Wild Elephants On the Waterfront
Posted at 2:50 pm August 17, 2009 by Fred Bercovitch
It was almost like the old cowboy movies when the cook rang the triangle to call everyone to eat. But this was a call to drink and bathe. And it was elephants, not cowboys.
Like clockwork, the animals come to the waterfront in the heat of the afternoon. We were on the Chobe River in Botswana watching about 10 elephants in the thicket, near the water’s edge, slowly moving closer and closer. I was on a boat with Mike Chase, of Elephants Without Borders, conducting research on elephant conservation (see post, Elephant Search: Finding a Needle in a Haystack). Sometimes, watching elephant behavior is better from a boat than from a truck, so on this day we decided to observe the elephants from the river.
The elephants meandered to the water in small- to medium-size herds. Some of the adults were lookouts, or sentinels, with their trunks lifted up into S-shaped periscopes above their heads, sniffing for danger. They would also spread their ears, as if butterfly wings, to listen to possible sounds of danger. Their heads would swivel as they checked out the area. Not too many creatures pose a danger to elephants, but they still were very, very cautious in approaching the waterfront. While the adults were alert to danger, the youngsters were butting heads and playing with each other.
As the herds moved toward the water, it was a challenge to spot the calves. They were usually surrounded by the older animals, which were very protective. Little by little, the elephants dipped their feet into the river, slowly moved further away from land, placed their trunks into the water, sucked up the river, and squirted the water into their mouths. The younger calves were usually in the middle of a group of animals, hidden underneath the larger animals and nearly up to their eyes in the river.
What began as a relatively small herd grew into a community of elephants. They kept coming over the ridge in little groups that joined up at the waterfront. Soon, we were watching over 100 elephants, milling about in the water. They were drinking, playing, bathing, and greeting each other with their trunks intertwined. Some were always alert. It wasn’t all fun and games, however, since they had also come to pay their respects to one of their companions who had died (see an Elephants Without Borders post). But, in general, the elephants were there to fill up with water, cleanse themselves, and go back into the bush to eat more.
Kudu drinking at the Chobe River.
Fred Bercovitch is the director of Behavioral Biology at the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research.
Help Africa’s elephants one step at a time!
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August 17th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Elephants are one of my favorite animals, I was happy to see a blog entry on them. It’s been a while. =)
August 17th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
thanks for the update…ur very lucky to see wild elephants..beautiful! haven’t you been there for quite some time?
August 18th, 2009 at 5:28 am
Fred, What a great story, To be able to get that close is amazing. I have seen numerous programs fron National Geographic about Mike Chase, He’s an amazing person and all he does to improving the survival rate of these elephants is outstanding. Keep up all the great work you both are doing. Hope to hear more.
August 18th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
just popped on- camera must have got knocked off somehow= cant see anything but dirt… :^
Moderator’s note: We’ve adjusted it. Thank you.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
I followed the “see an Elephants Without Borders post” link and it goes to the EWB blog in general. Did you mean to link to http://elephantswithoutborders.org/blog/?p=151 (so sad, and he was only about 10 years old!)?
Moderator’s note: Yes, we’ll make the correction. Thanks for the heads-up.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
it is so easy to forget how sensitive elephants are given their size. thank you for the very moving account of your observations. i had no idea. you have the best job in the world! more updates please.
August 19th, 2009 at 11:05 am
“Moderator’s note: Yes, we’ll make the correction. Thanks for the heads-up.”
You’re welcome
August 19th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Thanks, Fred. Fascinating adventure, and mesmerized is a great way of expressing it.
Enjoy!
August 19th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Fred, the story of the death of the young bull is fascinating and truly sad. I have read before how elephants seem to mourn the loss of their peers more than most animals. They truly gave this poor fellow a loving farewell. It must have been sad for them to return days later to his ravaged body. But as I have to remind myself often this is the natural way of the food chain in the wild. Without dead animals for others to feed on other species will starve. It is a lesson to all of the dedication of the young female. I wonder if she was an older “sister” or perhaps a playmate from their younger years. The recognition and determination she showed in trying to rouse him hints at a fairly close relationship in the past.
August 24th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Hi,
I am anxious to hear how the 2 new, confiscated elephants Tina and Jewel are doing. Will they have to be quarantined? Are they suspected to have tuberculosis? I read they will not be on exhibit for some weeks. Will they be able to go outside nevertheless or will they have to stay in the barn all the time? I hope they are settling in well and their health will improve soon!
Thanks for answering my questions!
Moderator’s note: We’re preparing a post to let everyone know about Tina and Jewel. Check back soon!
August 24th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Fred,
I am afraid you are studying the wrong species. You need to study those who set snares and poisons, etc. In other words…human beings. We need to research why they do what they do to these beautiful creatures. I think the universities need to include a class on dealing with the locals. Human-elephant conflict is only getting worse. My Google alerts increase each day. I can hardly keep up with all the incidents.