Walk With Adine as She Meets Up With the Elephants

It’s a cold morning on the reserve and the sun is still rising. Adine walks to meet up with the elephants, who are already foraging a short distance away from the homestead. There are a few impalas in the area as well.

Elephant calf Khanyisa is busy using her foot to loosen soil. Once loose, she uses her trunk to lift the soil to her mouth. Elephants often eat soil, as it contains nutrients that are beneficial to them.

Khanyisa’s adoptive mother, Lundi, stands next to a tree nearby. With her is elephant bull Fishan and a few of the youngsters of the herd. Fishan and young elephant bull Zindoga take turns to push the tree to shake it. This causes the fruit of the tree to fall to the ground, within the elephants’ reach. The elephants use their trunks to search for and pick up the fallen fruit.

Eventually, most of the elephants walk on, leaving only Zindoga at the tree. He continues to shake the tree, trying out a few different positions until he finds an effective one. He's so focused on the task at hand that he doesn't even pay attention to the impalas walking behind him.

You can learn more about how elephant dung aids seed dispersal here:    • Seed dispersal in elephant dung and a...