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Our TingVision system at Buckler’s Lodge on the border of South Africa’s Kruger National Park, submitted this footage.
A remotely operated camera captured the footage, and we’re sure to bring you more in the future. In the meantime, be sure to follow our Facebook page.
Peacefully browsing
On the banks of the Crocodile River, a young elephant bull grazes peacefully beside the swiftly flowing water.
Initially, it looks like he is alone. However, in the next scene, several males of varying ages join him.
Bachelor herd
This is a typical elephant bachelor herd. Male elephants live quite a separate life from females, although they will occasionally spend time together for a few days before parting ways.
However, like many social animals, they form hierarchies within which each member holds a rank, typically determined by age, size, or musth status. Hierarchies serve the purpose of social organisation, conflict reduction, and sharing ecological knowledge.
Into the water
A little later, two of the bulls decide to head into the river. Elephants have no aversion to water and cross it regularly to get to better grazing.
From the outset, however, it is apparent that the following elephant sees this as more than just an opportunity to get from point A to point B. The first clue of this is when he nudges the lead elephant’s rump.
Upping the ante
As the lead elephant continues to dawdle across the river, the larger bull behind decides to up the ante. Initially, he does so by shoving the other bull from behind.
While it does make the lead bull move faster, it soon becomes evident that it is not fast enough. Consequently, the big bull further escalates the situation.
More pressure from the rear
When the lead bull stops, hoping to have a drink, the other bull lowers his head and prepares to give his smaller companion a rude surprise.
Next, he swings his head upwards and jabs the other elephant in the backside with his sharp tusks. Unsurprisingly, this has the desired effect, and the lead bull quickly moves forward again.
It should be noted that this is probably not a case of true aggression. If anything, the larger animal is just asserting its dominance by moving the other one out of its way.
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Clear message
To ensure that his message was well and truly understood, the bull kept his tusks to the other’s rear for several metres.
Only once he was sure his rival was going to keep moving did he stop.
Savouring victory
Ultimately, the bull was left on his lonesome to enjoy the cool waters at his leisure. With such massive bodies, bathing in water helps elephants keep cool.
Biding his time, the elephant seemed to contemplate his victory before slurping up several gallons of water. An elephant’s trunk can hold between 8 and 10 litres (about 2 to 2.6 gallons) at a time.
Then, as the footage comes to an end, the bull was last seen feeding from a grass island midstream. We can’t wait to see what our TingVision cameras will show us next!