TALES FROM THE BUSH
Fallen giant
A cheery safari trip takes a solemn turn
“JUST THREE DAYS INTO OUR Botswana tour and our guide, Disho, had exceeded all expectations with his uncanny ability to spot the wild inhabitants of Chobe National Park. During morning and afternoon excursions from our tented camp in Khwai Community Concession we had enjoyed intimate viewings of lions, hyenas, elephants and wild dogs.
The undoubted highlight for me and my three travelling companions had been a morning spent with a pack of 17 wild dogs as they scoured the bush in search of prey, sprinting into action after a band of red lechwe and efficiently pulling one down.
So, on day four of the trip, as our opensided safari truck pulled out of camp for another afternoon game drive, there was a buoyant and excited mood amongst our small party as we speculated about the wildlife we might encounter next. Half an hour from base, Disho brought the vehicle to an abrupt halt alongside the remains of an elephant. The atmosphere within our group immediately changed – asombre mood descended on our group like a dark cloud suddenly appearing over a midsummer picnic. As I viewed the skeletal remains of the fallen giant, I took some solace from the fact that the ivory tusks were still intact in the huge skull, suggesting it had been a natural passing and not a violent death at the hands of poachers.
Suddenly but silently, as if defying the laws of physics, a bull elephant appeared from the bush just metres from our vehicle. Ambling over to the carcass, the immense creature used his tactile trunk to gently caress the bones of his fallen comrade.
As I looked into the eyes of the bull elephant, I was full of empathy as he continued to touch the remains with the utmost care, displaying all the reverence and respect that one would associate with the most dutiful of human undertakers. The scene before me was so moving that despite my best attempts not to indulge in anthropomorphism, I was convinced that this five-tonne beast was feeling grief and mourning for the deceased elephant.
As quietly and unexpectedly as he had appeared, the bull elephant then vanished back into the bush, leaving me to contemplate the most emotional of all my African animal encounters.
Have a wild tale to tell? Email a brief synopsis to catherine.smalley@ourmedia.co.uk
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Boyle is an amateur wildlife photographer and writer living in the Suffolk countryside. His wildlife photography can be viewed on Instagram – search for @jjboyle1999.