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Digby,
I made a top ten list at my tusker site... For me personally Okie is right !! My favourite is Mac , since he was the first big tusker I ever met and impressed me very much. After that I started thinking about how to make other people "hot" for the tuskers.
Based on facts I think Masthulele has the longest tusks at the moment ...

I was browsing through my photos and I found these pictures taken close to Babalala picnic site in Jan 2010.

MM,
The tusker on your pictures is named after the picnic site.... Babalala
If you like to ID / check , lighten up your picture with your photo program... check the marks on his right ear and you can see the loose peace of skin at the center and the notches in the lower part of the earlobe.
His right tusk has a so called grass notch ...

[quote="Meandering Mouse"]I was browsing through my photos and I found these pictures taken close to Babalala picnic site in Jan 2010.

Been very tardy with posting any of my tusker pics from our Feb trip but unfortunately we didn't really get any great sightings or pics but I will share the couple that I have.
Not even sure if we will get definite ID's from them.
Think we need Jock with us, she is the tusker queen!

This ellie was seen walking towards the river from the H1-6 just above Letaba camp.

Large

Large

and this one was just below Shingwedzi and seen from the H1-6.

Large

Hi Else,

Your no 3 pic is Mashashule.

Not certain who the one approaching the water is.

Thanks so much! thought he must have been one of the named ones, just a pity he was determined to stay in the shade that day!

Elsa,

Mashashule gave us similar treatment on our first encounter early June this year.
It was just before gate closure time when we saw an elephant's back-side sticking out the bush blocking us from passing.

We edged closer and he briefly backed onto the road and we could ID him. He then moved forward right into dense bush and proceeded to feed as if we don't exist until we just had to leave for camp.

See our photos on page 170 of this forum.

Hi All,

Getting back to identifying the new elephant king of Kruger.

My SO and I were staying at Letaba late September and I made my usual visit to the Elephant Hall to spend some time with the great ones.

I was chatting with the lady on duty at the desk and she said that Mililuane seems to be the favourite to be nominated as the new king.

He seems to be carrying heavy ivory yet he doesn't feature on Aat's list of the top ten candidates.

My view is that the new king should be the elephant with the heaviest ivory. If that is indeed Mililuane, then he should be acclaimed as the new king. Would appreciate your views.

Has anyone seen Mililuane recently? His ivory should be even heavier by now.

Regards,

Digby.

Hi Aat and all the other tusker-fans out there!

We recently returned from a trip to Northern KNP - and being Tusker country - we met a few of these giants again. Haven't had time to ID them with the new lists yet, Aat - so I thought I'd post them here for your ID (if you don't mind)...

1. Seen at Babalala, peacefully standing under a tree and sleeping during the midday heat:





2. This collared guy (with only 1 tusk) - seen in the Shingwedzi riverbed just outside camp:



3. These two beauties were on the Red Rocks loop - in the riverbed. The one on the Right of the photo is not in the best condition. His hip and shoulder bones were quite prominent...





4. Another collared tusker in the Shingwedzi riverbed just outside camp:





5. And while the above guy was in the riverbed - this guy was munching just on the other side of the main road outside Shingwedzi:

Bushbuddies wowwwwwwwwwww

ID's
photo 1 = Mavatsani
photo 2 = Mavatsani
photo 3 = Mpenza (lost his other tusk probably october 2011)
photo 4 = front = Riceho and behind him Machachule (looks not very well idd... looks like he used his last set of teeth and not able to eat well anymore ... if that is the case we will not see him that long anymore.. they then normally will stay close to rivers or dams so they can drink )
photo 5 = same as photo 4
photo 6 and 7 = Nkombo (an STE *Save The Elephants* collared tusker)
Photo 8 (last) = Mandzemba

6 named tuskers ... great catch !!
Worried about Machachule ...hope I am wrong

That means : 6 beers and a kudu


[quote="Bushbuddies"]Hi Aat and all the other tusker-fans out there!

We recently returned from a trip to Northern KNP - and being Tusker country - we met a few of these giants again. Haven't had time to ID them with the new lists yet, Aat - so I thought I'd post them here for your ID (if you don't mind)...

And such a prompt reply! Thanks Aat!

Unfortunately - that was the idea we also got with Machachule... if you look on the first photo of him - you can actually se his ribs... Not good a good sign if you're an ellie! Actually terrible to die of starvation like that...

Thanks again Aat! We were really blessed seeing all these guys!

I'm getting into some serious debt here with you...

Wonderful sightings Bushbuddies.

Looks like Mavatsani's tusks are growing rapidly !

Your photo of Riceho reminded me of a elephant we encountered just outside Shingwedzi's gate in early June.
[ I am posting a photo of this tusker below.]

The LH tusk has a splinter off the top of it's tip just like Riceho.
The RH tusk has a splinter off the lower side of it's tip just like Riceho.
The RH tusk tip show a slight grass notch just like Riceho.

Aat, could this have been Riceho ?

[quote="100ponder"]Wonderful sightings Bushbuddies.

Hi my friend,
Yes IDD that is Riceho , no doubt.
I added him since he has very thick tusks , not yet that long but very promising



Looks like Mavatsani's tusks are growing rapidly !

Your photo of Riceho reminded me of a elephant we encountered just outside Shingwedzi's gate in early June.
[ I am posting a photo of this tusker below.]

The LH tusk has a splinter off the top of it's tip just like Riceho.
The RH tusk has a splinter off the lower side of it's tip just like Riceho.
The RH tusk tip show a slight grass notch just like Riceho.

Aat, could this have been Riceho ?

During our June visit to northern KNP we also saw this very old
"ballie" in his twighlight years.
[ Ballie = old man ]
He was quietly feeding and dozing a hundred meters upstream
from the Shingwedzi main gate.

He will not qualify as a TUSKER based on his current tusk
length but. . . . .


His tusks are currently protruding approx a meter from the lip, plus
another approx 0.75 meter under the lip makes each of his tusks
about 1.75 meter long.

His tusks are also more or less even in thickness from lip to tip
excluding the obvious tip tapering from years of wear. This indicates
that appox a meter [ or more ] of ivory had been lost on each tusk.

Keeping this in mind indicates that this bull had grown 2,75 to 3 meter
long tusks in his life !

Also, most really old bulls have the nerve cavity shortening in their old
age making for heavier weight for meter of length - now this bull have
moderately thick tusks which could have weighed around 120 lb each.

Today, in his old age his tusks will weigh around 90 lb each.
A tapering un-damaged tusk of the same length from a younger bull,
[ protruding a meter from under the lip ] will weigh approx 70lb.

So, I bow to this old bull having lived out most of a full span of years,
may your last days be kind to you as your children walks the bush
around you. . . .

I have seen this beautiful tusker about 4km from Letaba on the H9.
I would love to know if he is a known tusker.

These two tuskers were grazing in the riverbed at Letaba. Wonderful to watch them grazing so peacefully.