Celery and Carrot

Female elephant normally have a calf every three to four years, and they are extremely devoted and protective mothers.  But, not all of them are successful mothers -- such was the case with Celery. 

Although I have known Celery for over a decade, I had never seen her with a calf  -- that is until March of 2011 when we found her nursing a beautiful baby girl!   Sadly, on April 15, we recorded that Celery’s calf was missing -- she had only survived for one month.  

Celery with her baby girl just days before she died

However, another tragic event has given Celery the chance to become a doting mother, after all.  This past December, the Vegetable family was devastated by the death of matriarch, Garbanza.   She left behind two young male calves – 8-year-old Asparagus and Cauliflower, born in September of 2009; fortunately, he was old enough to survive without his mother’s milk. 

When I saw the family the following month, Celery had clearly “adopted” the two boys, and it was obvious that they had become very attached to her, as well – especially young Cauliflower who spends much of his time by Celery’s side.  To an outside observer, there would be no doubt that Celery was the mother of these two boys. 

Celery with Cauliflower and Asparagus

Asparagus is now approaching the age when he will be forced to leave the family and go out on his own.  But, I feel certain that three-year-old Cauliflower will continue to receive from Celery all of the love and attention that he will need over the next few years to grow into a proper young bull.

Another member of the Vegetable family, Carrot, also has not had success as a mother.  She has given birth to calves in 2003, 2005, and 2008, but none of them have survived.  This has to have been devastating for her as elephant mothers love their babies in much the same way that we do.  They will often stay with a sick or injured calf – even if the family has to move on – and grieving female elephant have been seen carrying their dead baby on their tusks.

Carrot nursing healthy baby Zucchini

In the fall of 2011, Carrot, again, gave birth.  But, this time her baby has survived!  Now eleven months old, young Zucchini is a healthy baby whose future is bright.

Next time, meet the Cheeses – my best elephant friends.

Meet the "Vegetable" Family

One of the families most frequently seen here on Lewa is the “Vegetable” family.  I have logged many, many hours with these elephant, and they have taught me a great deal about elephant behavior.

Garbanza when we first met many years ago

For over a decade, the matriarch of the family was Garbanza.  When I first encountered her, she was already an impressive female sporting a rather large set of tusks.  We did not strike up an immediate friendship!  In fact, it was Garbanza who taught me that not all Lewa elephant are “chilled” or approachable.  However, over the years, she became far more trusting and, to her credit, quite tolerant of both vehicles and my frequent presence.

Garbanza shortly after breaking her right tusk 

During the drought of 2007, Garbanza broke her right tusk.  This is not an uncommon occurrence during droughts because as grass and other vegetation become scarce, elephant use their tusks both to strip bark off of trees and to dig up roots and tubers.  As you can see in this photograph, the tusk was broken quite high up, and, as tusks are nothing more than large teeth, there is a good chance that the nerve was exposed which would have caused her a great deal of pain.

The family consisted of 4 females – Garbanza, Celery, Artichoke and Carrot along with their offspring -- and was most often seen on the southwestern side of Lewa. From time to time, the family would head up into the Ngare Ndare forest, located on Lewa’s southern boundary, but, for the most part, they roamed secure within the confines of Lewa.

But, in December of 2011, disaster struck.  When I returned from Christmas holiday in the States, I quickly noticed that Garbanza was missing.  At first, I was hopeful that the family had split up for a bit which will sometimes happen when food is scarce.   But, then I saw her two calves – a clear indication that she was dead.  Elephant are devoted and fiercely protective mothers; so, if a female is absent and her calves are gone as well, it is a fairly safe assumption that she has done a walk about and will return to the family in the near future.  However, if a female is missing and her calves are with the family, it is almost certain that she is dead.

 I do not know how Garbanza died. Hopefully, she was not gunned down by a poacher’s bullet – or, worse yet, forced to endure a slow and agonizing death from a bullet wound gone septic.  She was not a young elephant, so it is possible that she died of natural causes – we will never know.

Loss of a matriarch is devastating for an elephant family under any circumstances.  If it is due to poaching, the entire family is further traumatized in much the same way that humans would be if a family member was gunned down in front of them.  Regardless of the cause, the death of a matriarch is the loss of the decision maker and the individual who guides the family to water, food and safety – in good times and in bad.

Artichoke, seen here with her calf, Pumpkin, has
taken over as head of the family

Fortunately for the Vegetable family, Artichoke has stepped up and assumed the role of matriarch.  Thus far, she has successfully held the family together – which does not always happen – and appears to be a competent leader. 

Next time, Celery comes to the rescue in an interesting twist of fate, and Carrot is a mother, at last.