Photo by Gary Flockhart
Origin of name: Tsonga meaning ‘untidy’ Vusopfa refers to the heavily torn and ‘scraggly’ ears of this bull making him easily identifiable.
Special Features: This bull found in the northern KNP has very distinctive features most notably a very marked left ear with multiple u &v-shaped notches of varying sizes throughout the full length of the ear lobe, a small hole at the top of the lobe is also visible when the lobe is fully displayed. The right lobe is less ‘scraggly’ but also supports notable markings. A notable long extended u-shaped notch is clearly visible at the lower point of the lobe; an uneven ‘w-shaped’ notch can be seen towards the middle of the lobe. From a frontal view this elephant’s ivory is fairly wide apart and symmetrical, with both tusks growing fairly straight and curving at the tip. From a side profile the left tusk appears more curved then the right.