One of the reasons I went to Africa the first time was to see elephants in the wild. With eleven trips now under my belt, I have had the pleasure of many amazing elephant encounters. With elephants being the largest land mammal roaming the earth, people are surprised to discover they are not one of the most dangerous. That is because elephants speak to you. They let you know if they are in a good mood or bad. They tell you when you get within their comfort zone. They show you their baby and ask you politely not to get too close. You, as the tourist, the visitor into their world, have to know how to speak their language and interpret their signs.
On my recent trip to Botswana, I was on a game drive in an open vehicle when we came upon a breeding herd of elephants with babies in tow. Before getting too close, we stopped our truck and remained quiet and still. The elephants too stopped. They faced us then slowly and deliberately moved towards us. The herd parted, elephants walked on both sides of our vehicle. When they had us completely surrounded, many turned to face us.
Regardless of how many times I have been this close to wild elephants, this encounter made my heart race; there were so many and they were so close. But I, as well as my guide, read their signals and looked for signs of aggression or anger. The elephants flapped their ears normally. Babies nursed. Some elephants ate from the bushes nearby. Many were completely uninterested and moved about on the exterior of the circle that surrounded us. Except for an occasional soft belly rumble, they were a quiet crowd. All indications showed they were not threatened by us at all; instead they were quite curious so we sat silently and watched.
On one side of the truck there was a young male elephant that showed us how brave he was by inching closer and closer to us. He reached out with his trunk and touched the guide. The was another one on the right – the side I was sitting on – who also reached out with his trunk but never touched me, only smelled, trying to decipher what I was.
It was discovered by Joyce Poole, an elephant researcher in Amboseli, Kenya, that elephants make a subsonic sound that is too low for us to hear. That must have been how this herd communicated it was time for them to move on because as suddenly as this great encounter started, it was over. They each packed up their trunks and moved on not even saying goodbye or nice to meet you.
I won’t soon forget this encounter realizing it was safe because the herd was peaceful and we properly read their signals. I look forward to the next opportunity to watch these amazing creatures. I will do so with the greatest of respect, curiosity and admiration for the largest land mammal roaming our earth.
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| Photo Curtesy of Dr. Andreas Frank |
On my recent trip to Botswana, I was on a game drive in an open vehicle when we came upon a breeding herd of elephants with babies in tow. Before getting too close, we stopped our truck and remained quiet and still. The elephants too stopped. They faced us then slowly and deliberately moved towards us. The herd parted, elephants walked on both sides of our vehicle. When they had us completely surrounded, many turned to face us.
 |
| Photo Curtesy of Dr. Andreas Frank |
On one side of the truck there was a young male elephant that showed us how brave he was by inching closer and closer to us. He reached out with his trunk and touched the guide. The was another one on the right – the side I was sitting on – who also reached out with his trunk but never touched me, only smelled, trying to decipher what I was.
 |
| Photo Curtesy of Dr. Andreas Frank |
I won’t soon forget this encounter realizing it was safe because the herd was peaceful and we properly read their signals. I look forward to the next opportunity to watch these amazing creatures. I will do so with the greatest of respect, curiosity and admiration for the largest land mammal roaming our earth.
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