Elephant Don: the politics of a pachyderm posse

272 Pages·2015·6.878 MB·English

by  O'Connell, Caitlin

Elephant Don

Elephant Don
The Politics of a Pachyderm Posse
CAITLIN O’CONNELL
The University of Chicago Press
Chicago and London
Caitlin O’Connell is a faculty member at Stanford
University School of Medicine. Her work has been
featured in the New York Times, Boston Globe, National
Geographic, and Discover, among many others. She lives
in San Diego.
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 2015 by Caitlin O’Connell
All rights reserved. Published 2015.
Printed in the United States of America
24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 1 2 3 4 5
ISBN- 13: 978- 0- 226- 10611- 3 (cloth)
ISBN- 13: 978- 0- 226- 10625- 0 (e- book)
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226106250.001.0001
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
O’Connell, Caitlin, 1965– author.
Elephant Don : the politics of a pachyderm posse /
Caitlin O’Connell.
pages ; cm
Includes index.
ISBN 978- 0- 226- 10611- 3 (cloth : alk. paper) —
ISBN 978- 0- 226- 10625- 0 (e- book) 1. Elephants—
Namibia. 2. Elephants—Behavior. I. Title.
QL737.P98O256 2015
599.6715—dc23
2014036405
♾ This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO
Z39.48- 1992 (Permanence of Paper).
I would like to dedicate this book to Greg, the Elephant Don— aptly represented
by the Lozi proverb on the next page, since his male associates can, while he is “hold-
ing court” with them, either protect or harm him. May Greg be out there somewhere
remembering the good old days among his loyal companions, who still appear to be
looking for him. Perhaps one day he will return to reward their vigilance. But if he
doesn’t, I hope that his character will remain an example to his associates—a nd to
us— of what a fine mentor one can be to the next generation, given a combination of
patience, affability, wisdom, and discipline.
When the King is in the court, he is an elephant in thorns.
Lozi Proverb, Zambia
CONTENTS
Kissing of the Ring 1
Journey to Mushara 11
The Head That Wears the Crown 23
Introduction to the Boys’ Club 31
Dung Diaries 41
Teenage Wasteland 49
Coalitions and a Fall from Grace 57
Male Bonding 65
The Domino Effect 71
Capo di Tutti Capi 81
Of Musth and Other Demons 91
The Emotional Elephant 99
The Don Back in the Driver’s Seat 113
Closure 123
Sniffing Out Your Relatives 129
Where Are the Boys in Gray? 135
A Case for Dishonest Signaling 147
The Don under Fire 153
Black Mamba in Camp 161
Baying at a Testosterone- Filled Moon 169
Relentless Wind 175
A Deposed Don 183
The Don Returns 193
Scramble for Power 199
The Royal Family 209
Wee Hours 217
The Politics of Family 223
A New Beginning 229
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 237
CHAPTER- OPENING PHOTO CAPTIONS 241
INDEX 243