It’s also marula season for elephants
The National Geographic states that there is a perception that elephants can get drunk by eating fermenting fruit rotting on the ground. The perception has divided scholars.
HLANE – If you thought the marula fruit (buganu) is only associated with human beings, then think again. This is because research has shown that human beings actually compete with a number of wild animals for the marula fruit, mainly the elephant which is understood to be fond of the fruit.
A number of scenes have been shown depicting baboons, elephants, giraffes, warthogs and other African animals eating fermented fruit of the marula tree.
The National Geographic states that there is a perception that elephants can get drunk by eating fermenting fruit rotting on the ground. The perception has divided scholars.
According to a research by Michael Theys, marula trees are widespread across southern Africa, dating back 1 000 of years. They are found in the Miombo woodland areas, the most famous of which is the Greater Kruger area, one of Africa’s best safari destinations.
TASTES
Big Game Parks’ Teddy Reilly believes wild animals like elephants like marula fruits because it tastes good.
Reilly confirmed that a number of wild animals including elephants, impala, warthogs and many more were attracted to the marula fruit just like human beings.
“These animals enjoy the fruit a lot and during the marula season, you will find those animals helping themselves to the available trees. This is normally prevalent in areas like Hlane where there are a lot of the marula trees,” he said.
Asked if the animals get drunk after eating the fruit as suggested in some quarters, Reilly dismissed such as a myth.
“I have read somewhere people suggesting that elephants get drunk after eating the marula fruit, which is just a myth. There is no proof on how these animals behave after eating the fruit but one thing I am certain about is that they enjoy it,” Reilly said.
It has been gathered that a number of the local game parks have most of the animals that like to eat the marula fruit and this includes the Hlane Game Reserve where the second leg of the annual Buganu Festival is hosted.
The scientific name for the marula tree, according to Theys, is Sclerocarya birrea, while others refer to it as “elephant tree.”
The marula tree is large and leafy and can grow up to sixteen feet tall (4.8 m). The tree produces marula fruit almost year-round — even in the dry seasons.
Theys states that many people refer to the marula tree as “the elephant tree” because of the myth surrounding drunken animals who eat the fruit.
Interesting to note is that the South African Forestry Group protects and conserves marula trees under law.
Further research shows that some African communities use the marula bark as an antihistamine and prevention for malaria. Marula fruit can even treat stomach aches. The marula fruit is considered incredibly high in vitamin C, containing eight times more vitamin C than oranges.
In ancient times, this juicy fruit was a staple dietary component in Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.
As an important part of local diets, the Bantu people carried marula with them as they migrated through Africa, which explains why the fruit is now found in countries like Madagascar and West Africa.
DELICAY
The nut inside of the marula fruit is full of protein and minerals and the fruit is not only a delicacy for elephants but impalas, kudus and other creatures also feed on this delicious treat.
These animals get fallen marula directly from the ground, or thanks to the pachyderms that shake the trees to get the fruit to fall off the branches. Ripe marula tastes almost tart, with a sweet or sour taste. How sweet or sour depends on its ripeness.
At the centre, it has a large walnut-sized stone containing a soft nut kernel. The kernel is highly nutritious and has a rather delicate and distinct aroma. People usually eat this raw or roasted.
There are multiple uses for marula fruit. You can boil the marula skin to brew tea with, or burn it and grind it as a substitute for coffee. You can also extract marula oil from the fruit, which has tons of medicinal benefits.
Additionally, it is rich in oleic acids and other antioxidants, the latter of which aids in the prevention of various diseases, including heart disease. The fruit is further known to offer other health benefits for the bones, skin, hair and muscles.
Most often, the marula fruit is processed and used in beverages and jellies. In South Africa, it is hand-harvested and turned into the famous creamy drink — Amarula.
Like most fruits, marula can ferment to create marula alcohol. The same principle applies to potatoes, which are fermented to create vodka, and apples, which produce cider.
Marula trees are incredibly popular to elephants — they eat the bark and devour the fruit, then spread marula seeds around their habitats. The seeds are even spread through elephant dung.
So, as time went on, elephants and marula fruits became mythically linked. According to some, marula is wildlife booze that gets elephants drunk. The story goes that wild animals would get drunk by eating the marula fruit that had fallen off trees and fermented while on the ground.
The story was so powerful that it inspired an entire liquor brand — the famous ‘Amarula’ cream, which is a tasty liqueur similar to Bailey’s. For this reason, the Marula tree is sometimes referred to as the Amarula tree.
There is also a psychedelically painted elephant on the front cover of the Amarula bottle. Even the liquor brand leverages the lore of marula to sell bottles of their product. Elephants are seen plucking the fruit from trees in Amarula advertisements, hinting at the myth that many Amarula patrons believe in.
Currently in Eswatini, the government operates at least 17 protected areas for wildlife. Compared to many governments in the African continent and abroad, the Eswatini government is very proactive in helping animals not go extinct.
SITUATED
These animals include Elephants and about 40 of these animals live in two herds in Hlane Royal National Park, which is situated in the Lubombo region.
Hlane area is known to be very rich in as far as marula trees are concerned and they can be seen scattered all the different communities.
It is actually one of the reasons the Swazi Secrets facility near Mpaka was built around the same area to make it accessible for Lutsango. This is the same facility where the marula fruit is brewed along with other useful products which include bathing soap and skin lotions among the many.
Swazi Secrets’ General Manager Wandile Dlamini confirmed to the Eswatini news that most of these products were exported to countries outside the borders of this country including Europe. Some of the countries that usually receive such products include the United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA) and Taiwan among the many.
Ripe marula tastes almost tart, with a sweet or sour taste. How sweet or sour depends on its ripeness.