ELEPHANT SIGHTINGS - 2009
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Photograph taken by ranger Andrew Batchelor
ELEPHANT SIGHTINGS - 2009 Archives: 2000 || 2001 || 2002 || 2003 || 2004 || 2005 || 2006 || 2007 || 2008 || 2009 || 2010
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| December 2009 200 sightings of elephants is unheard of, never before has there been so many elephant sightings. And the sightings have been a mixed bag this month with many many bull elephants around as well as with the herds, and newborn elephants are starting to be seen with the herds. The herds themselves have been exceptional with some very large herds being recorded, the largest of which must have been close to a hundred. Lets hope they help us out and shorten some of the dense vegetation. November 2009 Elephant sightings this month, in particular the end of the month has been phenomenal as many as 15 different herds have been counted during a single day. Like the rhinos there have been many newborn elephants around. Many of them are only a day or two old and rangers have watched as they try to take some of their very first steps. As the rains arrived so the level of the river rose much to the delight of the elephants who took their first baths in several months. There is nothing quite like watching a herd of elephants playing in the river pure unbridled euphoria. The river rose to such a level that many of the larger elephants could even submerge themselves and did so on every trip to the river. Total sightings: 195 October 2009 Elephants were everywhere and anywhere there was water. In the heat of the day the sand river was crowded with the great grey beasts all drinking and splashing in the river. On some days in excess of 16 herds were recorded, and as you can imagine this took its toll on the vegetation. The acacias in particular took a severe beating and where there was once a thicket only stumps and discarded branches remained. Good for opening up the bush let’s hope they don’t destroy too much to quickly. Total sightings: 214 September 2009 Due to the same reasons as above Elephant sightings have been plentiful. Most Elephants are congregate around the Sand River and on one particular morning there were 11 different sightings with well over 200 elephants seen. They are spending most of their time in the Sand River but some herds have been seen around the few waterholes with water in but when not in the Sand River there have been great sightings of elephant digging for water in the other river beds and even some of the dry dams to get to the water table and fresh water Total sightings: 191 August 2009 There were some large herds reported this month but the majority of these were herds coming together along the sand river to drink. Some days you couldn’t go a hundred meters without bumping into another herd. The reed beds along the sand river in particular have taken a hammering with rangers also working over time to keep the roads clear of knocked over trees. The acacia trees are coming into bloom and so many of these are the victims of careless abuse of power. But all in all elephants hold the attention of anybody watching with their amazing intelligence and strong family bonds. July 2009 The great herds have finally started appearing, on most days there in excess 10 herds on the property and often more than 60 in some of the herds. Most of these herds would move down to the river midday giving great views of them drinking and feeding as they move through the area. This is fantastic to see from a viewing point but this many elephant eat an astounding amount of food and the trees are taking a beating. But as is nature this will happen, shaping the landscape and changing the environment is what these animals are best at. June 2009 The great elephant herds have not yet come to Mala Mala, there is plenty of water around and so these great grey beasts have not yet descended on the sand river. Some big herds of 30+ have been seen but as the winter takes its toll expect to see more herds coming to drink from the river. There is also a lot of grass around and so the destruction to the trees has not started yet.
May 2009 An interesting month for elephants with lots of big bulls and herds coming into the area. There was one tusker worthy of mention during the report period, he was first seen on Marthly and then the Mlowathi area, and the last sightings of him were around western Flockfield. This particular bull does not have an extremely large body, but makes up for in size with his tusks. Another interesting feeding behaviour with the elephants during the past month has been their association with the Torchwood tree. Many herds and bulls have being watched while they crunch away on the nuts dropped by this tree. And typical of elephants, once they have finished all the fruit on the ground they place their great heads against the trunks and shake more fruit out of the tree. The usual movements for this time of year continue with most of the elephant herd sightings being concentrated along the river. In the dry months to come guests will be able to enjoy the spectacle of seeing dust clouds rising from the east as the herds race the last few kilometres from their feeding grounds to the river. March 2009 Bulls were the flavour of the month with many bachelor groups being recorded. Many single bulls were also seen in musth seeking out the herds that migrated through Mala Mala. Newborns are becoming a scarcity as the winter rolls in but still the youngsters and their antics kept guests entertained for many an hour. Herds were also recorded coming together for drinking and feeding making for fantastic viewing as they greeted one another before going off to play in the river. February 2009 Many, many herds were recorded this month. Big herds of elephants were seen moving through the property devouring the marulas as they went. Circling the base of the trees, elephants smelt their way to the fermenting fruits often spending hours under one tree making sure they got all the berries. Many a tree was shaken to get more fruits and in general the all was flattered to get to the berries. So nothing unusual for the month of February. The one elephant sighting that did stand out was when a large bull was found dead in the Hogvaal donga. Sabi sand rangers were called in to rule out any illegal interference, but none was found. He seemed to have been killed by another male in a fight. The Styx pride found the carcass but it had already been rotting for close to a week and the lions took one look at it and moved on. January 2009 Elephants have been seen on most days this month. There numbers range from single bulls to large family herds. Overall the elephants have been very relaxed and provided the guests with excellent viewing and photographic opportunities. There have been some interesting interactions between the elephants and predators, especially lions on kills and leopards. The elephants seem to take great pleasure in chasing these creatures around. Other interesting sightings have been new born elephants as well as fine sightings of courting and mating behaviour.
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