A Visit to Africa - Part 2

ENCOUNTERS WITH ELEPHANTS!

I'm an animal guy.  I'm going to school to study animals, I love animals, I want my future to be about animals!  But there is one kind animal that has always had a very special place in my heart.  Elephants!

A little backstory.  When my great grandmother, Violet Lockhart, passed away, we went to her house in Falmouth to start cleaning out some of her old things.  While the house was being cleaned out, a box of figurines was found.  My grandmother let us each pick out one that we could keep.  Mine was an elephant.  That was the moment I began collecting elephant related things.  That was the moment I really began to dream about seeing elephants in Africa.  So I guess I need to thank my grandmother for igniting my dream.  I don't know if anyone actually knows that little story, but I promise you it is true!  

Anyways, while in South Africa, I got to do something I had only ever dreamed about doing!  I got to walk with elephants!!  Glen Afric Farm is home to three elephants!  The elephants spend their days out in the bush, eating until their hearts are content and enjoying some wide open space! 

My first encounter with one of the elephants actually happened to be a little slap in the face with its trunk...They told us when we first got there to be careful when walking through the gate to the elephant house (the place where the elephants sleep at night).  One of the younger elephants like to use his trunk if somebody walks by.  I (stupidly) forgot this information, and walked through the gate without even looking around.  Next thing I knew, I had the trunk of a very amused elephant hitting me.  Thankfully it was just a gentle, playful hit...but it was enough to show me just how strong these animals are!


After that, we went for a walk with all three elephants!  The elephants lead the way and we followed behind them!  Every ten steps at least one of the elephants would be stopping to grab a trunk full of leaves off a nearby tree...or in most cases, ripping off an entire branch, once again, demonstrating their strength.  They could break a big thick branch off a tree as easy as I could snap a little stick in half.  

I still couldn't believe that I was walking along my favourite animal, while in Africa!  When we got to a more open area with just a few trees, the elephants stopped to eat for a little bit.  This was our chance to stand with them, get pictures taken, touch them, and admire them.  My first time being inches from an elephant, reaching out and touching it will be a moment I will never forget!  The skin of its body as rough and bumpy from all the wrinkles, but touching behind its ear was perfectly smooth.  The elephants happily ate while I clicked my camera button a hundred times and just watched them.

Once the elephants got tired of eating from this one tree we were near, they decided it was time to move on, so off we went!  I chuckled a little during this walk because one of the elephants stopped to eat from the tree, and everyone else continued walking.  After the elephant grabbed a branch, it joined into a single file line of humans.  It looked so funny!  Someone once told me that what they've noticed about Canadians is that we are really good at forming lines.  At airports, grocery stores, concerts, etc...we always form lines instead of big mosh pit crowds.  I guess this particular elephant has a little bit of Canadian in it!

We continued walking until another stop where we got to feed the elephants.  We each got a turn placing a piece of food into the elephant mouth, and also got to touch its tongue!  It was a big slimy tongue, kind of what I expected!  It was amazing being face to face with this animal!  They are so big, yet so gentle.  Not once did I feel threatened, although I tended to jump a little bit when I would see them walking towards me.  It's not like I would really be blocking its way if it needed to get pass me!  Thankfully everything went smoothly anytime we were around the elephants!  They just wanted to eat, eat, and eat some more!

After feeding, we continued walking once again!  This time, it was to the end of journey, up at the top of a little mountain.  Complete with a sweeping view of some of the South African landscape, we sat and watched the elephants eat while we waited for somebody to come pick us up in one of the trucks so we didn't have to walk all the way back alone.  The two men who guided us along with the elephants would stay with them while we went back to work at the farm!

 

The second encounter we had with elephants came on a day that was a little muddy for some of the others!  Volunteers have spent time building a big mud pool for the elephants to use.  They've expanded out a section of small stream and dammed it to create a nice little pool.  One day, we went out to it to make it a little bit bigger, though it was more so a time for people to get muddy and have some fun!  After some time, the elephants showed up to see how much we had got done.  I think the mother elephant was quite pleased, because she began playing in the water and throwing mud all over herself (and quite a ways behind herself towards the people).  It was awesome watching the elephant enjoying something that the other volunteers had helped make! 

Before we came home, we got to walk with the elephants again!  I wish I could've spent more time with them, but it just wasn't possible.  Thankfully, I got to accomplish some life goals though!  I can honestly say that the time spent with the elephants will be something I will never forget!    

  
Until next time,

Wesley

PS:  Some photos are provided by WesPitts Photography (my own little collection of photography).  You can check it out on Facebook by clicking below!

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