ELEPHANT SIGHTINGS - 2002

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December 2002

While large numbers of elephants were encountered this month, viewing certainly fluctuated and the elephants moved on and off the reserve in response to erratic rainfall and changes in temperature. Big numbers of elephants were seen making use of the Sand River and its general environs whenever there were successive days of hot weather. Waterholes away from the Sand River are certainly few and low and not really filled with good quality water.

Even though in excess of 80mm of rainfall was recorded at the Mala Mala Main Camp during December, this was the cumulative result of 10 days of rain. Not only were rain-showers then generally light, but they were also patchy and some parts of the reserve received almost nothing. This has then had a marked influence on the presence or absence of elephants.

The relatively dry conditions which have so far restriced the growth of grasses have also meant that the elephants have been making much use of the reedbeds of the Sand River and these do not appear to be as tall as is usually the case at this time of the year. In those parts of the reserve where rains have fallen, elephants have certainly been taking full advantage of whatever fresh green grasses have grown.

The relatively hot and dry summer should, however, contribute to a higher quality of Marula berries, a real favourite for the elephants. These fruits should start ripening in the latter parts of January.

November 2002

Elephant viewing was again good this month with both breeding herds and bulls in abundance. Anything up to a dozen different breeding herds were encountered on a single day this month. Although some heavy rains halfway through the month did tend to disperse elephants to some degree, this did not last long and after a few days following the rains, it was as if the precipitation had had absolutely no effect on their movements. Perhaps animal movements will become more influenced by the availability of food, this when certain fruits ripen and of course when the standing quantity of green foliage has become more substantial.

There were several sightings of large male elephants with very impressive tusks. At least three different bulls with exceptionally large tusks could be identified. They were only seen with one or two other younger bulls and never accompanying breeding herds.

The young elephant with the badly deformed back legs - now two-years-old - was seen several times during November. Although this young elephant will almost certainly never have normal legs, it has adapted remarkably and certainly moves around with a great deal more skill than was the case midway through last year.

October 2002

There was no shortage of elephants during October as the hot and dry conditions continued. Several waterholes, still at some distance from the Sand River, continued to function and provided sufficient water for single bulls or perhaps small groups of elephants. But, by and large, elephants concentrated along the Sand River. Some gatherings of elephants were estimated to be in excess of 100 animals. Many small elephants are in evidence in these herds, some only a few days old.

Bearing the brunt of the elephants hunger this month were the trees which have sprouted. Trees respond to deeper ground water as well as the increasing daylength and temperatures of summer and so will often turn green long before the grass does. Knobthorn Trees in particular have been targeted, with many having been felled as elephants seek the new leaf growth.

September 2002

The huge supply of elephants continued during September and the reeds in the Sand River are becoming shorter and shorter as the elephants eat more and more of them. Bull elephants are still to be found existing quite happily in areas remote from the Sand River, their watering requirements being easily satisfied by slow-puddling springs still in existence in such areas. But the breeding groups need the more plentiful supplies of the Sand River and there is no short supply of these herds.

Food is of course still in abundance; elephants manage to get nutrition form sources which other animals simply cannot. And as spring arrives, trees are starting to shoot, even though it has not yet rained and it is these which are now being targeted by the elephants.

Several small elephant babies were seen this month, one sighting being of a youngster possibly only an hour or two old.

One sad piece of elephant news was the death of a young male, probably less than 15 years of age and probably due to burn wounds sustained in a fire elsewhere. Fires have been occurring in many places outside of Mala Mala and it is not uncommon for an elephant to get trapped and burned. The initial reaction after such an incident would be to run and, given what elephants are capable of, the injured creature could cover many kilometres before the wounds stopped him. Lions and other scavengers ate the carcass.

August 2002

Elephants were around in the hundreds during August, with some gatherings of herds probably totalling in excess of 100 animals. With the grass now mostly dry and dusty, elephants seem to be using trees and the extensive reedbeds of the Sand River more and more

Some small waterholes continue to deliver water away from the Sand River, but the quantities to be found at such sources are seldom enough to satisfy large gatherings of elephants. As a consequence, sightings of family groups of elephants have mostly been in the immediate environs of the Sand River, with drinking taking place from mid-morning to mid-afternoon.

It is mostly lone or small groups of bulls which have managed to make use of the more remote and low-volume watering points.

One striking feature amongst the breeding herds of elephants has been the tremendous number of youngsters, this surely a reflection of the good resources which elephants have had available to them over the last few years.

The young elephant with the crippled rear legs, now getting on for two years of age, was seen several times this month, mostly close to the Mala Mala Main Camp and with his immediate family group of half-a-dozen or so other elephants. Although the hind legs of this youngster are noticeably crooked, the young elephant seems to move with great agility. Also, its general body condition seems quite normal; last August this same young elephant really seemed to be struggling and was at one time quite emaciated.

July 2002

Elephants were everywhere during July, with gatherings of perhaps 50 and more animals at many sightings. Although elephants have been digging for water in most of the seemingly dry streambeds - and finding it too - the still strong-flowing Sand River is without doubt their most important supply of water. It seems that the lone bulls are the greatest users of the self-made drinking holes still operating away from the Sand River. The efforts of the elephants to find water has of course also benefited many other animals which then share these wells. The various breeding herds seen on Mala Mala have many young calves in attendance, several less than a month of age. One of the well-known herds of elephants on Mala Mala, led by a belligerent female with one tusk, has probably had four calves since the one-tusk female gave birth in mid-April. This particular herd, with the new arrivals, now stands at 12 or 14 strong. Interestingly, even though the grass is very dry, elephants seem to be eating it in great quantities and have not been using the trees as much as they perhaps might be. Maybe they are saving these for when things get really parched later on in the dry-season.

June 2002

There was an abundance of elephants during June with fine sightings of bull-groups as well as breeding herds. Interestingly, although the Torchwood Trees still have fruit, the elephants are mostly ignoring them in preference to other foods. This is of course in contrast to the situation a month ago when the berries were in great demand and elephants spent much time rushing from tree to tree, searching out this delicacy. Perhaps the quality of the fruit is not what it could be and as a result is being ignored by the elephants. This has had something of an effect on the average herd size which is probably bigger than when the berries were being eaten.

Several big bull elephants are also being seen, either alone or accompanied by a few younger males. Many baby elephants are also evident within the breeding herds. Although water supplies are very good and the Sand River is still flowing strongly with good clear water and seems to be the drinking place of choice for the elephants, many drinking holes have been created by elephants in the sandy tributaries such as the Mlowathi and Matshapiri Rivers. Elephants excavate down to the water flowing through the sand and drink when the holes fill up. Other animals then arrive to use these same sources and also make the holes even bigger as the water-table drops lower. Most drinking seems to occur between mid-morning and mid-afternoon, the cooler mornings and evenings being spent by the elephants feeding in more sheltered areas, often on the hilltops or slopes which have warmer temperatures than the lower-lying areas.

May 2002

The movements of elephants during May were such that there were extremes - literally hundreds of elephants one day and then few the next. Large gatherings of these beasts, different herds moving together and in close proximity, spent time utilising particular areas before vacating them for others, leaving tattered trees and few elephants in their wakes. But this might also change as the Torchwood Trees come into full fruit. Almost as sought after by elephants as the Marula berries in late summer, Torchwood berries have a high good-quality oil content which elephants love. As with the Marula Trees, the elephants seem to know how to find the various trees and utilise them with great efficiency, picking up the fallen fruit and shaking the tree to dislodge any which might be about to fall. Each fruit is approximately thumb-sized and has little flesh, but whatever the elephants get from them is worth the effort they put into it. But from a herd management point of view, it would be pointless for all elephants to walk around together, trying to crowd around individual trees to pick up the fruit. So, to be expected whilst the Torchwood Trees stay in fruit, would be more discrete herds of elephants, but with fewer individuals per group. Sightings of bull elephants, either alone or in small groups, also seemed more common during May than was the case last month. Some particularly large individuals were amongst those encountered - large according to both body and tusk.

April 2002

April delivered some fine elephant viewing with good sightings of breeding herds as well as bulls and bull groups. Groups of females and young were often quite large, numbering several dozen animals, and as can be expected, they seemed to wander together or in close proximity to other groups, foraging for some days within a certain range before moving off to look for food elsewhere. With an elephant's capacity to cover ground reasonably effortlessly and the general quality and quantity of water away from the Sand River diminishing, elephant sightings in the general environs of the Sand River, particularly during the midday period, were commonplace this month.

Making a return to viewing on Mala Mala during April after months of absence were two herds of elephants with very recognisable members. One was the herd which has a female, probably the leader, with a large growth on her stomach. This is probably an umbilical hernia and seems not to worry her. This elephant was first seen on Mala Mala six or more years ago and on one of her subsequent forays into the adjacent Kruger National Park, was fitted with a collar holding a radio-tracking device. The other well-known elephant to be seen was the youngster which was born with very deformed back legs. This elephant is now approximately 18 months old and in spite of looking very poorly last August, has rallied and seems in good health and fine spirits.

March 2002

Although elephant viewing during March was good, the numbers of herds of females and young seen was not as great as was the case during February. Herd sizes were also generally a dozen animals or less. Following the good Marula berry season during late January and February, the temporary decline in elephant numbers was not unexpected. Towards months end, however, there seemed to be a slight increase in numbers of these animals. Elephant numbers at Mala Mala are strongly influenced by the seasons and the population varies according to conditions.

However, there are always some elephants which seem to spend most of their time on the reserve and become 'regulars' in the viewing. One such herd of elephants is one of 10 animals, their matriarch a large female with only one tusk. This herd appeared on the reserve some years ago and was initially very upset by the presence of landrovers and encountering them in the bush required ultra-cautious viewing. Of late, however, these elephants seem to have relaxed down and provide entertaining viewing. This month the one-tusked matriarch gave birth to a baby, probably sometime around the 20th March. As to be expected, the whole herd were very protective of the youngster and only glimpses were to be had in the first few days. What this should allow, if the family continues to stay in the area, is an opportunity to follow the growth and development of a single young elephant. As autumn approaches, it can be expected that elephants will again target trees, particularly their bark, stripping them to gain access to nutrients flowing from the topgrowth to the underground storage organs.

February 2002

Elephants could hardly have been more plentiful and the good viewing experienced in the last half of January continued through February. The Marula berry season this year has been superb. The apricot-sized fruits were available in high quantities and were seemingly of good quality and the elephants fell upon them. As was the case last month, the breeding herds of elephants encountered were mostly small, less than 10 animals in number, and this to be expected given the preference for feeding on the Marula berries. Towards the end of the month when the supply of Marula berries dwindled, the size of the elephant herds started to increase as the smaller groups joined forces again and changed to other vegetation for food. As autumn approaches it could be expected that the elephants will begin stripping bark from trees with increasing intensity as food supplies from the leaves move towards underground storage organs.

January 2002

The supply of Marula fruit seems to have been very good this year, not only in terms of quantity, but also quality and this had a major impact upon elephant viewing during January, particularly in the latter half of the month when the fruit seemed most available. Herds of female elephants separated into smaller units as they moved amongst the Marula trees. This strategy makes sense; rather have a few small groups eating from a limited supply than have many elephants eating from the same tree at the same time. This physical break-up of the 'typical' family unit can be expected to be temporary and the various sub-groups could also be expected to remain in contact with each other, again so that not all of them work the same areas at the same time. The bull elephants encountered during January were often separate from these small family units and several males with particularly impressive tusks were on Mala Mala this month. They seemed to work the Marula trees in areas where the females and their young did not.

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