Elephant Voices

Category: 2. Field News Kenya | Date: Dec 21 2007 | By: admin

Back in the tent last night we heard rain – and we fell asleep hoping for plenty. When Petter drove to the ATE office in Ol Tukai this morning to check on e-mail and upload news pieces to WildlifeDirect he learned we received – 4 mm. “Better than nothing”, was Josephat’s dry comment. With rain the elephant movement patterns often change, fewer may go into the Park to access the water in the swamps. But, 4 mm does not make much of a difference after almost a year of drought, so we continue to cross our fingers for a few days of real downpour.

Early in the morning Joyce had a meeting in camp while Petter sat online. Then we spent a couple of hours out with Ulla’s and Philomena’s families. After a typical Elephant Camp lunch of cabbage and carrot salad and bread it was time to download and organize photos and deal with other “office” tasks. If we don’t have elephants, buffaloes, lions or monkeys around camp the sounds of numerous birds and insects always fill the air. Some of the individual birds have been with us for years, and are tame enough that they land on the table while we are eating and fly into our tent to beg for bread crumbs and other goodies. Elephants are an important symbol for all wildlife, but there are millions of other wonderful creatures all around us.

This is written just before we start packing our bags for a few days at the Kenyan coast, where we are going to celebrate Christmas with close friends. We will drive through the huge Tsavo ecosystem, to experience two of Kenya’s many amazing National Parks. We’re back in Amboseli on the 27^th of December.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Petter and Joyce

Tags: africa, behavior, behaviour, elephant, elephants, elephantvoices, kenya