Nzou is an African elephant who leads a herd of buffalo, an unusual role for her species. She became the matriarch after arriving at Imire, a conservation sanctuary in Zimbabwe, at just two years old. Orphaned and in need of care, Nzou was brought to the game reserve with the hope that she could be reunited with other elephants. However, she unexpectedly bonded with the resident buffalo instead.
In a typical elephant herd, Nzou wouldn’t assume a leadership role until she was at least 40 years old. Yet, she naturally stepped into the role among the buffalo. Remarkably, the herd has accepted her as their leader and even responds to her rumbles. While buffalo generally graze in one area, Nzou’s roaming habits as an elephant encourage them to follow her throughout the day.
@natgeo_tv nzuo the elephant is 50 years old.. #trending #fy #fyp #elephant ♬ original sound – NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICAL
However, Nzou’s leadership hasn’t been without challenges. She has killed several of the reserve’s prized bulls and is not good around young calves. As a result, large bulls and calves are kept separate from her herd. The cape buffalo are not entirely wild. They are free from foot and mouth disease, making them valuable to farmers and therefore are bred and sold. Despite Nzou’s somewhat erratic care, she is accepting of humans and has shown protective instincts—once saving her human caretaker from an angry bull. Her unique behaviors are attributed to the fact that she didn’t grow up learning from other elephants.
At the time of a documentary filming, Nzou was 26 years old. Now 50, she continues to lead her buffalo family, a role she embraced after several failed attempts to integrate her into an elephant herd. As her caretakers noted, “It was decided to let her stay where she was happiest — with her buffalo family, where she has remained ever since.”
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