Dzanga Forest Elephants

Category: Elephants | Date: Dec 17 2007 | By: admin

Yesterday afternoon at the bai, the surface of the bai is drying up and the number of holes being opened up by the elephants is increasing by the day. One hole on the southern end of the bai is proving to be the favorite of the biggest bulls. It was comical today when each big bull entering the bai came through the forest into the bai from the same trail from the eastern edge. They all headed directly to this favorite hole and depending on his size would either be rebuffed of take possession of the hole. This scene was replayed over and over until there were six big bulls who had parried for the top position. The most successful bull was a huge male Ibrahim, whom I had last seen in December 2004. He held the hole and was still there when we departed at 5:00 PM. While he held the hole he would periodically chase any males which came too close to him which resulted in a rearrangement of the males waiting in the vicinity of the hole.

Ibrahim

Today the dynamics at the clearing had dramatically changed. The favorite hole which had been attracting the larger bulls had flooded as a result of too much digging close to the small stream which had been flowing nearby. The result was now a big puddle and there were markedly fewer larger males today. The main draw for the biggest bulls is definitely these huge dry holes, once they disappear the bulls no longer find the clearing as attractive. The bai was scattered with family groups consisting of adult females and their young with their numbers reaching 100. The main activity of these females and young was the excavation of lots of small holes as well as grazing on the edge of the clearing in the small meadow.