The Elephant
Just in case you haven't been following me lately, I just got back from South Africa. I've been posting some images of the "big five" (see previous posts). Also part of the "big five" is the Elephant - the largest of the land mammals. They eat about 375 pounds of foliage a day and that takes up at least 14 hours of the day - it's no wonder why every time we saw one they were eating.
We came across this Elephant just before sunset on a game drive. I had faith in our guide Barney, who was fearless and determined to give us the best experience ever. No surprises here as he veered off the road (which is just beyond the Elephant here), around a grouping of trees (and even over some trees!) and right up next to it. The Elephants seemed to be more a little more timid than anything we had come across before but when we turned our engine off and just sat and watched it continued on with its meal. Being only about 20 feet away I really got a taste of what a massive and magnificent creature it really is.
You may notice that one of the tusks is angled up. Barney pointed out that this is just a defect from birth or shortly after.
Happy Earth Day everyone!
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