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No individual or individual personality has more impact on family structure and fortunes than the matriarch, or female leader, of an elephant family. Matriarchs are generally the oldest and largest adult female member of a family. In some cases it is very obvious who the leader of a family is - she is the individual to whom others orient, whose sudden change in activity they note, and whose leadership they turn to in a moment of crisis. In other families, the matriarch's leadership is less clear, and in still others there may be conflict over who is the leader. The reasons for these differences have to do with personality, genetic relationships and history. If you would like to learn more about elephant behavior visit The Elephant Ethogram via the link in our bio. #theelephantethogram #elephantvoices #conservation #elephants

Learning to use and control the trunk is a crucial aspect of an elephant calf's development, much as human infants gradually learn fine motor skills with their hands. Accomplishing the dexterity seen in adults involves a combination of instinct, practice and social learning - a journey of exploration, trial and error and practice makes perfect. You can learn more about elephant behavior on The Elephant Ethogram via the link in our bio. #theelephantethogram #elephantvoices #conservation #elephants

After engaging in a bout of Flehmen, musth male Pascal catches up with Wissal of the WB family, the estrous female he is Guarding. She has been Waiting for him. He walks toward her with a Head-High and Chin-In posture. The behavior illustrated in this video is Chin-In: A male in musth Standing or Walking with his head held well above his shoulders, and his “chin” or jaw held “tucked in” toward the neck. Chin-In is a component of the Musth-Walk and Musth-Constellation. Elephant ID: @amboseli_trust To learn more about elephant behavior visit The Elephant Ethogram via the link in our bio. #theelephantethogram #elephantvoices #conservation #elephants

It may seem that the fight against the trophy hunting of Amboseli’s elephants has hit a standstill, but rest assured, we are actively working to put a stop to it before the quota is set and licenses are sold for the next season. In collaboration with our partners, we are looking ahead and trying to find a solution. We will share any information as and when we have it. We have noticed a lot of misinformation on social media. We encourage you to reach out to us directly if you have any questions and not to feed into the rumours circulating online. We understand that many of you feel frustrated and powerless. Once again, here is how you can contribute: - ⁠Keep spreading awareness about this ongoing situation. - Contact Kenyan and Tanzanian Ambassadors to your country to voice your concern and demand action against the trophy hunting of these cross border elephants. Every voice counts! - If you have connections within the media, use them! Reach out to journalists and reporters, put them in touch with us so we can shed light on this critical issue. Thank you for your continued support.

“There is a chasm of consciousness between those who would shoot an elephant and those who would labor to keep them safe. The elephant hunters would claim that we just don’t understand natural law and the primordial impulse that can only be addressed by killing. And we would answer “no, by God, we do not.” No rational person could ever comprehend the mindless destruction of nature’s most iconic creations.” We highly recommend you read this powerful essay by Billy Dodson (@savannaimages) on the killing of the Amboseli males in northern Tanzania by trophy hunters. (link in bio) *The only point missing is that now a total of 5 elephants have been killed. #notyourtrophy #handsoffourelephants #killingisnotconservation #endtrophyhunting

Here is another video from The Elephant Ethogram of Amboseli males TeeJay and Gordon taken in 2020. During an Escalated-Contest between Tee-Jay and Gordon they engage in 3 Parallel-Walks as they maneuver around one another, before Dueling. The behavior illustrated in this video is Parallel-Walk: Two males, typically in musth, pacing in parallel to one another in a Purposeful-Walk often in a lead up to or during an Escalated-Contest. The contestants typically place a road, log or other ‘barrier’ between them and may engage in a variety of musth displays. Elephant ID: @amboseli_trust To learn more about elephant behavior visit The Elephant Ethogram via the link in our bio. #theelephantethogram #elephantvoices #conservation #elephants

Tanzania’s reputation is already on thin ice. The forceful eviction of the Maasai from their ancestral lands in Loliondo has drawn international scrutiny. According to @amnesty security forces employed brutal tactics to make way for a private company’s “tourism ventures” (read: trophy hunting). The @guardian reports that the @worldbank suspended financing aimed at developing tourism in southern Tanzania, due to government abuses of human rights. The trophy hunting in Tanzania of elephants from the cross border Amboseli population has exacerbated the fragile situation, prompting a growing number of calls for a tourism boycott of Tanzania.

Well, well, well…someone has clearly been tusking the ground. Tusk-Ground: Bending or kneeling down and tusking the ground and, often, uplifting clods of soil and vegetation. When elephants engage in Mud-Wallowing they often Tusk-Ground. This is particularly true of Mud-Wallowing musth males who will engage in an exaggerated form of Tusk-Ground along with other components of a musth male display. In an Aggressive context Tusk-Ground is seen in the manoeuvring between two males during an Escalated-Contest, apparently as a demonstration of ‘look what I will do with you’. You can learn more about this behavior on The Elephant Ethogram via the link in our bio. #theelephantethogram #elephantvoices #conservation #elephants

Musth-Walk

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (9)

Icarus walks past us with a Musth-Walk- his stride purposeful, Ears-Stiff, Head-High. As he walks out of frame he Ear-Waves and Musth-Rumbles. (Amboseli, Kenya)