The Birth and Growth of the Great Sabie Park and Kruger Park Elephant
“Maaifoedie!”
At birth, Mayafudi was but an insignificant, even farcical little elephant. He had large ears flapping around a head which seemed too small. His funny little trunk was out of proportion, flacid and clumsy. Further salt in the wounds was the fact that he was not only uglier, but also smaller than his chunky twin sister. His mass at birth was only about 80 kg, his sister’s at least 10 kg more.
The elephant heart of the twin’s mother, Ukuthula, was swollen with pride. Twins were a rarity among elephants. Ukuthula was however a little put off by his somewhat comical appearance. His sister was immediately baptised Princess or Little Queen (Nkosikazi) whilst he, dishonourably, was given the name of Little Ears (Tindleve).
Not only was his body shape comical, but he also moved in a halting, tottering way – it seemed his body and his legs were not co-ordinate.
Every hill to him was a mountain. Every time he stormed an incline he fell on his backside. His protective mother repeatedly had to remind him to bend his front legs. She then, assisted by some of the younger cows in the herd, gave him a shove from behind. One, two, three, shove! Eventually he regained his feet. The Kruger National Park Life Story Of The Elephant Bull Mayafudi
However, he developed quickly. Faster than the dozen other youngsters in their breeding herd. Before his first birthday his body grew proportionately. His mass increased to a reasonable 150 kg. His shoulder height increased from 75 cm to almost 90 cm.
Before long his initial clumsiness disappeared. His oversized trunk which was an early Achilles heel, became a thing of beauty which “Little Ears” had learnt to control well.
He certainly was not lazy. He practised for hours and hours to exercise the 15 000 odd muscles in his trunk. With intense concentration he practised to draw water up his trunk, time and again. He then spewed it out through his mouth. Soon he had developed a very efficient “water canon”.
Ukuthula’s “ugly duckling” soon became a real little rascal near water. He did not spare even the most honourable matriarch, irate old bull or cheeky “askari” (an elephant teen in the elephant initiation school). He developed a classical technique in the use of his water canon.
He was a clever play-actor. He would feign ignorance of the presence of others who came to drink. He would then squirt water into his mouth and gently rub his ear, using his trunk. By doing this he could pinpoint the exact position of his prey, down-wind. Suddenly he would draw a full load of water.
Supposedly on the way to his mouth, he would brace his muscles. With perfect co-ordination he would emit a thick, cold stream of water. The unexpected blast would hit like the hose of a fireman. Tinier receivers, caught unawares, would be blown of their feet whilst adult family, wet to the bone, could only smile with embarrassment. To make matters worse was the sardonic smile on the face of the little mischief-maker.
Elephants know how to cast
They can fling a stone accurately like cricketers fielding on the boundary. Most of these stones would hit the stumps if the game was cricket.
“Little Ears” was no exception. Using his well-trained trunk he could fling a clump of mud quite a distance. In time the ripe marula fruit became a part of his arsenal. Even the tiniest little fruit he could securely pick up off the ground. More often than not the ammunition hit an unsuspecting victim. These victims were at the wrong place at the wrong time. The little elephant usually pleaded ignorance. The Kruger Park Wildfires Spread On The Big Elephant
It was such an “unintended” hit that gave rise to Mayafudi’s somewhat strange name. A field warden, Dumisa Sibuya, was unpleasantly surprised by a ripe marula in his face. He fell from his bicycle and sprawled on the gravel road. His bare knees were bloody. His rifle was broken. His ego was sorely deflated.
When he saw the young bull that was responsible, the first word he could think of was “maaifoedie”, an Afrikaans word which mildly expressed his feelings.
It is possible that Dumisa was scolded for a “maaifoedie” by an Afrikaans speaking game ranger. The name struck in the Shangaan’s memory. The word burst from his angry lips and could clearly be heard by the other elephants 200 metres way.
Originally the word “maaifoedie” was a somewhat harsh expression, similar to the Dutch “moerneuker” with exactly the same bad connotations. Later on the word lost its taboo value. Present day alternatives include such as rascal, rogue, scamp, scoundrel, hooligan, bounder, good-for-nothing, rotter, rapscallion, bloody fool and bastard. “Donnerwetter”, a German expression, or the Afrikaans “bliksem” would have expressed similar feelings at that moment.
The elephant ear, however, was not offended by the strange word. It had quite a pleasant “elephantine” sound. “Mayafudi” made a unique impact. Ukuthula liked the strange word. She did not think that “Little Ears” was a suitable name for her dapper little bull any longer. The name Mayafudi immediately struck a pleasant chord. The herd took up the sound. They all loved the new name.