| We had many opportunities to get close to the elephants at the water holes, but the
best experiences were when they came over to investigate us. An elephant once came so
close that he actually put his trunk in the vehicle and started smelling around to
see what was in there. He could smell the water stored on top of the vehicle, so he
put his head there to try to get to the fresh water. It’s pretty special when they
explore us and accept us into their territory.
|
I can’t emphasize enough how bad the sleep deprivation was on us. Eventually we
decided that one of us would stay awake for two hours while the other slept. If
something happened, we would wake each other. But even with that we often got only two
or three hours of sleep. We tried to sleep a few hours during the day, but it was so
incredibly hot. At night the temperatures were still awful. It took a huge toll on my body. My immune system was very weakened,
and I picked up a lot of parasites and got very ill.
|
An elephant’s carcass lasts more than eight days and nights. Derek and I sit there
the whole time documenting what happens. It’s pretty intense. Lions come in to feed
and have territorial fights. Then hyenas take over. You can imagine the incredible
smell from a huge elephant. The odor is pretty putrid. It not only attracts a lot of
other animals, but it permeates our skin, hair, and clothing. During the day we left
the area to take a shower, but we didn’t realize how penetrating the smell was.
On one occasion a group of tourists invited us to join them at their camp so we could
have a decent meal. We accepted, but they asked us to take a
shower before we got there. It was embarrassing. |
