On our journey through Kenya and Malawi we have been fortunate to experience several magical Elephant encounters.
The first at Buffalo Springs in Kenya, involved a line of these beasts, females and their calves, that were walking line astern along a trail perpendicular to where we had parked up to watch them. We realised that we had in fact stopped the jeep at the precise spot where the animals wished to cross, so were obliged to back up a few metres to enable them to do so uninhibited. This resulted in extremely close views as the troop, led by the Matriarch, slowly, but purposefully, ambled by. They were certainly aware of us, the way in which they cautiously eyed us as they passed proves this, but the jeep poses no threat and so we are allowed such a privileged sight.
The following day at Samburu, we found ourselves surrounded by a large herd of females and nursing calves, munching their way through the low growing scrub. We were so close that we could hear the sound of their incredibly dextrous and muscular trunks ripping vegetation from the bushes and the grinding of their molars as they fed the dry, brittle food into their mouths.
The most poignant of our Elephant encounters came in Malawi, where on two consecutive mornings we simply stopped the boat on the edge of a quiet lagoon and waited for the animals to come to us. We spent a couple of pleasant and relaxing hours closely observing the interactions within the troop whilst sipping coffee and just soaking it all in. They are such gentle giants with a highly developed social structure, we were indeed greatly privileged to be able to witness such activity. It was all very humbling.
As the session came to an end, the Matriarch approached for a close-up inspection of the boat with her probing eye, ensuring all was safe before turning away to allow the herd to move to fresh foraging grounds deeper into the bush.
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