Addo Elephant Park’s legendary bull Hapoor, the ruler of the Eastern Cape elephant reserve for 24 years and famous for his dislike of people, has a new granddaughter.
The calf was born about two weeks ago at the African Pride Pumba Private Game Reserve near Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. She is the daughter of Hapoor Junior, who was killed on the reserve in March this year by his brother in a battle for dominance of the breeding herd. He was 58.
Hapoor Junior was born in the Addo Park in 1954, sired by Hapoor, the park’s dominant bull.
According to the SA National Parks website, Hapoor’s name in Afrikaans came from a distinctive nick in his ear, believed to have been caused by a hunter’s bullet.
African Pride Pumba Private Game Reserve conservation manager Richard Pearse, who took the picture above, said staff were devastated by the loss of Hapoor Junior, who had been relocated to the reserve in 2005 when the park had moved a dozen bulls out to try to diminish the fighting among them in Addo.
He said their sorrow turned to joy this month when the calf was discovered by Gladman Vayo, one of African Pride Pumba Private Game Reserve’s guides while conducting an afternoon game drive.
“The breeding herd was moving through some very dense thicket before venturing onto a road, revealing the new arrival. With very bad weather following this little elephant’s discovery, the Pumba team struggled to find her again but we located her a few days later and managed to get some great photographs and video,” Pearse said.
“She is in fantastic condition and full of life, learning how to use her trunk and getting to know her extended family.”