Bathing Beauties: Save Water💧, Elephant 🐘 Style... (Original GIFs and thoughts)
Dust baths! Elephant's preferred way to shower
Shower = The place of thoughts and decision making
Well, I actually do not know if the jumbos do any thinking during their shower or not. However, I do know that they take care of their skin! Not many of us know that Elephants have very sensitive skin. It can easily get sunburned! Elephants protect it with mud and dust layers. The layer of also helps them to remain cool and retards flees and other insects. I accidentally discovered this secret ingredient for their skin treatment.
During one of the visits to Pilanesberg, in South Africa, two of my friends and I decided to wander a little afar from the normal beaten paths around Mankwe dam reservoir. We were not very lucky with any sightings and late in the afternoon sat in our car, staring at the Mankwe reservoir from our high position in the hills. Suddenly, my keen eyed buddy spotted some movement in a trench, about a mile away and directly below our position. Were those elephants???
Oh yes - Moving in the trench to keep on low ground and in almost a straight line, was a full herd of elephants.
Calculating their speed and direction, we decided to intercept them on a dirt road behind Mankwe reservoir.
It took us an hour of alternating between tracking and patient waiting but then -
As they came to the dirt road crossing, each elephant scooped up soft dirt and had a wonderful dirt shower, without missing a step.
Just look at the style of this hip youngster as he swings his leg back, throws his trunk forward, almost in a hip-hop step and lets the dirt fly!
Last in the marching line was this big, bad A$$ Bull elephant. He took one look at our car and almost charged. He was NOT happy. We dropped (literally!) our cameras in the car helter-skelter and made a very hasty retreat.
All the photos and GIFs created by me from original video taken by me with Sony Handycam. GIF making is a new skill I learnt today by the way :)
Please feel free to check my other recent posts on my Africa experience:
Dueling Duo: How Impalas manage conflict..
PhotoSpeak #1: Man vs. Nature...
Photospeak #2: African landscape...
PhotoSpeak #3: On the Road...😎
It's a daily pleasure checking out your post @vm2904! Beautiful pics as usual!
Cheers
@progressivechef
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I too, check your posts regularly. Will take a look today after I arrive at home.
Thanks a lot for the support!
You are awesome!
Good sights. Wide life study and observation is always was awesome.
Thanks for your visit to my blogs my friend and your encouraging words as always. Will visit your blogs shortly in my daily rounds.
Very nice work!
@donkeypong - Thank you for taking the time to see my blog and provide encouragement. Your visit is always an honour.
I've fallen in love with your photography... @vm2904
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement
Oh these GIFs are very good! A good post all round in fact!!
Thank you. Your encouraging words made me feel that all the efforts put in learning making gifs were worthwhile.
Very nice picture, the colors are beautiful. I will not have done better aha
Thank you
Nice animations! ;)
Mmmm can only imagine how people would look if they had to bath this way :D
I never knew this. Thanks for sharing this information. Elephants have a great memory and can remember a lot of things.
And when they charge, you run. I wonder how you guys felt when the elephant charged at you?
Pure form of fear?
Seen the huge animals rolling on the dust enjoying it in some documentary before.
I have not seen them rolling in dry dust but have seen them rolling in mud. Thanks for taking the time to visit my blogs and your support
You're welcome