The featured image, above, shows a most unusual circumstance: desert-adapted elephants right inside the walled, gated, “tourist accommodation” section of northern Namibia’s Palmwag Lodge.
The “invasion” was unexpected but it was not at all violent – nobody was attacked, no buildings were damaged, and no trees or bushes were uprooted or seriously hurt.
”Local hero” Jimbo – the desert elephant star of this little trilogy’s second chapter – does occasionally saunter into Palmwag Lodge-proper.
However, Palmwag Lodge staff told us that they were as surprised as we were when a family group of desert elephants “invaded” the tourist accommodation area.
This, they said, was a very rare event, at least at Palmwag.
The elephant in the above photo was consuming a little greenery, right beside “our” cottage.
Happily, when the pachyderms “walked right in”, just after 7.30:pm on 15 November 2022, we were on the courtyard/swimming pool/bar/restaurant/admin/reception side of the relevant fence!
The younger members of a “family group” of elephants are calves and pre-pubescent individuals of both genders.
The older members are the younger members’ mothers and aunts.
The family’s oldest member is usually the leader/matriarch; by virtue of her experience – and “elephants never forget” is one truism that is tolerably close to truth – she is the family’s most knowledgeable/wisest individual.
Almost needless to say, the matriarch led the “invasion” we witnessed.
Pictured below is an adolescent, confidently entering the accommodation zone, some minutes after the adults’ arrival.
Almost immediately thereafter, the matriarch decided that it was time to exit the accommodation zone.
In the photo below – taken less than two minutes after the one above – the matriarch is leading the way across the parking area in front of Reception/Admin.
The entire “episode” was nearly over, little more than ten minutes after it had begun.
Desert-adapted elephant family groups are typically much smaller than savanna/bush elephants’; whereas the latter may have as many as twenty members, a desert elephant family group often consists of just two sisters and their non-adult offspring…as was the case in this instance, I think.
If you would like to know a little more about desert elephants’ behaviour, click this for a good little overview, plus further links.
By the time I took this post’s final photo the “invaders” had exited both Lodge and adjacent oasis.
They were once more in the desert…already beyond the reach of our eyes and ears.
