Elephants make for some of the most memorable encounters in a game reserve. Their sheer size, slow confidence, and deep social bonds leave a deep and lasting impression.
Elephants stand side by side to drink
These elephants stood side by side with their trunks stretched over the edges of a reservoir, to drink deeply of the water inside it.
Nearby, a herd of zebra grazed peacefully; unperturbed by the presence of the elephants. Despite the difference in size and strength between the elephants and the zebra, the atmosphere remained calm.
For the zebra, the presence of the elephants provided relative protection. Predators such as lions are less likely to launch an ambush when elephants dominate a scene.
A moment of social cohesion
The elephants used their trunks as drinking straws to syphon the water out of the reservoir. It was a poignant moment in which the elephants refreshed themselves and also enjoyed one another’s company. Elephants are highly sociable animals and drinking sessions often turn into social gatherings.
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The elephants agile trunks made it possible to reach the water. Elephant trunks have many uses, and are also central to elephant communication, being frequently used to reassure, discipline, or greet one another.
Zebra graze peacefully alongside herd
The elephants, in turn, show little concern for the zebra. Their focus remained on drinking, cooling, and tending to their calves. This peaceful sharing of water highlighted an unspoken understanding between the species.
In such instances, zebra benefit from the elephants’ size and vigilance, while elephants are largely indifferent to the smaller animals around them.
Some members of the herd moved around to the other side of the reservoir for a drink, and their trunks could be seen stretching up and over into the water. The way the elephants could reach right over the edges of the large reservoir to get water was a testament to their large size.
African elephants in the Kruger National Park are the largest land animals on Earth, and some of the biggest individuals ever recorded have lived in this region.
An adult bull elephant in Kruger can stand up to 3.5m tall at the shoulders, and weigh roughly the same as a large truck. Particularly large bulls, often older males in their prime, may even exceed this weight during peak condition.
However, despite their bulk, elephants move with surprising quietness. This is a result of the thick, cushioned pads under their feet which absorb sound and impact.
A reminder that of nature’s glorious diversity of species
While spectators witnessed mostly the tail-end of these large creatures, it was still a beautiful sighting, reminding one that species can coexist side by side and that their presence can also benefit one another.
While the zebra couldn’t reach the water as the elephants could, they were content to continue to graze, and at intervals looked up to watch the elephant herd members, which were no doubt as social as they were thirsty!
Nature is diverse and oftentimes, a single sighting can include many species.
