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We discovered the Elephant Farm, between Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, quite by accident. It is a new venture and tries to place elephants in the Knysna woods again.Playing with Elephants
Knysna (pronounced without the "K" as in "know") has many woods and forests filled with ferns, and there are legends and stories about elephants still hiding in their depths.
Directions for South Africans and tourists:
This elephant farm is about 12 km from Plettenberg Bay on the road to Knysna. Take the turnoff to "Eden Garden" and then on to the farm. It is only about 2 or 3 km from the main road.
There were three elephants on the farm when we visited in October 1996: Harry and Sally (both 7) and Dumbo, a 4-year-old male.
Hey,
stop sucking! (Click on pics to see bigger views)
Harry the elephant soon realized I wasn't scared of him and like all males, tried to take advantage. I placed a piece of apple on his tongue and he gently sucked on my hand. It is a very strange feeling!
Harry, typical male, also constantly wrapped his trunk around me. That is a bear hug with a difference, I can assure you! And he was VERY interested in the video camera as well.
When we first arrived at the farm, the boys each had an apple hidden in their clothes. The elephants smelled the fruit immediately, and Harry, boldest of the three, used the two little "fingers" at the tip of his trunk to shake the jacket in order to find that alluring scent!
Biology lesson: African elephants are a lot bigger than their Asian kin. They also have two "fingers" at the tip of the trunk, where Asian elephants have only one.
And when we fetched the bag of citrus, the elephants were in the seventh heaven. They kept running after us to get more, but when Arno said "Finish" and held his hands out, they turned immediately and went back to the shed! Despite their thick skins, elephants are sensitive to cold. They don't mind rain, but as soon as the wind picks up, these three hide in a wooden shack!
Say
Ahhhh!
Harry begs for another naartjie (tangerine) from Arno, while the boys wait their turn to feed him.
By the way, did you know an elephant is pregnant for 22 months?
Two seven-year-olds sizing up
Won't those feet crush me, Mom?
Just to make this more interesting, listen to the sound of an African elephant! Click!
Boys will be boys!
Recommended reading:
Two books by Dalene Mathee, Circles in the Forest (Kringe in die
Bos) or Fiela's Child (Fiela se Kind). This lover of nature lives in Hartenbos,
South Africa, and her books were translated into many languages the world
over.
*No image(s) from this Web site may be downloaded and used for any purpose whatsoever without prior arrangement (not necessarily payment!).
© All material is copyright M S, unless stated differently.
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The HTML Writers Guild.
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KIBANA-SHAKUNAGE (Rhododendron aureum): One of the Alpine Rhododendrons.
Its pale-yellow color is expressed in both the Japanese and the Latin name
(image).
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