Many animals in safari areas might have grown accustomed to the presence of vehicles in their midst, especially intelligent elephants with their long memories.
Sometimes though, when it comes to baby animals, it may just be the first time they’ve ever encountered a car or truck before, and the curiosity about what it is exactly can be overpowering.
Tarryn Rae spotted this young elephant calf with the rest of its herd while on a game drive with Mankwe Gametrackers, and filmed the interaction as it came to investigate the vehicles, sending the footage and story to Latest Sightings.
An Inquisitive Calf
It was an early morning in December when Tarryn and the group came to rest by the side of the road to see the herd of elephants grazing. But, just as they watched the herd, the herd watched them back.
They had an elephant calf with them which couldn’t resist getting closer to the great metal beast nearby, as its curiosity overcame any fear it might have had of the vehicle.
It’s mom seemed to keeping a close eye on her calf as it crept onto the road, closer to the vehicle, and began using its trunk to poke at it and give it a thorough examination.
A Fascinating New Sight
Tarryn wondered if this was the first time the calf had ever seen a vehicle before, and it certainly didn’t seem sure what to make of it as it probed the wheels and lower parts of the truck with its trunk.
The rest of the herd didn’t seem to concern themselves with the vehicles at all, and continued grazing. The worried mother was the only exception, as she made sure she was ready to protect her calf at a moment’s notice.
A Protective Mother
After letting the baby elephant investigate the truck for a few minutes, the mother decided that it was time to retreat, and used her trunk to pull her child away from the sides of the vehicle.
Like most other kinds of animal, elephants are fiercely protective of their young, but this mother didn’t act threatening towards the tourists in any way, she just seemed to be urging her calf to stop bothering them.
As an adult elephant with many years of experience to draw on, she likely knew that humans could sometimes be a threat, but she recognized that her baby was not in any real danger, and she just wanted to make sure it stayed that way.
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Too Curious To Leave
The calf was in no hurry to give up its investigations, however. At least once after its mother had already pulled it away, the calf came back for another round of poking the vehicle with its little trunk.
Its unwillingness to abandon its course of inquiry meant its mom had to come and use her trunk again to pull it away, making sure that it was safely with the rest of the herd.
This was a great interaction with these gentle giants but wild animals can be unpredictable, particularly when they get up close like this. When animals are close by remember to stay safely in your vehicle, and not to antagonize them in any way.