WOW! WOW! WOW! What an evening.
I was on Banyini in the late afternoon hoping the elephants would come to drink. I moved to the east and listened. Yes they were somewhere in there in that thick mopanie.
Moving back onto Banyini I got set up waiting for them to come out the woodlands. I was amazed at the amount of sound of all the bushes breaking. It was a lot louder than usual.
Just before the sun set the light was absolutely stunning and I was just hoping the elephants would pop out. But no such luck. And a lovely sunset too that the elephants were also missing.
But then they came and they came. And now I realised why there was so much crashing of bushes. Probably nearly 140 elephants came out onto Banyini. I have never seen so many together here. It was absolutely stunning as they came out in single file. But as the pressure mounted they came out in their droves.
It’s stunning enough to see so many elephants, but when you see them from the ground, where I was sitting filming, the experience increases ten-fold and is truly AWESOME! They passed by me less than 20m on both sides as they headed on to drink.
Even as I type this I still feel blown away by the experience and feel so hugely privileged!
Earlier today my luck was not that good. There was nobody home at the hyaena den.
With no joy there I headed west hoping to pick up on one of my spotted friends somewhere out there. And indeed I did. This same dude I’d filmed yesterday. He was just cruising around on his own. And when I switched off the vehicle he just had to come and investigate.
He was even keen to lick my lens.
I left him resting and headed up into the hills. I got my normal reception, a number of barks. But when I checked out the wild dog den I found a pup wedged in the entrance. Yes wedged! I moved in to a couple of meters and it didn’t budge. (These guys sure are getting too big for their den.) Not wanting to cause too much disturbance, I left him for a couple of hours waiting at Manyuchi pan. Impala and zebra came in to drink and a lone duiker.
Back to the wild dog den I was happy to see the pup had got itself unstuck and was in the den. Lets hope they move den soon.
WOW!
WOW is right!! How lucky you are Kim!! What a spectacular site!! Thanks for sharing…hey, what are ya gonna name your new friend? You know, the one that’s starting to get up close & personal - I think you’re winning him over! Why is he all by himself? You’ve totally changed my mind about those guys - I even think he’s kinda cute!! What ya gonna call him?!
Soooo loved the elephants…!! Thanks again!
Same here. Wow. Where is this?
I love elephants, they are the most amazing animals.
I wish i could be there.
Hi Kim,
Malilangwe is a paradise for animals. I got a little emotional when I saw all those elephants and you describing the scene. Breathtaking!
As for the wilddog pups, if one happens to get stuck in that den, do you think you will get involve or just let it be.
Hyena licking your lens? you have the most amazing days!
Ivanova
Cheeky: males are often on their own trying to find a clan to live with. but it’s also not uncommon to find hyaenas on their own. they will come together some time in the night but might split up in the day when they go and find a place to rest.
Ivanova: if one got stuck…………………? Being an endangered species, yes i would help.
Every video you do takes my breath away. Thank you.