Mike ran into the elephant herd on our reserve twice in two days, once two days ago on the afternoon game drive, and then again yesterday morning.
On one of the sightings an elephant entertained our guests with a messy mud bath (the guests were not covered in any!!), while on the second sighting the dominant bull had one of his funny moods again. He’s been like that for years, and if he is in a grumpy mood then one better stays away from him, but at the same time one should make it clear to him that we will not just drive away and that one stands one’s ground, that’s very important otherwise he will acquire this as a repeat behavior. So after his display of superiority he usually calms down, but the whole spectacle is quite something. He is much calmer than a few years back as he has gotten used to vehicles, but this is indeed a bull that is not naturally friendly. But he’s a beautiful elephant and it is always fascinating to see them walk past us, feeding off trees, bathing in mud, basically doing what elephants do.
We are seeing the elephants more regularly as of late because of much improved communication, so that’s excellent news!
See the photos of both sightings below.
