Africa Wild

Dr Marion Garai, chairperson of the Elephant Specialist Advisory Group (ESAG), shared the following tips on how to behave around what she describes is a highly intelligent, cognitive animal, with a proverbial memory and a very similar brain structure to humans.

Tips on how to behave near elephants when in a Reserve:

- Elephants are intelligent, have emotions and their main goal is to be left in peace.

- At all times common sense and respect for the animal must prevail - You are in their territory!

- Elephants, like all animals including humans, have a personal space, which they do not like invaded.

- Always respect their flight distance and allow a flight route (so they don't feel cornered). Do not cut off their way in which they are walking.

- Give them right of way and don't approach closer than 30-40 metres and don't allow them to get close to you either - retreat if they walk towards you.

- Learn to recognise their threat signs. (e.g. ears spread; head shaking, nodding, jerking; trunk swishing; slapping ears against their body; throwing grass, stones or twigs)

- At the first threat sign move back and give them space.

- Always keep an eye on all elephants, one may come up from behind you.

- Try and keep a flight route open for your vehicle.

- Don't park other vehicles in.

- Mothers with calves will get very upset if you are between them, so always watch out for small calves and allow them and the mother to get together.

- Revving the engine or driving past full speed is NOT advised, it aggravates them and could induce a charge, rather back off slowly.

- Only if the elephant is moving towards you fast, head down and ears spread in a charge or mock charge, drive away fast.



Determining if it's a mock or real charge

- most charges are "mock" (threat) charges, the elephant is pretending to charge but is actually testing you out to see if you're aggressive or a non-threat.

- Watch the elephant's ears. If an elephant's ears are relaxed, he is probably making a mock charge. Ears that are fanned out are indicative of a mock charge.

- If the elephant's ears are pinned back flat, it is likely that the charge is real. This will often be accompanied by a trunk that is curled inward.

- Listen for warnings. You're likely to hear trumpeting of a warning from the elephant.

- Look for displacement activities. There are some other indicators of an elephant working out whether to charge or retreat. These include a twitching trunk and swinging one leg to and fro. The biologist responsible for discovering this, Dr George Schallar, realized that the more pronounced these "displacement activities", the more likely the elephant was making a threatening show out of fear and had no intention to really charge.

Link

Perfect! Thanks, Toko!

Also beware they can go very fast indeed when they are serious, and are surprisingly nimble! Only had one real nutcase encounter in my experience (250-odd Kruger visits), where the bull chased our Kombi determinedly for a kilometre or so on the sand road between Letaba Camp and the bridge ! It kept up easily at 30km/h for stretches, and when we thought it was gone, lo and behold it would appear over the last rise in the road!



They are not stupid, as said, and won't go for buses and trucks etc. Caravans are also ok, IMO, but the problem comes in when towing a trailer, as reversing is tricky!

With trailers, I pass the elephant if it's 50m or so off the road, otherwise if it's closer, I start turning around upon first sight, which takes a while...

Don't put too much emphasis on "musth", as in the temporal glands leaking fluid down the side of the ellie's head. Even cows do this sometimes. The biggest sign of "musth" is the bull constantly leaking liquid onto its back ankles, so to speak, so something to look out for and add to general behaviour observations. Even then they are more concerned with going about their business.

If you see a calf in the road ahead, which indicates a breeding herd, stop immediately and check both sides of the road next to you carefully before proceeding. Those herds can be very big! In fact, if I don't see ellies nearby, I switch off the engine and listen a bit, as you get a good idea of movement around, and you are hopefully not in the middle of the herd yet. The breeding herd will move along sharpish, just wait.

But not the end of the world! Unless it is a drought year, ellies in Kruger are pretty acclimatised to tourist traffic, even breeding herds, unless you are on a remote dirt road in the Northern section, when all bets are off!



Regarding those bulls that obstinately stand in the road and irritate the heck out of you...I don't know why they do it, and suspect plain dominance behaviour/playing. Normally they will bugger off at some stage, but better safe than sorry! Delivery trucks and SP trucks tend to guage the situation with this sort of roadblock, and move through once the tourists have had their fill, and the ellie moves away politely and pretends it was all a joke!



All above just my experience in Kruger...hope it helps, but as said, keep your distance, be patient, and there is no cowardice in turning away!

Thanks Toko and RP!

Thanks Toko and RP

Hmmmm... now why can Sanparks not explain it so nicely and explicitly to their park-visitors

It's a bit of a "culpability" issue, okie...mine is only experience, if they make it more official...you get my drift?

But ja...thanks

I have one rule with Elephant, keep a clear route for escape!

If they approach you while you are stationary, don't move, they will pass you.

Been there, done that, got the skid marks in my jocks!

Richprins wrote:

Regarding those bulls that obstinately stand in the road and irritate the heck out of you...I don't know why they do it, and suspect plain dominance behaviour/playing. Normally they will bugger off at some stage, but better safe than sorry! Delivery trucks and SP trucks tend to guage the situation with this sort of roadblock, and move through once the tourists have had their fill, and the ellie moves away politely and pretends it was all a joke!

There are always some of those jokers up and around at Shingwedzi , standing close by outside the maingate , or in and next to the roadside blocking it just before gate closing time , just quietly intimidating you when you want to get back to camp before the gate closes I think they have great fun doing that
They wait for you , and as soon as you start moving forward , then they give a little step into the road , and you stop , retreat , come back and try again , all the while they are quietly munching away at some grass , watching you out of the corners of their eyes , just in case you want to make another dash for it

Thank you Toko and RP for all the good advice I only wish more people. especially first time park visitors, would read that

Sprocky wrote:If they approach you while you are stationary, don't move, they will pass you.

Been there, done that, got the skid marks in my jocks!

Never been brave enough to try this!!