The Elephants on Parade

Last Sunday (Thanksgiving) our gracious hostess brought us to Addo Elephant Park, where I managed to capture completely sub-par photographs of an experience that was anything but.

Although we passed several piles of dung after entering the gates, the first animal we did actually see was a male elephant in a muddy water hole. He must have sensed that he was breaking our wild elephant virginity so he gave us a show and sprayed water and mud on his body with his trunk. By the time we collected ourselves and drove on he looked like a brown sub-species of Loxodonta africana.

Along with dainty warthogs and many, many kudu, we saw the precious dung beetle, whose presence is so important that there are signs warning you not to drive over dung piles, and stating that dung beetles always have the right of way.

The highlight of my day was most certainly towards the end of the trip when we had seen just about every amazing thing we could have seen (with the added bonus of ice cream). The car turned a corner and up ahead in the road there were 30+ elephants all gathered around a water hole. We sat and watched them so long we began to see groups separate and leave. We saw babies being guarded by their mothers with some kind of physical contact at all times. There were juveniles play-fighting with each other. There were loud grunts and trumpet noises and some very excited males on the hunt. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen, and I feel like the Grinch; my heart may have actually grown three sizes that day.

In the background zebras and warthogs tried to get their fill as well, but were of least concern at that point. I have added some pictures below, but even as a pair words and photos can’t capture 5% of the experience. If you really want to know further then you must come here and see it for yourself. 

I’ll keep things work and ocean related in my next post, so keep your snorkel close by.

Jill

P.S. If you notice anything HUGE about one of these bull elephants then you’re not alone. The lady elephants noticed it too, but we all pretended we didn’t for his sake.