Cirrocumulus was an exceptional elephant. Almost 2.5 meters at the shoulder and wearing long and full tusks, she looked older than 23. She was the only breeding female left from a small family called the Clouds 2. Cirrocumulus had one calf, a six-year old female, with whom she was very close. In the many hours I spent with this mother-daughter pair, they were often at the periphery of other elephant groups, interacting mainly with one another. When this calf disappeared about a month ago, I grew sad at the thought that Cirrocumulus had lost her closest friend.
During the hours I spent with Cirrocumulus, I recorded many dominance interactions, primarily with Cirrocumulus at the receiving end. This may have contributed to her tendency toward the edge of groups, perhaps suggesting the consequences of isolation in elephant society.
In the accompanying videos, a young bull named Ngampit (“Bigfoot”, who was poached a few days before Cirrocumulus, also in Buffalo Springs National Reserve) joins the shade that Cirrocumulus is sharing with Stratus and Stratus’ calf from the Clouds 1 family. Her response is fairly typical: females often displace at the approach of young bulls, possibly to avoid harassment. To me the video captures two realities: the behavioral complexity of these animals (note her body language prior to and following Ngampit’s entrance: her trunk reaching in his direction, her physical displacement, her apparent awareness of his presence throughout his scratching session on the Acacia); and the degree to which the Samburu elephants carry on with their interactions despite their proximity to our research vehicles. I am grateful for both of these realities, and am sad to have lost a study subject so important to our understanding of social dynamics during disruption.
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