Our second day here in the Northern Serengeti, and it's beginning to look like, beyond all expectations, that the experts were actually wrong and that there would be further crossings. This was something to look forward to. That and a ready supply of toilet facilities.
Thus motivated, we arrived early at the Mara but, instead of huge herds of wildebeest, there was this huge lady.
She was the matriarch of her herd (aka parade) of elephants.
On the other side, a little further upstream, was another family.
It may be early morning (just 7am), but they were up and keen on getting to our side of the Mara, presumably to meet up with their friends (that we had just seen on this side) for a bit of mingling and maybe a cup of tea.
Their matriarch led the way. The women are the overt bosses in the elephant world, (unlike with us humans where they are the covert bosses).
A slow steady stroll with the occasional pause to spray a little water around.
Halfway there. They were in no hurry.
This is nothing like a wildebeest crossing. There is no panic involved. No loud cries. No bloody massacres. The elephants have no fear of crocodiles. Why would they? Getting squished by an elephant is never a good idea.
Even the kids took the opportunity to play, despite being nearly submerged in a fast flowing river full of horrendous beasties.
Anyway, blowing water into your mouth through your nose is always fun,
For the babies, this was a total immersion experience. They often need help from their family if submerged for too long, although having a built in snorkel must be an advantage. The family is there in case of any difficulty, and will give them a shove from behind if necessary. And they can really give behinds a big shove.
So, totally unlike those species that are only for themselves. I bet you could name a few.
Hang on to that tail!
And out the other side.
Here come de boss.
She kinda knew that we were there, but after a quick sniff, ignored us. This happens to me a lot.
Smell that new territory.
Freshly bathed, freshly polished.
Here, their parade met with the other herd from this side.
It was a short, amicable intermingling before each went on their way. It reminds me of the way entire galaxies collide without touching despite the enormous mass involved, and finally continuing ponderously on through the universe.
Yes, very much like galaxies.
Hopefully the right babies ended up with the right families in the right galaxy...
...with the right trunk.
Talking of universes, it is a universal truth that any animal, whatever the species, on discovering itself clean, immediately finds a way of covering itself with muck. Anyone with dogs will know this. Anyone with kids too.
Some were only half cleaned by the walk through car wash.
So a back rub was necessary.
We left them in peace.
A little later we saw this lone elephant, on his own in the middle of the mara, grazing on isolated reeds.
If you look closely, you may notice that his trunk has been partially amputated.
We saw several elephants like this. I used to think that this was due to crocodiles biting the end off as they crossed the Mara.
But no. The likely cause is something much more disturbing, as we were to find out on our last day in the Serengeti.
It was still early in the day. The hot-air balloons were still out, crashing to earth as they do.
It was a welcome change of pace for us. No killing, no death, no destruction (apart from nasally), and no intestinal challenges. Just calm harmony all around.
Of course, as you will have guessed, that was all about to change.
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