Zambia
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South Luangwa National Park is home to large population of
African Elephants. Elephants are very destructive to
vegetation. One of the members of the tour described an area
frequented by a group of elephants as looking like it had been
"nuked". Shortly after passing through this area we came upon
this tentacle-nosed obliterator at a water hole (actually more of a
mud puddle), almost entirely covered in mud, which it was
splashing on itself with its trunk. One of the disadvantages
of being an elephant is the need to scoop up mud with your
nose. (This does, of course, mean you can sling mud
with your nose, which has its attractions.) Elephants take mud
baths and wallow in mud in order to remove ticks and other
parasites from their hide. The mud dries around the ticks,
which are pulled off when the elephant scrapes off the mud
against the trunk of a tree. In elephant country you'll see
tree trunks "plastered" with mud by this maneuver. Frequently,
the bark is stripped from the tree in the process or the trunk
is shattered outright, further contributing to the devastation
of the landscape.
by John Walker
July, 2001
This document is in the public domain.
