A gentle giant

I was out one morning looking for elephants as my guests were still hoping for further interaction with these special creatures. What we came across that day, we could not have prepared for – it was simply magical.

As we were driving down the riverine thickets I picked up a strong smell on the breeze. I knew this smell well… it was the scent of an elephant bull in musth. This is a term used to describe an elephant bull with heightened levels of testosterone. As a guide, we always need to be very aware of these individuals as they can be aggressive from time to time. However, these older bulls can also be overly relaxed during musth and fortunately this was what we were to experience.

This incredible bull walked out of the thickets into our view and took our breath away. The ivory on this animal was like nothing I have ever seen here in the Serengeti ecosystem. A truly magical moment.

He gently strolled on right past the vehicle as we watched in awe. There are not many elephants left in the Serengeti as impressive as this, it was a real treat for us and I was so glad that my guests got to experience this.

Let’s protect these iconic, intelligent and gentle giants of Africa. The ecosystem depends on their presence.