Rains at Kabini is a blessing for wildlife enthusiasts because of two reasons: while one is presented with a clear environment for photography after the rains, it also helps one to sight animals as they come out into the open post the showers. Luxurious growth of fresh vegetation both on the banks and on the island becomes a feeding ground for elephants and other herbivores. As I ventured out into the Kabini River on an evening safari, I was quite sure of spotting a few of these pachyderms.

As we slowly made our way on the river, we spotted a group of elephants walking on the banks of the river.

Elephants (Elephas maximus)

As we neared, we noticed that a calf and two other females were gracefully moving toward the waters. It is a beauty to watch these huge animals walk!

Elephants (Elephant maximus)

We silenced the engines of our boat to observe them for a while. As our guests were eagerly looking through their binoculars to get a better view, I was particularly drawn towards the calf.

Elephants (Elephas maximus)

I noticed that he was always in the middle. Elephants, like humans, are so protective of their babies! All three of them soon were in the water; they looked like floating airbags gently tossed by the current. A few minutes of playfulness led to their moving towards the ground.

Elephants (Elephas maximus)

This was a patch of land used for vehicular movement until Kabini dam was built. During summer, it becomes a foraging ground and in monsoon a track for movement. The group moved in to the green patch and began to graze.

Elephants (Elephas maximus)

We kept our eyes fixed on the baby elephant. He was so adorable! Their movement was so graceful and gentle that I had ample time to capture them on my camera. After a few more minutes of observation, we moved on our safari in search of more birds and animals.

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 4:10 pm and is filed under Herbivores. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.