Current Tusker - Thandamamba

[RosemaryH]

Current Tusker - Thandamamba

Photo by Jenni Lane


Origin of Name: Named for Sgt Aaron Nkuna who served as a Field Ranger in the Kruger National Park 37 years. (Thandamamba is the zulu word for “the one who is fond of the black mamba snake / the black mamba snake lover”, this unusual name came about during a conversation with Brian Harris (ex-section ranger Stolznek), where Aaron indicated the one thing he loved most about the KNP was the snakes particularly the black mamba).


Read more about Thandamamba Here

[RosemaryH]

I am wondering if this bull seen in Feb 2008 on the S113 in the south of the park could also be Madolo.

Large View

Large View

Think it was suggested before he could have been Muliluane?

Thanks

Nice sighting Elsa

The tusks look as if they could belong to Madolo but not sure about the area but I am no expert.

It was reported that Muliluane had died in 2007.

I will pass your request for an ID onto the team
Thanks.

Hi Elsa

We have a id - like I said nice sighting

As you indicated this could not have been Muliliuane as he was confirmed deceased in 2007, however I can see why it was a thought pattern given the shape of the ivory. This is also not Madolo, if you look at other images of Madolo from the side his tusks are very even and in these images from Elsa the tusks are not aligned the right appearing shorter than the left. I actually think this is Tandamamba, his tusks from aerial images we have of him are widely splayed and his right tusk does appear shorter than the left from a side profile. Unfortunately I cannot enlarge these images sufficient to check ear markings but given the area and the tusks I am fairly confident it is him. He was only named in 2009 but the date of this sighting aligns to the initial submission that lead to his naming which was in Jan 2008 in the same general vicinity which also supports my thoughts on his identity.

[Elsa]

Thanks so much Kirsty and Rose!
That is so exciting!

Unfortunately this sighting was sooo frustrating for us!
we had brought our brand new camera with big lens with us but sans the charger which had been forgotten at home and the batteries had gone flat so we were using our second camera with a much smaller lens and I was shooting the pic backwards hence the pic not being all that clear.