On the morning of Monday February 3rd 2014 one of the Tsavo Northern Area’s famous bull elephants showed up at the mud-bath where the orphans and ex-orphans congregate each morning. The Trust’s keepers had not seen this particular bull, known as Mshale, since October 2013 when the rains turned the north green. A group of large wild bulls have become part of the regular attendees at the morning mud-bath, each one well known by the keepers. As a result of the October to December rains these big bulls venture enormous distances, because 100km is a stroll for an elephant. Sadly it also exposes them to danger, where the threat of being hunted for their ivory increases significantly.
To view a recent BBC update with footage of Mshale's treatment: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-26172030