December 2011
A great month was had with our largest friends. With the increase in heat and the onset of the rains, they are going crazy with the mud and water levels. There is also plenty of food to go around, so stress levels are down as well. Many of the herds have youngsters in tow, and are still heading down to the river every hot day for a good old swim and play. It is a truly wonderful thing to witness a small elephant calf taking one of its first swims in amongst the adults.
November 2011
The elephant sightings have been tremendous this month. Even with the rain filling up some of the smaller dams and watering holes, the herds are still congregating along the river to get clean water. Most of the herds have all got small babies, and on a few occasions mating behavior was seen. It is an incredible spectacle to behold, as the whole herd gets very excited about the event. The sound of trumpeting fills the air, as all the herd members run around the mating pair. The Marula trees are starting to bear fruit now. The large pachyderms relish the sweet fruit, and it’s quite something to see them congregate under the Marula trees to gorge themselves on their favourite snack.
October 2011
With the hot and dry winter finally behind them, these friendly giants are revelling in the spring rains. The pans are filling up nicely, and there is an abundance of grass and browse shoots around, all of which make for very happy elephants. There’ve been many young calves seen across the property, and herds of fifty plus animals even being viewed on occasion.
September 2011
Elephant sightings are slightly down from last month, but that said, we’ve still enjoyed some good quality time with these large herbivores. The many herds around also have an abundance of calves, providing some excellent viewing and photographic opportunities. The albino calf we saw last month was not seen again. Whether or not it has survived the harsh African sun remains to be seen. Most of the elephant sightings are still centred along the Sand River, with sightings usually increasing from midday onwards when the herds come down to drink.
August 2011
We saw lots of elephants this month, literally hundreds every day. They come down to the river in their droves to drink before moving back to feed along the riverine bush. Many of the herds had calves of all ages in their midst, a sure sign that the populations are increasing. One sighting this month was particularly special, as we were fortunate enough to witness the first steps of a newborn calf. He wobbled, fumbled, stumbled and sputtered to his feet, before eventually joining the herd for his first feed. Another interesting sighting was of an albino elephant calf. The little guy had pure white hair and a reddish colour around his eyes. His eyesight didn't seem that great however. Three sub-adults were in constant attendance, helping him manoeuvre through the bush and over obstacles. His mother was very relaxed in our presence, and the calf seemed healthy otherwise.
July 2011
Surprisingly (given the time of year), there were days during the month that elephant herds were scarce. Although that said, on most days we found elephants in abundance along the river. At night, as well as on the cooler mornings, the herds would move away from the river and onto the higher lying areas where it's usually a little warmer. They would then make their way back down towards the river once the day warmed up, spending the afternoon leisurely feeding and drinking. With the grasses being less nutritious, the elephants tend to feed mostly on the trees, stripping off bark, or pushing them over in order to get at the top most leaves, or to feed on the upturned roots.
June 2011
June is always the month when elephants become abundant. At midday one just has to drive along the course of the Sand River to see all the elephant herds in the river. There is still a fair quantity of water in the river, which should last until the rainy season comes. It is also this time of year that the bulk of the elephants diet switches from grasses to leaves, bark and roots.
May 2011
Elephant herds continue to be prolific on MalaMala. Their vast home ranges mean that there are numerous sightings each day. As the temperature drops, the amount of distance they cover will increase. As they are able to remain cooler, they can move further and do not need the assistance of water to cool them down as much as they do during the summer months. However they still require the river from which to drink, and with the smaller pans all dry the river is an essential resource. Hence the reason many of the elephant sightings for the month have been in close proximity to the river.
April 2011
Elephant herds continue to litter the Sand River, the temperatures have remained warm which is what attracts them to the water. As the water resources in the surrounding areas begins to dry up we anticipate even more elephant activity in and around the river. On many occasions this month we have been able to watch these large herbivores play around in t eh river from the deck while enjoying lunch. We have been fortunate enough this month to be treated to many sightings of some very big bulls whose displays of power are incredible.
March 2011
Herds of elephants have been plentiful and dispersed all over Mala Mala this month. There has been a lot of bull elephant activity this month which must been that at least some of the females are coming into heat. There has also been a lot of young calves amongst the herds which is fantastic to see as they always provide great entertainment as they explore the world around them. With the coming winter we can expect even more herds which will have mixed results, great from a game viewing point of view but possibly very destructive for the environment.
February 2011
With the Marula fruits ripening and the warm afternoons there have been many different sightings of elephants along the Sand River and where ever there is a Marula tree. On occasion there were small herds as well as a few bulls seen eating the Marula fruits in front of camp providing some quality lunch time entertainment. With far less rain falling this month the smaller pans have started to dry; this coupled with warm February days has seen the elephants moved towards the river to find reprieve from the heat.
January 2011
With the hot days of January some fantastic elephant viewing has been had. There is nothing an elephant loves more than having a swim. With the level that the river has been in one can watch a large bull elephant wander into the river and get completely submerged with just its trunk sticking out. An interesting sighting developed one day when a herd of elephants was looking to cross through the river. Present in the herd was a very young calf, which unfortunately on stepping into the swift current was swept off its feet. The mother and half the herd were very quick to chase after and catch up, but for a good hundred meters the small little calf was swept downstream but it did very well to keep its trunk above water. Towards the end of the report period the marula fruits ripened to which the elephants responded by spending hours beneath the trees picking the delicious fruits up off the ground.
Photograph taken by ranger Ant Mulligan
