Moving with the big guys
Digging for water in a sand river - photo by Anna De'Capitani - note the mother teaching the baby how to do this
Scratching an itchy ear - photo by Anna De'Capitani
Vultures on an elephant carcass - photo by Rebecca Phillips
The sun goes down on another Ruaha day - photo by Rebecca Phillips
These photos were taken in the Ruaha National Park in southern Tanzania, in October 2017 by Anna De’Capitani and Rebecca Phillips of Mdonya Old River camp, dedicated to protection and conservation of these magnificent animals.
AFRICAN ELEPHANT FACTS
The African elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest living terrestrial mammal
The largest recorded individual reached 4 m at the shoulder and weighed 10 tonnes
Both the male and female African elephant have tusks, which are actually extended upper incisor teeth
African elephants live in matriarchal social families consisting of closely related females and their calves
Elephants use their trunks for vocalisation, feeding, drinking, greeting and other social behaviours
Low-frequency calls allow elephants to communicate over large distances and two-thirds of calls are emitted at a frequency below the range of human hearing
Man is the greatest enemy of the elephant. Traditionally the major cause of the species’ decline has been poaching for ivory. While this still remains a threat, other issues caused by rapid human population growth have emerged. These include habitat loss, fragmentation and the development of agricultural land, which have all led to an increase in conflict between humans and elephants.