Elephant Social Structure

Welcome back.  If you are reading my second posting, I assume that you are interested in learning more about the lives of the Lewa elephant.  There are so many interesting stories to share, but we must begin with a basic understanding of elephant social structure.

The first important thing to realize is that elephant live in families.  So, the elephant in any given “herd” are almost always related in one way or another.  In addition, elephant live in matriarchal societies, and each family is headed by a dominant female, who is usually the oldest member of the family.  Thus, a herd will consist of the matriarch and her children, some of which may be adults, their offspring and often some of her sisters or cousins, along with their offspring.  A very large herd may consist of more than one family, and, as elephant do form friendships, certain families will “hang out” with each other on a regular basis.

The matriarch is the keystone of the family for she is the decision maker. It is she who knows where to go for food and water in times of drought, where to find safety, and when to traverse the dangerous areas – yes, elephant do know which areas are safe and which are dangerous, but that is another blog.

Young males remain with their family until their early teens at which point they are forced out on their own.  This is often a gradual transition with many months of coming and going.  For many years, it was believed that bulls then led solitary lives, but research has shown that bulls actually form friendships and bond with other males.  Young males also are often seen in the company of families other than their own –- presumably for companionship as elephant are very social animals. 

Elephant are highly intelligent, emotional beings that have very distinctive personalities – much like people.  So, in order to study and understand their behavior, we must be able to identify them just as you would in any study of people.  Because elephant live in families, the easiest way to identify them is to give each family a name.  Several different ways of naming them are used; in the case of the Lewa elephant, I use categories such as “Flowers” and “Gems”. 

London, matriarch of the European Capital family, has a very
distinctive cut on her left ear

The Liquer family stops for a drink

Within each family, the individual elephant are also named.  Each elephant has distinctive characteristics – normally in the ears and tusks.  In some cases, it is a very obvious cut or tear.  In other cases, it is something as subtle as a distinctive vein.  But, with time (and the help of digital photography) each elephant can be readily identified in the field so that its behavior can be observed and documented.

In the next blog, we will meet some of the families that call Lewa home.

Introduction

Welcome to the Lewa Elephant blog – thank you for visiting the site! This is my first attempt at blogging so please bare with me. I decided to try my hand at blogging because I very much want to share the stories of the many elephant that I have come to know here on the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.  To begin with, I want to give you some background.  Hence forward, this will be their stories rather than mine.

'me'

When I first came to Kenya many years ago, I had the good fortune of spending time with Cynthia Moss who has dedicated her life to the elephant that live in and around Amboseli National Park, located in the southeast corner of Kenya.  For more than 30 years, she has been conducting the world’s longest continuous study of a known elephant population.  As we drove around the park, I was struck by her knowledge and understanding of these elephant; she knew them personally -- they had a name; she understood their different personalities.  These were her friends.  They seemed to understand that, as well.  Meeting “Deborah” was a pivotal moment – I knew that my life had been forever changed, but I did not know what this change would mean.  To being with, it meant establishing a trust that would help provide funding for Cynthia’s project on an ongoing basis.

The following year, we had the good fortune of building a home in northern Kenya on the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy – a 60,000 acre sanctuary that is traversed by many elephant.  I began asking around and found, to my surprise, that no one knew anything about the elephant that frequented Lewa.  Thus, my study was born.  Before too long, I was introduced to Iain Douglas-Hamilton, one of the world’s foremost elephant researchers; he, too, was conducting an elephant population study about an hour north of Lewa in the Samburu National Reserve.  He taught me a great deal and, eventually, my study became an adjunct of his organization, Save the Elephants.

Over the years, I have had many visitors – some were friends, others became friends.  Most arrived with little knowledge of elephant; they saw elephant simply as one of “the big five.”  But, few have left without a profound change of attitude, and I have often heard, “I will never look at elephant the same way.”

This change comes about as people begin to understand that elephant are sentient, emotional creatures not unlike people.  Despite their size and strength, they are gentle giants unless frightened or threatened. Obviously, elephant must be treated with caution and respect, but being in amongst these magnificent creatures imbues a sense of wonder, fascination and awe that cannot be described.

Some of their stories are fun and interesting.  Others are heartbreaking.  I will try to share both with you.  I will tell you of the elephant’s day to day life here on Lewa – births, deaths, activities, etc.  I also will share stories from the past.  Most importantly, I will introduce you to my friends about whom I care so deeply.  I will tell you of their plight as they struggle to survive in a world where poachers slaughter countless elephant on a daily basis, and you will hear the stories of some of the Lewa elephant that have died at the hands of poachers.

It is my sincere hope that many of you will have the chance to visit Africa and experience the majesty of elephant first hand.  If you are lucky enough to come to Lewa, you may well meet some of the elephant that you have come to know through this blog.  Many of you will only share the “elephant experience” vicariously.  But, regardless of circumstances, I hope that with time none of you will ever think of elephant in quite the same way.