Last month, while following the course of the Mphongolo River north of Shingwedzi in the Kruger National Park on our morning drive, we came across this amusing scene at the Mavatsani waterhole, just south of the turnoff to Sirheni Bushveld Camp. The day was already quite hot and a herd of elephants, a couple of buffaloes, some baboons, nyalas and warthogs were milling around the muddy water. An elephant cow claimed a hole from which clear water was seeping but had her hands – or is that head, trunk and front leg? – full with a youngster trying to muscle his way in on her treasure. The calf protested with loud screams when she tried to shove him away but he did not give an inch and, her gentle nature obviously winning over her frustration, the cow eventually let him through to quench his thirst from her well.
I am a fully accredited and legally registered tour guide (with all the necessary insurance, professional drivers license and first aid certification) – don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like me to arrange a guided tour of beautiful South Africa and all her natural wonders, like the Kruger National Park, for you as well, or even just to assist with your holiday reservations for our national parks and nature reserves throughout the country.
DeWetsWild 
Gosh it looks so dry – at least there is some water the animals to access. Glad that the youngster finally got its way and shared a drink. It must have been an interesting interaction to witness.
It really was very dry in early October, Carol, but I’ve seen more recent pictures taken after some good rains and it’s looking promising!
Thanks Dries – good to know they have had some good rains.
What a spirited young elephant Dries, so glad it got a drink too! 😊
He wasn’t going to be bullied!
Dries–this was so cute! I would love to have heard that little elephant pitching a fit!
This certainly was an amusing scene, Lois!
What an adorable sequence of photos, Dries! It’s hard to imagine anything cuter than a baby elephant.
Thank you, Janet!
This little fellow has a lot of umph!