When it comes to animals on safari, elephants are always a top priority for most guests. Not only are they one of the Big 5, but also the biggest and it can be argued that they are the most dangerous, depending on the situation. Elephants are one of my favourite animals to spend time with and on many occasions, without anybody noticing, we could spend more than an hour with a family of elephants.

A family of elephants is called a breeding herd and normally consists of females, adolescent males and babies or calves. A herd like this can be very entertaining as young ones are always playful and it is impressive to see how adults are able to tear trees apart as if they were toothpicks. This is also what gives them away as feeding herds of elephants are extremely noisy; yet at the same time, it always amazes me how they just disappear into the bush almost like big ghosts. Any ranger can tell you how difficult it is to find a herd that is in stealth mode or that doesn’t want to be found. An entire herd of elephants can walk straight through your lodge at night without anyone knowing that they have been there. This is done by essentially by walking on tiptoes, and by having a tough, fatty part for the sole. This spongy “shock absorber” helps them to move so silently.

I have always admired elephants and after recently reading a book about a herd of elephants surely saved from a certain death, I felt even more respect and empathy towards these giants. The book is called “The Elephant Whisperer” by Lawrence Anthony and it unravels and follows the history and life of a troubled herd of elephants. It was heart-warming to see how far some people will still go for conservation. Protecting and conserving our elephants is very important as most people don’t know the massive threat they are under. It’s not only rhinos being poached at an alarming rate, in the last three years more than 100 000 elephants have been killed in Africa for the ivory trade. Sad will be the day when the African plains aren’t roamed by these colossal anymore, as it is not only, but mostly the big males that get killed for their tusks.

For me, having a massive old male close to my game drive vehicle is the most humbling experience one can ever experience in the bush. Standing there, sometimes taking a little nap and even looking like he is enjoying our company, always makes me wonder what he has seen and experienced in his life. That’s more than 50 years in the African bush and what epic stories would emerge if they could be told. Most people don’t realise the importance of these old timers. They actually act as mentors for younger and confused males that just got kicked out of their family group. He will teach them how to behave and where to find water in the dry season etc. Truly a walking library. A group like this is called an askari. In return for his knowledge and guidance, younger males will push over vegetation for him in his old days. This is just one example of the bonds that form between elephants.

It is well known that elephants mourn their relative’s deaths, or acknowledge it, as there are various reports of elephants picking up old elephant bones or mauling and vocalising tremendously around carcasses. That is also why elephants that have been affected badly by humans, such as in war zones or highly poached areas, tend to be troublesome and more dangerous. Everyone knows the saying, “having a memory like an elephant”. They are long-lived and even though they are so massive, they have fragile minds and a troubled elephant is a dangerous one. They can remember previous encounters and situations they were in before and almost every herd has a different history. We always treat them with the outmost respect and care, even if they are in an area like the Sabi Sand and where they are well protected and conserved, one never knows what happened through the night or in what mood they are in. If we are lucky enough and see the same herd more than once, we get to identify certain individuals and their character or even personalities.

A group of elephants are called a herd or a parade, which describes them perfectly especially if walking over an open area or approaching a waterhole. It is always mind blowing to see how a static herd suddenly all start moving in the same direction, sometimes a low pitched rumble from the vocal cords might instigate this behaviour, but elephant communication is something that is very poorly understood. Most sources state that very low frequency sounds are picked up as vibrations by their feet, but no one really knows exactly how far and some reckon a lot further than the originally thought couple of kilometres.

Next time you get the privilege to sit next to a big bull or amongst a breeding herd of elephant, don’t only look at the gigantic structure of these animals, but appreciate them for what they are, how they behave and how they interact with each other. And if lucky enough one might stroll by, giving you a stare and feeling you will remember long after leaving the bush that no photo can justify.