Dancing Elephant

Dancing Elephant

 

I am back from quite an eventful self-drive trip, most of which we spent in our beloved Zimbabwe. I took this photo in Hwange, a park I have visited for the very first time. On this particular day the sunset was magical – with golden light and a magenta sky. Luckily this young elephant bull decided to pose a bit for me to take advantage of the wonderful setting. Young bulls often like to “show off” in front of cars which makes for wonderful photographic opportunities – and the occasional hairy moment! This one even graced us with a little sideways dance – I waited until it crossed its legs and flared its ears and pressed the shutter button.

I was pleasantly surprised at how relaxed the elephants are in this park, you can get pretty close to them safely. This is also a sign that they are not often persecuted, or at least they know that this part of the National Park is safe. I thought it was worth mentioning since last year there was a shocking cyanide poisoning incident in Hwange where hundreds of elephants lost their lives, along with other animals and birds too. From what I understood the perpetrators have been apprehended and dealt with. Let’s hope this area remains a safe haven for these iconic creatures.

Techs: Canon 5D Mk III | Canon EF 200-400L f4 with 1.4 Extender @ 200mm | f4 | 1/400s | ISO 800