Elephants need to drink around 200 litres of water a day, so waterholes draw huge herds. But, when I travelled to Somalisa Camp in Zimbabwe, I found that waterholes aren't just for drinking.
Somalisa camp
I travelled to Somalisa camp in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Hwange is the largest protected areas in Zimbabwe and home to 45,000 elephants. There were lots of elephants all around camp, but my guide More knew a very special place called Kennedy 2 Pan to watch them coming to a waterhole at sunset.
African Elephants
African Elephants are the largest land mammals on earth, standing up to 13 feet tall, weighing over 5 tonnes, and living in huge herds of up to 100 individuals. The herd that I saw coming into the waterhole was one of the biggest I've ever seen. It was a breeding herd, comprised of closely related females and their young which was led by the largest, oldest and most experienced female, known as the matriarch.
The importance of water
Elephants need to drink up to 200 litres of water a day so water holes draws these herds to the area. But don't just use the waterholes for drinking. They use it to cool off too in the blistering 40C/104F temperatures. Regulating their own body temperature is a big problem for elephants as they can’t sweat and so they use water to cool themselves down. And, the wrinkles on the elephant’s skin have a fascinating ability - the power to hold water! And the water hole provides them with another opportunity to cool down - mud baths! They cake their skin with a thick layer of mud to help lower their body temperature and the wrinkles help the mud stay put. The mud has other benefits too – acting as a sunscreen and as a parasite deterrent!
As the sun goes down, the scene at the waterhole becomes even more magical. The dust is lit up in the fiery red sunlight and everything turns a rich, golden orange. It has been amazing to spend this time with these elephants, to see them come together, to drink, bathe and have fun. And see the methods they use to keep themselves cool under the power of the African sun.
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