michali Posted March 25, 2012 Share #1 Â Posted March 25, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Sony Alpha 850 & Leica 105-280mm Vario Elmar (Leitax mount). Â Elephants live in very structured social groups or families. Females spend their entire lives in tightly knit family groups made up of mothers, daughters, sisters, and aunts. Much like humans, elephants have very close family bonds and females in a group will assist each other with care of the young. These groups are led by the eldest female, or matriarch. Â This is a small herd of about 20 elephants that I've often encountered in northern Kruger South Africa, and have observed them over a period of several years. Â Image #1: Taken with last light just before sunset. Images #2, #3 & #4 were taken in very low light. Â Image #2: The female on the left, who is also the matriarch of this herd, lost part of her trunk in a poacher's snare several months ago. It's obvious how much shorter her trunk is compared to the other elephants. During the period it took for the remaining part of her trunk to heal, the other elephants used their trunks to pour water down her mouth, until she was able to drink by herself again. Â Image #3 & #4: I was totally surprised to see this tiny elephant calf emerge from under the adults' legs. I estimate it to be about 4 to 6 weeks old. It's amazing to watch these huge animals move through the bush and at all times being aware of the calf's presence as it moves in between the adults without being trampled. Â Â Thanks for viewing. [ATTACH]306966[/ATTACH] Â [ATTACH]306969[/ATTACH] Â [ATTACH]306967[/ATTACH] Â [ATTACH]306968[/ATTACH] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 25, 2012 Posted March 25, 2012 Hi michali, Take a look here ELEPHANTS LATE AFTERNOON. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
leicamann Posted March 26, 2012 Share #2  Posted March 26, 2012 wow.... lovely.... the Sony seems to work fine with the Leica ...  Of course, being there amongst the elephants is something else!!  Thanks for posting  Cheers, JRM Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted March 26, 2012 Share #3 Â Posted March 26, 2012 Mike - Â Excellent! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Geschlecht Posted March 26, 2012 Share #4 Â Posted March 26, 2012 Hello Mike, Â Nice photos. Â Best Regards, Â Michael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauledell Posted March 26, 2012 Share #5 Â Posted March 26, 2012 Mikke, Â Excellent shots of those magnificent animals as well as the fantastic narrative. They are amazing creatures as well as being quite adaptable. Thanks for posting. Â Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bateleur Posted March 30, 2012 Share #6 Â Posted March 30, 2012 Mike, Â Lovely story about the herd interaction and care for the matriarch. Â Thanks Charles. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iduna Posted March 30, 2012 Share #7 Â Posted March 30, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Mike, Â fantastic pictures of a fascinating story. The lens did a fine job and so did the photographer. Thanks for sharing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
michali Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share #8 Â Posted March 31, 2012 Thank you everyone for your comments and feedback, always greatly appreciated. Best, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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