The morning of the 17th August, Napasha tried to mount Taita, to which Taita objected, dislodging him and causing him to fall on a stump which pierced his left foreleg, leaving a piece of dry stick deeply imbedded in the flesh. The Keepers were unable to remove this, but daubed Calendular and antibiotic cream on the wound, alerting Nairobi as to what had happened. The Trust’s mobile Veterinary Unit, a unit sponsored by Vier Photen, which happened to be in Amboseli at the time, was asked to travel to Ithumba and remove the splinter, which was causing Napasha a great deal of discomfort.

By the next day, Napasha was very lame, dragging the injured leg, so the orphans remained near the Night Stockade awaiting the arrival of the Vet, who turned up at noon on the 19th. Napasha was sedated, and it entailed a small operation to remove the stick cleanly from the leg, after which he was woken up and soon back on his feet again, having had an antibiotic jab in the left buttock. By the next day, he was much better, but a little sore on the left hind leg from the two injections he had received the day before. After that Calendula rapidly healed the wound, and by the 21st he was back at his old tricks again, targeting Taita, whom he obviously blamed for the mishap! In the end, Mulika had to intervene and come to Taita’s rescue, reprimanding Napasha and sending him away from Taita. Napasha is a forceful fellow, who, like all young bulls, likes to assert himself by jumping on the others in an act of domination, but Mulika, Nasalot and Yatta ensure that he is kept in line!