Both come together near water as members of the extended family. While immature, the elephant can be expected to form strong social bonds with its mother, brothers and sisters, invariably copying one another's activities. They all tend to feed, walk, rest, drink and wallow together, usually within a few yards of one another. The stability of the group is most affected by the environmental conditions. Young cow elephants help raise the rest of the family.
Bulls leave the group when they reach the age of puberty.
They may not depart from the group immediately, but hang around near the family for several years before making the final break. They do not meet aggression from the other wandering bulls unless they challenge them over water rights of cows. Bulls associate freely with one another and with the cows and calves again once they have become too big to be chased away. Young bulls form small bachelor groups or gangs of roaming youths, or they may attach themselves to other bulls, keeping separate from the family groups. Family groups show consistent association patterns with one to five other family units to which they are probably related.