A youngster makes its way down the incline to the waterhole’s edge.
Being cautious is paramount as it does not want to fall into the water and must call for assistance.
Elephants tend to look sheepish if they make a mistake and the herd has to come to their assistance.
At the same waterhole, but on a different day. Elephants do NOT like to share water, and this large bull was no exception, as it had chased off both zebra and giraffe before stopping to drink.
There have been documented instances where enraged elephants have killed rhinos and, recently, a giraffe that refused to allow an elephant exclusive use of a waterhole.
The tip of a tusk is useful for digging for food, especially in the vegetation found in water.
Tusks are impressive, and the remaining large tuskers in the Kruger Park carry ivory over 3m.
Despite what people might think, young elephants do not use their trunks to suckle.
It would be a lot easier if they could, but they have to assume this awkward position to get the sustenance they require.
The epitome of the adage “Looking down my nose at you”.
Is this a shower or a bath?
And does it really matter?
The business end of an elephant.
Elephant tusks evolved from teeth, giving the species an evolutionary advantage.
They serve various purposes, including digging, lifting objects, gathering food, stripping bark from trees, and fighting.
The tusks also protect the trunk, a valuable tool for drinking, breathing, and eating.
FYI: Elephants can be either left or right-handed (or should that be tusked).
The shorter tusk denotes the one most often used.
Fun facts about the trunk.
An elephant’s trunk, a marvel of nature, is a fusion of the nose and upper lip and contains as many as 150000 muscles and tendons.
This allows the animal to perform a variety of tasks, from breathing and drinking to smelling and even acting as a hand.
It can tear huge branches from trees or pick up the tiniest leaf with dexterity and gentleness.
Not gorillas in the mist…
Seen from an underground hide late at night…
This elephant might look imposing, but a Blue Whale, if it could live on land, would certainly surpass this behemoth in both size and weight.
The whale can weigh as much as 200,000 kilograms or 220 tons, but luckily, to the best of my knowledge, they are not found in any of the waterholes on any reserve in Africa.
By comparison, an adult African elephant weighs up to 6 tons, so it may take 30 or more elephants to equal the weight of one blue whale.
Who cannot love a face like this?
This cannot be the template for the 1941 Disney movie Dumbo as that was based on an Asian elephant with enlarged ears that allowed it to fly!
Fixated on getting to water that was close by, this was a section of a larger herd that thundered past our vehicle.
A drink and a shower at the same time…
The eye of an elephant is a window to ancient wisdom, a gaze that seems to stretch beyond time itself. Framed by a delicate lattice of wrinkles, it holds the weight of centuries—of migrations across endless plains, of whispered secrets carried on the wind, of the deep and silent knowing that only the great ones possess.
When an elephant looks at you, truly looks at you, it is as if the earth itself is watching, seeing not just the surface of who you are, but the depths of your spirit.
There is kindness there, and sorrow, and an understanding that humbles the soul, for in that moment, you are no longer just a visitor to the wild—you are part of its story.
Travel is the proud winner of this prestigious award from the digital British lifestyle magazine Luxlife. The award is in the category Best Travel & Experiences Blog 2024 – South Africa.
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