An elephant cools itself in a mud pool. Picture: Michel Bega.
A male elephant sauntered towards his female counterpart at their enclosure near a watering hole. Those who had come to the sanctuary for interactions with the elephants quickly noticed that the male was trying to sweet-talk the female elephant to engage in some sort of activity with him.
The female was having none of it and gently moved away from the advances of the male.
“She is playing hard to get,” shouted a member of our party. Later on, it seemed that the female elephant had come around and returned to the male, but he was having none of it, fuelling a battle of the sexes discussion among those in attendance.
Relations aside, the sanctuary is an interesting place and it is close enough for Johannesburg folks to enjoy a bit of the bush with some friendly, domesticated elephants. During the feeding, the elephants were unfazed by the presence of humans and seemed to enjoy the interactions.
Visitors behaved and avoided sudden movements (as per the guide’s instructions) and all cellphones had to be switched off. Although they may be perturbed by mobile phones, the elephants seemed quite happy to pose for pictures with visitors.
The guide, ironically named Simba, informed the gathered contingent that the elephants were domesticated through positive reinforcement animal management principles, and as a result, provide us with the unique opportunity to interact with them. Visitors were taken on a journey into the world of the African elephant and were guided through an unforgettable expe-rience with these magnificent creatures.
It is said that this particular sanctuary is unique in that it offers visitors the incredible opportunity to walk hand-in-trunk with the elephants. Although we were not so fortunate to experience this, the sanctuary also offers e-lephant back riding. Apparently bare-back elephant riding enables humans to feel the power and bulk of an elephant in contrast with the quietness, delicateness and grace of these mammoth creatures’ movement as they walk and glide across the ground. At one point the guides were training a certain elephant and referred to it with a human name.
It was quite astonishing when the elephant responded to orders.
The sanctuary also offers accommodation should guests feel the need to sleep over and take in the daily routines that the e-lephants go through from the morning until dusk. And the on-site curio shop offers wonderful delights at reasonable prices.
Some weighty facts
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