Page 13 - Issue 3 2020 - Kyalami Connect

Estate News
THE BIG PICTURE
NATURE
Kyalami Estates
Brand Manual

Above: Part of the herd on a visit to the lodge - they respect the flimsy fence
Left: Nana and family

One of the strange consequences of lockdown
happened at Thula Thula Game Reserve northwest of
Empangeni in Zululand. This is where Lawrence and
Francoise Anthony, in 1999, took custody of a herd of
wild and traumatized elephants - and added to the
annals of Africa’s wildlife story.

it has demonstrated that the African “They come in front of my house and just
elephant can display unmistakable wait, for hours. They know something is
signs of empathy towards humans and wrong and are wondering why no more
how uncannily close their social codes humans are around. They have never done
are to ours. Recent happenings at Thula this before.”
Thula indicate how relatively quickly
elephants can come to trust and enjoy Thula Thula’s remarkable story began
being with humans – despite all we have in 1999 when Lawrence Anthony
done to them – and how tantalisingly agreed, with grave doubts, to accept
close we can get to understanding each a herd of 11 confused and dangerously
other. aggressive elephants – survivors of poor
custodianship near Kruger Park. He
I am currently working on a book on the knew nothing of the last-minute botch-
possibility of intelligent cross-species up during the capture operation which
communication and how the elephant resulted in two of the elephants being
is one of the few mammals that shows shot – including the matriarch. The dead
a desire to communicate with us but matriarch’s traumatised son (later called
doesn’t know how. And nor do we know Mnumzane – ‘Sir’) was one of the big
how. Not yet. young tuskers that were transported
any will know the late with the herd south to Thula Thula, all
Lawrence Anthony’s The importance of the couple’s in a semi-drugged condition. The second
2010 best-seller, The experiences in Thula Thula is that, on oldest cow (later to be named Nana) had
MElephant Whisperer and the several occasions, they came near quickly taken over as matriarch.
unforgettable sequel in 2018, An Elephant to penetrating the communications
in my Kitchen, by his wife, Francoise, barrier and captured the attention and, Elephants are like that. When a matriarch
who by then was widowed after Lawrence eventually, the love of a once traumatised dies the next oldest, or most respected
suffered a heart attack. wild elephant matriarch who eventually female, assumes control.
helped them earn the respect of the whole
Francoise, an archetypical Parisienne, herd. Lawrence reinforced Thula Thula’s
now runs the Thula Thula Game Reserve perimeter fence and prepared, deep
and one cannot help but be moved by Francoise says that, since the COVID-19 in the reserve, a strongly fenced
BY JAMES CLARKE, ASSISTED BY MARY BROADLEY what is happening there. lockdown, the herd has been hovering boma surrounded by electrified cables
between the lodge, tented camp and main carrying 8 000 volts. There, the
My interest in Thula Thula is in the way house, ‘non-stop’. elephants would stay until he felt they

Kyalami Estates • CONNECT • Issue 3 • 2020 11