Family Histories

The wonderful story of Big Tuskless and her family and their ups and downs.

The CA family was first recorded on October 10, 1973. At that time the Amboseli
Elephant Research Project was just getting started. They had a very distinctive looking matriarch at the time we named Curtain Ear.

The Ds have shown us some of the most interesting family dynamics over the time we have known them, including one female going off with an unrelated female and creating a whole new family unit.

Possibly the most famous elephant ever, Echo led her family from seven members at the start of the study, to a flourishing 37 at the time of her death in 2009. She remains an Amboseli icon.

The GB family split into two parts, but since the time of writing these two parts have rejoined one another. This rejoin was precipitated by the loss of two big females, Gladys and Gwen in 2009, and is the first time we have ever documented this kind of flexibility.

The HBs are a good example of how important leadership skills and knowledge among females are in contributing to a family's success. Over the years they have had some incredible leadership in Horatia and Hazel, leading to the gradual growth of this family. We predict the HBs will go on to be one of the biggest families in the Amboseli population.

Beautiful Jezebel led the JA family for many years, and this sweet family of characters has always been a firm favourite with ATE researchers.

The KAs have had more than their fair share of troubles over the time we have known them, but they are currently flourishing once again.

The ‘L’ family was not recorded or photographed until March 23, 1975. They were a neat, small self-contained group consisting of just seven members. 

The LC family is another family with a somewhat unusual history. The members originally belonged to the LA family when Cynthia first got to know them back in 1975.

The MAs were a difficult family to work out early in the study, because they were so closely bonded to the WA family. This friendship has now lasted thirty years.

The OBs were one of the last families to be recorded in the early years of our research. It was not until the 1980s that this small family was identified, having migrated from the East into Amboseli.

One of the biggest Amboseli families, the PAs have provided us with many important data points as well as many wonderful hours of field time.

Qumquat became a tragic Amboseli icon in October 2012, when she and her two daughters were slaughtered by poachers. The QBs have had their fair share of tribulations: here is their story up to August 2012.

One of the earliest Amboseli families sighted, the SAs were so named because somehow their females became known as Sandy and Shirley.