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Elephants
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Beverly Joubert: " A lone elephant lumbers across an Okavango spillway, creating ripples as he cuts a path through the shallow water. Botswana’s Okavango Delta is recognised as one of the world’s most important wetlands. The seasonal flooding in this remarkable part of the world does not flow into the ocean, making it rare amongst other inland delta systems. Animals and plants work in rhythm with the ebb and flow of the water, synchronising their biological cycles to match the seasonal floods. Endangered animals like black rhinos and African painted dogs rely on this ecosystem as one of their last refuges. On #WorldWetlandsDay we are reminded of the importance of this landscape and its inhabitants and how vital it is that we work to preserve it. "
Surus: The Bravest Elephant of Carthage
The Roman writer Pliny mentioned a particular elephant whose name was Surus, who fought for Carthage during the Punic Wars. In Punic (the language spoken by Carthaginians), Surus means “the Syrian”. This means that Surus the elephant was probably a Syrian Elephant, or an Indian Elephant from Syria, so was bigger than the other African Forest Elephants. Surus must have stood out as the largest, most intimidating elephant in the army! Surus gained a reputation for being the bravest of Hannibal’s elephants, and some even believe that Surus was Hannibal’s personal elephant. Pliny mentions that Surus had one tusk broken, perhaps a battle scar.  *This image is copyright of its original author https://www.neversuchinnocence.com/surus-the-bravest-elephant-of-carthage
David Yarrow: " I am very saddened to hear this morning that Tim - probably the world’s most famous elephant - has passed away at the good old age of 50. I spent so much time with him over the years in Amboseli and was always in awe of his magnificence. He made almost every other elephant in the world look average. He is the reason that elephants are my favourite animal and I owe him so much.
This is sad news, but it is no tragedy - he was not taken by poachers and his longevity is a credit to the KWS and conservation charities such as Big Life and Tusk. Today we should celebrate his life and the efforts of all those in Amboseli that have helped make poaching here at least, a thing of the past. RIP, you bloody legend. " RIP
Jens Cullmann: " How to explain an elephant rescue in ten images? ?
On one of my walks in the bush I found two elephant babies and a elephant cow stuck in the mud at a drying out pool in Mana Pools National Park. I went to the park reception to report it. Coincidentally a crew from @action4ifaw and @wildislife_zen were in the park to dart/help another elephant. They went first to the elephants I found. With the great help from Dave @mwinilungasafaris , Steve @camp_mana and a group of Czech park visitors, we were able to free the babies. Both babies had injuries. They were bitten on trunk and ears, one tail was bitten off and an insure on the abdomen. All probably caused by hyenas. It was very hot, the calves were totally stuck in the mud, dehydrated and exhausted. But we managed to get them out in a few hours. As there was not much hope for the mother of one of the two babies and the mother of the other baby was not to find, the decision was made to fly them out in an elephant nursery. As far as I know now, both babies are doing well. They are already or will come to a place near Victoria Falls, were they join a heard of elephants with similar histories. Long term aim is to release them in the wild again when old enough. Big thanks you to all the people who helped and I probably have forgotten to mention! Now you saw, what I do in the bush, when I don’t take pictures ? "
A few photos of Tim... RIP
The first one, this iconic animal in an iconic place: Mark Drury: " Sad news! Yesterday we lost Tim one of the most iconic Tuskers left in this world. As far as we know he died of natural causes. He was fifty one years old. KWS is doing a post-mortem and we will wait for results. I have spent so much time with him over the last decade that I truly feel I lost a close friend today. I wish I could have said goodbye. I want thank @amboseli_trust and @biglifeafrica for keeping him safe for so many years. I will be posting unseen photos of Tim in his memory for the rest of the week. Goodbye my friend and thanks for all the amazing memories. You will be sorely missed but I look forward to watching your offspring flourish into the future. ??? R.I.P. Tim . "
Jens Cullmann: " Luck is hard work. I felt helpless as I watched a cruel ‘African’ drama unfold in front of me at Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe. Life in nature has a cruel way to show us that survivors aren’t always the strongest, or the smartest, but more often simply the luckiest. The baby elephant was eaten in front of its mother while they struggle to free themselves from the mud. That is the brutality of life. On the other hand, a clan of hyena gets to live for another week with the feast…
I thought a long time to post it or not. This was last year probably the first case, where an animal, in this case an elephant cow with her baby, got stuck in the mud. The rescue chain wasn’t prepared yet and unlucky circumstances happened additionally.".
" Tim, Africa’s Largest Elephant dies Age 50. Probably the only land creature today that no other solo creature can take and live to tell the tale "
David Lloyd: " Matriarch Maasai Mara Kenya 2010.
This is a two picture post. I took this in the days before flip up screens and wireless remotes. I shot blind with my camera upended on a suspended monopod with the camera inches from the ground. At first it was hit and miss with the composition – lots of sky and grass at first – but with a 35mm lens and a little practice, good compositions became regularly achievable. In the beginning I’d set my camera to ten second timer to anticipate the moment before advancing to a wired remote. Then I discovered how to put the elephant to where I wanted it to be (while maintaining ethics) but that’s a story for another day. Quick Tip One. You’ll become good at anything with a little bit of practice. • I’ve usually decided whether to process a picture as black and white or as colour by view of what suited it best in the final result, but in this case I could not decide so I kept both. There is no such thing as a ‘black and white conversion’ from colour unless you want a quick and less aesthetically pleasing version. Quick Tip Two: Process all pictures from the ground up, including black and white ones. " |
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