You may not know this about me, but elephants are my absolute favorite animal. Don’t believe me? I even have an elephant tattoo to prove it! In any case, they are among my favorite animals to view in the wild, even though it’s fairly easy to see them on most safaris. In case you were not aware, they are fairly conspicuous animals.
Elephants at Ol Pajeta are able to migrate into and out of the park via established corridors, but there up to 300 elephants in the preserve at any one time.
1: The African elephant is listed as vulnerable per IUCN. Vulnerable animals are likely to become endangered if conservation measures aren’t practiced. Ol Pajeta is one of the safest preserves for them to hang out, a side benefit of the large rhinoceros population there.2: Elephants are well-suited for black and white photos. They are naturally grayscale! An African elephant can reach up to 13 feet tall, weigh up to 7 tons, and can live 70 years![src]3: Elephants are eating machines. An adult elephant can consume up to 300 pounds of food in a single day![src]. This eating behavior often puts them at odds with farmers and ranchers. They also must roam around and forage for food. If kept within a small area, they can quickly wreak havoc on the local vegetation.4: This herd was not amused at our presence, and decided to show us some tails.5: Kids will be kids! These youngsters are engaged in some ‘horseplay’. Elephantplay should be a word!6: Here they’re trying to assemble a trunk pretzel.7: Research indicates that elephants can communicate with each other by stomping on the ground[src]. I wonder what this little tyke is trying to say…8-9: This marshy field was by far the best spot to catch elephants. There was always at least half a dozen hanging out here. Who can blame them? Take a look at that delicious soggy grass!10: This mother is scraping some short grass off the dry ground. Somebody needs to tell her about the delicious marsh grass a few kilometers away! Fun fact, the gestation period for a baby elephant is almost 22 months![src]. How does that sound to you moms out there?
Thanks for dropping by! Please consider donating to Ol Pajeta Conservancy to help support the preservation of these awesome animals. I hope that you enjoyed my travel photos and commentary, and will return for more travel content in the future.
