Joe Andrews submitted this footage to Latest Sightings. He filmed it while on a game at South Africa’s Welgevonden Private Game Reserve.
Not happy
Joining the action in Joe’s video footage, we see a young elephant. Its flared ears and raised head suggest that something has agitated it.
Although they are the world’s largest land mammal, they are nevertheless constantly on the lookout for danger. Although they have poor eyesight, their hearing and sense of smell are extremely sensitive.
Culprit revealed
As Joe pans his camera to the right, it settles on the cause of the elephant’s distress. A cheetah stands its ground, as yet unwilling to abandon the carcass that lies before it.
Although obscured by the grass, it looks like it has killed an impala. Considering cheetahs lose a large percentage of their kills to scavengers, it’s little wonder it is reluctant to leave.
It bears mentioning that the cheetah poses no threat to the elephant. Instead, the elephant may be responding to the smell of blood from the carcass.
Young cow
Turning back to the elephant, we note that it is a female. We can tell this by the angular forehead. A male’s forehead is quite round by comparison.
Also, judging by her small tusks, it looks like she is between 2 and 5 years old. As such, she is too young to breed. But, where is the rest of her herd?
Surrender
Returning to the cheetah, we see that it is beginning to lose its nerve. As the elephant looms over it, it turns and reluctantly moves from its kill.
As it does, the young cow stands her ground. Even though the cheetah is moving off, she remains alert. Flared ears and a raised tail are both signs that she is not happy.
Reinforcements arrive
Subsequently, more elephants emerge from the surrounding bush. As they do, we see that there are calves among them.
Understandably, they are very protective of their young, and they, too, display agitation in their body language. These non-verbal cues are meant both for the herd and the perceived threat.
In the above images, we see that the elephants are forming a tight bunch. As they do, the adults face outwards, shielding the youngsters in the middle of the huddle.
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Calm but alert
As time passes, the elephants begin to settle. However, they are still on the alert. We can see this by the fact that they are still tightly bunched.
Additionally, at least three of the adults hold their trunks aloft, scenting the air for any sign of the cheetah. One gets the sense that they might soon return to their pattern of relaxed feeding.
Not quite
However, a short while later, when they move towards where the cheetah was last seen, we hear trumpeting and growls coming from the elephants.
Next thing, one of the adults goes charging down the road, adding to the tension among the herd. We’re left at a loss to explain why it ran off. Maybe it is chasing the cheetah.
As Joe’s video ends, the rest of the herd follow, raising clouds of dust and trumpeting loudly. Considering that they were never in any danger, it all seems like much ado about nothing.
