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Hi Aat, thanx for more interesting info, indeed facinating!!

Maybe you can tell me why: we saw a nice sized breeding heard in the Timbavati river and I would say a third of them did not have tusks. I found this interesting. Some are blessed with huge tusks and other don't have any?

Super Mongoose,
I will come back to some questions later after my trip.
Now checking and packing and getting ready for take-off.... such a good thing to know that from monday I will be near the tuskers and meeting some friends / forumites...

Good Afternoon Aat and fellow mites.

For all those who haven't seen this :

Kruger monday morning:

http://www.news24.com/Travel/Multimedia/Elephant-v-Car-20121114


Looks like a big tusker if you ask me! Maybe Aat will know him. Was seen near Berg en Dal if I remember the story correctly. Still wild animals at the end of the day hey!

Hi Aat, know you will enjoy it

Wonder what the real circumstances were.

From the sequence of photos it appears as if the car that eventually got over-turned must have approached the elephant that was already standing in the road, driven right past the elephant [ virtually under it's tusks ], then stopped.

Did the driver not try to drive away when the elephant approached from behind him ?
[ Nothing seems to have prevented him from driving away from the elephant ]

Hello everyone

Please can you help me identify this tusker. He was relaxing in the heat of the day so he was far and very difficult to photograph. I'm going to add four pics that show the tusks from different angles (unfortunately only from behind) and then also of his ears.

He was seen on the H2-2, and I have looked at Fayi's pictures on Aat website and compared them 100 times but I am very doubtful that this is him (despite where he was seen). I would definitely say his impressive thick and long tusks are over 100 pounds. His left tusk is longer and straighter than the right (about 30-40cm longer) and he has a large notch out of his right ear with many smaller notches in his left ear.

My opinion, after looking at every tusker recorded on Aat's beautiful site, is that this is NGOTSO. Comments please?

Once again, I apologise for the poor photographs, but a tusker is a tusker I guess.....

Thanks in advance for your help

Hi BF,

I agree, its looks like Ngotso !
Looks like more and more big bulls are ranging further afield than in the past.

Gerrie.

Thanks Gerrie

Yes it does, the big bulls are my absolute favourite and there is still so much to learn about them. I'm sure that with Aat's comprehensive site and everyone posting their big tusker pics on here we are going to find that their ranges are much bigger than previously thought and we'll all realise how complex the reasons for their movement are.

Here is a (possible?) tusker seen on the same day on the S25 (crocodile river road). Anyone know anything about him?

Sorry, I'm busy going through old elephant sightings. This cow was seen near Satara in October 2010. Any chance this is MaTrix?

Last one! This bull was seen in January 2011 at the southern end of the S36. Anyone know anything about him?

Hi Bush Fairy,

Do you have any side view photos of the S25 elephant ?
[ Indeed a impressive elephant ! ]

Side views will make ID easier.

The same goes for the S36 elephant - any side views ?

Also, please send your MaTrix photo to Aat, I am sure he will add such a clear and detailed photo to the MaTrix page of TUSKERSOFAFRICA.

Gerrie.

Hi Friedrich von Hörsten,

When Aat ID'ed your Punda Gate elephant as Riceho I had great difficulty in believing him.

I eventually compared your photo to the one I posted in Page 182 and noticed that both photos show a very small wisp of tail hair on the left side of the tail tip, otherwise a bald tail tip !

So Aat was correct - it is indeed Riceho !
.

Well done Aat !

Gerrie.

PS :- What is the correct pronunciation of Riceho ?
Why is the Riceho stream named such - the spelling and sound is out of step
with Venda and Shangaan.

Please note that normally a bald tail tip equates to an old elephant but this
chap doesn't show any other signs of old age.

Thanks Gerrie!

I'll forward that picture of MaTrix on to Aat

This is the S36 ellie, unfortunately this is the only pic I could get of him side-on:


This is the S25 ellie, left and right profile:

Ferdelance,
Idd a big boy. I can't ID him but certainly he did not like this car... think he likes more a 4WD SUV

BushFairy,
I am just back and after some "recovery" days (impossible !! after 4 weeks Kruger ) just had a look at your pictures. I must say difficult but think this one is Mitomeni, with the wide notch in right ear and several smaller ones in left ear... and shape / size of tusks and the location you have seen him.
Mitomeni is a kind of "bush" tusker... what I mean is that he is hiding himselves often in thicker bush I guess. Not that often seen and photographed. From behind tusks can do look "diffferent" than frontal view. You think they are more straight and if you look from the side or frontal they look more curved... I experienced it myself several times also this trip.
So... it is just my opinion and sure, not 100%.


[quote="BushFairy"]Hello everyone

Please can you help me identify this tusker. He was relaxing in the heat of the day so he was far and very difficult to photograph. I'm going to add four pics that show the tusks from different angles (unfortunately only from behind) and then also of his ears.

He was seen on the H2-2, and I have looked at Fayi's pictures on Aat website and compared them 100 times but I am very doubtful that this is him (despite where he was seen). I would definitely say his impressive thick and long tusks are over 100 pounds. His left tusk is longer and straighter than the right (about 30-40cm longer) and he has a large notch out of his right ear with many smaller notches in his left ear.

My opinion, after looking at every tusker recorded on Aat's beautiful site, is that this is NGOTSO. Comments please?

Once again, I apologise for the poor photographs, but a tusker is a tusker I guess.....

Thanks in advance for your help