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Extended families

In the late afternoon, researcher Andrea Turkalo has noticed that two related elephants have arrived at Dzanga Bai from different parts of the forest. Mimi 1 and Mimi 2 head right towards each other, greeting each other with low frequencey sounds and touching trunks. These elephants are a mother and daughter, their greetings are very subtle, but once you can identify individuals you can predict their behaviour. By understanding these relationships, Andrea has made an important discovery. In the forest beyond the bai, it's rare to see more than one elephant at a time. Until recently people assumed they led solitary, independent lives. Andrea believes that even if relatives do not stay with each other in the forest, they do appear to know each others' whereabouts and have extensive networks. Dzanga Bai, as well as offering medicinal salts, appears to be an important venue for elephant family reunions.

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