Family Histories

Where it all began… The story of Wart Ear and her family, the first elephants identified in 1972 by Cynthia Moss and Harvey Croze.

The BCs are one of our smaller and less regularly seen families in Amboseli.

One of the most tight-knit and affectionate Amboseli families, Celeste would reign as matriarch for many years.

We saw the EA family on the very first day the project began, but at the time we were only familiarizing ourselves with the elephants so they had not been categorized and named until a year later.

The FA family was discovered and photographed on the second day of the
Amboseli Elephant Research Project on September 2, 1972.

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.

Renowned for their exceptionally beautiful females, the OA family are close friends with the CBs.

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.

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.

The MB family was one of the last families to be recognized in the
Amboseli population.