SANParks.org Forums

Hi All,

Seen some entries here with questions about "who is this bull". I just found some time to update my tusker site again by entries from Arks , Madeleen v Schalkwyk and M Cronje.

I could make updates for Ngodzi, Masasana, Mashikiri and Nshawani.

Got several entries to ID so work to do....
Been busy with following the Olympics and my job so sorry for some delay with replying...

With all these ID's I wonder how many beers and kudu's are to be payed by you

Like to say thanks to all for so many entries of tuskers and possible / promising tuskers !!

For the collared one, I will have a look at the documents I have from STE trying to ID the one posted above.

Hey Aat , last time in Shing , we only drank beer , and never got around to drinking the wine you know

During our tusker hunting safari to Shingwedzi early June 2012 we found ourselves at an elephant roadblock at the southern most end of the S56, some 10 km from the camp gate with only minutes to go before gate closure.

We were in high spirits having just left the sighting of a lifetime, and now we were blocked by a breeding herd of elephant. To make things worse the whole herd seemed "on edge".

One of the cows was in heat and a monster of a bull in musth was doing his best to herd her away from the rest just like you see it happen in DSTV wildlife programs. The good thing about it all was that this was a real "tusker" in breeding spirit ! ( another tusker in the making )

Unfortunately the lover-boy and his girlfriend kept rather far out in the dense riverine forest of the Mphongolo and no clear photos were possible.

How-ever, back home I studied the two available photos and carefully going through Aat's http://www.tuskersofafrica.com/ website, I discovered that the lover boy was indead Tihongonyeni !

Look at the photos below :-

The photo by my wife Lettie clearly shows three identification features :-
One Longitudinal crack on the upper outside tip of the right hand tusk tip.
Two Right hand tusk curved sharper than LH tusk just below the front leg elbow line.
Three LH tusk straighter than RH tusk and curving lower than RH tusk below the front leg elbow line.
( Should you look at Aat's photo [ 4th from top on Tihongonyeni's page on http://www.tuskersofafrica.com/ ], you will also see the blunt tip of the LH tusk - same as on Lettie's photo.

I used a segment out of Lappies' photo on http://www.tuskersofafrica.com/ for comparison.

Gerrie.

PS :- I position the car for photos and Lettie shoots with her camera.

100ponde
Great ID work !

You can add a few other ID signs...
Look at the right ear and you see the hole (center of the ear, closer to his head) including the small notch and a very small hole just upwards of that notch.

Hallo to all the Big tusker friends,

Vlakvarkvrou and I were in the northern part of Kruger the end of July! We had wonderful Tusker sightings.

I thought I would share a few with you.


We had the honour to meet Masasana at Grootvlei dam on the S50! Here is a few pics.







Almost clean ears. Note the 2 small holes in the right ear and a bigger hole in the left ear. At a closer look I also spotted 2 very small holes on the left ear.




What a wonderful sighting!

Thanks Aat for the confirmation.

A lot of Tembe Tusker this afternoon on their webcam :-

Here's a blast from the past. I was going through some of my old slides to see which ones were worth scanning and I came across this one, shot in October 1992 on the south end of the S50. This is Shilowa, one of the big boys who unfortunately died before he showed his full potential.

I remember this encounter quite vividly, we were going south, he was coming north. After I took this picture I was about to start the car to get out of his way when he moved off the road, walked around us and returned to the road behind us. What a gent!

BluTuna,
Thanks a lot for sending this picture to me. I just updated the tusker site for Shilowa. To me and for all a real added value to have more pictures of the Big Tuskers of the past. I still wonder how many "hidden" pictures there are about them... really happy with this one !!



[quote="BluTuna"]Here's a blast from the past. I was going through some of my old slides to see which ones were worth scanning and I came across this one, shot in October 1992 on the south end of the S50. This is Shilowa, one of the big boys who unfortunately died before he showed his full potential.

I remember this encounter quite vividly, we were going south, he was coming north. After I took this picture I was about to start the car to get out of his way when he moved off the road, walked around us and returned to the road behind us. What a gent!

Did this one get lost amongst others or is he just impossible to ID from these pix?

Arks,
I am sorry but can't ID this bull by the pictures. It is only guessing. It is difficult to estimate his tusks, looking at the right one it does not look that long , it looks like the left one is a bit longer.


[quote="arks"]Did this one get lost amongst others or is he just impossible to ID from these pix?
[quote="arks"]I saw this possible tusker along the H14 on 22 April 2012, in the area of the turnoff to Shimuwini (I don't recall precisely where, but about 10 minutes before I crossed the Letaba low level bridge) and what was interesting was that he was with a breeding herd, altho he wasn't showing any 'interest' in the cows. Unfortunately I only saw his right side (and not even a great view of that )

Thanks, Aat, I knew that there likely wasn't enough information in the pix I have. I just thought it most interesting that he was with a breeding herd.

This last tusker I've been able to ID from your excellent website. It is Mahlahini and I saw him on 26 April 2012 along the H9 less than a kilmeter west of the H1-5/6 intersection. I might not have seen him at all if people in a car traveling east hadn't stopped to get out and retrieve their camera from the boot For me at that point he was quite well hidden, but once I knew that he was there I was able to reposition to get these pix

Arks - Nice pic of the ellie But no pic of people misbehaving ---- and so close to a breeding herd of ellies

Thanks, okie. However, you misunderstood as Mahlahini was on his own and that's where the rule breakers were (and I wasn't quick enough to get a photo of them). It was the previously posted 'anonymous' bull who was with the breeding herd. Sorry if my post was confusing

Arks

Arks,
Great pics of Mahlahini , looking forward to find them in my mailbox

2 months to go before I can go on "tusker-hunt" and looking at the pics I receive and see I am really looking forward to it