Elephants at Play

Seeing Samburu in the wet season offered the surprise of seeing elephants at play far more than I've ever seen before. They have plenty of food and water, and in May they were resting, happy, and energetic instead of struggling to survive. I saw several baths in the river and several mudbaths. Some elephants were digging salt off the road. There were also elephants everywhere - many, many families grazing or heading to the river to take advantage of the water before it dries up again.

It made me nervous to see them in the river with the crocodiles. Although a croc can't eat an elephant, it could take a baby, a trunk, or inflict a bad leg wound. In Uganda my guide tole me about an elephant who had his trunk bitten off and can't feed himself, but his family takes care of him and feeds him so he is doing fine. There are also instances of elephant families helping injured members, leading blind elephants, and taking care of one another in every way they can. How anyone can want to kill a species that kind is beyond me.

Above are a few young elephants in two different families, playing together and enjoying the day.