Sad Day On The Dam
November 16, 2009 by Jean KZN
Saw the saddest thing but found the associated behavior very interesting a baby ele drowned on the dam.
I arrived on the scene to late to know what happened but it looks as if the herd came into the water and something frightened them (possibly a fast moving speedboat) and the little one drowned in the resultant rush. As we approached the behavior was unusual in that the entire herd was standing in the water but not playing around – simply standing silently. I thought I saw something floating amongst them. I waited a while and when they moved of towards the shore I moved slowly closer until I identified the small blob as a three to six month calf.
That afternoon with another group of guests I found them again. This time they were kilometers away and moving fast – as if the wanted to put distance between themselves and the incidence. It was easy to see which female had lost the calf though (I knew anyway because one of my favorite young females was missing her first calf) because she kept turning around as if to return and the herd matriarch would gently turn her back the other way.