Elephant Profiles

MAFUNYANE - 'The Irritable One'

Mafunyane was born in 1987 and is easily distinguishable by a large 'V' shaped tear in his right ear. Orphaned in the Kruger National Park he was brought to Botswana in 1990 to join the Elephant Back Safari (EBS) herd. Whilst in the herd he had a soft spot for Nandipa (a female elephant brought up from Kruger with Mafunyane and also later released). He was also very fond of Abu (an old bull in the herd) and upon Abu's death in December 2002 when he was laid out to rest, Mafunyane kept a nocturnal vigil over his mentor chasing off the hyena and other predators for three nights. Abu's skull is now kept in the research camp, which Mafunyane sniffs as he passes. Out of all the released elephants he took the longest to adapt and it was not until September 2003 that he started to explore areas outside of his home range.

He is a gentle elephant and longs to be loved by everyone. He was released on the 1st February 2002.

THANDO - 'The Lucky One'

Born a year earlier than Mafunyane, in 1986, he used to have distinctive 'red' hair on his head and on occasion you can still see this when the sun shines on it. He came up from the Kruger National Park with Mafunyane in 1990 to join the herd and was released with Seba on the 10th February 2003. He is a boisterous male and keen to fight with other males of a similar age. However he is very protective of Seba, who at nine years of age is still quite small, and will patiently play with him being gentler than when he plays with males his age. He and Seba were quick to settle into their newfound freedom and were soon off exploring far off areas of the delta and interacting with the wild elephants.

SEBA - 'Whispers'

Seba was born in 1995, again an orphan from the Kruger. Before the birth of 'Pula', in 2000, he was the baby of the herd and was doted on by the females. He followed in Abu's footsteps and became a movie star when he was chosen to play the lead role in Walt Disney's film "Whispers".

He was released with Thando and is never found far from him. In Seba's eyes Thando is the hero and will do whatever Thando does, so when he decided it was time for an adventure and to explore the Delta, Seba was right behind him and followed him away from the herd. He is perhaps the cheekiest of all the released males and has a mischievous glint in his eye. Since the birth of Nandipa's calf, Ntongine, Seba has proven to be a great sibling and is often found with them.

NANDIPA ' The Gift'

Nandipa was released into the wild on the 13th September 2003. She is also an orphan of the Kruger culls and was brought up to Botswana with Mafunyane and Thando. She was never fully accepted into the herd by the Matriarch, Cathy, and would spend more time with the old male, Benny. She is the first female to be released and is doing very well. Initially she liked to hang out with the 'boys' and they seemed happy to have her around. However when they all left the area in November 2003 she began to spend more time with a wild herd. At the beginning she would be seen on the periphery of the herd or following them at a distance. I got my best Christmas present when on Christmas Eve she was actually in amongst the herd having a mud bath. When the herd left the area at the beginning of 2004 she left with them and spent the next five months with them. Since then she has preferred to be in the area she knows and in May 2008 gave birth to her first calf, a males we have called Ntongine,  which means 'he who has everything'. Since the 16th May 2008, her herd has expanded by one as she has taken on the care of the young released male Pula. Whilst in the EBS herd, she was a wonderful Aunt to Pula and inspite of over four years separation this powerful relationship has remained.

Ntongine ' He who has everything'

Ntongine is a wild born calf, and the son of Nandipa. Nandipa was released on the 13th September 2003. Ntongine was born in May 2006 and signifies what we are trying to achieve with the release program; happy rehabilitated elephants. The success of release programs is often gauaged on the released animals ability to reproduce. On this marker Nandipa has been successfully released. Ntongine is growing up fast and is often a playful mood. He loves it when Seba joins them for a few days and will not leave him alone. The first five years of an elephant calves life is very dangerous as they can fall prey to lion and other predators and so everytime I see him well and healthy I breath a sigh of relied.

PULA 'Rain'

Pula was born the night of the first rains in 2000, in spite of his young age he is already taller than me at 5'8".  He is very cheeky and always on the look out for treats, such as oranges. On the 16th May 2008 he was released into the Okavango Delta. Since his released, Nandipa has taken him under her wing and doing a wonderful job of looking after him and teaching him ways of the wild. As he gets older he will want to be playing with other young males his age and will seek their company, at the moment he is happy to play with Ntongeni.

NAYA 'Gift'

Naya was born on the 30th March 2003. When she was first born she was too small to reach her mothers nipple and so the elephant carers had to build a mound underneath to enable her to reach. Within a week she was chasing her older herd mates around the delta. Pula was terrified of her!! He has since gotten use to his younger sister and they spend most of the time playing together. Although little Abu and Lorato are now on the scene and so she is busy looking after them, leaving less time for Pula. She is loved by all the elephants.

ABU 'Everything to do with Elephants'

Abu was born on the 24th May 2006 to Sherini, who is part of the Abu Herd. His older brother is Pula, whom he loves to play with. Pula is a lot bigger then Abu, yet shows great patience when they tussle and play fight. He is adored by all the herd members but the young females, Naya and Kittimetsi are the most besotted and will hardly leave him alone. Since February though Kittimetsi has been preoccupied and has less time to spend with Abu as she gave birth to her first calf, Lorato. So Abu is now no longer the youngest in the herd, but that does not seem to bother him he is busy playing and learning how to be a bull elephant.

Lorato was born on the 11th February 2008 and so is the youngest of the Abu herd and takes top place on the cuteness podium.  She is the first born of Kittimetsi, a young female that  was abandoned by her herd in the Okavango Delta. The mahouts (elephant keepers) sort permission from the wildlife department to look after her and since then she has been a wonderful edition to the herd. She has taken to motherhood well and is a great mother to little Lorato.

Mafunyane, Small Thando, Nandipa, Seba and Pula are the lucky few, they have been given their freedom there are many more elephants in this world which will never gain theirs. The research being carried out will only enlighten us humans as to the requirements of elephants in the wild and in captivity. By adopting one of the elephants above you will enable this research to continue to ensure that these elephants, and others have a place to live.