Mafunyane Water Park

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Mafunyane's Legacy Lives On

Mafunyane Riverside Water Park is named after the most famous of the Kruger National Park’s "Magnificent Seven" elephants, Mafunyane.

Mafunyane was only seen in the wild by a handful of people and was rarely spotted by visitors, as he kept well away from roads. This could be attributed to his shyness or to the fact that his chosen roaming area was very remote. Despite having impressive tusks, Mafunyane was not a large bull and stood only 327 cm at the shoulder when compared with the average 340 cm shoulder height of the other members of the "Magnificent Seven."

The immobilization of Mafunyane on 8 June 1983 to fit a radio collar and make plaster casts of the bull’s ivory nearly spelled the end for this bull. When given the antidote to the immobilization drugs, Mafunyane, due to his immense tusk size, was unable to "rock" himself onto his chest, which would have allowed him to stand up, and his repeated efforts caused him to dig his tusks further into the ground. Several strategies were tried to raise him, but all failed. After he had been down for an extended period, the team resorted to loading him onto a flatbed truck. Eventually, he was “scooped” to his feet, and the bull rose and ran into the nearby Mopane bushes, much to the relief of the capture team.

This bull was named after former warden of the Kruger National Park, Lou Steyn, who was well known for his quick temper. Mafunyane is the Tsonga word for "the irritable one," which appropriately refers to the elephant’s disdain for, and intolerance of, humans.

This bull roamed in the Shingwedzi section of the Kruger National Park, which includes the upper reaches of the Shingwedzi River and southwards up to the Bububu stream.

Mafunyane’s tusks are fairly straight, and their tips are worn to a chisel-edge as a result of being rubbed on the ground as he moved. His tusks were perfectly symmetrical and of identical length and mass. The bull had a 10 cm hole in the right side of his skull that extended into his nasal cavity, allowing him to breathe through this passage. One of his toes on his left hind foot was splayed to one side so that he left a distinctive impression, distinguishable from other elephants.

Mafunyane’s remains were found on 16 November 1983 near the Tari River, northwest of Shingwedzi. He had been dead for approximately 3–4 weeks and appeared to have died of natural causes. He was about 57 years old when he died.

Mafunyane’s tusks are on display in the Letaba Elephant Hall in the Kruger National Park.

Tusk Data

Side Length (cm) Mass (kg) Circumference at Lip (cm)
Left 251 cm 55.1 kg 48 cm
Right 251 cm 55.1 kg 48 cm

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