Letaba Elephant Hall - Home of the Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven
Over thirty years ago seven impressive elephant bulls, all with tusks weighing more than 50 kg each, could be found in Kruger National Park. The Chief Warden at the time, Dr U de V Pienaar, decided to publicise these elephants as a successful example of Kruger's conservation work. He named those bulls that had not already been identified and also coined the collective name, the Magnificent Seven, based on the 1960 Hollywood film.
The promotion was launched in 1980 with specially commissioned paintings by celebrated wildlife artist Paul Bosman and illustrated articles written by the park's Senior Research Officer, Dr Anthony Hall-Martin.
The public reaction was staggering and, when each of these great elephants died, it was decided to retrieve their tusks and skulls in order to display them. The Elephant Hall at Letaba Rest Camp now holds the tusks of Dzombo, Kambaku, Mafunyane, Ndlulamithi, Shawu and Shingwedzi.
The age of each of these elephants was estimated. Find out how to work out an elephant's age.
Learn more about tusks and ivory in general.
Scroll down to see and read about each of these great animals, or click on a name below to jump straight to that individual.
Dzombo (c.1935–1983)
Dzombo's (pronounced D-zom-bo) name derives from the Tsonga word 'dzombolo' which means to wait for something that is slow in coming. He was named after the Dzombo stream, a tributary of the Shingwedzi river, located in his home range.
Dzombo met an untimely death at the age of 48-50 years in October 1983. He died in a hail of bullets from an AK47, near a waterhole known as Dzombyane. He was the only one of the Magnificent Seven to be killed by poachers and it was only by a stroke of luck that Dzombo's two tusks were not lost. The thieves were in the act of chopping out the ivory when they were disturbed by the approach of Ranger Ampie Espag. They fled leaving their trophies behind.
Range: Dzombo lived in the area bounded by the Tsendze, Letaba and Shingwedzi Rivers and was most frequently seen around the marshlands of the Shawu valley.
Special Features: Dzombo's tusks are the classic shape of Kruger's elephants, bowed and curved, pointing forward and slightly upwards.
Left tusk: length 255 cm, mass 56.8 kg, circumference at lip 50 cm
Right tusk: length 237 cm, mass 56.8 kg, circumference at lip 51 cm
João (c.1939–c.2000)
João was first seen near a windmill of the same name in the Shingwedzi region. The windmill was originally named after a Mozambican who worked with the mechanic at Shingwedzi Rest Camp.
This agreeable elephant was attacked by poachers in 1982 but survived a number of impacts from the bullets of an AK47. His magnificent tusks were once measured when he was immobilised for the fitting of a radio collar. Unfortunately, both tusks were broken off about 20 cm above the lipline in 1984. The cause of the loss is not known and the ivory was never found.
João is thought to have died sometime before 2000 but his body has never been recovered.
Range: By and to the south of the Shingwedzi river, normally within 15 km from Shingwedzi Rest Camp.
Left tusk: length 271 cm, mass 70 kg, circumference at lip 51 cm
Right tusk: length 250 cm, mass 60 kg, circumference at lip 51 cm
Kambaku (c.1930-1985)
Kambaku (pronounced Kam-ba-ku) is the Tsonga word for 'old elephant bull', implying great reverence for an impressive animal. Unlike the rest of the Magnificent Seven, Kambaku was only ever seen alone, never with a companion.
He was more than 55 years old in 1985 when he was found in obvious pain from a bullet wound. He had been shot when he crossed the Crocodile River into neighbouring sugar cane fields. When he could no longer walk and it was clear that death was imminent, he was mercifully shot by Regional Ranger Lynn van Rooyen from the Lower Sabie Ranger Section.
Range: This bull moved over a huge tract of over 2000 km2 from Timbavati to Crocodile Bridge. He would move south in the dry months and return north in the wet season. He was commonly seen and photographed by many visitors to Kruger.
Special Features: He had no tail hairs towards the end of his life. Prominent markings on his trunk, together with his magnificent ivory, made him easily recognisable. His tusks are precise mirror images of each other.
Left tusk: length 259 cm, mass 63.2 kg, circumference at lip 51 cm
Right tusk: length 265 cm, mass 64 kg, circumference at lip 52 cm
Mafunyane (c.1926-1983)
Mafunyane (pronounced Ma-fun-ya-ne) was the most famous member of the Magnificent Seven. His Tsonga name can be translated as 'the irritable one' reflecting the elephant's disdain for, and intolerance of, humans. He was a very shy and elusive animal, avoiding people and moving away from vehicles. He was named after a former KNP warden, Lou Steyn, who was known for his quick temper.
Mafunyane's long straight tusks dragged along the ground as he walked. However, his relatively small stature (he was only 327 cm at the shoulder) meant that they were not as long as those of several other tuskers. His ivory was also oval in cross-section, rather than circular, giving the impression of being heavier than it was.
He had a 10 cm wide hole that penetrated 40 cm deep into his skull. The opening extended into the nasal cavity and he was able to breath through this passage, which also let rain in! The origin of the injury is unknown but it is most likely to have been caused by the tusk of another elephant during a fight. One of the toes of his left hind foot was splayed to one side so that he left a distinctive footprint.
Mafunyane's remains were found on 16 November 1983 near the Tari river, northwest of Shingwedzi. He had been dead for 3-4 weeks. He died of natural causes aged around 57 years of age.
Range: Mafunyane was only seen in the wild by a handful of people, and was rarely seen by visitors as he kept well away from roads. His range covered the upper reaches of the Shingwedzi river towards the Bububu stream. He was also seen near Mafunyane waterhole (named after Lou Steyn who built it). It was a very remote area, only crossed by a few firebreaks and patrol roads.
Special Features: 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 are of identical length and mass.
Both tusks: length 251 cm, mass 55.1 kg, circumference at lip 48 cm
Ndlulamithi (c.1927–1985)
Ndlulamithi (pronounced N-dlu-la-mi-thi), which is a traditional Tsonga word meaning 'taller than the trees', earned his name from his appearance. He was taller than most of the other tuskers, probably around 340 – 345 cm high at the shoulder.
He was an aggressive and wild elephant, prone to charging but was seldom seen. His right tusk had broken short at some point. He died of natural causes in 1985 at an estimated 58 years of age and his tusks were recovered by ranger Paul Zway in the Shangoni area.
Range: His range was known to occupy a large area around the upper reaches of the Shingwedzi river, stretching from Byashishi drainage system across to the Phongol River.
Special Features: The handsomely curved tusks of Ndlulamithi, the left one sweeping low and well forward, are significantly more twisted than those of other large bulls.
Left tusk: length 287 cm, mass 64.6 kg, circumference at lip 48.5 cm
Right tusk: length 273 cm, mass 57.2 kg, circumference at lip 48 cm
Shawu (c.1926-1986)
The 'Shawu Bull' (pronounced Sha-who) was named after the Shawu valley in which he spent much of his life. He was a fairly approachable animal and showed no particular fear or distrust of vehicles. Shawu was a large bull having a shoulder height of 340 cm. Due to the pincer shape formed by his large tusks he was sometimes referred to in Afrikaans as 'Groot Haaktand' (Big Hook Teeth).
Shawu died of old age in October 1986 at almost 60 years old. He had been ill for some time and his condition and movements were being monitored daily by means of a radio transmitter. His body was found in the Kostini area east of Shingwedzi, near the northern watershed of the Shawu Valley.
Range: The Shawu bull moved over a large range which spanned the flat mopane-covered plains country between the Letaba and Shingwedzi rivers and stretched from the main road to the Lebombo Hills. He drifted around slowly, taking about 6 months to move from South to North.
Special Features: Shawu's tusks are the longest on record in Southern Africa.
Left tusk: length 317 cm, mass 52.6 kg, circumference at lip 45 cm
Right tusk: length 305 cm, mass 50.8 kg, circumference at lip 45 cm
Shingwedzi (c.1934-1981)
Shingwedzi (pronounced Shing-wed-zi) was named after the river and rest camp where he spent the last few years of his life. The name Shingwedzi means 'place of ironstone' referring to the gabbro rock outcrops common to the area. Shingwedzi was a gentle, tolerant elephant accustomed to vehicles.
He died of natural causes in January 1981, aged around 65. He had collapsed under a sycamore fig tree on the southern bank of the Shingwedzi River not far from Shingwedzi Rest Camp. His master tusk was dug deep into the ground when he was found.
Range: He was a settled animal and was known to move around Shingwedzi, between the Nkokodzi and Chugamila hills in the west and the Lebombos in the east. He spent much of his time along the Shingwedzi river under sycamore fig trees.
Special Features: Shingwedzi's ivory offers a good example of the classic master servant tusks although the servant tusk which was used most frequently was broken short.
Left (master) tusk: length 264 cm, mass 58.1 kg, circumference at lip 48 cm
Right (servant) tusk: length 207 cm, mass 47.2 kg
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