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DIARIES : |
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Monthly Diary Reports
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The day of 03.12.2004 began well, but then the tsetse flies descended on us all, en masse. Selengai ran towards Mulika for help, and the Keepers tried to keep them at bay by beating them with bushes. Napasha squeezed himself into some thick bush. At the mudbath, they all plastered themselves in mud, which kept the flies off. After mudbath on the 13.12.2004 Wendi and Selengai were left behind. Wendi, who is always a prankster, decided to play a trick on the others, and with raised ears and a loud trumpet rushed towards the others, as though being chased. Olmalo rushed towards the Keepers. Yatta and Nasalot, knowing Wendi’s character well, merely stood and watched the drama!
Although the day on 11.11.2004 was very hot, the orphans enjoyed a game, chasing each other around their Keepers. Only Olmalo and Selengai didn’t participate. At the mudbath, Yatta pushed Napasha in first to test the temperature, and when he lay down, the others joined him. The next day was hot, like yesterday, with no sign of rain. At the mudbath Olmalo and Taita went straight in, before taking water, and having cooled themselves returned to drink water. As usual Napasha was first to roll in the mud giving Tomboi, Taita and Selengai a rare opportunity to lie on top of him taking turns, whilst Mulika, Nasalot, Olmalo and Wendi occupied the other side to roll in the mud. On the 13.11.2004 having left the Stockade, Selengai and Olmalo went to drink in anticipation of a long hot day in search of food. At around l0 a.m. Tomboi, who doesn’t see eye to eye with Napasha, snatched a piece of greenery that Napasha wanted. This led to a fight, over which the Keepers had to intervene. Napasha had moved a step backwards and was going to charge Tomboi and knock him down, but the Keepers warned him by pointing fingers at him, so he reluctantly moved away “swearing in his heart” to teach Tomboi a lesson when the Keepers were not looking!
A dramatic and disastrous event involving the Ithumba ten took place during the early hours of the morning of the 21st, when a rabid dog forced its way through the electric wires of the Night Stockade, and before being despatched by the Keepers, bit Wendi, Olmalo, Taita, and Selengai on a foot and jumped up onto Mulika’s ear, nicking it in one place. Whilst the vaccine was being sourced, and information sought about how we should now procede, the Mobile Veterinary Unit and our Vet, David Ndeereh, made haste to Mombasa to procure enough vaccine to inoculate the five elephants that had been bitten, and the Senior Warden took the decision to isolate them from those who had escaped harm, fearing contamination through saliva. As usual, Napasha features prominently and almost daily in the Ithumba Diary, being a forceful character who loves his food. All little bulls are competitive, so he, Tomboi and Taita enjoy the usual male tussling, when one of the older females usually has to intervene to keep the peace, more often Mulika, Nasalot or Yatta. Selengai is extremely attached to Mulika, and it is intriguing that she decided to remain close to Yatta on one day.
On 10.10.2004 Mulika and Selengai led the orphans out of the Stockade to the bush today, with Olmalo remaining close to the Keepers. In the evening, Wendi took the lead back. It was a cool day on 02.10.2004. Selengai led the orphans to the mudbath, where Napasha pushed Tomboi about. At midday Selengai and Tomboi had an altercation, the reason for which we did not know. Nasalot intervened to separate them. After the mudbath, the orphans were taken to a new area to browse. Olmalo and Selengai were nervous of the new environment and kept close to the Keepers until it was time to return to the Stockades. IU At 11 a.m. on 17.08.2004 the orphans were in a very jovial mood. Selengai
trumpeted whilst Napasha tried to mount Taita. Taita did not like this,
dislodging Napasha, who fell on a tree stump and in the process got a
piece of wood stuck deep in his left foreleg. The Keepers tried
unsuccessfully to remove it, so applied Calendula gel and Sulphur powder
as best they could, reporting the matter to Nairobi. Nairobi contacted
the Trust’s mobile Veterinary Unit which happened to be in Amboseli at
the time, removing two spears from the head of one of the Matriarchs.
Dr. Ndeereh was asked to motor to Ithumba on his way back and remove the
splinter from Napasha’s leg. Early in the morning, Mulika led the orphans out of the stockade to the bush. In the afternoon Wendi kept on running here and there, scaring Selengai, Tomboi, Taita and Olmalo, who ran to the Keepers for protection, but in fact Wendi was just having fun! After mudbath, the orphans led the Keepers and having walked ahead for about 500 metres, Selengai, who was leading, did an about turn, scaring the rest. The Keepers went ahead and found l0 baboons sitting under a tree, which ran off.
The day was cool, so there was no mudbath. Selengai kept on suckling Mulika’s ears. During the mudbath, Kinna lay down to play. Napasha, Olmalo and Selengai climbed on her, which made Kinna bellow as she found their weight too much. Wendi rushed around joyfully breaking branches which scared the others, causing Tomboi to trumpet. Selengai, Taita and Olmalo ran towards Yatta, but Napasha stood his ground. The orphans woke up happy as usual and followed Imenti’s trail with their Keepers. When a squirrel passed near Napasha, he charged it to chase it away. Selengai spent the day browsing near Mulika. Olmalo is very close to the Keepers, and spent most of the day very near them. Selengai and Taita enjoyed a pushing game, whilst Mulika watched closely, standing by in case it deteriorated into a fight. On the way to the mudbath Mulika walked side by side with Selengai whilst Nasalot walked with her favourite, Olmalo. At mudbath Tomboi pushed Olmalo and Napasha took revenge by pushing Tomboi. During the afternoon on 02.07.2004 Selengai spent most of the time suckling Mulika’s ears. Kinna became jealous of this and pushed Selengai away. In the morning on 30.06.2004, Kinna and Yatta walked joyfully, swinging their trunks from side to side, which is a sign of happiness. Tomboi and Selengai imitated them, doing the same. In the evening Selengai and Taita initiated a pushing game, which deteriorated into a fight. Nasalot came to separate them. On their way out into the bush, Taita took the lead, followed by Selengai. Nasalot remained behind to protect the other babies. At around noon, Mulika placed her trunk on the back of Wendi, which is a sign of the beginnings of a strong friendship. She is showing much more interest in the babies now. At 9.30 a.m. o 24.06.2004, Selengai suckled Nasalot’s ear, whilst Nasalot just stood still. At mudwallow, Napasha drank water standing inside the drinking trough. At mudbath Napasha lay down to play, and Tomboi came along to jump on him as Olmalo watched. Selengai spotted a dikdik and charged it, forcing it to flee. Wendi and Selengai also tried to jump out of the lorry when the upper tailgate was opened. The Keepers blocked them from doing so. Napasha did not display any difficulty in coping with the new environment, and immediately began to browse. Following the noon mudbath, the other Nursery elephants came to meet her, extending their trunks to touch her in greeting through the stable partition. She was overjoyed to know that she was not alone, Selengai and Wendi being particularly attentive, and afterwards the newcomer, who is only slightly taller than Sunyei, visibly settled down, and, for the first time, fell into a fitful sleep. Amazingly, by nightfall this totally wild elephant was sucking the fingers of her Keepers, taking milk eagerly from a bottle, and even enjoying the company of her human Attendants, much to the amazement of the film crew. Sunyei, and little Naserian will take over the Mini Matriarchal responsibilities, keeping Madiba and Ndomot in line. All are a very close little unit and although they will undoubtedly sorely miss the larger elephants when they leave, they will have each other for company and in the fullness of time will join Wendi, Tomboi, Napasha, Selengai, Olmalo and Taita in the North. Ndomot is “the clinging vine” of the group, always attached to a Keeper, whilst Madiba is much more independent, and confident. Sunyei and Naserian are both of a very mild temperament who will one day emulate Emily and Aitong in character. Madiba and Ndomot both thrive, safely over the problems that plagued them earlier. Madiba is extremely fond of little Sunyei, and she of him, looking upon him as her special “baby” whilst Ndomot has slotted into being the shared baby of Wendi and Selengai. He is also close to Madiba, but also competitive, as are all young bulls, each wanting to be of higher rank than the other. Taita and Olmalo remain a devoted pair, but Taita, being a boy, also enjoys the company of the other young bulls, especially Napasha, who is the oldest. Tomboi oscillates between spending time with the other young bulls and Wendi and Selengai, being very close to Wendi. Madiba, though smaller in stature, is older and much more confident, a tough little character who seldom cries and when displeased with either a Keeper or another elephant, deals a hefty and silent shove to make his needs known! He is still very hairy; a replica of a woolly mammoth! It is very gratifying that he is now firmly established as a member of the “herd” and very much more elephant than human oriented. Selengai is the member of the group who tends to “fly underneath the radar”, sufficient unto herself and happy to hang out with Wendi and Ndomot. The month of March saw the rapid recovery of Selengai, who had been suffering from a nasty leg obscess, and Madiba who suffered both diarrheoa and a lymph infection, whilst little Ndomot gained all the weight he had lost whilst so ill previously. Now all our Nursery inmates sport the fat little cheeks of a healthy baby, but most rewarding, has been the psychological recovery of Madiba who now understands that he is an elephant! Taita and Olmalo are sufficient unto each other, all very gentle characters, whereas Wendi, Tomboi and Selengai tend to be more assertive, and even “pushy”, Wendi and Tomboi having learnt a few tricks from “Mweya” with whom they shared time in the Nursery. The Nursery Elephants:- An event that puzzled and excited all the Nursery Elephants was “The Really Wild Show” whose cast rowdily joined them actually in the mudbath, diving into the mud, and hollering to the cameras. Amongst the stars was a dwarf, who was the focus of attention for all the elephants. Only little Sunyei found the antics of the Really Wild Show so amusing that she joined them in the mudbath. Taita, Olmalo, Selengai and Napasha were puzzled and apprehensive of the raised voices, used to reacting to tone of voice, whilst Wendi and Tomboi put on spirited mock charges, not wanting to show the obvious doubts they had about the unusual behaviour of this unusual group of humans! Daphne and Angela were away in India from the 16th – 20th, where Daphne was due to give the keynote speech at the Venu Menon Animal Awards, and picked up a nasty flu bug for her pains! Back home, there was concern surrounding both Selengai and Madiba, Selengai suddenly having sprung a swollen back leg, (which later turned into an abscess), and Madiba with what was diagnosed as a bacterial infection of his lymph system, something that manifested itself in a string of mysterious lumps up the veins of a foreleg. Added to this, his stools were too runny and too frequent, which is always cause for concern, so Daphne and Angela hurried home after the Award Ceremony, having been away for just four packed days. Happily, both elephants are now in good health again. Selengai’s abscess burst after being poulticed, and healed quickly with Calendular and Silver, and Madiba’s lymph infection responded to a 3 day coarse of antibiotic injections, with a little help from homeopathic pillules of Hepar Sulph and colloidal silver mixed in with his milk. Now that all his molars are in place, and his lymph ailment cured, he is again in good health, sleeping well, feeding well, and very much part of the elephant gang. Napasha becomes ever more proud of his tooth-pick tusks, showing them off proudly to all onlookers by raising his trunk skywards whilst the audience “oohs and aahs”. Tomboi was “The David Beckham of the Jumbo Football team that took on the Manchester United Junior players who paid the elephants a visit whilst Daphne and Angela were away in India, whilst Wendi asserted her authority and left them in no doubt as to who was in charge! She is a very vigilant, proficient, and sometimes “pushy” mini-Matriarch who refused to allow anyone to tamper with Selengai’s sore leg. Every time the abscess had to be cleaned, Selengai had to be confined in her stable, whilst Wendi watched events closely through the partition bars.
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Out in the bush on the 26.12.2004, the
orphans split into two groups, one led by Yatta and the other by Kinna.
Kinna led Mulika, Nasalot and Napasha; Yatta took Olmalo,
Selengai, Wendi, Taita and Tomboi. The Keepers brought the
two groups together to take them to the mudbath Natumi’s group spent
the morning alone, feeding along the Eastern slopes of the hill. Upon
arrival at the mudbath, they were joined by Emily, Aitong and Sally who
came from a different direction. At 3.15 p.m. they were joined by Edo,
who ... At around 9 a.m. on the 29.12.2004 an eagle passed
above the orphans, which scared them, causing
Selengai and Olmalo to run towards the Keepers. Tomboi and
Taita fled in the opposite direction, so the Keepers had to call them
back. They did a quick U turn and were soon reunited with the rest of
the group.
Mulika and
Selengai were first to leave the Stockade on the 14.11.2004
and lead the others into the bush. It was very hot, with heavy cloud, so
we expected rain, but it did not come. Because of the heat, the orphans
went to the mudbath early. (19.11.2004) For the first time ever,
little Olmalo was the Leader, but after a while, stood aside to allow
Napasha and Taita to overtake her. By l0 a.m. it was so hot that the
orphans moved from tree to tree, seeking shade and flapping their ears.
They had a wonderful mudbath, all rolling in the mud as though in
competition, but, as usual, Napasha emerged the winner. At around noon,
the Vet arrived to inject Mulika, Selengai,
Olmalo, Wendi and Taita as a precaution against rabies. Finally, the
long awaited rain arrived on the 25.11.2004 at about 2 a.m. and
continued throughout the morning. At first Olmalo,
Selengai, Tomboi and Wendi were very scared of the thunder
and lightening, and squeezed together whenever the lightening struck.
When the rain subsided, the orphans had a wonderful time playing in the
puddles. Shortly before 11 a.m. Olmalo came across a moving crab which
“mesmerized” her, prompting the Keepers to go and take a look!
The morning of 28.11.2004 was cloudy but
the afternoon became hot, making the orphans flap their ears to remain
cool. Tomboi took a nap, but stood up when he noticed Napasha homing in
on him. On the return to the Stockades,
Selengai and Tomboi had a fight over who would lead the
other, which Tomboi won, prompting Selengai
to go and join Mulika. On the 29.11.2004 it drizzled with rain in the
early hours of the morning. After mudbath Wendi and Tomboi browsed close
to one another while Mulika fed close to her favourite,
Selengai. On the way back in the evening, we passed by the
mudbath for a drink. 
At around 4 p.m. on 29.10.2004, Mulika,
Taita, Wendi, Olmalo and Selengai
receied another injection from our Vet. For the second day (on
23.10.2004), the orphans remained separated and were still very unhappy
at being separated. At noon the Vet came again and vaccinated the
unbitten five i.e. Yatta, Kinna, Nasalot, Napasha and Tomboi. In the
evening the orphans were re-united and allowed to mix freely. Yatta
placed her trunk on the backs of Selengai,
Taita, Olmalo and Wendi, welcoming them back into the family. Nasalot on
the other hand welcomed Mulika, who rumbled lovingly and flapped her
ears. On 22.10.2004 as an initial precaution the orphans were seperated
into two groups – those bitten by the dog, and those not bitten. Yatta
led Kinna, Nasalot, Napasha and Tomboi, whilst Mulika led the bitten
elephants i.e. Selengai, Taita,
Olmalo and Wendi. Mulika was very distressed without Nasalot, and kept
on screaming and running in search of Yatta’s group, whilst Taita
rumbled in distress for his friends, Taita, Olmalo, Wendi and
Selengai.
During feeding time, Selengai,
who is very attached to Mulika, didn’t run for the milk like the
others, but instead chose to follow Mulika to the mudbath. Later on,
Mulika escorted her to take her milk. The orphans were taken to a new
area today. Yatta, Mulika, Nasalot and Kinna showed a great deal of
interest, as did Napasha, but Taita, Olmalo,
Selengai and Tomboi were nervous and chose to remain close to
the Keepers all day. At l0 a.m. on 05.08.2004,
Selengai mistook Yatta for Mulika and tried to suckle
Yatta’s ear. Yatta pulled herself away and warned
Selengai by pointing her trunk at
Selengai. Shortly before 4 p.m. a low flying aircraft scared
the group, who ran to the keepers screaming. The Keepers calmed them.
Selengai and Tomboi had an altercation about who should be the Leader
when the Keepers changed route and led them into a new area. Selengai
won, and followed the Keepers, leading all the others.