Kabini, also called the Land of the Elephant, houses the species in relatively large numbers; this land mass in fact hosts the largest congregation of Asian Elephants found anywhere in the world.

When at Kabini, don’t miss ‘the golden opportunity’ – a Boat Safari; this is a great chance to encounter these gentle  giants of the forest.

A Mighty Tusker at Kabini!

I was on a Boat Safari one afternoon when I sighted a herd of pachyderms feasting on lush grass. About five minutes later, they began walking in the direction of the river.

We naturally assumed the elephants would drink the water. However, a female elephant that led the herd suddenly began kicking mud close to the shore. She then picked it up with her ‘indispensable tool’ – her trunk, and sprayed it on herself. Tempted by the act, the elephants accompanying her followed suit.

Mud bathing is an important activity as far as elephants go, for it helps protect their skin from harsh sunlight.

The Glorious Mud Bath!

Elephants are highly dependent on water, which they not only drink but also use to guard their skin and maintain ‘general hygiene’, or rather ‘elephant hygiene’.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 16th, 2012 at 3:49 pm and is filed under Herbivores, Mammals. 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.