Elephant Nzou Becomes Matriarch of Buffalo Herd, Eliminates Contenders

Nzou was only two years old when her family was slaughtered by ivory poachers in Zimbabwe. Rescuers tried to reintroduce Nzou to other elephants, but she never fit in. “Her need for a family never faded,” intones Natalie Portman, narrating National Geographic’s new series, Secrets of the Elephants, “So she took matters into her own hands …”

Big reveal: Nzou joins a herd of wild buffalo and takes over as matriarch.

It is a poignant story, but Nat Geo leaves out a couple of details. When Nzou was rescued from the lowveld of Zimbabwe, she was brought to the Rhino & Elephant Conservation Programme at Imire. She’s lived her entire half-century at the conservancy and not, as one might assume from Secrets, in the wilds of Zimbabwe.

As a youngster, Nzou was placed with the conservancy’s largest herd animal at the time, the buffalo. Later, she was introduced to elephants but by that time had become more familiar with the buffalo, so she stayed with them and has ruled the herd for more than 40 years.

Another detail omitted by the filmmakers: Unlike elephants, buffalo have a patriarchal social structure, so whenever a male challenges Nzou’s leadership, she eliminates them in what must be a farcially one-sided fight. To date she has killed 14 of the young upstarts.

These omissions notwithstanding, Secrets of the Elephants is a fascinating series that explores the lives of pachyderms from all angles across the African continent. James Cameron produces several episodes.

Watch the trailer on Nzou and her crew here. But read the fuller account of her life at Conservation Travel Africa.

Photo credit: Conservation Travel Africa