Ranks in the Elephant Society Wednesday, July 11 In the absence of their don, Greg, the bullies, Prince Charles and Luke Skywalker, are heading two factions of Boys" Club members. What surprises me is that while these are some of the biggest bruisers in the club, being on top of these splinter groups seems to have somehow changed their temperament. Luke, especially, seems more tolerant of underlings, except for the scrapper, Spencer, whom he won't let anywhere near him and who doesn't dare try to approach the head of the trough with Luke at the helm. And yet he tolerates some of the junior members, allowing them to share his prime drinking spot, and letting them fawn over him with a trunk over his tusk and many trunk-to-mouth salutes. Meanwhile, Beckham was full of hot sauce yesterday as his testosterone levels seem to be elevating in a ramp up to musth. I can only assume that at this point, based on the increase in secretion in his temporal glands and the fact that July is usually a musth month for him. He was trunk-slapping Tyler and giving Nimoy Jr. a hard time, and it wasn't until Abe arrived just after dark that he cooled down a bit and supplicated to the don's right-hand man. Abe had taken on a bit of extra swagger, perhaps sensing Beckham's impending musth. I was glad to see that he had Willie in tow, a hopeful sign that Abe is not completely opposed to allowing attendants without the don. I wondered if the splintering of the group might cause a few younger bulls to go into musth earlier than they would under Greg's reign; Greg didn't tolerate musth bulls within his ranks. The fact that the pipsqueak, half-pint Ozzie was all hopped up on testosterone the other day was another sign that things were a little out of whack this season. Male elephants don't normally enter musth until they are in their mid-20s. Ozzie can't be more than a late teen. Curiously, we also saw this very young bull in musth in 2008, when the Boys" Club temporarily splintered because rain had been abundant and there was no reason to kowtow to the don of Mushara. Now, without the don, Ozzie is back in musth again. Despite the Boys" Club's slow reassembly for the dry season, I decided to take my hunt for Greg on the road. I want to see the result of the Andoni fire for myself and see what kind of corridors might remain for Greg to return to Mushara. The other possibility for Greg's whereabouts is the fact that there is a bull outside the park that refuses to return by the coaxing of rangers. He's been out there for over a week. Apparently a helicopter has been ordered to aid in the bull's safe return. The film crew and I may accompany the venture to see if the escapee is in fact our lost don. Until then, Wynona's family continues to entertain us. The lower-ranking Greta has a new baby that turned from awkward, pink and wrinkly with black bristly hairs to gray, smooth and beautiful within a matter of days. The only thing he kept from birth was the kink at the bottom of his tail. It's interesting to see how adult females all have their positions within the family. These positions play out particularly upon entrance and exit from the waterhole, where the matriarch named Queen has a secretary of state, Susan; the general, Vanessa; an ambassador, Angelina; and the maverick, Wynona. On departure, Queen is usually first, flanked by Susan, and the rear is brought up by Vanessa. It was business as usual for the family today, including the fact that Wynona and her offspring arrived just as the rest of the family was finishing a dust bath and were preparing to leave the clearing. Only the diplomat, Angelina, stayed behind, rumbling and rumbling, as if calling to Wynona before the family got too separated. Sure enough, after about five or six rumbles, Wynona finally appeared at the edge of the southwest clearing. The family rejoined and returned to the water for a final drink together before departing as one large (and perhaps just a touch dysfunctional) family. Wynona's status and movements remained a mystery. It was a quiet day for the Boys" Club today, but Bobtail the lion and her pride kept us and all the other denizens of the waterhole on our toes. The search for Greg and a further explanation of the lost boys will commence tomorrow.