Trunk Shows

Seconds before the branch crashed down

(Dana) Our visit to the Lower Zambezi River Valley in Zambia was timed perfectly: the availability of apple-ring acacia seed pods. Affectionately called “elephant biscuits,” these finger-sized pods are a favorite snack of our 3-5 ton friends. They gather up the pods from the ground or strip them off of any branch they can reach. One evening, three bull elephants visited our house and the huge apple-ring acacia next to and above the pool. Over the next hour, they picked up every pod in sight, then turned their attention to the tree itself. While we watched, they stretched up their heads and trunks and literally ripped the reachable branches off the tree. Crash! A limb 5-inches in diameter landed on the deck directly where I had been sitting. Their power is awe inspiring. Finally exhausting the easy supply, they sauntered off silently, melting into the night, only to return at 2AM for a late night snack. The cracking and crunching of small leafy branches woke me, and I enjoyed an hour of watching and listening to one of the elephants dine. The smell was a curious mix of big animal and freshly clipped trees.

Reis and Slash by the pool

The grand finale came the next afternoon when the 30-year old Slash (named for the hole in his ear) returned for more. The kids scampered around collecting pods as he munched his way around the house. By the time he got to the pool, we were ready. We placed the pods on the opposite pool deck. Slash gingerly picked up each pod with the two “fingers” at the end of his trunk and placed them into his mouth. I was mesmerized by how such a big creature can eat so loudly and so softly. He actually came up onto the deck to reach for branches from the other side of the tree, splashing another big limb right into the pool. Slash was so close, we all wanted to reach out and touch him; we had to remind ourselves that he is indeed a wild animal. In fact, his parting act was to leave a pile of elephant muffins and accompanying urine on the boys’ room porch. Despite that, we all were glad that it was apple-ring acacia pod time!