This elephant experience was EVERYTHING!

"I only wish I could spend more time with these beautiful creatures.

The handlers are well informed, and you can tell they have a really special, trusting bond with the elephants kept here at the moment. The handlers were able to answer any and all questions about elephants that us as a group had, and you got the feeling the elephants are happy in their care.

Elephants are intelligent, emotional and like humans, they have a personal space that they do not like being invaded. They appreciate silence, patience and slow, consistent movements. It is important to read their body language and let common sense prevail when in their presence.

Although there are many more, we’ve highlighted seven classic elephant behaviours:

Standing Tall (threat behaviour)

Elephants normally stand or move about with eyes cast down. A direct gaze with eyes open is a component of many displays. A typical posture used mainly by females in challenging non-elephant threats, such as predators and people, would be standing or moving with the head held well above the shoulders, the chin raised ( as opposed to tucked in) and looking down at her adversary over her tusks with an eyes-open-stare and ears maximally forward. The animal appears to increase in height and sometimes deliberately stand upon and object such as a log or anthill in order to increase its height. The elephant means: I’ve got you in my sights, so watch it!

Baobab and Elephant 

Both are icons of Africa, easily identifiable from a distance by their distinctive shape. Both can reach considerable sizes and ideally reach very old age. They even share a similar color spectrum. It is therefore not surprising that Baobabs are sometimes referred to as “elephants” in the kingdom of plants.

The size of the baobab tree can vary, it can shrink and expand depending on its needs. In the dry season the trunk shrinks and when water is abundant, the trunk expands to support more water storage. But even though they only need a minimal amount of water they need some water – and if they do not get it over long periods they dry out and die.