Hi everybody,
Unfortunately, because Frankie died, the herd now has no matriarch. The matriarch has the important job is guiding the herd to food and water. The matriarch has to have a lot of knowledge about the surrounding area. This knowledge is passed down from generation to generation and it hundreds of years old. Before Frankie, Nana used to be the matriarch of the herd. But, she gave over those duties to Frankie, because Nana became partially blind with cataract. With no matriarch in place yet, the herd is scattered around the reservation and directionless. A matriarch needs to emerge soon, to keep them together.
There are many candidates for the new matriarch of the Thula Thula herd. One promising candidate is Marula, Frankie’s daughter. Here she is asserting her dominance by gently kicking her daughter Boni, because Boni was blocking the way and not letting the herd cross the path. Marula has the same temper as her Mother Frankie!
The other candidate for matriarch could be Nandi, Nana's daughter. You can see the Thula Thula family tree here.
I hope the herd finds a good matriarch that will guide them well! They need to be led out of this dark period and back into the light. Thank you to all my supporters who have helped me save African wildlife because they deserve it!
Ayan