The much-loved elephant bull Tembe in Addo Elephant National Park has died.
‘It is with deep sadness that we relay news of Tembe’s death. Conservative staff didn’t pick up on his collar’s signal earlier this week and and subsequently went in search of him. It would appear as if this magnificent tusker had an awkward fall, from which he was not able recover. RIP Tembe,’ SANParks said on Facebook.
Tembe, a northern KZN elephant, stood head and shoulders above his new friends in Addo.
Tembe, a 35-year-old bull was brought to Addo from Tembe Elephant Park in KwaZulu-Natal earlier this year to improve the gene pool.
During a veterinary examination after his relocation, he was in poor condition, which was believed to be due to a combination of maladaptation to the new habitat, poor quality of the vegetation due to the drought and conflict with established resident Addo bulls.
A recent shot of Tembe. Image credit: Ryan Vincent Labuschagne
‘On examination on the July 1, 2020 we suspected [a] wound in the anal area may have penetrated into the pelvic cavity and gave him a “guarded” to poor prognosis. He was treated with long-acting antibiotics and anti-inflammatories,’ SANParks said.
‘On reversal of the immobilization he struggled to stand up and required assistance with the help of a truck. At the time we very much doubted he would survive a follow-up immobilization and hoped he would survive.’
Image credit: John Vosloo
