An amazing story of how a female elephant, raised by buffaloes, led their herd and has been ruling for 40 years (5 photos)

The path to power is thorny and full of rivals. To rise above the rest requires cunning, intelligence, a pliable conscience and determination. But sometimes it’s enough just to be twice as big and stronger than all the other contenders!





Yes, I am taller than other buffaloes. But there is nothing unusual in this: my mother was tall!

The story of the elephant Nzu began with a tragedy - people found a small orphaned elephant calf. They brought the animal to Ymir, a reserve for the conservation of rhinoceroses. There were no other elephants here. And for lack of a choice, Nzu was assigned to buffaloes, as the largest herd animals.



They are so different from me... Am I the only normal buffalo in the whole herd?

The elephant "Mowgli" learned to interact with buffaloes and gradually began to consider herself a buffalo, just slightly different from the rest of the herd. Or she convinced all the buffaloes that they were elephants, but, unfortunately, we will not know this. In any case, the animals became friends and did not intend to part. Nzu refused to join the elephants, and so she was eventually left alone.





Well, the girl has grown up! Gorgeous! Look, all the boys in the herd follow her!

The older the “buffalo” became, the more obvious the difference in strength and size became. And one day Nzu encroached on the traditions of the buffaloes - rigid patriarchy. She simply trampled everyone who tried to contradict her until her power became absolute. But the young buffalos were not going to give up their foundations so easily. Nzu has to defend his throne. During the years of the elephant's reign, fourteen bulls were counted who paid in blood for coup attempts.



Usually the fight between an angry elephant and an angry buffalo happens like this. As you can see, even a large bull has little chance of resisting several tons of power.

But the absolute power is expressed not only in strength. Nzu turned out to be an excellent diplomat! The elephant prevented an incident between her subjects and people - a young bull attacked the caretaker and would have killed him if Nzu had not driven him and the rest of the buffalos away from the man until help arrived.



What are you staring at? Never seen buffalos?

But the conversation somehow doesn’t go well with the animal’s appearance. Most likely, Nzu doesn’t understand a damn thing in elephantine and doesn’t really want to leave his current family. It is understandable, how many elephants rule their own herd for 40 years!