At first light lion tracks made their way towards HQ and in the hills I found these 2 youngsters lost. They kept calling softly but with no response. I had to leave them as they moved deeper into the hills.
Banyini at dawn was quiet, just this herd of zebra coming in to drink.
Lions out the way, it was now time to follow up on elephants. I had tracks in the hills and soon encountered this young bull. He was nervous on his own and took a bold stance against me but quickly moved off into the bush.
I followed tracks of a breeding herd of elephant into the hills and up towards Chikwelane spring. Taking only my stills camera I was not feeling too hopeful to find elephant at the spring. I had to walk the last section through the gorge to get there.
Finding a small herd drinking I rushed back to the car and grabbed the video camera and then clambered through the hills and over the rocks to film them drinking from the crack in the rocks.
They soon left and moved east through the gorge. I followed some distance behind, the herd still unaware of my presence.
Realising they were moving to a wallow further east, I rushed, getting there just as they got there. They were going frantic in the wallow and I found myself the ‘safety’ of a huge fallen over tree from which I was filming. It was only when up close that I noticed this was One-Tusk and her family.
Just then the oldest daughter with her tiny calf, saw me and started throwing mud at me. Some of it unfortunately landing on my lens. She moved away into the tree line with her calf.
Then One-Tusk noticed me and seemed concerned. So I spoke to her and it was amazing how she almost instantly carried on with her wallow on hearing my voice.
They wallowed for about 5 minutes and on leaving the wallow One-Tusk unexpectedly charged the tree I was leaning the camera on. I backed off only too glad the fallen over tree was between us. One-Tusk stood there watching and contemplating, then came round to the tree to my side. Like cat and mouse we moved around the tree. Thankfully her 2 calves were small enough for me not to have to worry about them during our little ordeal.
Each time I moved One-Tusk would charge and I made sure to keep the tree between us.
Then looking for another way out, I moved away and was about to move through a dried up wallow when she came again this time towering over me.
Hastily I made it back to the safety of my tree. She followed trumpeting away at me, then backed off and slowly moved away.
Happy our little encounter was over I got back to the vehicle and followed the elephants. I wanted to approach One-Tusk in the vehicle, which she is obviously used to, and talk to her from there.
She was happy with the vehicle approaching but when I spoke I could almost see the look of frustration on her face. ‘Now the little bugger is in his car and I can’t get too him!’
Not that that stopped her. She came right up to my side of the vehicle and pushed on it behind my door. As she pushed harder denting the vehicle I gave her a slap on the forehead. She moved back.
The herd spent the rest of the day in the hills allowing me limited access.
Back on Banyini a lone elephant bull came to drink and then this little family of warthog came to drink, wallow and graze.
I’d hoped for another stunning African sunset but the fiery ball disappeared over the horizon into never never land without any display.
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