European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 7, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Female elephants cozy up with their trunks in an encounter in Kenya s Ambo Seli National Park. National  a Little help from their friends african elephants stick together by Barbara Moffet National geographic o the female elephants in Kenya s Ambo Seli National Park family in t everything when really in need they also rely on sheif Bond  a sorority of Friendly elephants that will come to the Rescue at the sound of a Bellow elephant families at Ambo Seli Are permanent units of several related females and their offspring males leave the family when mature. But most families seek outside support by forming alliances with other families these Bond groups May spend As much As 40 percent of their time together. What s to unique about Bond groups is that even the animals with the most Complex social systems primates mainly interact with members of a single social group elephants apparently need More says Sandy j Andelman. A research associate at the University of Minnesota who is studying the elephants. She theorizes that the main unction of Bond groups is As a buddy system to help defend the vast amounts of food and water needed Over the elephants Long lifetimes this is the first report of Alliance formation among mammals having hoofs ungulate species. When Bond group n Imbert meet the greeting is demonstrative to say the least. The elephants might place their trunks in each other s Mouths and they often sniff each other s temporal glands on the Side of the forehead. They also will rumble raise their ears open their Mouths in an exaggerated fashion and if really exuberant spin around in circles urinating defecating and trumpeting. Page 18 the stars and stripes one Bond group observed by Andelman goes through this display even after a separation of Only a half hour. Andelman s study which is partly supported by the National geographic society is focused on the female elephants of Ambo Seli a 150-Squaro mile National Park at the loot of mount Kilimanjaro in Southern Kenya. Her subjects Are some of the 670 elephants identified by naturalist Cynthia Moss and her colleagues since 1972 sometimes formation of a Bond group depends upon the actions of one individual around 1981 a female called Ovilla apparently decided to form such an Alliance with the group headed by an elephant known As Delia Over several years when Ovilla would encounter Delia and her group she would Greet them warmly As if they were bonded. Initially says Andelman Delia s group ignored her but eventually Ovilla insinuated herself. Now the two families spend nearly half their time together. Bond groups also have been known to disintegrate upon the death of the matriarch who also can be the key to the group s status. For Many Yean scientists believed that an elephant s status was based on its size. Andelman says that although this is True within family units the Overall status of a family or Bond group depends on different factors. In a conflict Between families or Bond groups the dominant group is the one with the most members and the oldest matriarch even if the matriarch in t present at the time the Rule will hold Andelman says. Elephants have very Good memories and Are very aware of who is related to  sunday september 7,1986 the Bond group is at its most valuable in confrontations Over food such As a fallen tree which represents a concentrated mass of Energy for elephants when one elephant confronts another from a different group the Hierarchy takes Over. The dominant elephant May approach ears folded Back while the subordinate one retreats often glancing Over her shoulder. Or the dominant elephant May actually charge the subordinate occasionally tasking her and drawing blood. At that Point the subordinate elephant usually runs away bellowing Lor help from her Bond group. High ranking groups apparently use their status to maintain the same size Range in both wet and dry seasons Andelman says. Low ranking groups Are restricted to smaller ranges during the dry season forcing them to struggle for scant food supplies. Although the elaborate greeting ritual is generally reserved for Bond groups Andelman reports an exception. Five females have come to know her jeep so Well that on the first encounter of the Day they raise their ears open their Mouths and rumble. One Young elephant known As Zsa Zsa actually incorporated the jeep into her Bond group. During the dry season when food was scarce she would hear the scientist s vehicle approaching and run away from her family to join it. After greeting my car she would spend the Day following a few meters away like a dog Andelman recalls. The scientist eventually concluded that Zsa Zsa was using the jeep As a Buffer by sticking close to it she was Able to feed uninterrupted by other elephants As expected when the Rains finally came bringing