White Tembo

We were trying to get back to camp after a long dry dusty game drive in Savuti National Park of Botswana. This belligerent, grumpy young bull had a different idea. After several small scale mock charges and a lot of spouting off he finally let us pass. Elephants have personality traits not unlike humans. If they are stressed they can become very surly. It is my opinion that they also just like to mess with you to see your reaction. Most charges are ever followed to the point of contact. An elephant trumpeting with his ears out is more than likely just mock charging. It is when the ears go back and the trunk is curled under that you have a problem. This elephant is not really white. He is just modeling the local soil colors. Many animals that dust themselves take on the “tint “of their surroundings. - Kim Diment