Check Out The Elephants In Botswana.

[sanmac]

https://www.earthcam.com/world/botswana/chobe/?cam=campkuzuma

[LadyCG]

I was looking earlier, Sanmac, but I've only just had time to post.

[sanmac]

Oops, OK, I didn't realize that. I've seen as many as 50 or 60 milling around the old drinking-hole. The "youngsters" seem to want to play around in it, and some times the adults have to give them a little help in getting out.

[LadyCG]

I've just counted 10 of them

Beautiful creatures!

[Lie-in King]

Marvellous, thank you sanmac :-)

[ladybirder]

Yes I can see at least 10 at the moment. What a joy they are to watch.

[sanmac]

Some of the young ones having an afternoon bath. I wonder if they use Ivory soap?

[naomi24]

Thanks for posting this Sanmac. How lovely. Not boasting - for sharing information only - but I’ve been to places like that - and feel nothing but supreme privilege. I’ve waded into rivers and scrubbed luxuriating elephants as they cool off - and on one glorious occasion as evening approached I watched a herd come to a watering hole and witnessed a tiny baby (well, tiny in elephant terms) learning to drink and making a real hash of it by dipping his whole head in. He just couldn’t get the hang of the trunk thing! So funny! I cannot describe the absolute honour I feel at having shared some wonderfully unforgettable moments with these beautiful creatures.

(Our jeep was once chased through the bush by an enormous and very irate bull elephant - but that’s another story. Shriek! You never heard anything like it!).

[sanmac]

That sounds like an amazing holiday, Naomi. You mentioned being chased by an elephant. I was watching this cam the other day, and an entire herd suddenly just ran off towards the left of the screen, and they were really moving. I don't know what happened to cause this because I didn't see any other animals, including humans around.

[ladybirder]

I'm not jealous Naomi, really I'm not. Well not much anyway;-) I thought you might have been as you once mentioned you had had some amazing holidays. Those sort of memories last for a lifetime I should imagine.
That's interesting sanmac. Can't imagine what could have caused that if there wasn't any sound either?

[Ken4155]

Just spent 5 mins or so watching these animals in their natural habitat and, as if to make the experience seem more real, there is a strong smell wafting in through my windows from the farms surrounding Burnley :-))

[jno]

looks like about 25 there at the moment. All supping light ales and discussing lockdown, I expect.

[Peter Pedant]

many thanks

[naomi24]

sanmac, perhaps the herd was spooked by a lurking lion.

[sanmac]

They're baaaack..."The regular crowd shuffles in."

[ladybirder]

It all looks very arid there. Do they get enough eat?

[sanmac]

LB, here is an interesting article from National Geographic. Scroll down to "Diet": https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/a/african-elephant/

[ladybirder]

Thank you sanmac that is very interesting but also sad to read they are still declining even though the demand for ivory has fallen. They are too clever for their own good it seems, sussing out how to get past electric fences.
I am blown away to read:
//Because poachers target elephants for their tusks, these years of violence have also had an expecting result: African elephants are evolving to become tuskless. Studies across the continent have shown that regions with historically higher levels of poaching now have higher than usual proportions of tuskless females. Researchers are still trying to figure out how this evolution could affect the species in the long term.\\
Do they mean an UNEXPECTED result?
Are they saying or meaning to say that elephants know they are being killed for their tusks hence they are evolving to become tuskless?

[jno]

more that as ones with tusks are killed off and tuskless ones aren't, the latter will have more babies than the former ones.

[Ken4155]

Just heard on Radio 2 news that many elephants in Botswana are being found dead. Poachers are not suspected because the tusks are still intact and they are endeavouring to find the cause as the numbers of dead animals is quite high. Just hope they quickly discover the cause and eradicate the problem.

[ladybirder]

That's awful Ken. Wonder if someone is poisoning them to stop them eating crops. I feel quite upset about that as they are so precious now.