Old Elephant Bull Paying Respects at a Friend's Gravesite
This moment was among the most profoundly moving and memorable experiences of my life- yet it was so gentle, so quiet, had I been distracted I would have missed it.
The longer tale, if you are so inclined: I spent many days near a single watering hole on Hwange, Zimbabwe, where an elephant skeleton lay nearby. Many young elephant families passed through, without giving the bones much attention. But one day, an older bull elephant, walking slowly, stopped at the bones. His ears lowered and his trunk stooped in solemn reverence. He grazed the bones with his trunk and then massaged the skull for a very long time- elephants who mourn at the bones of their loved ones favour the skull, which I assume is more individual and recognizable. It was extremely hot, and other elephants, mothers with their babies and lone bulls- charged toward the watering hole, eager for a drink and a bath. The bull was surely hot and parched- but unrushed, every part of him connecting with the bones before him.
I asked a local, a former guide, if he knew who the elephant was who died. He was also an old bull, so old his last set of teeth had worn out completely, and he lived at the watering hole, soaking grasses to make them soft enough to eat. He died nearby of natural causes last year. This old bull, the visiting mourner, was very likely a good friend, maybe even a travelling companion.
There are detractors who say we can't know for certain that the behaviour at these boneyards really is mourning behaviour. I can't help but think that such detractors have never witnessed first hand the palpable emotions of a grieving elephant. #elephant #africanelephant #Hwange #Hwangenationalpark #nature #natur #naturephotography #wildlifeprotection #wildlife #wildlifephotography #africa #zimbabwe #wildlifeconservation #nationalgeographic #natgeo #natgeonature #tierwelt #mammals #ethicalnaturephotography #conservation #animalsareamazing
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