Despite the typically tranquil scenery, visits to the river can be a tense time for wildlife as predators often lie in wait. Here, a family of elephants does a hasty about-turn when panic erupts on the far riverbank.
Regular contributor Mark Fox from Exploring Kruger sent this footage to Latest Sightings. He filmed it while on safari in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
A family arrives
As the midday sun bakes down, a small herd of elephants makes its way towards the river. The herd consists of an adult female, two teenagers, and two calves.
Elephants are commonly found near water and usually drink twice daily. Additionally, they really love swimming, especially the youngsters.
As such, Mark starts filming, hoping to capture their fascinating social interactions on the far bank.
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Healthy appetites
Lulled by the tranquillity, the herd spreads out. The cow feeds on a small bush, while the younger animals gather grass nearer to the water.
As you’d imagine for such large animals, elephants have huge appetites. Adults will eat up to 150 kilograms of vegetation per day.
Pan to panic
Suddenly, Mark pans his camera rapidly to the left. There, we see a herd of antelope running along the near bank.
It is a herd of waterbuck, a species that is seldom found more than two kilometres from water. It seems something has spooked them, but it is not clear what.
A large herd
Subsequently, we see that it is quite a large herd. Herds typically range from 6 to 30 females. Females range more widely than males, who generally stay within a defined territory.
As the herd gallops along, they splash through some shallow water. To navigate marshy, wet environments, waterbuck have specialised elongated hooves, with widely splayed toes to distribute their weight on soft surfaces.
Abundance of caution
As the waterbucks splash through the water, the sound startles the elephants. Since their eyesight is quite poor, they can likely only see movement, not detail, at that distance.
Consequently, out of an abundance of caution, the youngsters run back to the adult cow. When danger threatens, young elephants instinctively seek the protection of adults.
They will typically huddle together before deciding on a fight-or-flight response. Also, note how the teenagers protect the calves between them.
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Anti-predator strategies
Meanwhile, the panicked waterbuck herd stampedes into the water. This is possibly a counter-predator strategy, employed in the hope that whatever is pursuing them would balk at entering the water.
At this, the protective elephant cow decides that it’s time to lead her family from danger. Although she doesn’t know what the actual threat is, her chief concern is protecting the vulnerable youngsters.
Unknown threat
Accordingly, she and her family set off in the direction from which they came. Meanwhile, the waterbuck cross the river, where they come to a halt.
Unfortunately, we’re still none the wiser as to what caused the antelope to stampede. The most obvious conclusion is that they either saw or got a scent of a predator.
As the video nears its end, Mark pans across the floodplain looking for the source of the commotion. Unfortunately, there is nothing to see.
And so we’re left with a scene as peaceful as it was just moments before. But in Africa, who knows when it will be disturbed next?