Once again, history is unfolding in front of us. Over the last few days the elephants have moved from the far east to the far west of the reserve. We could not understand this behaviour. Nevertheless, they stopped in an area after this ‘migration’ and stayed there for a few days, feeding. As we approached the herd, we noticed that they had formed a protective wall, stopping anything from getting close to them.

As we waited for a chance to get a little closer, we noticed, in a small gap, that one of the females was giving birth. I immediately switched of the vehicle and told the guests to stay quiet because this was a very exciting moment. As the baby elephant was born, the female started eating the after-birth. The herd never broke their protective wall, hardly giving us a chance to see the new born elephant.

However, this was an amazing experience, one that I have not had in six years of guiding.

Nelson – Kapama River Lodge
10/12/2012