Protective mother - be careful

Recently a news article of an elephant trampling a worker, got me thinking about one of my pet hates in visits of natural reserves, where people get out and on top of vehicles to look and photograph elephants. Guys it is not a zoo or better circus! I thought I would link an article and when I searched it, I immediately got a whole list of tragedies.

The photos I want to share are from a previous visit to Addo elephant national park, a cute scene, but also a dangerous scene. We were driving down one of the roads and coming around a corner we ran straight into a group coming down the road.

It was a wonderful sight, and if you look carefully, you see why. The cows, on average round 2.7 m high at shoulder, and average weight of around 2.6 - 3 ton, where making their way down to our position.

The little one was suckling while mom had lunch, but we got a little warning by the group member in the background. Clearly a little irritated, we backed off.

We kept our respectful distance and watched as they came closer, then suddenly they went off-road and vanished into the bush again.

A minute later and you would not have known they were just a few meters away from the road. Being elephants, you would have known they were there, broken branches and what not.

My point is this, we had fun, but we respected their space as well. I have seen a mother charge a Landrover 4x4, and how these animals can make a large off-roader look very small. The driver got in-between mom and baby. Having witnessed this, you can understand my reluctance to go closer.

Do not get me wrong, they will not storm for fun, but silly people who try to feed wild animals, like these have come second by a long way. So, please, enjoy them and any other wild animals you encounter, but respect them as well.

Finally, for those who climb out of vehicles in natural wild areas with no regard for their safety, here is a warning pic for you!