What’s it like riding a wild African elephant?
It’s pretty damn awesome!
Outside Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe there is an elephant sanctuary where they care for orphaned and injured elephants. There are no fences. The elephants are free to come and go as they please.
Those that choose to turn up for work, get a good scrub down, some tasty treats and as many pats and hugs from the tourists as they can handle.
In return, they take tourists for a ride.
The staff have some lovely stories about the elephants.
There was one elephant that always turns up for work. He was only a few years old when he arrived at the sanctuary. His mother was killed by poachers, and the baby was found by a wild bull elephant. He brought the baby elephant right into the sanctuary, saw that it was looked after, and then left.
The staff had never seen that bull elephant before or since.
The wee chap pictured here was only a couple of weeks old and he accompanied us on the walk.
He was full of energy and mischief. He would go bounding up to a tree and try to push it over. But the trees were just too big for him. Every time he’s come to a sudden stop and bounce off the tree, shaking his head and trumpeting. (well, it was almost a trumpet)
After his third or fourth attempt, he tried a different tactic. He charged up behind one of the staff and bowled the poor man over. Then he went dancing off, ears flapping and trunk swinging.
You could just see the other elephants trying not to laugh.
The poor ranger got up, dusted himself off and chuckled, before carrying on with the walk.
If you are ever in Victoria Falls, please go to the sanctuary and support the awesome work that they do helping these charming beasts.
You’ll have an experience you’ll never forget.
Remember to check out the other daily photos
https://steemit.com/photography/@trevor.george/photo-of-the-day
https://steemit.com/photography/@trevor.george/photo-of-the-day-2
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https://steemit.com/africa/@trevor.george/photo-of-the-day-4
https://steemit.com/photography/@trevor.george/6nnv1q-photo-of-the-day-4 - that should have been '5'. Sorry :-)
https://steemit.com/photography/@trevor.george/photo-of-the-day-6
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