It's the end of a long dry winter season in Imfolozi Game Reserve and wildlife seek out the
few remaining water holes many of which, like this one, have been reduced to small stagnant pools.
At midday, when the sun is at its hottest, elephants appear on the scene. By mere virtue
of their size, they have a huge thirst, and needing at least 60 to 100 liters of water a day
they have the ability to smell it out from several kilometers away even when it's underground.
They are known, however, to dislike
polluted water particularly when it's contaminated with fecal matter.
Sampling what is left of the stagnant pool they opt to
rather dig for fresher underground water using their feet and trunks as spades.
Once they reach the cleaner underground water they make use
of their trunks as giant straws to suck it up.
These huge animals are top of the pecking order when it comes to watering holes,
and with so little water available other wildlife are kept at bay.
With the next watering hole some distance away, many of the animals hang around in the periphery
waiting for the elephants to leave. But these large pachyderms are in no hurry to go,
and those wanting to get to the water are in for a long wait.
When his thirst gets the better of him, an Inyala bull makes a brave attempt to reach the water,
but his courage fails him as soon as he sees one of the elephants heading his way.
By creating a wall with their bodies to block off accessibility to the water, the elephants
send out a clear message that while they're using the pool none of the other species is welcome.
Chancing their luck, the wily warthogs see an opportunity to sneak past the single elephant
keeping guard. Their agility and speed arm them with the courage needed for the task.....
but it turns out that in this instance they have misread the situation.
Having secured the pool for their exclusive use,
the elephants resume their leisurely ritual of extracting the cleaner fresh underground water.
Those animals that have opted to remain in the wings have another hour to wait for the
elephants to leave before they can drift back to the pool to quench their thirst.