I’ve been in a movie making mood lately and am running low on Yellowstone photos until I get to Yellowstone in April. In the mean time I hope you enjoy a little movie I did from our Africa trip. This was at the best waterhole in Kruger National Park.
The day I shot most of the elephants in the above movie I watched elephants from predawn to post dusk. Elephants are absolutely amazing animals to watch. Except for lone bulls they are almost all in family groups and they interact like our families. A tiny baby elephant can lie down in shallow water literally surrounded by tons of other elephants and never get stepped on, even when the baby is flopping around, sticking its trunk out, and generally oblivious to the other elephants. The rest of them know exactly where that baby is and even the mischievous teenagers don’t cause any trouble.
There are 2 incidents that really stand out in my mind. One time a baby elephant fell into a cement lined waterhole. It couldn’t get out and was calling for help. Most of its family immediately formed a circle around the baby, all with their heads outwards looking for danger. While they did that the babies’ mother and auntie used their trunks to get the baby out. It wasn’t graceful but the baby got out unhurt. Another time a group of elephants was feeding near us when a few impala wandered in. One of the smaller elephant babies ran after one impala bellowing in a very high pitched note and ran the impala in a circle twice. The baby elephant then ran back to his family. I could swear I heard him say “Did you see what I did? I am soooo brave!!!”
Love ,love the baby elephants,didn’t realize how fast the little ones can walk!! Thanks!
They can really move when Mom says move. I didn’t realize how fast a big bus can move in reverse until a full grown male with huge tusks went running towards it.
LOVE the “babies”!!
How lucky you got to see so many and with their littles. Awesome. Amazing animals.
Thanks for sharing.
Love the interaction, especially between the younger elephants 🙂