Lion vs Buffalo podcast

Thought I should probably share what we do here! Earth-Touch films and sells syndicated footage to different television networks. We also have podcasts on itunes and stuff on you tube. This is a recent event Graham and I filmed. Very cool.

Beautiful bull - Grahams version

I must step in here after reading Penny’s version of this particular evening. It is my duty to set the record straight. Here is the real version.

Making our way back to camp one evening we came across this big old bull elephant. These bulls are generally very relaxed so I pulled ahead of him and got down on the ground to take some low angle shots as he walked past. He stood above me, peering down at me briefly before continuing past the front of the vehicle.

From behind me, all I could hear was Penny’s constant stream sotto whispered curses. ^%$@ SAKES Graham why do you have to do this?! It’s not funny anymore! Get back in the truck! ^*%*^*!!! etc etc etc. I’ve learnt to tune this out most of the time as she thinks that I actively try to terrify her with wild life encounters as my only source of amusement. She does not trust me one iota.

The ele moving on, I slipped back into the truck, Penny’s ashen face glaring at me. The ele moved on past Penny’s side and, probably smelling the orange peels on the dash turned to investigate.

Penny thinks that if she doesn’t look at the animals, they can’t see her. It’s very amusing. I grabbed my wide angle lens and started snapping some shots. (The wide angle lens makes him look a lot further away than he was. He was very close to her I will admit, within a couple of meters)


Penny stared resolutely ahead. “Smile Penny.” Deaths head grimace. “Smile, enjoy it.” Something vaguely more photogenic but no more genuine. “OK just watch the ele.”

Beautiful bull

On our way back to camp one evening we came across a huge old bull elephant. The old bulls are often found wandering on their own. Once they reach adolescence they move out of the breeding herds and form bachelor herds. However these are quite loosely structured they will stick together, move off and as this one is on their own. The older bulls tend to form a sort of mentorship with the younger ones and as their senses fade will use the younger bulls to navigate and pick up on signs of danger.

Anyway, we stopped to take some pictures with the sunset as a beautiful backdrop Having left some orange peels on the dash of the truck this big old bull seemed to pick up the scent and moved closer and yet still closer to the vehicle making it’s way to my side of the car where the orange peels were, directly in front of me. It is hard to tell in this picture but he was close. I could have reached out and touched his trunk when he lifted it up to sniff almost inside the vehicle. My heart raced as he did so, but the thrill was exhilarating. To be so close to an elephant was unreal. And I have never felt quite so small in my life. I imagine what a cat must feel like next to a large dog...a mouse next to a cat...and so on. Being back in the bush is wonderful. This kind of heart pounding rush in the city would only come from a close call at an intersection......