AS OUR 4WD bounced over the dirt road, wending its way through lush vegetation our driver unexpectedly turned off the engine and we began coasting to a stop. A hundred metres ahead, another 4wd was stopped on the narrow track, facing us. Initially we thought this was possibly a hostile standoff, until we saw the driver in the other vehicle feverishly indicating the bush off to one side. With the engine off we could now hear the snapping and crackling of trees and foliage being savagely crushed. Something was tearing at them and thundering toward us, laying waste to everything in its path. We caught a glimpse of one giant, then two, then three… finally a herd of more than a dozen elephants was bashing through the undergrowth, uprooting trees and tearing away the bark.
Lionesses during an Earth Lodge safari.