At the start of the rainy season, Londolozi felt strangely empty of elephants. As the first storms rolled in over the Kruger National Park – often receiving rain before us – bulls and breeding herds of females and their young alike drifted eastward, drawn to the promise of luscious and nutritious vegetation after an exceptionally dry winter in the bush. For weeks, sightings dwindled, leaving only the occasional straggler moving through the reserve. But now, as summer reaches its final stretch and the bush bursts with life and greenery, the elephants have returned in force. And with them, a noticeable shift – a significant increase in sightings of elephant bulls with many of the dominant males in musth. But why now? What triggers this surge among them?

One of Londolozi’s iconic sightings – a large Elephant bulls strolling across the airstrip.

The word “Musth” originates from the Urdu, Persian times, meaning “drunk” or “intoxicated”, which can aptly describe the changed physical condition of an elephant bull or his heightened aggression and unpredictable behaviour.

What is Musth?

Musth is a condition unique to elephant bulls that causes a significant rise in testosterone levels within the male’s biological system. This is aligned with the bull’s strong desire to mate with a female. Bulls will usually experience this phenomenon annually at approximately the same time of the year. The length of time elephant bulls experience this condition can range from a couple of days to many months.

Most bulls will only show clearly visible signs of musth from around the age of 25. Older, dominant and more mature bulls can suppress the extent of musth experienced by younger bulls until those younger males have matured enough to begin challenging larger bulls. This suppression helps maintain social order and reduces the likelihood of escalated aggression and competition.

 Major signs associated with an Elephant bull in musth:

• Leaking temporal glands on the side of their heads constantly secret an oily fluid known as “temporin”.
• They will secret a consistent discharge from their penial sheath that will often stain the insides of their back legs. This fluid has an unmistakably pungent odour.
• Bulls will often walk with a distinctive bounding motion with their heads held high, could be described as strutting around.

An elephant bull in musth searching for a female that is in oestrous. Here you can clearly see the discharge from his temporal gland as well as the stains on the inside of his back legs as a result of the dribble from his penial sheath.

Why do we see an increase in sightings of elephant bulls in musth during this time of the year?

After having been treated to some spectacular sightings of both herds of elephants and bulls that are in Musth over the past few summer weeks, it made me question some of the factors that have contributed to this increased presence of musth bulls. Although, it is difficult to say for sure why this is, here are a couple reasons I believe are the main causes:

• The peak of the breeding season – Although elephants do not have a strict breeding season and they can mate all year round, many females will enter their oestrous cycles in and around the summer wet season as there are more available resources at their disposal. This in turn creates greater opportunities for bulls to mate with these females.
• Increased resource availability – The summer rains lead to the growth of vegetation and improved nutritional value of various food sources. Elephants are now spoilt for choice, especially after coming out of a very dry winter where the vegetation had limited nutritional value. This would have put additional stress and pressure on all elephants. As a result of the rains, there is an abundance of food and water which supports the physical demands that musth requires of bulls.
• Increased concentration of females – Very large breeding herds of females and their young have now returned to Londolozi and the surrounding areas of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve to enjoy the abundance of resources. This means that bulls do not have to travel as far in search of females that may be in oestrous.

An elephant bull in Musth will smell the genitals of a female to assess if she is in oestrous.

A breeding herd of females and their young cross the Sand River in the golden afternoon light.

All elephants, including cows and calves, may experience leaking temporal glands throughout various stages of their lives. This condition is often caused by stress, lack of food or water and even injury.

With elephants once again dominating the landscape, we are reminded how fortunate we are to witness these giants in their natural rhythm. The sheer presence of musth bulls, breeding herds, and their young is a privilege that never loses its magic. However, beyond just observing, taking a step back to question why these patterns unfold deepens our appreciation for this wild space. And the more we seek to understand it, the more we realize just how extraordinary it truly is.