Elephant Don: the politics of a pachyderm posse PDF
Preview Elephant Don: the politics of a pachyderm posse
Elephant Don Elephant Don The Politics of a Pachyderm Posse CAITLIN O’CONNELL The University of Chicago Press Chicago and London Caitlin O’Connell is a faculty member at Stanford University School of Medicine. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Boston Globe, National Geographic, and Discover, among many others. She lives in San Diego. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637 The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London © 2015 by Caitlin O’Connell All rights reserved. Published 2015. Printed in the United States of America 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 1 2 3 4 5 ISBN- 13: 978- 0- 226- 10611- 3 (cloth) ISBN- 13: 978- 0- 226- 10625- 0 (e- book) DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226106250.001.0001 Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data O’Connell, Caitlin, 1965– author. Elephant Don : the politics of a pachyderm posse / Caitlin O’Connell. pages ; cm Includes index. ISBN 978- 0- 226- 10611- 3 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978- 0- 226- 10625- 0 (e- book) 1. Elephants— Namibia. 2. Elephants—Behavior. I. Title. QL737.P98O256 2015 599.6715—dc23 2014036405 ♾ This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48- 1992 (Permanence of Paper). I would like to dedicate this book to Greg, the Elephant Don— aptly represented by the Lozi proverb on the next page, since his male associates can, while he is “hold- ing court” with them, either protect or harm him. May Greg be out there somewhere remembering the good old days among his loyal companions, who still appear to be looking for him. Perhaps one day he will return to reward their vigilance. But if he doesn’t, I hope that his character will remain an example to his associates—a nd to us— of what a fine mentor one can be to the next generation, given a combination of patience, affability, wisdom, and discipline. When the King is in the court, he is an elephant in thorns. Lozi Proverb, Zambia CONTENTS Kissing of the Ring 1 Journey to Mushara 11 The Head That Wears the Crown 23 Introduction to the Boys’ Club 31 Dung Diaries 41 Teenage Wasteland 49 Coalitions and a Fall from Grace 57 Male Bonding 65 The Domino Effect 71 Capo di Tutti Capi 81 Of Musth and Other Demons 91 The Emotional Elephant 99 The Don Back in the Driver’s Seat 113 Closure 123 Sniffing Out Your Relatives 129 Where Are the Boys in Gray? 135 A Case for Dishonest Signaling 147 The Don under Fire 153 Black Mamba in Camp 161 Baying at a Testosterone- Filled Moon 169 Relentless Wind 175 A Deposed Don 183 The Don Returns 193 Scramble for Power 199 The Royal Family 209 Wee Hours 217 The Politics of Family 223 A New Beginning 229 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 237 CHAPTER- OPENING PHOTO CAPTIONS 241 INDEX 243
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