Baby Elephant Blues



Pictures courtesy Adam Hackett

I've just read a blog post from our sister camp, Greystoke Mahale, about the dramatic hunt that two of their guests witnessed - chimpanzees attacking and killing a red colobus monkey. Sometimes these things are hard for us humans to watch, we who get our food ready-cut, cleaned, packaged and anonymous from the supermarket.

Recently, two of our guests, Adam and Anthea, were witness to a pride of lions killing a baby elephant. The lions tore into their prey in a frenzy, not waiting for the two-year old elephant to die before beginning to feed. The elephant's mother and herd watched from nearby, powerless to help.

It's difficult, maybe impossible, to view these scenes dispassionately. Nor should we. Nature's uncompromising brutality prompts respect, just as her beauty brings appreciation. As always, it's about balance.