Mutaanzi David: A New Generation in the Wild

Blog by Lisa Olivier,

GRI-Conservation Behaviour Specialist

Video available: Scroll to the bottom of this page to watch the accompanying video.

When Mutaanzi was no longer seen with his mother’s herd in mid-May, we were left with a question we could not answer: where had he gone?

At almost seven years old, Mutaanzi is reaching an age when a young male may begin moving further from his mother and spending time with different elephants. Could his absence have been an early sign of growing independence, or had something happened to him?

Because Mutaanzi is not collared, there was no way to follow him directly. All the team could do was examine the movements of his mother, Chamilandu, use this information to guide searches and wait for another sighting.

A new generation

Mutaanzi David was born on 9 September 2019, after his mother, Chamilandu, had completed her rehabilitation and returned to the wild. Chamilandu came back to the Kafue Release Facility boma to give birth, returning to the place that had supported her own journey towards independence.

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During his early years, Mutaanzi remained close to his mother, but he also grew up among wild elephants as well as released orphans. His birth marked a new chapter in Chamilandu’s story. Her rehabilitation had enabled her to return to the wild, reproduce and raise a calf within the wider elephant population.

But male elephants do not remain with their mothers forever. So, could Mutaanzi’s absence have been part of this natural transition?

Long-term research into wild elephants has found that males generally leave the families into which they were born later in adolescence, often between approximately 10 and 16 years of age (Lee et al. 2011). The way this happens can vary, but it is often not through one sudden departure. Before leaving permanently, young males may begin travelling further, spending longer periods away and interacting with a wider variety of elephants.

By moving away for short periods, they can spend time with different elephants, including other males, while still returning to their mothers and familiar companions. Relationships with other males become increasingly important as they grow, giving them opportunities to play, spar, test their strength and learn how to interact with other bulls.

Mutaanzi is still very young and would not be expected to have permanently left Chamilandu. Nevertheless, spending time away from her was one possible explanation for his absence. Until he was found, however, the team could not assume that this was what had happened.

Searching for Mutaanzi

Until then, Mutaanzi’s location had been known through his association with Chamilandu, whose satellite collar records her movements across the landscape.

The Research Team examined Chamilandu’s GPS movements for anything unusual and used the information to guide searches by vehicle, drone and plane. But the collar could only tell us where Chamilandu had travelled. Once Mutaanzi was no longer beside her, it could not reveal where he had gone. He may have been travelling independently, moving with another herd or spending time with other males. All were possible, but none could be confirmed without seeing him.

Then, more than two months after he had last been observed, Wildlife Ranger Luka finally spotted him.

Mutaanzi was alive and well. Even more remarkably, he was moving with a wild elephant herd whose range overlaps with Chamilandu’s.

Later that night, he was seen again, this time back with Chamilandu’s herd as they passed the Release Facility.

Finding him brought enormous relief. It also showed us something we had not been able to confirm before: Mutaanzi was spending time with elephants outside his mother’s herd. We cannot know where he spent the entire period after mid-May, when he joined the wild herd or how long he remained with them. What we do know is that he was moving with wild elephants before later rejoining his mother and other familiar companions.

And it was not long before he was on the move again.

Moving with Nkala

On 2 August, Mutaanzi was observed with Chamilandu’s group near the old boma. He then moved away with Nkala, another orphan who has recently been independently ranging.

The pair crossed the Nkala River and continued north while sparring, during this interaction, Mutaanzi appeared confident and assertive. Approximately ten minutes later, Chamilandu, Lula, Mulisani, Mosi and Kavala followed in the same direction.

Why is this sparring important?

Sparring may look like play, but it gives young males an opportunity to practise physical skills, assess each other’s strength and develop their relationships. Spending time with other males provides important learning opportunities as young bulls develop (Evans & Harris 2008).

Within only a few days, Mutaanzi had been observed moving with a wild herd, returning to Chamilandu’s group and then travelling with Nkala.

This helps show why male independence should not be viewed as a single moment when a young bull “leaves home”. Elephant groups can be fluid. Individuals may separate, spend time with different companions and later return to elephants they know. For a young male, becoming independent may involve moving back and forth between these different social settings for several years.

There is still much we do not know. How long did Mutaanzi spend with the wild herd, and how frequently is he now moving between groups? Continued monitoring (where possible) will help us understand whether particular elephants are becoming important companions as his social world expands. Inevitably, some of his movements will happen beyond our view.

Chamilandu was rescued, rehabilitated and given the opportunity to return to the wild. She then raised Mutaanzi among wild elephants and other former orphans. Now, we are beginning to see her calf make his own movements and form relationships of his own.

Finding Mutaanzi brought enormous relief, but it also gave us an exciting glimpse of how a young male may gradually begin to find his place within wild elephant society.

This is the next generation made possible by Chamilandu’s return to the wild.

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Watch the story unfold:

Lee, P. C., Poole, J. H., Njiraini, N., Sayialel, C. N. & Moss, C. J. (2011). Male Social Dynamics: Independence and Beyond. In The Amboseli Elephants: A Long-Term Perspective on a Long-Lived Mammal. University of Chicago Press.

Evans, K. E. & Harris, S. (2008). Adolescence in male African elephants, Loxodonta africana, and the importance of sociality. Animal Behaviour, 76, 779–787.