

Today, there was a situation between Mushuru and Muwingu. Sileita, Kerrio, Latika and Mushuru have established themselves as the main nannies of the Nursery herd. Muwingu generally does not show much interest in the babies. Today, her maternal instincts emerged, much to Mushuru’s annoyance!

Out in the forest, Muwingu was browsing next to Olomunyak and Pardamat, touching the boys with her trunk and being uncharacteristically affectionate. Mushuru is especially close to Pardamat, seeing him as her adopted baby, and she was not happy to see him with Muwingu. To win him back, she cleverly enlisted the help of Choka, one of the strongest bulls in the herd! When Muwingu walked a few steps away from Olomunyak and Pardamat, Mushuru and Choka pushed her to the ground and pinned her down. She trumpeted for help, three Keepers saw off the two bullies, and peace was restored.

Half an hour later, the same thing happened! Mushuru and Choka pushed Muwingu down behind a bush and she shouted for help. This time, her trumpeting attracted the attention of other females. Sileita, Latika, Kerrio, Muridjo, Mzinga, Weka (and little Olomunyak!) ran over trumpeting and rumbling, only to discover the poor elephant on the ground and the pair pinning her down. Led by Sileita, the mini matriarch of the herd, Muwingu’s rescuers drove away Mushuru and Choka and remained close by, just in case they dared to return a third time!

The toddlers in our herd often squabble! Talek and Pardamat tend to bicker from their adjacent stables in the evenings whereas Talek and Olomunyak have fallouts in the forest or at the mud bath. The little girl and boy squabble over greens or milk or nannies or space or attention - or whatever. Today was different, however, and the two small elephants had precious play time!

At the mud bath, the orphans drank their milk and we shepherded away the naughty group led by Weka, leaving the younger and gentler elephants around the wallow. In a jovial mood, Talek began rolling around in the dry dust, watched from a distance by Olomunyak. The little boy then invited himself to join her. Together they lay, pushing with trunks entwined before clambering all over each other. Their frolicking continued until Nyambeni spoilt their fun - she pretended to be interested in joining the game but she was really just aiming to separate the two friends.

Later in the morning, Taroha was the star of the show at the mud bath. After enjoying his milk, he headed straight for the wallow, lay down in the middle, and remained there until it was time to return to the forest. Meanwhile, other members of the herd tested the temperature by plonking in their front legs – but no one went any further. Instead, they browsed on greens or drank from water buckets while water baby Taroha wallowed.

The older females are missing Mokogodo. When the Keepers opened the gates of their stables this morning, Sileita walked down to the little girl’s old room and stood outside. One by one, Muwingu, Weka, Mzinga and Nyambeni also padded down the path and stood with the mini matriarch. Even though the door was locked, they kept on trying to push it open as they used to do when she was alive. They refused to budge, standing in an obstinate cluster outside Mokogodo’s old bedroom. So we allowed them to stay, respecting their loss, until they were ready to head out to the forest to join the herd.

We have moved Pardamat again! Although he is one of the youngest orphans, a couple of months ago, we moved him to the second older group at the mud bath in the hope that the older boys might instil some discipline in him. Our plan has not worked. Rather than improving his behaviour towards anyone smaller than himself, it has instead made it worse because the older girls, in particular Mushuru, have protected him and spoilt him at every opportunity!  So today, much to his annoyance, Pardamat was sent back to the younger group - who did not give him an easy time. Nyambeni and Mzinga cold shouldered him while Taroha headbutted him every time he approached Olomunyak or Talek. He had no choice but to behave well!

Normally, Weka announces her arrival at the mud bath with a series of trumpets on her way down the path. Today, Weka padded down quietly while Muwingu shouted at the top of her voice all the way to a Keeper waiting with bottle of milk held aloft. Maybe she was in an assertive mood after her treatment yesterday!

The sun was shining as the herd headed out to the forest this morning. They settled down to browse with the Keepers spread out around them. Olomunyak was staying close to Keeper Julius, possibly because he was hand-picking browse for the little boy! Ever quick to spot an opportunity, Muridjo ambled over to join them and was rewarded with several tasty handfuls.

Raha trundled out of her room this morning in a jovial mood and led her Keepers to the forest. In contrast to some mornings, she didn't want to stay behind in her cosy stable. On her way up the path, she stopped off at Maxwell’s gate, watching him lumbering after his warthog friends. The enormous black rhino ran up and down and around his enclosure after the nimble pigs. Later in the morning at the mud bath, Raha was still in a playful mood. She rolled in a large puddle made especially for her, dried herself off on a patch of soil, and darted around in circles!

Shujaa, who is normally a gentle bull, was throwing his (increasing) weight around at the mud bath this morning, picking on good friends Nyambeni, Talek, Mzinga and even little Olomunyak. Seeing Nyambeni drinking water from the trough, Shujaa strode over and shoved her away with his head and tiny tusks. Without making a fuss, she walked over to the other trough and began drinking with Mzinga and Talek. Naughty Shujaa abandoned his trough and padded after Nyambeni. Much to the girls’ surprise, he headbutted Mzinga and drove away Talek. Nyambeni darted after the two girls before Shujaa could turn his attention to her.

As usual, the first group soon left the wallow and the second older group took their place. On her way up the path, Mzinga about turned and sprinted back to the mud bath to join the older group in a repeat of her behaviour yesterday! We allowed her to stay and Mzinga enjoyed a lengthy mud bath.

Taroha had a lovely time with Maxwell in the morning before heading out to the forest. Emerging from his room, he marched straight to the rhino’s gate. As if expecting him, Max had been waiting at his gate for a while before Taroha arrived. The elephant and the rhino played a pushing-and-pulling-and-headbutting-gate game and then Taroha used his trunk to stroke Max’s head and back. Shujaa and Nyambeni interrupted this interaction, nudging the young boy out to join the herd in the forest, whereupon Max returned to his pile of pellets.

The orphans had an enjoyable time later in the morning at the mud bath. Kamili was the first to get into the pool with Taroha (who loves swimming) and Olomunyak hot on her heels. Latika watched from the sidelines for a time but paddled in to join them when she saw Kamili being rough with the two young boys. Latika drove Kamili out of the water, pushing her with her head. Kamili put up no resistance, climbing out and settling down to browse on greens.

Kerrio, meanwhile, was in one of her very playful moods. She wallowed in the pool with trunk and ears waving, dried herself off by rolling in the loose dust, and headed over to the water bucket. First she drank, then she knocked the bucket over, and finally she played football, kicking the bucket with her forelegs and pushing it with her trunk! Kerrio completely ignored our whistles and continued the game until it was time to return to the forest.

Growing boy Choka was so independent, spending most of the day at a distance from the herd. Late in the afternoon, he played the wrestling game with Mukutan and Loldaiga – but otherwise he was a solitary bull today.

Shujaa’s favourite playmate is Kerrio – and she has taught him many pushing game tricks – but he is happy to play with all challengers. This morning in the forest, he was wrestling against Olomunyak, being careful to push back gently so that the smaller boy was not hurt or knocked over. Olomunyak has become a confident energetic boy who especially enjoys playing with Taroha and Shujaa. Shujaa then moved over to wrestle with Taroha, using more strength against a young bull who is closer in age. Taroha sparred for a short time and then went back to browsing with Olomunyak. These two boys have become best friends and spend hours feeding next to each other in the forest. Pardamat (who is slightly older but has a much stronger body) is often to be found with them.

Returning to the mud bath later in the morning, Pardamat padded down the path in the first group of younger orphans. He drank his milk and stood quietly next to the wallow on his best behaviour. Reacting to his rough behaviour in recent weeks, Mzinga and Nyambeni are ignoring him and Olomunyak and Taroha are ganging up on him! Today, the two small boys pushed him away from the water trough and the two older girls carried on browsing, rather than coming to his rescue.

The sunshine is at last returning and our herd is getting back in the mud bath. This morning, the first group drank their milk as usual and ambled over to browse on lucerne. Taroha was the first to clamber into the sludge, standing knee deep while splashing water all over the place. Our water baby lay down and was soon joined by several friends. Nyambeni and Kerrio slapped the water with their trunks and also lay down along the edge. The younger ones left and the older group took their place.

As the second group spread out around the mud bath, our helicopter landed close by carrying a female calf found on her own in Tsavo. A team of Keepers lifted her on a stretcher into a vehicle to drive her the short distance to the stockades. She is around one year old and in okay condition, although very weak and thin after being on her own for a long time. In the afternoon, she accepted her first bottle of milk which is always an encouraging sign. The little girl will stay in her new stable for a few days before being introduced to the herd.

Latika is not herself at the moment. Our gentle reserved girl is not being caring towards Taroha, Pardamat and Talek. Today, she was pressing her tusks down on their backs, making them run away from her. We shepherded her away from the three babies. Although she is never aggressive towards us, Latika was kicking out her back legs, flaring her ears and waving her tail when two Keepers approached her today. This defensive behaviour is also out of character. Olomunyak has, for the most part, been exempted from this strange treatment by Latika. This new habit of pressing her tusks has happened since Mokogodo’s death nine days ago and is likely to be a reaction to her loss. With time, Latika will adjust and take on one of the other babies.

Today was a hot day. After grazing on pellets with his warthog friends for a time, Maxwell relaxed in the shade and then enjoyed a cool down in his muddy pool. He submerged himself in the thick mud, clambered out and lay down on the ground in the sunshine. Covered in sludge, he rolled around and topped up the mud with a layer of dry red soil. Meanwhile, the warthogs took his place in the wallow. Later in the afternoon, Max retreated to his enormous bed of hay in the shade.

Raha headed out as usual to the forest after the herd of elephants. She began the day wearing her cosy blue blanket but soon made it clear to her Keeper that this was not a blanket day - by rubbing her sides against a tree! He removed the blanket and she walked on through the bushes. When the rhino stopped to graze in one spot today, four warthogs gathered around and they grazed together. Visiting the mud bath later in the morning, Raha completed her customary lap of honour along the rope cordon and then lay down on a small mound of soil. Her Keeper shovelled wet mud over her back as the little princess rolled around on the ground.

In the afternoon, the mud wallow was full of elephants. Mageno, Choka and Kitich lay in the middle of the pool as Mukutan, Weka and Sileita rubbed their faces on the edge while Kamili and Muridjo paddled in the mud, slapping the water and themselves with their trunks and splashing water in every direction. After returning to the forest, Loldaiga and Latika played the pushing game. They entwined trunks, shoved and leant against each other happily.

This morning in the forest, Taroha and Olomunyak were glued together. Wherever one little boy went, the other followed. Taroha, a gentle bull, has developed a close bond with Olomunyak, the youngest member of the herd. They play together but Taroha also looks out for his friend. Not far away, Kerrio was being a couch – our benevolent mini matriarch was only too happy to let little Mzinga make herself at home. Kerrio waved her trunk as Mzinga wiggled back and forth on top of her ample belly.

Loldaiga and Mukutan were reluctant to return to the stockades this afternoon. Browsing happily in a clearing, the two older bulls did not respond when we whistled to the herd. We called again and were ignored again. Instead, the big boys began playing the pushing game. Luckily, the temptation of an (empty) bottle of milk proved impossible to resist – and so they plodded to their stockades after two Keepers, where they got their actual milk feed.

The little girl rescued two days ago is settling in well but remains in her stable. She will meet her new herd in a few days by which time she will have become used to her new life and got to know the Keepers. Her name is Wamata!

This morning in the forest, Olomunyak found a tree stump that was perfect for a rump massage. With Sileita keeping her eye on him as she browsed, the little boy wandered around the stump and then rested his bottom while shimmying from side to side. Game over, he went back to browsing next to one of his favourite nannies.

The sky was clear and the weather was very hot in the afternoon. After gulping down their milk, the orphans headed for the mud wallow. Nyambeni was first to plunge into the cooling mud with Taroha, Mzinga. Latika, Weka, Mushuru and Kerrio not far behind, and several others in their wake. Some splashed water with their feet on the edge of the pool as others slapped the water with their trunks or rubbed against and play mounted each other. The group dip was interrupted by a warthog who dared to approach the wallow but was immediately chased away by several indignant elephants.

Mageno is becoming an explorer and a leader! In the afternoon, he led a group of older orphans, including Kitich, Loldaiga and Mukutan, deep into the forest in search of fresh browse (and possibly new territory!). They browsed happily on their own until an impala (who was chasing her herd) surprised them by dashing out of a bush. The big boys and girls turned tail and ran for the stockades and their Keepers – not quite so big after all!

Loldaiga and Muwingu were browsing together in the forest this morning. The two orphans, both of whom have tusks of an impressive size for three-year-olds, found a patch of thick green bush and settled down for a feast. They stood so close that they were twisting off greens from the same bush.

This morning at the mud bath, Shujaa was being laidback and Talek was being greedy. After padding slowly down the path (in contrast to the others who sprint for their milk), Shujaa pottered up to the water bucket for a drink and then headed for the pile of supplementary greens. A Keeper had to follow him and almost remind him that it was milk feeding time! When he saw the bottle, he drank it happily but with less of a sense of urgency than his friends. Little Talek gulped down her milk and wandered over to the wheelbarrow, hoping that no one would notice if she pinched an extra bottle! A Keeper whistled her away, she walked a few metres, he turned his back, and she darted back, nudging the wheelbarrow with her head. Three attempts later, she accepted the inevitable and joined Mzinga on the mound of dry soil. The two girls rolled around and playfully clambered on top of each other.

Later in the day, Muridjo was enjoying an afternoon rest in the forest – until she was spotted by Weka. The rascal of the herd could not resist interrupting Muridjo’s nap – Weka stood next to her for a minute before leaning over to push her awake and lying down next to her to play.

Maxwell was being welcoming to his warthog friends this morning! When in a grumpy mood, he chases them out of his enclosure – or tries to. Today, the blind rhino was happy to share his pellets with several warthogs. After grazing together companionably, the pigs nipped back to the forest, using the tunnel they have dug in the top corner of the enclosure, and Max lay down for a rest under a tree.

The herd headed out as always in the early morning and spread out to browse in the forest. After filling their bellies, some massaged themselves against tree stumps as others played chasing and pushing games. Today, Kamili (our independent girl) was playing with Shujaa. Kamili is older but quite small for her age and so the two orphans are well-matched in strength. They pushed heads and broke apart and clashed again.

At the mud bath later in the morning, Olomunyak (who is really coming out of his shell) was playing with Talek. She lay on her side while he lifted his front legs onto her back to rest his bulk while rubbing her with his trunk. Talek made no move to push him off – as she was enjoying being a cushion like Kerrio!

The sun was shining this morning when Raha paid her daily visit to the mud bath. Halfway along the rope cordon, the small rhino with the tiny horn stopped for a roll around. She lay on a patch of dry earth covered with lucerne and rolled onto her back while her Keeper shovelled extra soil onto her tummy. After her dust bath, she stood up for a moment before changing her mind and lying down for another soothing soil session! Eventually, Raha climbed to her feet and waddled slowly back along the cordon.

The rhino walked back to the forest and the first group of younger orphans took her place at the mud bath. They drank their milk and spread out around the wallow. As Talek drank from the water bucket, Taroha ran playfully towards Olomunyak with ears flared. Kamili walked along the cordon, allowing the guests to touch her, while Shujaa shook his head from side to side as he enjoyed a dust bath. Mzinga lay down next to Shujaa to rub herself against the earth while Kerrio, Latika, Nyambeni and Pardamat stood in a group in the shade of a tree.

On another hot afternoon, as the younger orphans clustered in the main mud bath, three of the older boys wallowed in the smaller pool a short distance away. Shujaa submerged his body, rubbed his face against the edge, and then squatted on his haunches. Kitich and Loldaiga tumbled against each other and put their faces in the mud while waving trunks and ears.

Today was the day that Wamata met the herd. Since her arrival, the little girl has been reluctant to leave the safety of her stable. A Keeper has taken her for short walks around the stockades over the past few days but she has not ventured further afield. We decided that the time had come for her to join the herd, even if she was not so sure!

As usual, the herd walked out to the forest in the early morning. Keepers Peter and Mishak then brought a specially selected group of orphans — Kerrio, Nyambeni, Mzinga, Taroha and Olomunyak — back to the stockades to meet Wamata. The orphans gathered outside her room and the Keepers opened the door. Wamata remained in the corner, not extending her trunk in greeting. Peter sent Nyambeni and Mzinga in first but the two girls were unable to persuade Wamata to move, despite exchanging greetings and rumbles. Kerrio was sent in next but even our mini matriarch did not achieve success. The newbie stood obstinately in a corner. 

Peter, armed with a bottle of milk, then walked into the stable – the combination of Kerrio and milk worked! Wamata popped out of her room and the five orphans gathered around her. Kerrio, Nyambeni, Mzinga and Olomunyak were gentle and friendly but Taroha was a little rough so Meshak took him away. The newbie calmed down quickly and walked out to the forest with the four orphans where she was given an enormous welcome by Sileita, Mushuru and Muwingu. Mission accomplished! (Since then, Wamata has been with the herd every day and is often found browsing with Sileita.)

Most of the first group of younger orphans were reluctant to get wet this morning despite the hot weather. Only Taroha and Latika padded into the mud bath for a cool down. Taroha rolled around for a few minutes and then popped out and over to browse on greens with Olomunyak, Talek and Kerrio. Latika wallowed for ages and then, in the mood for showing off, she crawled out of the water on her knees, waggling her ears.

In contrast, led by Kitich, almost all of the second group climbed in and lay down in the muddy water. They squashed up close, waving their trunks but unable to move around or play mount each other because there was no space. Choka and Mageno stood on the sidelines, sucking up gouts of dry soil and squirting them along their backs.

The orphans padded quietly out of their stockades, greeted each other and walked out to the forest in small groups. Sileita, with several babies in tow, led the herd this morning with big boys Mageno, Choka and Kitich bringing up the rear. While most settled down to browse, Muridjo and Taroha walked off on a private mission. The two friends found a small clearing with some soft tasty grass.

The herd had a fabulous time in the mud bath on a hot afternoon. Almost everyone ended up covered in mud – although Kamili and newbie Wamata (a calm little girl who is settling in well) chose to stand on the sidelines. The mud bath was full of wallowing elephants with waving trunks. Latika rubbed her face against the edge of the pool while Sileita, Kitich and Shujaa lay submerged in the middle. After cooling off, Mzinga and Talek played trunk draping and pushing games while Taroha and Olomunyak had fun with a water bucket. The cheeky boys knocked it over with their trunks and nudged it along as if it was a football.

The elephants headed back out to the forest in a long line for a final browse of the day. They remained close to the stockades today until we gathered them in groups and sent them back to their rooms for the night.

In the wake of days of hot sunshine and weeks of minimal rain, the forest is drying out. There is still plenty of browse but lush green grass is in short supply and the orphans have to walk further to fill their bellies. This morning, the herd ambled off in small groups and we also spread out to keep watch. Muridjo, Mzinga and Mageno wandered along in a line as they twisted up clumps of grass. Choka was hanging out on his own as were Kerrio and Pardamat. Sileita browsed next to Talek, Olomunyak, Taroha and Wamata.

Raha was full of energy again today, marching out of her stable in the early morning and up the path to the forest. As the sun was shining, she had no need of a blanket. After grazing for a time, she had a quick nap on some warm rocks before her daily visit to the mud bath. She is too small to get in the wallow and so her Keeper shovels wet mud over her on hot days. We are very pleased to see Raha growing in size and strength but still give her milk feeds on demand, rather than every three hours like the elephants.

Most of the older orphans went swimming again today. Sholumai and Mageno stood on the edge, hosing themselves with water, while Mukutan and Mushuru wallowed in the middle of the wallow, slapping the water with their trunks as they rolled around. Kitich contented himself with a face massage against the muddy ground.

Returning to the forest in the afternoon, Mushuru and Loldaiga played, rather than browsed, on a heap of old hay. The two friends enjoyed a noisy love-in, trumpeting as they pushed against each other.

Elephants love rubbing their enormous bodies against everything – from trees to rocks to patches of ground to stockade walls to fences to each other! This morning in the forest, Shujaa and Mageno found the perfect tree for rump rubbing. Gnarly and bendy, it was just right for scratching every part of their bodies and for resting their bulk while doing so. Laidback Shujaa leant against the trunk for a moment before massaging his backside. As soon as he wandered off, Mageno took his place.

Elsewhere, Mushuru, Olomunyak and Loldaiga were browsing together. Resting on the ground, Olomunyak picked up scraps dropped by the other two while they pulled branches down from trees (and each other’s mouths!). In between mouthfuls, Mushuru touched the little boy lightly with her trunk. Nearby, Sileita played belly-crouching-and-rubbing games on her own before joining age mates Muwingu and Sholumai for a tumbling session.

On another hot afternoon, the orphans wallowed in the mud bath. Some lay together in the gloop as others rubbed their faces and sides against the edges. Muwingu submerged her body in the middle while Nyambeni bent down to massage her face. Talek is growing in confidence – today the little girl was playing splashing games in the wallow with big boy Mageno.

On a cloudy morning, the elephants plodded out of their rooms but were in no hurry to get going. They stood outside or drank from water troughs. After whistling, some Keepers led the herd out as others walked behind orphans like Taroha, Olomunyak and Kamili, pushing their backsides to keep them moving. Out in the forest, taller elephants like Sholumai and Mukutan stretched up their trunks to pull down branches while shorter ones like Wamata browsed on bushes at head height.

Our second rescue this month arrived at the Nursery today. The male calf, wounded in a lion attack near Voi, was flown to the Nursery in a helicopter. A team of Keepers offloaded the elephant and brought him to a stable to treat his wounds and look after him. In the afternoon, we also brought Olomunyak back from the forest for a short time. He stretched his trunk through the gaps in greeting, calming the newbie, before padding back to the herd.

In the afternoon, the sun was shining and the herd played in and around the wallow. With Kerrio looking on, water babies Weka and Taroha frolicked in the mud. Weka splashed as she lay along the edge while Taroha shoved his face in the water while keeping his bum in the air. On their way back to the stockades, the elephants stopped off at the pile of hay cleared out from the stables in the morning. They explored the discarded hay with their trunks on a hunt for leftover pellets.

When the herd set out as usual to the forest this morning, we kept Nyambeni back at the stockades. The new rescue who arrived yesterday needed to walk out as well because of his infected legs. After sleeping well in the night, the calf was calm in the morning. We led Nyambeni into his room, our budding mini matriarch greeted the little boy with rumbles and trunk touches, and six Keepers shepherded the two elephants slowly up the path to browse in bushes closest to the stockades.

The rest of the herd wandered further afield. After browsing for a time, many began playing. Twisting trunks, Muridjo and Kamili leant against each other while Mushuru, Latika, Shujaa and Weka played pushing games. Shujaa and Weka were the noisiest pair, trumpeting dramatically as they pushed each other back and forth.

Not far away, Raha was also exploring the forest with her Keeper. On her second rescueversary,, we celebrated her transformation from an injured traumatised rhino into a strong healthy one, as she walked past the elephants, uttering little squeaks, on her way to her favourite patch of greens.

The area around the wallow was wet and muddy by the time the orphans had finished playing in the water this afternoon. Little Wamata stood quietly on a muddy patch, Pardamat and Muridjo played with the water bucket, Loldaiga rubbed his ample belly on the mud, and Sileita and Kerrio wallowed in the middle.

In the early evening, Shujaa was showing off another clever trick – that of opening his stable door from the inside! First he stretched up his trunk to undo the latch on the upper half of the door, and then he climbed on the lower half and extended his trunk over in an attempt to move the wooden stay. In response, we have had to tie the upper door with a piece of wire. Clever boy!

Maternal instincts were much in evidence today! As the herd was ambling out to the forest this morning, Loldaiga approached Taroha from behind and pushed him out of the way (as the younger bull was walking slowly). Taroha’s loud protests attracted the attention not only of Sileita but also of Mushuru, Kerrio, Muwingu, Latika, Muridjo, Mzinga, Nyambeni and even little Talek. The crowd of nannies ran towards him. They clustered around, trunk touching and hugging the little boy, while he made happy low rumbles.

Later in the morning, Talek and Olomunyak were playing in the forest while dust bathing on a patch of dusty ground. They lay next to each other and then the little boy clambered onto the little girl’s belly while Kerrio browsed nearby.

As it was a cloudy day, none of the orphans wallowed in the mud bath. Instead, they drank from the trough, browsed on lucerne, dust bathed and played. Sholumai, Choka, Mukutan, Kitich, Mushuru, Muridjo, Mageno and Latika gathered around the mound of dry soil, covering their bodies either by hosing themselves or by rolling on the ground. After the soil dusting session, Mukutan and Choka had a wrestling match. Mushuru kept butting in, as she wanted to wrestle against Choka, but Mukutan kept pushing her out of the way.

Latika was behaving out of character this morning. Out in the forest, the gentle girl insisted on browsing on her own. Taroha approached her and then Pardamat and then Talek – all three were pushed away and had to find a different nanny. At the mud bath after the milk feed, Shujaa and Olomunyak were both given the same treatment. Although she is rebuffing the younger orphans, she welcomes the presence of both Keepers and older elephants. We hope that this phase will be over soon and that the familiar caring Latika will return.

Our new boy is stable. The infection in his legs resulting from the lion mauling is improving and he is settling into his new family. Mzinga and Nyambeni are the most conscientious nannies. Today, the two girls refused to visit the mud bath for their milk feeds, digging in their heels and sticking close to the little boy. (He remains in the forest with two Keepers as he is not yet used to human beings and cannot walk long distances.) Mzinga and Nyambeni were determined to look after little Askari - as he has been named! We allowed them to stay with their new baby – as their attention is helping him to recover from his ordeal.

Three of the oldest females in the herd were feeling lively today. In the forest this morning, Sileita, Muwingu and Sholumai tumbled around together on the dry dusty ground. They rubbed torsos and entwined trunks and then Muwingu and Sholumai play mounted Sileita, taking it in turns to climb on top of the mini matriarch.

Later in the morning, the first group of younger orphans drank their milk and spread out around the mud wallow. As some browsed along the rope cordon, Kerrio, Kamili, Pardamat and Taroha played on the mound of dry soil. Pardamat climbed onto Kerrio’s belly and, when she spun around, somehow the little boy managed to stay on top of her! The second group took their place and many went swimming on a sunny day with no clouds in the sky. Weka and Mushuru played pushing games in the water while Sileita and Mukutan paddled and splashed around them.

Today, Choka was limping after an especially energetic wrestling match against Mukutan in the early morning. He walked slowly out to the forest, limping along on his front right leg with a stiffness in the lower joint. It was not long before the herd knew about Choka’s situation. Out in the forest, Mushuru, Muwingu, Sholumai, Kitich, Sileita and Loldaiga gathered around their good friend, trunk touching him affectionately as they checked on his state of health. It was a wonderful sight.

Later in the morning, the first group of orphans visited the mud wallow for a milk feed. Shujaa greeted visitors in between scooping up mouthfuls of browse while Kamili drank deeply from the water trough and still skinny Wamata stood with a Keeper. Latika and Taroha stood on the edge of the pool, splashing with their trunks, and Kerrio was with Talek and Olomunyak quite close to the wheelbarrow. Today, we banished Pardamat to the bush – because whenever Olomunyak tried to drink water, the rascal chased him away from the bucket.

The second group of orphans settled down to action-packed games in the mud wallow. Sensible Kitich paddled along the edge (to avoid any risk of being mounted by Mukutan or Loldaiga), while Mushuru and Loldaiga play mounted each other, Sileita, Mukutan and Sholumai jostled in the water, and Choka, Muridjo and Mageno rubbed their faces against the edges.

Loldaiga led several older orphans further into the forest this morning. Kerrio and Mushuru were happy to stay back with the younger elephants, keeping an eye on Pardamat as he massaged his face against a tree. Shujaa and Weka were wrestling against each other in the forest. The two friends stood together with trunks entwined before beginning their energetic contest. They played until Latika strode between them and then returned to browsing. Choka was back to his normal self today, keeping up with the herd and walking with only a slight limp. He is recovering fast from his injury which happened when he slipped off while mounting Mukutan.

Raha is growing up! After another milk feed in the forest, the little rhino began grooming her tiny horn. Using a dry branch that was just the right thickness, she rubbed one side of the horn against it and then changed position to rub the other side. Full of strength and growing in size, Raha walks far into the forest nowadays, grazing as she expands her territory.

In the afternoon, Maxwell chased away several warthogs who were daring to wallow in his mud bath. They retreated to the corner of his enclosure and Max enjoyed a solitary wallow on another hot day. When he clambered out to rest his muddy body under a tree, the cheeky pigs popped into the pool for a cool down.

Mushuru loves looking after Olomunyak and rarely browses far from him in the forest. This morning, the Keepers opened the doors of the little ones’ stockades first. Taroha and Olomunyak emerged and toddled slowly up the path that leads to the forest together. When her gate was finally opened, Mushuru dashed out and made a beeline for the boys. She fussed over both - saving most of her trunk hugs for Olomunyak – and then pushed them to one side of the path while she greeted Maxwell. The rhino was walking around his enclosure but responded to her rumble by stopping off at his gate. He stood still happily while Mushuru extended her trunk through the gate to touch his head and try to pull his ear! Taroha and Olomunyak played a wrestling game as they waited for their nanny. Some minutes later, Max returned to his pile of pellets and the three orphans continued out to the forest.

Later in the morning at the mud bath, there was a toddler squabble but, for a change, it did not involve a bottle of milk! Pardamat tried to pinch a branch from Olomunyak’s mouth but was pushed away. The older boy pushed back and the younger one shoved hard, trumpeting as he did so. Luckily Kerrio and two Keepers were on hand to separate the boys before the situation got out of hand.

The oldest orphans wandered deep into the forest this morning, indicating a possible readiness to start their reintegration journey. As on the previous occasion, they were led by Mageno.  Sholumai, Loldaiga, Mukutan, Choka, Mushuru and Mageno quietly walked away from the herd to explore the bush. We found them browsing happily two hours later quite far from the stockades and shepherded them back to the stockades for a milk feed.

Nyambeni and Mzinga are continuing to spend their days with the newbie. They walk out to the forest in the mornings at his pace, which is extremely slow, and remain with Askari for the day, refusing to visit the mud bath. This morning, the little boy was having a nap in a bush while Nyambeni kept guard and Mzinga dozed in a nearby bush. They swap roles, with Mzinga playing that of security escort most of the time and Nyambeni that of surrogate mother, behaving almost as if Askari is their own baby!

Later in the morning, little Raha had a happy playful moment at the mud bath. After walking along the cordon, the rhino relaxed on her side before rolling onto her back while her Keeper shovelled wet mud all over her body. In a playful mood, she lay with legs sticking up in the air for several minutes. Fully refreshed, the small mud-encrusted rhino marched back to the forest.

Kerrio is becoming everyone’s favourite cushion! When, once again, she collapsed onto the ground next to the mud bath this morning, Taroha and Pardamat needed no persuading. The boys were on her in a trice. But they had reckoned without Kamili - who wanted to play with her friend and not to share her with two young boys. Kamili pushed them off and rested her forelegs on Kerrio who lay happily on the ground with trunk twirling. Returning for a second round, Taroha and Pardamat clambered on top of Kamili while she was on top of Kerrio, creating a stack of happy elephants!