Elephants frequently migrate from within the Etosha National Park to adjacent properties. Onguma is no exception, as our entire western boundary borders on Etosha. This migration usually involves sub-adult bulls or older bachelor bulls that have been pushed out of their prospective herds and sometimes they simply ‘love the Onguma life’ so much, that they decide to stay. Scarface was an adult bachelor when he first arrived on the Reserve in 2013.

For years, Scarface would venture back to Etosha during the rainy seasons and return to Onguma at the start of the winter months. A lone bull on a mission, he soon made a name for himself amongst our staff. His facial laceration made it very easy to identify him, which is how, between the Onguma guides, our Anti-Poaching Units, as well as the numerous camera traps set up in the Reserve, we were able to catch a glimpse into his migratory habits.

As you may have guessed, his name was coined due to an old battle scar on the left side of his forehead. Other than poachers and human-wildlife conflict incidents, wild Elephants don’t have many threats except mature, more dominant bulls. We suspect that he ended up in an altercation with another bull. If you look closely at his skull remains you can get an idea of just how severe his injury was, by the damage that is visible on his skeletal structure.