Recent and regular sightings of an impressive tusker known as “Proud” have sparked a lot of interest on Ingwelala through the month.
This bull, known for his gentle nature, is a well-known elephant that was first collared by Elephants Alive! in 2006. Proud spends most of his time between the APNR and the Kruger National Park, moving with seasonal changes, resource availability, and his musth cycle. He has a distinctive “M” shape in his left ear and a newly notched groove on the top side of his shorter right tusk, making him easily recognisable.
With no known recorded sightings of him on Ingwelala for over a year, Proud surprised us by returning to Ingwelala during the month and spending a considerable amount of time between Op Goedehoop and Buffelsbed. What surprised us even more, though, is how much he has grown and changed during the 13-month period of his absence. Most notably, his body condition has deteriorated severely, while his tusks have grown over the course of the year. His right tusk has also developed a deep groove, known as a “grass groove”, which was not previously noticeable. The “grass groove” is a result of Proud consistently using or favouring his right tusk to rip up grass, and break branches and roots while he is feeding. The favoured use of one tusk over another is similar to being right- or left-handed in humans, and the favoured tusk of an elephant is known as the “slave” or “master” tusk.
Proud is an older bull, and as such should be well past his breeding age. Historically, elephants past their breeding age will experience exponential growth in their tusks as their testosterone and energy is redirected towards tusk growth and away from breeding activities. This is clearly evident in Proud’s tusk condition and is reinforced by his body condition, which indicates he is very likely down to his last set of teeth and as such is struggling to get enough nutrients into his system. This is a natural process that older elephants go through.
As sad as it is to see an emaciated elephant bull, especially one of his stature, it is an absolute privilege to spend time with Proud and be in the presence of such an impressive tusker. It is also wonderful to know that he has been lucky enough to reach such an impressive age and has undoubtedly left his mark on the gene pool and dynamics of elephants in the greater area over the course of his life so far.
Thank you to everyone who called in sightings of this magnificent tusker, and to everyone who shared footage and images of him with us. Below are comparative photographs of Proud.
Words by Tess Woollgar. Images courtesy of Elephants Alive, Josh Hibbet & Kayla Thompson