Silver Giants of Etosha

Frikki von Solms, Namibia, Untamed Travel Africa ,

Humans have so much to learn from the Elephants.   They are highly intelligent and have excellent memories.  They are wise and gentle giants with a very strong matriarchal family structure.  They have been observed visiting the remains of their ancestors, processing quietly through the old bones, touching them gently with the tips of their trunks.  Desert Elephants, such as those in Etosha, survive by eating moisture-laden vegetation growing in ephemeral riverbeds. They  can go several days without water.   In all the time we observed them in Etosha, they shared the waterholes with antelopes, giraffes, zebras, jackals, birds.  None of the smaller animals or birds seemed afraid of the Elephants despite their massive size.  We watched the Elephants vigilantly guard their young who are always surrounded by adult females as you will see in the following photos and movies.

In the earlier years, there was no trace of Elephants in the Etosha area.  Between 1850-1880 ivory hunters almost wiped out the whole population of elephants in Namibia. During the 20th century, it was humans who forced Elephants to retreat to Etosha.  In 1952 there were 50 to 60 Elephants in the Park.  Today there are up to 2500!  In the course of their grazing, elephants tear down trees and uproot things. In a setting which is natural for elephants these activities are helpful to the environment, but enclosed in a space which is too small for them, the environment has no opportunity to regenerate itself.  If you hear people talking about how “destructive” elephants are, bear in mind that it is humans who have forced them into a place which is too small for them.  They cannot migrate out of the Park and have nowhere to turn.  So any “elephant caused destruction” of the environment can be attributed to the massive destruction of natural habitat which humans have wrought upon the planet. See R. Friederich’s Etosha: Hai//om Heartland mentioned in the first of my posts about Etosha.

 

We visited Etosha for the first time in 2012. We were watching our first waterhole, when we began to notice two glittering silver dots way off in the distance. If you look in the far distance of this photo you may be able to see the "silver dots."
We visited Etosha for the first time in 2012. We were watching our first waterhole, when we began to notice two glittering silver dots way off in the distance. If you look in the far distance of this photo you may be able to see one of the “silver dots.”  In the foreground we see a Zebra with a colt, ostriches, Gemsbok and Springbok.

 

As they came closer and we realized they were elephants, tears began to run down our cheeks. They had such a stunning majesty, an immense dignity. Notice the size of these two Silver Giants in contrast to the Springboks near them
As they came closer and we realized they were elephants, tears began to run down our cheeks. They had such a stunning majesty, an immense dignity. Notice the size of these two Silver Giants in contrast to the Springboks near them.

 

You will notice that the tusks look worn down to the nub. Desert elephants deal with harsh vegetation and thus their tusks take a beating. This also indicates that these two Silver Giants are elders.
You will notice that the tusks look worn down to the nub. Desert elephants deal with harsh vegetation and thus their tusks take a beating. This also indicates that these two Silver Giants are elders.

silver elephant

silver elephant 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at the difference in their faces.  They bathe themselves in sand in order to protect themselves from the harsh sun.  It is the sand which gives them a silvery appearance.  Ask yourself, as we did, why are they so beautiful?

 

when they finished drinking and bathing at the waterhole, they dusted themselves with more sand and walked off together. We watched them until they disappeared in the vast horizon.
When they finished drinking and bathing at the waterhole, they dusted themselves with more sand and walked off together. We watched them until they disappeared in the vast horizon.
further down the road, at Halali Camp we visited the waterhole there and delighted in an afternoon of Elephants
Further down the road, at Halali Camp we visited the waterhole there and delighted in an afternoon of Elephants.  At this waterhole we saw mostly mothers with young of varying ages.  In this photo you see one adult and four younger elephants. 

The youngsters learn all they need to know from their family members: mothers, aunts, sisters and brothers. As males reach puberty, however, they soon leave their family herds and join other males to continue learning proper adult behavior from older and more dominant bulls. A younger one sometimes accompanies an older bull and is called an “askari”. Females usually remain in their family herds, which are led by a “matriarch,”Matriarchs are usually the largest and oldest female, the one with the richest store of knowledge about water, food resources, escape routes and hiding places in their range area.

 

 

This little guy is in step with his mother heading for some fun in the water
This little guy is in step with his mother heading for some fun in the water.                                                                                                               

mother & baby H

Females usually produce their first offspring around 10-12 years of age, after a 22-month gestation period. Calves depend on their mother’s milk until the age of two, but most will suckle until the birth of the next calf, usually at 3-4 years. In the desert population  calves as old as 6 years may still be suckling.

This little one gave himself a bath and played in the water
This little one gave himself a bath, quenched his thirst and played in the water.

 

the whole group joined in for a refreshing frolic
The whole group joined in for a refreshing frolic.  Notice the Mopane trees in the back.  They are especially abundant around the Halali area.

 

 

Looks like someone is playing submarine
Looks like someone is playing submarine.

 

Elephants use infrasound to communicate over long distances.  It turns out that sound at the lowest frequencies of elephant rumbles has remarkable properties – it can pass through forests and grasslands.  Adult males and females live separately from one another, moving unpredictably over a great territory (although limited in Etosha Park).  They have no fixed breeding season and females, given the long gestation period – two years – before birth and years of nursing their young, are only ready to mate only a few days every four or five years.  Yet males from all around appear for the occasion.  It is thought that”rumbles” of infrasound” must help draw the males.  There have been numbers of events documented when elephants seem to communicate across miles to other elephants.  Humans cannot hear these sounds; they are below our range of hearing.

 

When we returned to Etosha last November, we were just as thrilled as the first time. These two Elephants under an umbrella tree were the first we saw on this trip.
When we returned to Etosha last November 2015, we were just as thrilled as the first time. These two Elephants under an umbrella tree were the first we saw on this trip.  It was on our last day in the Park that we met a whole group of Elephants crossing the road in front of us – females with young.  As you watch the movie below, you will notice that a very young elephant seems to be bringing up the rear, up at the very end you will see that the baby is accompanied by a rear guard, perhaps his mother or auntie.  We realized they were heading for a water hole, Nebrowni, so we headed there ourselves.  We had not yet seen our Silver Giants from the previous trip and were hoping, hoping to see them again

https://youtu.be/KqugQDlRBjs%20

And there they were! Of course we had no way of telling if they were the same two we had seen in 2012, but maybe they were!
And there they were! Of course we had no way of telling if they were the same two we had seen in 2012, but maybe they were!  The ones we had seen on the road also arrived.  We were blessed with an abundance of Elephants.  The next movie is x-rated so to speak.  As our Silver Giants bathed, a rather long member appeared and got a thorough washing.  Also, don’t miss the black backed jackal who scurries across.  It gives you an idea of the size of the Silver Giants.

This last movie shows what I call a Slow Dance, watch how, as the Silver Giants leave, the giraffes criss-cross gracefully next to the stationery ostrich, the still point, so to speak.  And the giraffe looks directly out at us at the conclusion of the “performance.” 

http://https://youtu.be/_E5UhCFu40A

In this final photo of my post, the Elephant says goodbye with a dance step of his own.

leaving elephant

In my next Etosha post, you will see LIONS! and a few other of the Meat Eaters in the Park.  Stay Tuned!