Bellus Loxodonta Africana

Lately there have been herds and herds of beautiful elephants moving through northern botswana, once on the verge of extinction this area now lays claim to 150 000, the largest in Africa.The reason for this mass movement at the moment is mostly seasonal. During the rainy season the elephants stay away from the delta area in the drylands. With the rain on the land there is water to drink and fresh mopane leaves to digest. As these areas dry up, between May- Nov they start to move out into the delta for drinking and bathing giving us an unsurpassed chance to see the elephants in a variety of ways, in the water, on land and up close, right in camp, and almost in our kitchen at one point. Do look up the documentary Elephants without boarders to learn more about the amazing historical migration patterns of Elephants.

I am both fascinated by and afraid of these massive creature. Fascinated by the long history and ancient symbolism I know they hold, and the power this has over me every time I set my eyes upon them. Aristotle once said the elephant was "the beast which passeth all others in wit and mind". I am respectful of the power they hold in this strong history that has profoundly influenced humanity and their intimidating size.

Elephants are the largest animal to walk the earth and live in separate social groups of females and males. They have the longest gestation period of any land mammal at 22 months. The breeding herds or female herds spend their entire lives in tightly knit family groups led by a matriarch. They care and protect their young, act together for mutual protection from predators, and maintain loving relationships across the generations. The older, experienced females act as the Grandmothers of the Herd, using their experience and wisdom to assist the mothers and calves with the problems of life. Adult males on the other hand live mostly solitary lives.


It is the breeding herds that make me smile on the inside and leave me in awe.

Throughout the world the elephant symbolizes ancient power, strength and royalty, strength of the feminine: the child, the woman, and the wise woman (matriarchal head of family) and the importance of family. A symbol of huge strength and stature, wisdom and courage and perseverance in that it is an extremely hard working animal.

The elephant crosses many world religions, in buddhist cultures the elephant is patience and wisdom, as the embodiment of perfect wisdom and royal dignity the Buddha himself is often refereed to as the elephant. The chinese a symbol of energy strength and power. Even in the U.S it is the symbol of the republican party. And the sacred hinduism Ganesha- the elephant headed god has been widely revered as a remover of obstacles, hence as a bringer of success.

Perhaps my/our draw to the elephant is because we see a close connection to their characteristics. Such as longevity, social customs, and varied personality traits human-like qualities such as fearfulness, rage, and stubbornness.
The life expectancy of the elephant is somewhere between sixty and seventy years. It is an intelligent creature and capable of complex emotions, even neurosis and insanity. And like our two sexes, well, I will let you derive your own conclusion out of that. And they have the ability to recognize themselves in a mirror, like humans with the ability to relate to empathetic tendencies and to distinguish oneself from the others.

Having the privilege to be so close to these immensely, empowering, humbling and god like creatures, to at one point have elephants enclosing in on all corners of camp for what felt like a large protective hug is something I could and will never take for granted. These elephants are teaching me about spirituality, about family, about a sense connection that despite all the available resources to us to connect we seem to grow further away from one another. They are magnificent not just in their size but in the power they hold over me as I sit, in their home, on their land and they teach me all they know.