AUGUST 29TH, 2023:
The sun rose gently over the Sunday River Valley just north of Port Elizabeth. My eyes shot open and I rolled out of bed. Without missing a beat, I hit the showers, threw on a thick pair of blue jeans, laced on a pair of hiking boots, and grabbed my camera gear. I knew today was about one thing, and one thing only: elephants.
“Elephants Up Ahead…”
In past blog articles, I have made no secret of my love and fondness for rabbits. In fact, you can read all about it here. In recent years, however, I have become very fond of other such creatures like foxes, wolves, malamutes, St. Bernards, kangaroos, and many others. But for as long as I have been alive, one particular animal has always taken up a special place in my heart: the elephant. Maybe it is their enormous size that makes me just in awe of them. Maybe it is their high intelligence and how they mimic certain behaviors similar to humans. Maybe it is how something so enormous physically can exist among us. Maybe it is the fact that they can eat and eat without blowing up. Or it could be how they are so casually the subject of countless stories that bring such curiosity to children. Whatever the reason, this was a day that had been about 37 1/2 years in the making: a real-life encounter with these gentle giants of Africa.
What drew me to the grounds of the Barefoot Addo Elephant Lodge, just about 75 miles north of Port Elizabeth, South Africa wasn’t the scenery, the solitude, or the proximity to Addo Elephant National Park. It was that this safari lodge allowed guests to hike with African elephants that lived on the ground’s nature reserve. Was this lodge worth the long flight from New York and a slow drive along the Zuurberg Mountain Pass? Absolutely! Well, although I could have done without the drive, this was a place I had my heart set on for years. I knew I could never convince my family to come with me to Africa, let alone a place teeming with wildlife. Alas, I am more adventurous (and determined) than most of my family. In life, one must go the extra mile (or about 8,300 miles) for the best in the life. And the best things in life, in my case that morning, weighed over four to five tons.
A safari guide name Tim escorted me in an AWD golf cart along a long grassy path to a most awe-inspiring sight: three massive African bull elephants peacefully grazing and just going about their business. Their names were Thaba, Mukwa and Duma. It was a perfect tableau that you could not have written more perfectly: the sky was blue, the sun was bright, the hills were lush and green, and even the smell of the pachyderms filled the morning air that did not even phaze me; it was a sign that this was real. After Tim briefed me on how conduct proper elephant etiquette (properly distance myself, to be as quiet as possible, and to know what to do and what not do around them), I was ready to go. But first, as any human would, no one likes to be rushed thru breakfast; we let our trio of big boys quietly eat and partake of a massive water hole. Knowing I came prepared, I broke out my cameras and started snapping like the world’s most trigger happy shutterbug. I was taking so many pictures, you would think that I was in the middle of a photo shoot with supermodels. Well, some plus size models!
As our hike commenced along a cleared path, I was hypnotized by the gentle swaying motion of the trio of massive pachyderms rears that lay in front of me. I had one eye on the footpath while another was glued to the three elephants that led the way. I knew I was supposed to keep my distance, but it was hard not to be close to them. I just could not believe what I was doing. Here I was, thousands of miles from home in a secluded valley, behind three of the biggest (and most beautiful) creatures I had ever seen. Another challenge during my hike was testing a new piece of technology: a Go-Pro camera. I had bought one of these because if I was going to be up-close and personal with the animals, it would help if I had my hands free and I was not fumbling with a camera. Granted, I had my iPhone camera, but I wanted to capture this experience on both film and camera pics. My Go-Pro also had a headband so I could strap it to my head so would not miss a moment of my encounter; it would have been better if the headband was much bigger so I could have attached it to the elephant’s head like in those nature documentaries where a group of nature documentarists tranquilize an elephant, then attach a small camera to a light collar as to not miss moment of the action. But, I did not bring a strap long enough for their heads.
During the hike, I came across a patch of acacia bushes laden with thorns. Many thorns. So many thorns, it looked like something out of either the briar patch or the worst kind of razor wire. And yet, I saw all three of them noshing away at them like they were nothing. For me, they were some of the most intimidating examples of plant-life I had ever seen. I mean, I had across cacti and rose vines and they all are pointy and prickly, but these were a different kind of pointy. Let’s just say, if you fell backwards into these bushes, you would have fresh piercings all over your body. You would be the proverbial human pin cushion. I caressed my fingertips over it out of pure fascination and was just intrigued how these giants were able to pick them up effortlessly with their trunks and scarf them down without flinching. My safari guide exclaimed that their digestive systems are tailor made for these, much like how koalas are the only animal that can eat eucalyptus. Their stomachs and mouths, however, are tailor made as they are so thick, they can chomp their way through these natural barbs without effort.
You probably think that would be the end of my dishing on the acacia thorns. Alas, that was only the beginning. During the hike, our pachyderm trio took a break to, shall we say, answer the call of nature. And not in the sexual way. I know we have all seen elephants do their business in the zoo and in nature documentaries. But there is nothing like seeing it in real life, especially when you are mere inches from it and have a front row seat. One might be truly disgusted, if not horrified, but not me. You have to understand and love nature, for all of its imperfections and oddities. Even the smelly ones. I could hear it land on the ground with a resounding “plop!” or “thud!”. But that paled in comparison to them doing a number one. And since they were all males, it was truly an epic sight to behold. It’s one thing to see a YouTube video of an elephant with his proverbial “5th leg”, but to see it in person from a few inches away is something one is not prepared for. You know how you should not look at a solar eclipse, or how one should look away from a train crash or a scary movie? Well, seeing an elephant’s erection is one of those sights that can make your eyebrows fly off your face. To think an animal that walks the earth alongside humans with a device that massive is nothing short of astounding. I know it sounds weird harping on this to the point where it sounds childish. But the fact that this happened right before my eyes is absolutely worth retelling. After all, no one would dare believe that I saw it. My safari guide, however, decided to have some fun with me by showing me a dried up mound of elephant dung. Using a long stick as a pointer, he guided through what used to be an acacia thorn bush. You would think elephants would only stick to soft leaves and other similar vegetation. Since elephants need to eat (a lot!), nothing goes to waste (no pun intended). They will also munch on tree roots that have occasional moisture but also useful nutrients that pass through the elephant’s gut, and lo and behold, winds up on the ground. And to think that was once a very sharp plant that could put an eye out. Nature is both fascinating as it is disgusting. But, man is it cool.
By the hike’s end, it came for the time that I had been eagerly waiting for since I first landed in Port Elizabeth. Actually, this had something I had been waiting for for years: actual physical encounter. You might think cuddling a five ton African elephant would sound impossible, disgusting, weird , or scary. I don’t think I have the proper words to describe something like this so I will do my best: magical.
Upon my guide’s instructions, I approached Thaba slowly. I could feel (and hear) my heart beating faster and faster. I practically felt every part of the lower half of my body go numb with excitement. I took a deep breath and extended my arms and fingertips. The instant my fingers made contact with his wrinkly and rather hairy hide, time seemed to stand still. I know this description may sound a tad cliche, but there is no other way to describe it. My eyes grew bigger as I stroked my digits across his massive build, letting the coarse hairs brush over hands. It wasn’t unpleasant, rather it was fascinating to see how elephants have a surprisingly hairy exterior. Not hairy like a lion or like their mammoth ancestors, but with little follicles that one could not see with the naked eye unless you were face to face.
The encounter continued with Thaba’s trunk. One does not need an introduction to how powerful and useful these grand instruments of proboscis strength are. There are more muscles and olfactory senses in an elephant’s trunk than human has in their whole body. His trunk, much like his hide, also had a fair amount of coarse hairs. I could feel the weight of it in my hands. The best part is when on command, he blew a strong breath out of his trunk and into my face! Some might be grossed out, but not me. If this was his way of saying hello, then I would have happily returned his trunk blow with a sneeze. But mine would have paled in comparison to that force of nature. For more info on how powerful a trunk is, I direct all of you to read the children’s classic, “Stand Back!, said the Elephant! I’m Going to Sneeze!” Thank me later.
Then came another amazing feature: his tusks. Prized by heartless poachers for their value among black market scoundrels (and those who believe that grinding them up grants one sexual prowess), they were definitely something to behold. I was expecting something really sharp and pointy like those acacia thorns. As heavy as they were to feel, and surprisingly smooth, they were rounded out at the tip. The point of them were not sharp like a thorn but rather smoothed out like the rounded out leg of a table. You know how you can tell a tree’s age by counting the rings? Well, that does not work with an elephant’s tusks, but this bull had definitely put his through years of wear and tear. They are essential to survival as not just a defense mechanism against other animals, but a way to dig up valuable nutrients from trees and soil. During times of mating seasons, they are used to battle other bulls looking for fertile females and a way to impress other cows in oestrus, showing off their tusks and bulk like plumage on a proud peacock.
Next, came the space under his mouth. When in life does one come up this close that they are underneath something so huge and majestic? Unless one can find a brontosaurus to stand under during a thunderstorm for shelter, this is the next best thing. Stretching my neck up, I was in awe of how many folds of fat and wrinkles were on his underside. I took into my hands a fold of fleshy fat and began to massage it just to get a feel for it. I then squatted down to really take in just how far his underbelly went. Just imagine how much one must eat and drink to maintain both this massive physique but an insatiable appetite.
Finally, came a moment I had been waiting for: hugging his massive leg. You have probably heard of how hippies are referred to as “tree-huggers” even though no one could literally put their arms around a tree trunk. Well, if you were to hug an elephant’s tremendous leg, that might be the closest you could get to cuddling a large timber. Only you don’t have to worry about getting splinters or straining your arms! I took a deep breath, threw arms around him, closed me eyes, buried my face in his smelly hide, and it was like I was all alone in the valley with him. Just me and my elephant. Suffice it to say, my inner child just passed out from sheer joy. I don’t speak elephant, but I could tell I had earned his trust. Maybe it was the fact that I was not bothered by his stench. Maybe it was the fact that I had took such a interest in all the little details that he wasn’t too impressed with. Or maybe it was the fact that I was very gentle around him to the point where he knew I was a friend. For one morning, I felt like one of the herd.
Before parting ways with my pachyderm pals, it was feeding time. Tim and his fellow caretakers handed me a bucket of grains and feed and emptied them into their trunks. Let me tell you something: they do NOT wait for the dinner bell. Or breakfast bell. Elephants may be patient with raising calves and migrating, but not when it comes to chowing down. Their trunks were littered with food particles and the way they gracefully pick up small particles of food with just the tips of their trunks is truly amazing. They can even pick up objects as small as a penny. Oh, and Tim managed to snap a rare photo while I was busy with my hands over trunks: a picture of mastication in action. Ever seen how an elephant chews and how large their mouth space is? Well, it ain’t a hippo, but close enough!
Deep down, a part of me did not want to leave this unreal moment. It may have taken years and years for this dream to become a reality but it finally happened. I just wish my family and friends could have been with me for this encounter.