Detusking

Elephant have voracious appetites and can consume up to 40 tonnes of food per day.  In some instances, this actually proves helpful.  A herd of elephant foraging in an area of dense vegetation will, over time, open up the habitat, making it conducive to browsers and grazers such as antelope, gazelle and giraffe.

However, sometimes these same elephant can cause severe habitat destruction.  One of elephant’s favorite “snacks” is seedlings, and, in heavily trafficked areas, it is difficult for trees to regenerate.  So, on Lewa, we create what are known as elephant exclusion zones.  These are large areas that are fenced off with electric wire to prohibit elephant and giraffe from entering, thereby allowing young trees to mature.

"Keyhole," named for the cut in
his ear, in 2008

However, sometimes the smell of yellow fever trees is just too tempting, and some elephant – bulls in particular – have become quite adept at breaking into exclusion zones to assuage their craving.

"Keyhole" after detusking in 2012

There are many techniques for fence bashing.  In a previous blog, I spoke of Bougainvillea who has perfected the unusual technique of crawling under the wire.  One of the more popular methods is to lean into the wooden support posts (which do not conduct electricity) and push the fence over.  Another less often seen technique is for an older bull to push a young bull through the fence.  But, the most common ploy is to use the tips of the tusks, which do not contain any nerves, to snap the wires.

It is accepted that once in a while a rogue bull will break into an exclusion zone, but the situation on Lewa had become untenable with break ins occurring almost nightly – the same culprits night after night.  Finally, it was decided that steps had to be taken to protect Lewa’s trees. 

The Kenya Wildlife Services vet determines
where to make the cut to ensure that the
nerve is not exposed

One of the most effective ways to stop a bull from breaking into an exclusion zone is to cut the ends of its tusks.   Tusks are nothing more than teeth with a very large nerve running part way down the center.  So, trimming the tusk makes the ends far more sensitive to the electric current running through the fence wires. 

A chain saw is used to detusk the bull

The operation is always performed with a Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) vet who immobilizes the elephant and ensures that the actual nerve is never exposed.  Once the exact location of the cut is determined, a chain saw is used to detusk the bull.  It is important to note that the portion of the tusk that has been removed is always turned over to KWS so that it never becomes part of the illegal ivory trade.   When the operation is complete, the vet administers the antidote, and the elephant is on its feet in a matter of minutes.

Once the antidote is administered, a detusked
Flynn is on his feet in minutes

Although no technique is guaranteed to work when dealing with an animal as intelligent as an elephant, detusking is the most effective method we have been able to come up with thus far.

Celine's Story

As you know by now, female elephant live in families headed by matriarchs. The other elephant in the herd are related to her in some way -- daughters, sisters, cousins, etc.  Sightings of lone bulls are an everyday occurrence, but rarely is a female seen on her own for any length of time.  If she is, it is usually the result of some tragedy.

Such a female wandered onto Lewa in the spring of 2005.   At first, I thought I would find that she actually was a member of a Lewa family or, perhaps, her family would soon appear.  However, as I observed her over time, it became clear that not only was she not a member of a known family, she was completely on her own. 

Celine is easily identifiable due to the large cut on her right ear

As always, I took many identification photos, just to be certain that she was not in the database.  As I was downloading the pictures, Celine Dion’s song “All By Myself” was playing in the background; so, when I realized that this elephant was, indeed, all by herself, it seemed only fitting to call her “Celine.”

On the rare occasion that a young female is separated from her own family, she frequently will try to join another.  However, Celine did not seem to have any desire to stay with one particular family.  She appeared quite content to wander Lewa, making friends here and there.  She was, and still is, frequently seen alone, but she also often spends time with the Currency family and the Instrument family.   When disaster struck the Instruments (that’s another story), Celine and Glockenspiel became fast friends but, after some time together, Celine always goes her own way.

One-year-old Dion

Dion today -- still with his mother

In May of 2007, Celine was no longer all by herself.  She gave birth to a little male calf who was, of course, named Dion.  With little Dion by her side, Celine travelled at will – sometimes leaving Lewa for weeks or months at a time.  But, she always returned and was always alone, but for Dion.

It is difficult to know why Celine lost her family.  Sadly, the first thing that comes to mind is that the rest of the herd fell prey to poachers’ bullets.   Or, perhaps, when the family was fired upon, Celine ran in fear and then was unable to find the remaining survivors.  That will always remain a mystery.

Nelson, the newest addition to Celine's "family"

Despite all the difficulties Celine must have encountered, she is a very calm and approachable elephant.  She remains quite content to wander from family to family, and, in 2011, her own little family grew when she gave birth to another little boy who was named Nelson.

Although Celine has chosen a very atypical elephant lifestyle – it seems to work for her.

Sweetpea's Story

The Flowers are one of Lewa’s most frequently encountered elephant families.  In addition to being “residents” who traverse Lewa on a regular basis, the Flowers spend a great deal of time in the swamp, which lies in the heart of the conservancy and is often visited by tourists.

Bougainvillea crawling under the wire

The Flower family is very large and often splits into two groups.  One faction is headed by Agapantha, with Daisy and Pansy always in tow. The other is led by Tulip and Bougainvillea.  Bougainvillea is a very clever girl who has learned to get onto her knees and climb under the electric wire designed to keep elephant out of exclusion zones – areas in which elephant and giraffe are not permitted so that trees can regenerate.  To make matters worse, now that she has mastered her technique, Bougainvillea is teaching other members of the family how to break in for a late night snack.

Sweetpea shortly after his injury

In the spring of 2003, Bougainvillea gave birth to a male calf.  He was an adorable, playful little boy who quickly was dubbed Sweetpea.  Not a very masculine name, but it seemed to fit his personality.  Late one afternoon in June, I found Sweetpea with a terrible injury.  A large piece at the end of his trunk had been severed and left dangling.  The injury did not appear to have been caused by a lion or hyena; it rather looked as though his trunk probably had been bitten while drinking from the dam by the one and only crocodile living on Lewa.

It was late afternoon when I first saw the injured calf, so there was little anyone could do.  Although it appeared as though the end of the trunk would need to be amputated, it was too late to call in a vet from Nairobi.  So, I decided to check on him the following morning.  Believe it or not, despite their size, elephant have an amazing ability to disappear.  I searched and searched for hours, but Sweetpea and his family seemed to have vanished.

Two years later, Sweetpea is doing fine!

When I finally found him, again, several days later, I was astonished.  Despite his injury, Sweetpea seemed to be getting along just fine! Clearly he could eat and drink with his injured trunk, and he was young enough that most of his nourishment still came from nursing.  So, the decision was made to monitor his progress rather than risk traumatizing both him and his mother with “field surgery.”

Sweetpea playing with friends in 2011

I have observed Sweetpea over the years, and, to my amazement, he has learned to use his trunk very effectively despite the fact that the useless piece still dangles from the end.  He is now nine years old  and will soon be pushed out of the family and forced to fend for himself.  But, I have watched Bougainvillea’s son grow into a strapping young bull, and I have no doubt that he will do just fine.

Meet the "Cheese" Family

Allow me to introduce my elephant friends – the Cheese family.  This is the one family that I would venture to say “knows” me.”  There is no scientific evidence to prove this statement; it is just a feeling that I have, a sense when I am around them that they recognize the sound of my car and the sound of my voice – yes, I talk to them whenever possible.

The Cheese family at the salt lick in my back yard

The Cheese family is one Lewa’s “resident” families which means that they spend the majority of their time within the conservancy’s boundaries.  They do venture up into the Ngare Ndare forest – particularly during times of drought – but most of their days are spent here on Lewa.  Despite this fact, the Cheeses are not often seen by tourists because the family is rarely found in the areas frequented by tourist vehicles.  Instead, they tend to “hang out” on the southwestern side of Lewa which, coincidentally, is where my house is located.  Rarely do I leave home without running into the Cheeses; they are also frequent visitors to the salt lick in my back yard.

Camembert and her calf, Havarti

The Cheeses are a small family unit headed by matriarch, Camembert.   When I first met her, Camembert had a young male calf that we named Brie – seemed like the obvious choice.   He is now a handsome young bull that has been pushed out on his own, although he still visits the family from time to time.  He is very easily identified because the top of his left ear is broken.  Camembert has since had two more calves – Mozzarella, a female born in 2005, and another young female named Havarti, born in March of 2009. 

The other big female in the family is Jarlsberg.  She, too, has had calves in 2005 and 2009 – a young male named Feta and another male called Parmesan.

Brie as a young bull -- notice the top of his left ear

Brie, when we first met him in 2004

Because the Cheeses stay primarily on Lewa, they are a very calm and contented family.  They know that they need not fear cars or the sound of human voices.  Many of the elephant that arrive from outside Lewa have endured human/elephant conflicts, at best, or, at worst, have experienced the horror of being shot at by poachers. Thus, they are very skittish at first, and it takes some time before they are able to relax in the secure envoironment that Lewa provides.

Madagascar from the Island family

We had an amazing sighting of just such a family on Tuesday. Known as the Islands, this family has only been seen on one other occasion back in 2009!  I found it hard to believe that it could really be them, but photos confirmed our sighting.  They were, indeed, very nervous and ran at the sound of the vehicle.  This is an unusual family in that two of the females have enormous, straight tusks and two females are tuskless. With such big ivory, these two females are in great danger of being poached, and I have to wonder if they have come back to Lewa to seek a safe haven.