Elephant Voices

Category: 1. General News, 2. Field News Kenya, Elephant Photos | Date: Jan 25 2008 | By: admin

In a posting on 1st January I mentioned that we had seen in the central part of the park many of the families that live in the western corner of the park and in Tanzania. As Amboseli’s elephant population has grown, and as protection for them has increased, elephants have been moving further afield. The National Park is only 390 sq km and yet Amboseli’s population roams over some 5,000 sq km. One of “our” males has been radio tracked by Alfred Kikoti over near Lake Natron, Tanzania and another one was seen near Mtito Andei (both more than 150 km away). Several Amboseli family groups have moved to Tanzania and now live near the village of Tinga-Tinga 20 km south of the border. It is always exciting to see these individuals “on safari” in the center of the park.

Over the years, one or two families have been able to move from the drier west into the more productive central part of the park - in elephant terms this is equvalent to moving into a better neighbourhood, moving up in society. This is because elephants in the central part of the park are more successful in reproductive terms than are those in the west. One family (once two families in a bond group) is the HBBC group. The HB family was once led by the beautiful and elderly Horatia. Horatia’s daughter, Hazel, is now matriarch, a beauty in her own right. We met her several times during our stay. Her long straight tusks are exquisite and almost as thick and long as her mother’s once were.

Joyce

Hazel and family in front of Kilimanjaro

Hazel’s beautiful tusks.

Tags: africa, behavior, behaviour, elephants, elephantvoices, hazel, kenya

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