We pick up our recollections of our day trip through Pilanesberg National Park at the the junction of Kwalata Road and Mankwe Way which was, on the 28th of August 2020, the scene of a deadly battle between two elephant bulls. Sadly Mavuso – a dominant bull that was brought to Pilanesberg National Park from the Kruger National Park back in 1999 and estimated to be around the mid-50’s in age – was killed in the fight. We were fortunate to have seen the gentle giant during a previous visit in November 2018.
Pilanesberg’s late tusker Mavuso, seen in November 2018
Mavuso’s massive carcass has been a magnet for scavengers since the unfortunate end to the fight, and it is amazing to think that even now six weeks later there’s still ample carrion available to attract the attention of black-backed jackals and brown hyenas. Apart from quickly popping in at the Fish Eagle Picnic Site for a body-break and a freshly made mug of coffee we spend almost an hour at the carcass watching the fascinating interaction between the scavengers. The pictures are gory, but trust me when I say that the smell is even more so!
If you’d like to follow along as we explore the Pilanesberg, a map may come in handy (for a large format version click here)
Kwalata to Fish Eagle and back
If you need to catch up on our drive through the Pilanesberg National Park, you can read yesterday’s post covering the stretch from Kwa Maritane Gate to Kwalata Road here.
To be continued tomorrow.
DeWetsWild 
Oh, what an ignominious end for poor Mavuso. 😳 Your photos perfectly illustrate the the circle of life and death in nature. I don’t think I could bring myself to watch the video of the fight.
Africa is a beautiful place, but it is also a hard place.
Very sad about Mavuso’s death. Is it known if he and/or the younger elephant were in musth at the time of the fight?
It must have been fascinating – if smelly – to watch the jackals and the brown hyena at the carcass.
Indeed yes, Carol, both of the combatants were in musth with a breeding herd close by at the time of the fight. Several people saw it happen and posted videos on facebook.
Thanks for the info. In the meantime I watched some of the video footage of the fight. Very traumatic at the end. And then after the body had been moved, the groups of elephants coming forward apparently paying their respects.
Elephants are far more intelligent than humans want to give them credit for, I believe. To me there’s no denying that there’s a profound sense of loss when they gather around a fallen individual, and who would not see intent in the way that winning bull drove home his victory over Mavuso?
Dis nou jammer dat Mavuso dit nie kon oorleef nie! Dis maar die verloop van die natuur.
Eek. That was indeed gory. Poor elephant but now feeding new generations. I am amazed by how much bigger the hyena is compared to the jackals.
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This is truly nature ‘at work’! How marvellous to see Brown Hyenas too.
We’ve had by far our best sightings of Brown Hyenas on Tuesday, Anne, and thrilled at it – now I finally have enough photos to illustrate a post about these rarely seen creatures too. There are still a few more photographs of them on the way in days ahead.
I look forward to those.
Have to send this one to our daughter, the hyena lover. If there weren’t scavengers, all that dead meat would sit around and the stench would be even worse. God’s got it all worked out just right. 🙂
janet
That’s exactly one of the things Joubert and I were discussing while at this scene on Tuesday, Janet. How everything is designed to fit in perfectly. And sadly how humans muddle it up when we get involved…
We don’t often share photos of the Brown Hyena here, they’re much rarer than the Spotted Hyena we usually share photos of. I hope your daughter likes them as much!
I think the stench must be almost unbearable with that size animal’s rotting. I’m surprised not to see any vultures! Thanks, D. 🙂
I think the cool, overcast and rainy weather prevented the vultures from getting airborne that morning, H.J.
Very sad for Mavuso!
Indeed sad for Mavuso and his human fans, Hien. Despite a relatively advance age by elephant standards he was still in prime condition when the fight occurred.
Oh how sad that he was killed, Dries. Interesting images of the aftermath scavengers. Prompted me to look up the difference between a jackal and a hyena. Thanks. 🙂
Thank you very much, Jane. I think there’s many misconceptions about hyenas. We love seeing them.
Very exciting sightings on our safari. Truly amazing to see them in action.
They always look so determined!
Interesting story and it is nice to see that there is still life in the National Parks also during these times. 🙂
I can’t think of a better place to remind ourselves that there still is a life beyond “social distancing” and face masks, Jesper, than nature reserves and national parks.
That is true, we are quite happy to always have nature close by here in Sweden. It has been an escape even before the pandemi. 🙂