Elephants at Play in Tarangire

Our trip to Tanzania included a few rare sightings, and this one was something even our tour guide was taking photos of.

Like our encounter with the leopard, it’s relatively rare to see elephants playing in the wild.

Even if you’ve seen these animals in zoos – I grew up in San Diego, which has one of the best zoos in the country, and I spent a lot of time there as a kid – it’s nothing like seeing them in their natural habitat, free and unfettered.

Our first stop on safari was at Tarangire National Park. I know I’m extremely sensitive, but seeing these creatures safe from poaching, human development, and all the messes we make, I was pretty much teary the entire time. (I know! It’s ridiculous, but I can’t help it.)

It also had me thinking about ecosystems, and how beautiful they are when they’re undisturbed. (Well, mostly. I suppose Land Rovers aren’t historically part of the natural habitat, but let’s overlook that for the moment.)

All these animals have to be concerned with is eating, sleeping, making little animals, and, oh yeah, avoiding all the murderous lions, leopards, and hyenas. Ha ha!

I’ll talk about the massive animal migration in an upcoming blog post and give you some stats about what these animals have to go through every year. Calling it an ordeal is an understatement. But onto something truly delightful: elephants at play in a pond on a hot day.

tarangire elephant tanzania africa

This is before the bath, obviously.

tarangire elephant tanzania africa

That’s an acacia tree in the background – they’re everywhere in Tarangire and the Serengeti. Hungry elephants keep them pruned that way, like giant bonsai.

tarangire elephant tanzania africa

Going in to join his friends.

tarangire elephant tanzania africa

They could not get enough tussling.

tarangire elephant tanzania africa

“Up periscope!”

tarangire elephant tanzania africa

“Don’t forget to wash behind your ears.”

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This entry was posted in Travel and tagged , .

10 Comments

  1. rob Toscano at 4:03 pm #

    Lovely and fun.

    • deonne at 4:07 pm #

      So glad you think so, Rob. πŸ™‚

  2. oksana at 4:15 pm #

    thank you for sharing these lovely photos – enjoy all you post…..

    • deonne at 4:16 pm #

      Thanks for the kind words, Oksana! It’s my pleasure to share. πŸ™‚

  3. Sabrina Temple at 6:15 pm #

    I absolutely love your photos. Elephants make my heart melt and sing!
    I’m so envious of your trip.
    Thank you for sharing.

    • deonne at 7:37 pm #

      Sabrina – Thanks so much! They are wonderful creatures, aren’t they? It was an incredible experience to be out there with them. The pleasure was and is all mine. πŸ™‚

  4. Sherry in MT at 7:44 pm #

    Makes my heart happy!

    • deonne at 7:51 pm #

      Sherry – I know exactly what you mean. πŸ™‚

  5. Lynda at 10:05 am #

    Omg yes to see happy elephants playing together is such a calming relief
    After seeing something in a mag yesterday
    They give me peace
    And and the hippos~ was that one really BLUE or did the light just catch it that way? And oh to see that beautiful crane with its wings in spectacular movement~ YOU ARE THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHER~So sensitive, intimate, fun….
    and the magnificent trees
    Hooray for AFRICA!!!!
    Love ya Β£Β₯NDA

    • deonne at 3:03 pm #

      Lynda – It was peaceful to see them, that’s exactly right. All the animals – safe and wild. The hippo’s blue tint is probably because of water on the body and the light. He/she was really more of a dark gray. And thank you for the very kind words, they made my day. πŸ™‚ Hooray for Africa, indeed!

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