Gentle Giants

One of the great drawcards for visitors to the northern reaches of Botswana is the number of elephant to be found in the Chobe and Linyanti regions. Various figures have been quoted over the past decade, but a more accurate estimate after the recently completed 'Great Elephant Census' places total numbers across Botswana at around 130,000 - and growing.

Since Botswana banned all hunting back in September 2013 it appears that more and more elephant are reluctant to move back into areas where human on wildlife conflict is prevalent; in particular hunting and poaching such as is taking place in Botswana’s neighbouring states.

Of course being a biodiversity rich area the Linyanti also offers an amazing array of wildlife and birds to tick off one’s list, but there is something so special to be gained from spending quality time with these herds of peaceful pachyderms. One is left with the feeling of having being somehow reached through their gentle rumblings; for each of us the message possibly being different.

Fortune allowed me to live in the Linyanti area for close on five years where these beautiful herds became a part of my everyday life. No matter how busy the day, time with them always left me with an overall feeling of calmness, that this was ‘real’, absorb and become a part of it, the order of things out here in nature is as it is, was, and should be.

I will forever be grateful for the time I have, and will in the future get to share with these gentle, grey giants - and for the lessons they pass on to me. I wish the same for anyone fortunate enough to get to spend even a minute in their presence.