Children are known to enjoy playing with each other – and these little elephants are no exception.
These wonderful photographs capture the moment when four elephants weighing 300 kg each staged a real brawl, piling their entire mass on top of each other.
A herd of elephants has come to the Ghwarrie Dam in Addo Elephant National Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa to drink and enjoy the water.
While the mothers were in the pond, their babies decided to have some fun.
It all started with an innocent scuffle. But when three elephants piled on one of their friends in unison, the head of the herd broke down and scattered the mischievous ones.
She had to intervene and take action. Because if she had not, one of the elephants could have been seriously injured.
This unusual scene was photographed by 46-year-old Ayesha Cantor, who came to the National Park for just one day.
“My husband and I sat on the dam for over an hour and watched the various animals that came here to quench their thirst and rest a little,” the woman says.
– We were about to leave this place, when suddenly I noticed four elephants, having arranged a real brawl. I have never seen anything like this. Their fun lasted quite a long time. And, in fact, as happens with all children, it crossed all sorts of boundaries.
Naturally, the older elephant had to intervene and teach these mischievous babies how to behave like decent elephants.
As Mrs. Cantor admitted, she would not want to be in the place of a baby elephant, which was at the very bottom under a 900-kilogram pile. “It was so much like entertaining our children,” adds Ayesha Cantor.
– And I, most likely, would do exactly the same as this mother elephant. Here I fully agree with her.
The Addo Elephant National Park is located in the densely scrubbed Sundays River Valley.
It was founded in 1931, when the population of African elephants totaled about 11 individuals.
Today, more than 200 elephants live here. In addition to elephants, there are Cape buffaloes and black rhinos in the park.
