Loxodonta africana

In October 2024 I had the immense pleasure of hosting long-time blogging friend John Steiner (of Journeys with Johnbo), his wife Lynn, John’s niece Patricia Broesder and her husband Gary on a tour of Cape Town and the Kruger National Park. In Kruger we were joined by colleagues Hannes Rossouw and Irving Knight, both experts in their respective fields.

Still on the subject of elephants. Travelling between Letaba and Satara one early afternoon we came across a most harrowing sight of a lone young elephant, emaciated and totally oblivious to his surroundings and most certainly too small to have been expelled from the herd, walking along an elephant footpath towards – well, what? There was no elephant herd anywhere nearby and we could only guess as to why he was so terribly alone, and obviously has been for quite a while, and where he might be headed. Nature can be cruel at times and watching her take her course is not always easy, but in national parks like the Kruger that is exactly what has to happen. There can only be human intervention if the problem was caused by human interference to begin with and in this case there was no reason to suspect that this was the case.

Young elephant totally alone in the wilderness

Luckily we had many other wonderful encounters with elephants during our visit where we could watch their endearing familiar relations and interactions within the herd.

African Elephant

Young elephant

African Elephant

Baby Elephant

African Elephant

Baby elephant

Big old elephant bull between Satara and Olifants in the Kruger National Park

African Elephant

Baby elephant

Elephant

Elephant calf

Elephant Tusker

Tiny baby elephant

Elephant cow walking past Shingwedzi Camp’s entrance

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.

The African elephant is one of our favourite animals, and every encounter we have with them is special and memorable. There’s just something so majestic in the confident swagger of the big bulls, so tender in the loving care of the cows and so playful in the antics of the calves.

Mature bulls weigh up to 6000kg and stand as high as 4m at the shoulder, while cows measure up to 3.4m high and weigh up to 4000kg. The forest elephant of Central Africa, a different race to those occuring here in South Africa, are much smaller.

Such a soulful eye…

Ivory up close

Elephant whiskers

Mature elephant bull

Elephant cow and calf

Elephant breakfast

Big bull standing tall at Lismore waterhole

Tiny calf staying close to mom at Spekboom

Elephant bull on the Gomondwane Loop

Addo’s Tusker Derek (2017/12/26)

Elephant’s Tail

Elephant’s tail

Elephant bull

Elephants drinking from a temporary stream

Elephant Cow (photo by Joubert)

Elephant tusk

The trunk of African Elephants have two “fingers”

The herd is the core of elephant society, and comprises an older, experienced, dominant female or matriarch, her sisters and daughters, and their calves of varying ages. Sometimes these smaller family units join up with others to create massive congregations of 200 or more animals. Elephants are active throughout the day and night, resting in the shade only during the hottest hours of the day, usually near water. Their intelligence is legendary and the close bonds between herd members, who look after their sick and dying kin as much as they can, has always been an inspiration to humans.

Herd rushing to water

Playtime!

Elephant cows in Addo are mostly tuskless

Elephant herd crossing a road in Kruger Park

On the road in Pilanesberg National Park

Crossing the wide, sandy Letaba River

A tusk can be a useful resting place for a tired trunk

Elephants love playing in water, even big bulls like this

Elephants drinking at De La Porte waterhole

Crossing the Sabie

Elephants claiming the right of way

Wary elephant trio

Big elephant herd feeding in a reedbed

Another herd of elephants arriving at Hapoor

Elephants everywhere you look (Hapoor)

The next day, as we passed Hapoor, the elephants were getting together again

Elephant family

Herd of elephants on the dry plains south of Olifants

Protective elephant herd

Thirsty herd of elephants rushing to the water

Elephant crossing

Elephant mock-charge

Elephant youngster

Addo Elephants

Elephant cresting a hill

Elephant herd on the move

Elephant at Rathlogo Pan

Young elephant

Young elephant with a spring in his step (photo by Joubert)

Elephant Family

Tiny, tiny elephant baby

Tiny, tiny elephant baby (photo by Joubert)

Big Elephant bull at Pilanesberg Centre (photo by Joubert)

Elephant Bull walking away near Cape Vidal

Small herd of Elephants at iZindondo Pan

Elephant from Senyati’s underground hide

Elephant Silhouettes

Elephant from ground level

Elephant drinking from the pool at Elephant Sands’ Eco Lodge

Elephants abound in northern Botswana

Sandgrouse, doves and elephant sharing a waterhole

Elephants abound in northern Botswana

Mature bulls are mostly solitary, or accompanied by younger bulls known as “askaris”, and maintain a dominance hierarchy through threat displays and fights that would sometimes lead to the death of one of the combatants. After being forced from their maternal herds at the onset of puberty, around 15 years of age, bulls will only join up with the breeding herds again temporarily to mate.

Impressive bull

Mature elephant bull

Elephant bull

Scratching an itchy ear

Mature bull exuding confidence

Play fighting

Drinking at Tembe

Splish-splash

Three big bulls walking in single file along a road in the Pilanesberg

Elephant in a downpour

Dominant bull striding up to welcome a newly arrived family group at Hapoor

Elephant bull on the way to Orpen

Here elephants have right of way!

Elephant bull

Tired old elephant bull crossing the road

Elephant

Addo Elephants

Addo’s Tusker Derek (2017/12/26)

Addo Elephants

Elephant bull enjoying a puddle near Mopani

Elephants on the way to Phalaborwa Gate

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2018/03/21)

Elephant near Mopani

Elephant bull owning the road in Kruger National Park

Big old elephant bull

Elephant drinking from a reservoir

Elephant along the stream

Elephant drinking at Bhejane

Big elephant bull in musth

Old Elephant bull on the S145 near Talamati

Elephant bulls after enjoying a muddy portion of the waterhole

Elephant bull after enjoying a muddy portion of the waterhole

Elephant bulls in procession

Elephant bull drinking

Elephant Silhouette

lephant from ground level

Elephants are able to inhabit any habitat that has sufficient food, water and shade – they occur from the Namib Desert to Africa’s equatorial forests. They are big ecological drivers and a crucial component of the ecosystems in which they occur, having an immense impact on their environment. Their seemingly destructive feeding habits serves to prevent bush encroachment and provides niche habitats for a wide variety of smaller fauna. Consuming up to 300kg of plant material per day, the copious amounts of dung (about 100kg of dung per animal per day!) they produce provide an important source of food for a myriad of small animals, birds and insects. Elephants are not particularly fussy about what they eat and include herbs, grass, reeds, leaves, seeds, pods, bark, roots and branches in their diet, but they are rather fond of mopane trees and mlala palms.

In the hot African sun any shade will do!

Big Elephant Bull in contemplative mood

Baby Ellie

Elephant bull at Mestel Dam

Elephant herd quenching their thirst at Shitlhave Dam

Elephant youngster enjoying a snack while crossing the road

Elephant calf (Photo by Joubert)

Thirsty Tusker (Photo by Joubert)

Two Elephant bulls marching into the distance (Photo by Joubert)

Elephant warning (Photo by Joubert)

Elephant herd on the run to Red Rocks (Photo by Joubert)

Elephant Calf (Photo by Joubert)

Elephant Bull (Photo by Joubert)

Sunset elephants in the Shingwedzi (Photo by Joubert)

Elephants gathering in their numbers along the dwindling waterholes in the drying Mphongolo River

Elephant roadblock

Elephant bulls sharing a waterhole

Elephant cow with interestingly shaped ivory

Beautiful elephant bull

Elephant bull destroying a small tree

Cute elephant calf

Beautiful elephant bull

Elephant calf fast asleep

Tiny ellie baby

Big old elephant bull

Classically shaped ivory

Elephant calf

Elephant herd moving along a dry river

Elephant herd running to the water

Elephant tussle

Elephant cow drinking at Red Rocks

Big elephant bull in musth

Elephants arriving at Tlopi’s dam

Elephant

Elephant cow that’s had enough to drink now

Matriarch of her herd

Taking that first step across the stream

Big Bull (photo by Joubert)

Big Bull

Elephants drinking from the Chobe River

Elephants making their way to the Chobe River

Elephants on the banks of the Chobe River

During times of drought, elephants will dig wells in apparently dry river beds, thus providing water not only for themselves but also for all other wildlife in the vicinity. An adult elephant requires between 150 and 300 liters of drinking water daily. After years of continuous use, elephant mudbaths are enlarged and transformed into pans and waterholes that hold water for extended periods into the dry season. Several of South Africa’s passes were built along tracks used by countless generations of elephants to cross our mountains.

A well dug by elephants in a dry streambed

Thanks to their trunk elephants have excellent reach when browsing

Marula tree damaged by a foraging elephant

Digging for roots

The trunk is so versatile!

Elephant breakfast

A lone bull drinking from the trough at Peasland

Elephant calf

Elephant

Elephant digging for roots using its foot and trunk

Addo Elephants

Elephant at Rathlogo

This elephant cow didn’t appreciate our presence one bit, even though we gave her plenty of space!

Elephant teenager showing off!

Elephant visiting us at Thutong one night (caught on our camera-trap)

Baby elephant

Elephant youngster

Close-up detail of an elephant’s tail

Baby Elephant walking away with mom

Elephant Bull

Elephant Bulls

Elephant Cows begging for a chance at the waterhole

Elephants enjoying the water and mud

Elephant youngster

Elephant rough-and-tumble

Elephant herd in a rush to water

Elephant Bull at Hapoor Dam

Three little warthogs and an Elephant

Elephants playing in the water

Elephant calf

Tiny Elephant calf

Elephant bull taking a drink of water

Two elephant bulls greeting each other

Elephant cows in Addo seldom have well developed tusks

Elephant cow and calf

Elephant herd in a rush to the waterhole

Elephant feeding on a Plumbago

Baby elephant

African Elephant

Elephant Bull

Elephant tusk close-up

Elephant bull in musth

Elephant Bull in Manyeleti

Some elephants came so close to us that we noticed the hair around their ear openings!

Elephant bull

Elephants at sunrise

Elephant family

Baby elephant

Elephant bulls

Elephant bull

Elephants at the waterhole

Elephant bull

Elephant cows give birth to single calves (twins are extremely rare) at any time of year, after a 22-month gestation period. The calves weigh about 120kg at birth an can stand within an hour of being born. They are weaned at the age of two years, by which time they’ve become quite adept at using their trunks to feed and drink water.

Tiny elephant calf

Baby elephant threat display

Fits neatly under mom’s belly.

So small and cute

Didn’t realize mom has moved on 😉

Only a few days old

So small and cute

Playful elephant youngsters

Elephant Cow and Calf

Elephant friends

More cows and calves at Hapoor

Very thirsty calf running for the water

Tiny calf staying close to mom at Spekboom

Calf suckling at Marion Baree waterhole

Protective cow at Lismore waterhole

Elephant calf

This little elephant was probably less than a day old and very unsteady on his feet

Tiny new herd member

Old matriarch

Baby elephant show-off

Seymore Butts

Baby Elephant Naptime at Addo

Addo Elephants

Testing the wind

Tiny baby next to mom

Young elephant interactions

Elephant cow

Baby elephants fast asleep in the heat while the rest of the herd stand guard

Big Elephant herd at Makorwane

Baby elephant friends

Baby elephant

Laughing Elephant calf

Elephant cow and calf

Playful Baby Elephants

Baby elephants playing in the mud

Cute little elephant testing the air

Helping a reluctant friend cross the stream

Learning by imitating the grown-ups

Shaking off the dust from his ears (photo by Joubert)

This grass is so soft to lie on!

Young elephant trying to chase away the birds at the water’s edge

Practicing her balance! (photo by Joubert)

Making a splash

Arriving at the water’s edge

Ears peaked in irritation (photo by Joubert)

Ears peaked in irritation

Ears peaked in irritation (photo by Joubert)

Tiny youngster crossing next to mom

Tiny youngster crossing next to mom (photo by Joubert)

Tiny youngster crossing next to mom

South Africa’s wild places is home to several “Big Tuskers“; elephant bulls carrying exceptionally long and heavy ivory. Many of them are named, and become tourist attractions in their own right; living monuments to South Africa’s proud conservation history. The longest tusks recorded in South Africa, 3.05m and 3.17m, belonged to Shawu, a tusker from the Kruger National Park that became famous as one of the “Magnificent Seven” in the 1970’s and ’80’s. The heaviest belonged to Mandleve, who died in 1993 and was also from Kruger, with a combined weight of over 142kg.

Isilo of Tembe

Masbambela (of Kruger)

Tusker Masthulele, Kruger National Park

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2018/04/02)

Hahlwa (2018/04/01)

Xidudla (2018/03/29)

Nambu (24/09/2019)

Elephant Bull

Being one of Africa’s famed “Big 5“, elephants are a sought-after species for anyone visiting wildlife reserves where they occur. However, elephants are extremely dangerous and should be treated with the utmost respect. They can charge at speeds of between 40 and 50km/h, much faster than any human can run. Bulls in musth, a heightened state of aggressiveness fueled by elevated testosterone levels that drives their urge to mate and fight for dominance, are very irritable and will charge without much provocation. Mothers are extremely protective of their calves and you should never find yourself between a cow and her offspring. It is always best when viewing elephants to give them plenty of space and pay attention to any warning signs they may give: a head held high, ears held wide open, trunk tucked under the body, shaking the head and ears are all signs that you are too close and need to move away fast.

Mock charge!

Lucky escape!

In playful mood

Better get a move on!

Showing off

Stretching

Agitated due to invisible lions

Showing off

If he chose to, this bull in the Pilanesberg could easily reach someone in the viewing hide.

Just a little irritated

Testing their strength

Elephant Bull (photo by Joubert)

Elephant youngsters testing their mettle

Elephant youngster

Big old elephant bull

Elephant tussle

Elephants at Welverdiend waterhole

Elephant drinking at Spekboom waterhole

Another cute elephant calf

Elephant cow and calf

Sleepy elephants

One of the elephants that Addo is famous for

The future is secure for Addo’s elephants

Big elephant bull being very protective of a youngster at the Marion Baree waterhole

Elephant walking side-by-side with us

Elephant antics at Leeupan (photo by Joubert)

Mom and baby elephant at Leeupan (photo by Joubert)

Elephants congregating at Leeupan

Elephant antics at Leeupan (photo by Joubert)

Elephant wiping dust from its eye (photo by Joubert)

Elephant stretching to reach ripe Sycomore figs (photo by Joubert)

Elephant conductor (photo by Joubert)

Elephant coming to drink from Mlondozi Dam

Elephant matriarch with impressive tusks

Elephant munching on a thorny branch

Elephants congregating in a dry river bed

Elephants congregating in a dry river bed (photo by Joubert)

Adult elephants have little to fear from other animals, and lions and spotted hyenas are the only predators that realistically pose a threat to calves and juveniles. Most elephants succumb to fights, sickness, drought or old age. Old elephants spend most of their time feeding on green, soft vegetation along watercourses, due to them having worn our their last set of molars at about the age of 55 years, finding it increasingly difficult to feed on harder plant material. They then eventually die in these areas, possibly giving rise to the myth of an elephant graveyard.

Trio of pied kingfishers sharing an elephant bone

The Kruger National Park protects South Africa’s biggest elephant population, and they are also a familiar sight in the Addo Elephant National Park, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, Mapungubwe National Park, Pilanesberg National Park and Tembe Elephant Park. Smaller populations have also been established on several other state and private reserves. The tiny population in the Knysna Forests in the Garden Route National Park has fascinated South Africans for decades, with lots of speculation and theories about just how many continue to roam there.

Elephant cow

Elephant cow and tiny calf

Elephant cow

Unknown Kruger Tusker (21/09/2019)

Thirsty Elephant (photo by Joubert)

Elephant bull (photo by Joubert)

Elephant procession

Elephant Bull

Elephants digging wells in a sandy riverbed

Elephants seeking shade during the midday heat

Elephant bull

Elephants at Gudzani Dam

Elephant cow and calf

Elephant sunrise

Elephants

Elephant Bull

Elephant shy of the spotlight

Elephants have right of way

Elephants

Elephant herd at Mazithi Dam

Elephant bull

Elephant Bulls

Elephant bull blocking our way

Herd of elephants

Elephant in the greenery

Elephant

Elephant Bull

Elephant at Orpen Gate

Today, elephants in Africa and Asia are faced with the threats of escalating poaching, habitat loss and various other conflicts with humans. With an estimated 100 African elephants killed daily for the illegal ivory trade in Asian markets, their population is in rapid decline. World Elephant Day was launched on August 12th, 2012, to bring attention to the plight of these iconic animals, and has been observed annually since.