Good news!  Little Kithaka, now 2 months old, has managed to cut his four molars without too much difficulty, and is thriving!  Kainuk, who has always been a somewhat pushy member of the Nursery due to the usual post traumatic stress, plus the necessary treatment of her damaged eye, is at last becoming more maternal and is particularly fond of little Kithaka.

Yet again, the Nairobi Park lions have proved a disruptive element, one lioness actually settled down to sleep in the narrow passage separating little Kithaka’s stable from Maxwell’s Enclosure!   On another occasion it was Kithaka who first detected two sleeping lionesses in a bush, which triggered a mass retreat of both elephants and Keepers!

Orwa is recovering rapidly, gaining weight and gradually recovering strength, but remains breathless after running for his milk.   He tends to cling to the Keepers, and is a very gentle and polite little elephant and a great Nursery favourite of Kithaka.  Kainuk is another somewhat pushy member of the Nursery gang, often at odds with Sities.  She has always been extremely possessive of Turkwel, who, like all the older Nursery females, lavishes a great deal of attention on the smaller elephants that come in.  This invariably causes friction amongst previous spoiled babies who have enjoyed preferential treatment from an older Nursery female.

For more on forstering elephants & the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, please visit:

http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/