He’s bold, dynamic, gregarious, and downright handsome! Mabhulane (ma poo Lah nay) has lots of character and doesn’t do anything halfway. Even when he’s just shaking off some dust, “Mabu” puts his whole effort into it. With just one snap of his head, he commands attention. Mabu was named for a respected game warden in Swaziland whose name means "he who walks in hostile places."

One would expect such a gigantic animal to have a ground-shaking trumpet, but Mabu’s is the softest and highest-pitched in the herd and often tapers off with a wheeze. He is the father of Khosi, Impunga, Phakamile, Ingadze, and our newest calf, born February 14, 2010, as well as two other calves that are due this year. Though extremely powerful, Mabu is also a very gentle father. He is so good with the babies: one day an infant Kami attempted to nurse from him, and he froze, with ears flared, waiting for mother Umoya to come to his rescue!

Umngani (oom GAH nee), whose name means “friend” in Siswati, is the proud mother of Khosi, born September 11, 2006, and Ingadze, born March 13, 2009. Being a mom is a full-time job for her, and you will often see her with more than just her two calves. Umngani is sweet natured and seems to love her training sessions, often roaring at the keepers if her session ends too soon.

In addition to vocalizing her displeasures, she is also one of our most photogenic females and seems to pose for pictures. Umngani is easy to identify: she has the longest tusks in the herd, and her ears are often flared out as if she is listening. As beautiful as she is, though, she is also one of the messiest elephants in the herd. You can tell which keepers have been working with her: they will frequently be spackled with wet mud from her drippy trunk!

Lungile (loon GEE lee) certainly lives up to her African name, which means "good natured one." She has a sweet disposition and feels very comfortable around people she knows. Lungile is very smart and aware of her surroundings. Due to her trust in her keepers, she learns quickly and is willing to try new things. Lungile is usually the first to notice when keepers sneak out treats, and the other elephants watch her to see if she finds anything good. The keepers will frequently spoil her with extra treats to make up for her least-dominant status within the herd. Possibly as a result of this status, she enjoys spending time with the calves and is a very good auntie. You will often see her in the yard surrounded by babies!

Ndlulamitsi (en loo la Mit see) is very sweet toward her keepers and will often approach them and solicit a rubdown. She likes to swim and take mud baths to cool down. “Ndula” became the first mom of the herd when she gave birth to Vus’musi on February 23, 2004. She gave birth to another son on February 14, 2010. Ndula still has a very close relationship with her firstborn, though you will sometimes see her disciplining him. This is part of the natural maturing process for young bulls and helps them eventually break the tight bonds with their mothers so they can move on to father calves of their own.

You can identify Ndula, whose name means “taller than trees,” by her crooked right tusk that curves behind her trunk. Though you might expect this to be a hindrance to her, she actually finds it a very convenient way to carry around a flake of hay!

As the first baby born to this herd, Vus’musi (voos MOOS ee) is one special guy! His name means “to build a family,” a name that is often given to a family’s firstborn child in Swaziland. Even at his age, “Musi” or “Moose” doesn’t like to be far from his mother, Ndula, for too long and will call to her if he becomes separated. Ndula also allowed him to nurse much longer than the average calf, weaning him when he was almost five! Musi is growing so fast that at six years old he is the same size that several of the adult females were when they arrived at the Wild Animal Park at age 14! He is going to be one big bull. Thank goodness he is so sweet!

As the first baby, Musi was spoiled not only by his elephant family but also by his keepers. He came to look to them for attention and comfort, even running grumbling to the fence where the keepers were when disciplined by his Auntie Umngani. This happened because, like many older brothers, Musi was picking on Khosi and needed to be put in his place! He is also incredibly smart and knows more behaviors than most of the other elephants in the herd.

Since the birth of his baby brother in February, 2010, Musi is learning to become his own elephant, since Mom’s “protection” is now aimed at her new calf. Fortunately, Lungile has been relatively nice to him, but Umngani lets him know he doesn’t have his mom to keep her in check like before.

Khosi (Koh see), an adorable little female, is the first offspring of her father, Mabu, and her mother, Umngani. Her name is short for a name that means "heart of a queen" in SiSwati. Keepers say she is a big eater, just like her mother! Khosi's personality is very relaxed, and she likes to watch over all of her younger siblings. This maternal behavior is especially strong with her little brother, Ingadze. When the new baby was first introduced to the rest of the herd, Khosi walked on the opposite side of the baby from Umngani as if to protect him, and you can still see her following him around the yard and calling him back if he wanders too far. She has done likewise with Ndula’s new calf, babysitting whenever possible.

Impunga (im POON ga) is a very rambunctious young male born to first-time mom Litsemba and adult male Mabu. Within days of his birth, little “Punga” was acclimated with the rest of the herd. He trained his mother well, screaming loudly if she moved while he was nursing. As he grew, his playful nature emerged. Punga loves to wrestle with his siblings and often will be the one who instigates playtime. He seems to enjoy hanging out with Musi the most, and you will often see them pushing each other around the yard. Since he was very small, he has playfully competed with Khosi, and they frequently match up to compare strength. He recently passed Khosi in weight. You will often see Punga throwing rocks into the air or taking a swim in the pool.

Phakamile (pah kah MEE lee) is the daughter of Umoya and Mabu. “Kami” is a great swimmer, good at balancing on logs or rocks, and has lots of energy. Being a junior gymnast isn’t the only thing she is known for: she is also the “class clown,” often swinging her trunk around like a helicopter. Her funny little trumpet is so distinct that keepers can tell her vocalizations apart from all of the other calves. Her antics are a constant source of entertainment for the keepers and guests at the Wild Animal Park. When she is not goofing off, she is playing the role of big sister to Ingadze and Ndula’s new calf. Kami really enjoys her little half-brothers and is a wonderful big sister. She’s even trying to teach them some of her balancing acts!

Born March 13, 2009, to Umngani and Mabu, Ingadze (in GAHD zee) is the first calf in the herd to be born to a second-time mom, and big sister Khosi took to him immediately. You will often see him playing with her or half-sister Kami in the yards, although as he’s grown, “Gadze” has taken more interest in hanging out with the older boys, Musi and Punga. He is a very rowdy youngster and very smart as well. Gadze has always been very advanced and accomplished many “firsts” at a younger age than any of the others. In fact, he already knows how to swim and can be seen splashing around in the pool with his big siblings, often climbing all over them! He was a little too rambunctious with Ndula’s new calf and had to be told to “play nice” by just about all the females. He now gets supervised playtimes (with Kami or Khosi watching closely).