Dzanga Forest Elephants

Category: Elephants, Forest | Date: Jul 05 2008 | By: dzangaforestelephants

Yesterday brought a surprise visitor to the bai. About six months ago we observed a newborn calf whose front legs were retracted. Because of this she is walking on her knees. She looked so tired and thin but was persistent and kept up with her group which consisted of her mother and an older sister as well as another adult female and her juvenile daughter.

Yesterday in the late afternoon I noticed a group of elephants entering the clearing from the south and realized that the adult female in the rear of the group was Gutki I, the mother of the disabled calf and immediately I thought the calf was dead. However I backed up with the spotting scope and their was the calf bumbling along. She is sadly enough in the same position and still keeping up with the group despite the handicap. The calf’s older sister is often observed draping her trunk across the calf’s back and I am not sure if that is reassurance or prodding. We wonder if the calf will survive in this condition or die when she can’t keep up with the group.

Today I remained in camp to attend to accounting and report writing but the trackers went to the clearing to count and do observations. Upon their return they said they had seen a newborn who had a broken leg and was limping badly. No news on who it might have been. We did however discuss how this might have happened and they agreed that the calf had probably stepped into a hole while running. They appeared very empathetic and concerned and felt badly there was nothing that we could do to help. Perhaps tomorrow I will find the same calf in the clearing and identify the group.

In camp another sleepless night with night visitors, a group of three elephants, a mother and her two daughters. We know the group from the clearing and had seen them in the afternoon. They have come to camp in the late afternoon to check out the garbage pit and later in the night come to eat the lawn. This time I was awoken at midnight by the sound of them eating in the area next to my house. It was the distinct sound of them ripping the grass out of the ground and then chewing it. I tried to discourage them to leave by exiting the house and illuminating them with a flashlight but it didn’t work and they returned immediately. Finally after three tries they finally gave up and left. Elephants unlike people do not sleep for extended periods of time and are basically active all the time.