Mafunyane (pronounced Ma-fun-ya-ne) was the most famous member of the Magnificent Seven. His Tsonga name can be translated as 'the irritable one' reflecting the elephant's disdain for, and intolerance of, humans. He was a very shy and elusive animal, avoiding people and moving away from vehicles. He was named after a former KNP warden, Lou Steyn, who was known for his quick temper.
Mafunyane's long straight tusks dragged along the ground as he walked. However, his relatively small stature (he was only 327 cm at the shoulder) meant that they were not as long as those of several other tuskers. His ivory was also oval in cross-section, rather than circular, giving the impression of being heavier than it was.
He had a 10 cm wide hole that penetrated 40 cm deep into his skull. The opening extended into the nasal cavity and he was able to breath through this passage, which also let rain in! The origin of the injury is unknown but it is most likely to have been caused by the tusk of another elephant during a fight. One of the toes of his left hind foot was splayed to one side so that he left a distinctive footprint.
Mafunyane's remains were found on 16 November 1983 near the Tari river, northwest of Shingwedzi. He had been dead for 3-4 weeks. He died of natural causes aged around 57 years of age.
Special Features: Mafunyane's tusks are fairly straight and their tips are worn to a chisel-edge as a result of being rubbed on the ground as he moved. His tusks were perfectly symmetrical and are of identical length and mass.
Both tusks: length 251 cm, mass 55.1 kg, circumference at lip 48 cm
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