9781422276365

INTRODUCTION

Wildlife is constantly alert to the scents carried on the air. An elephant holds its trunk high in order to test the breeze for the scent of food, friends, or enemies. O n a hot, clear day in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda—now called Rowenzori—in August of 1968 I watched four bull elephants feed on the lush grasses that grew along the placidly flowing Nile River. And what elephants they were—a patriarch and his three attendants! The attendants were all large, mature bulls, 35 to 40 years of age, but the patri- arch was huge , the biggest elephant I have ever seen, with tusks to match his bulk. My guide, Finn Allen, who had been raised in East African game parks, said that it, too, was the largest ele- phant he had ever seen. We estimated that the old bull stood at least 3.3 meters (11 feet) high at the shoulder and that he probably weighed over 5,400 kilo- grams (12,000 pounds). His tusks were truly impressive, projecting slightly beyond his outstretched trunk. They had to be at least 2.75 meters (9 feet) long and weigh in the vicinity of 90 kilograms (200 pounds) each.

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