An Elephant of a Day

It just doesn't seem right to live on the doorstep of Kruger National Park and not visit it on our way home from church. So, off we went on the old Phalaborwa-to-Orpen drive two Sundays ago.

You'd think we be bored with all these animals by now, but we can't seem to get enough. There is just something about Kruger that keeps you coming back. Since it's a wildlife park, not a zoo, the animals roam free and you can get as close to them as you (or they) dare. And this is just what we like to do. We had no idea, for example, that elephant had such cracked and wrinkled skin or that their ears are rather rough and jagged at the edges. Fascinating. We also like that the animals here are "wild". . . no zoo-keepers to look after them making sure they are nicely groomed for onlookers. No scrubbed faces, plucked eyebrows, manicured nails, or regular feeding times. It's all wild all the time. So, it's possible that you might not see anything at all. This is what makes Kruger so thrilling.

We got lucky. It turned out to be a day full of elephant. (Yes!) Now, I suppose it is reasonable to assume that people don't find elephant as interminably interesting as we do. But, we can't help but try to convince you of their indomitable power, grace, and beauty.




Of course, many of them didn't stick around very long...


But, we were close enough to one that we finally got to see some of the details we usually miss...ears, knees, tusks, trunk, and tail. (Hhmmm, this is sounding a bit like a primary song.)






Despite all of these exciting sightings, Neil found it possible to squeeze in a "quick, 5-minute" nap.

Actually, it was closer to 45 minutes. I can't blame him though. Those 2 two hours of church are pretty tough in the sweltering heat. Nothing like a little air conditioning and a serene, untamed landscape to knock you out. And, boy, was he out.


The only problem with this (aside from the possibility of him swallowing some bugs) is that he was supposed to be the "spotter". Who knows what we missed on the other side of the road while he was dreaming about Peanut Buster Parfaits and the Huskies actually winning a football game.

Upon his return to the land of the fully-conscious, however, he more than made up for his temporary absence. At his insistence, we took a little dirt side road we've never driven before which follows along the Timbavati River for several kilometers. It was here that he made some sightings about which I was very captivated and he was very proud. (Now that's the face of vindication).


A family of elephant in the grass! And a baby elephant to boot! They weren't too terribly attentive to us (typical behavior--unless you're eating something in front of a baboon), but still amazing. Eventually they wandered off into the trees and we moved along down the road.


Then Neil suggested we take the numerous circular outlets positioned along side the road. This was great fun at first since these little offshoots give you incredible views of the river and substantially increase the probability of spotting various wildlife. But, after a dozen of these side trips had yielded little more than a different angle of a dry river bed, I was not only a little nauseous but also slightly irritable. I was just about to invoke my last allotted veto of the year when we heard quite the ruckus coming from the river. Naturally, a grumbly stomach and a hint of annoyance take a back seat to this kind of potential sighting. So, we ventured onto the nearest circular offshoot where we were delighted to see yet another elephant family. Again, with baby in tow! Admit it, few things are better than baby elephant.

Actually, when we first happened upon this group, two adults were having some sort of elephant scuffle...trunks raised, tusks interlocked, bodies thrust against each other. Eventually one knocked the other down whereupon it fell onto it's side and rolled down the sloped riverbed. (Yes, really.) Not being animal behaviorists we have no idea what was going on, but we convinced ourselves that this little ruckus was the result one of them getting to close to the baby....probably the one that ended up on the ground. We were so enthralled by this interaction that by the time we managed to get the camera out, this little tussle was over. But you can see here the aftermath of the battle.

It's difficult to top this kind of sighting. But, to our delight, there was more to come. When we rounded the next corner, we found ourselves face-to-face with this beauty.

I'm certain I don't have to explain why we stayed here gawking for a good 30 minutes. We'd have stayed longer too, if we'd didn't need to get to the park gate before it closed. No problem. There is always next Sunday...