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Bull Elephant in the Afternoon Light
Raising dust as he trudges the well-worn path in the afternoon light, an old bull elephant approaches the King Nehale Waterhole in Etosha National Park, Namibia.
It was mesmerising.
Elephants in the wild move with a lumbering grace that lulls one into a trance.
At the King Nehale Waterhole, on the eastern side of Etosha National Park in Namibia, there is a fence that keeps the people out of the animals’ domain – and vice versa. Thanks to photographer Ben McRae and local guide guide Morne Griffiths, I was camped for three wonderful nights right next to the waterhole.
I spent hours and hours, across four days, just sitting there, on a bench behind the fence, with my camera on a tripod and the remote in my hand. The air was soporific, buzzing with heat and insect noise, tranquillising me into a dreamlike state as I watched the animals come and go (see: A Day at the Waterhole; Birds and Beasts on the Veld).
It was the elephants and their waltz-like rhythms that really captivated me. Perhaps is is the hot, thick air that slows these pachyderms down; they wade through it like we move through water, with sedate, measured strides. They are in almost-constant slow motion: plodding, swaying, swishing a tail or tossing a trunk in smooth, unhurried movements, then, for no apparent reason, the whole group stops still for a few moments. It is like watching a tableau where almost nothing happens for ages; then you lose focus and let your attention drift, and all of a sudden the whole scene has shifted.
It’s hypnotising.
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Elephants at the Waterhole
My first visits to the waterhole were rewarded with family groups of elephants.
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Elephants at the Waterhole
In the heat of the day, the elephants come …
Elephants at the Tree
… and go. The single tree growing at the edge of the waterhole provides little escape from the unrelenting heat of the day.
Incoming Elephant
New elephants approach the waterhole periodically. Apparently, these huge pachyderms have tender feet, so they follow the winding paths they have cleared through the rocks that surround the waterhole.
Splash!
Elephants can drink up to 200 litres of water a day – but their time at the waterhole involves as much splashing as drinking.
Elephant Afternoon
They are mottled with water and mud as they follow the well-worn path away from the waterhole.
Elephant on the Horizon
On a morning drive, through the veld in Etosha National Park, it is not long before one of these magnificent creatures comes into view.
Elephant Walking
Without pause or change of pace, the great animal approaches, crosses the road directly in front of our jeep, and lumbers off.
Pied Crow – Corvus Albus
Back at our campsite, the birds watch carefully, lest we leave food scraps anywhere.
Elephants at the Waterhole
Other animals seem to give the elephants a wide berth …
Elephants at the Waterhole
… as they nuzzle and play. Elephants – especially the females and immature males – are very social animals, and bathing together reinforces group bonding.
Giraffes and Oryx
Even when the elephants aren’t around, giraffes approach the waterhole very gingerly, watching their surrounds carefully.
Elephant Clans
It is as if there is a secret roster system: when one group of elephants has been enjoying the water for a period of time, another batch comes into sight on the horizon.
Incoming Elephants
The newly-arrived clan files into the back of the waterhole …
Face Off
… while the original group continues to play a while, before moving off.
Afternoon at the Waterhole
The late afternoon light bounces off the water as the elephants splash about.
Giraffes at the Waterhole
The poor giraffes look very ungainly when they do, finally, decide to get a drink.
Black Backed Jackals (Canis Mesomelas)
As the light and temperature drop, the jackals come out.
Dust on Fire
The angled afternoon sun lights up the dust the elephants raise as they leave the waterhole…
The King Nehale Waterhole
… and casts an orange glow over the whole scene.
Sunset on the Veld
The sun drops quickly over the veld, but there are special lights around the waterhole, so I can continue to sit and wait and watch as the animals come and go.
Bull Elephants
Everything looks different around the waterhole after dark. In the blue light after sundown, two males approached each other …
In the Blue Light
… and spent a lot of time engaging in the elephant equivalent of arm-wrestling. This is how they fight for dominance, although – from where I sat – it didn’t feel like there was any real aggression happening here.
Tree at the Waterhole
Under the protective cover of darkness, the rhinos, who have been elusive during the day, come out to drink.
Elephant After Dark
I sit, half daydreaming, watching as a bull wanders off, before taking myself off to bed.
As I lay in my sleeping bag at night – in complete safety – I listened to the roars of the lions in the distance. Jackals were yipping and yowling as they scrabbled through a tent nearby, where some silly fool had left meat jerky unattended.
But it was the rhythm of the elephants’ slow waltz that lulled me to sleep, even as the night’s parade of animals at the waterhole continued.
Soporific indeed.
Photos: 19-20August2015
