david korte photographs

The gurgling and splashing was coming from the confluence of the Ngove and Eshira Rivers in front of Akaka Camp. We could see a disturbance in the water across the river, like a barrel bobbing into the current. Soon, a trunk appeared, snaking above the surface, and the amorphous shape began to make sense of an elephant. He was up to his ears, submerged in river. In no great hurry to make his way across, he would occasionally plunge completely underwater, only to resurface several meters closer.

Seeing so little of this elephant made me think it was a juvenile, but as it emerged onto the riverbank, it became clear that it was a very large elephant. Plodding up the embankment, it was completely calm and relaxed. I believe it noticed us on the edge of Camp, but the wind must have been in our favor, for it busied itself snuffling up the ozouga fruits dropped beneath the fruiting trees, slowly working its way along the trail before disappearing into the forest.