A few years ago I read a quote that’s stuck with me ever since:
“Life doesn’t come with a manual, it comes with a mother”.
Of course, this also counts for elephants - or especially for elephants. The mothers teach their calves how to pick the best plants for eating, how to defend against predators, and how to navigate in the savannah. This is very important because at some point they might need to lead a herd of elephants and during times of drought, when water sources dry up, the oldest female elephants can lead their herd hundreds of miles to water they visited years before.
A female elephant will typically live and roam with her mom until she dies. Male elephants stay with their moms through many years of nurturing before going off on their own.