So we got to the point of how Jiga came to be in Hluhluwe Game Reserve. Once he was released he claimed the Memorial gate end of the reserve as his own.

Amajigajiga Saga Part 2

So we got to the point of how Jiga came to be in Hluhluwe Game Reserve. Once he was released he claimed the Memorial gate end of the reserve as his own.

The first thing we noticed about him was that he really wasn’t interested in other elephants. It is quite normal for an older bull to be on his own a lot. But Jiga made a point of avoiding other elephants whenever he could. This even extended to young bulls who would try and attach themselves to him (also quite a normal thing). It wouldn’t be more than a day and would have got away from them somehow.

On the outside of the fence line near Memorial gate is a waterhole that a lot of Zulu kids play in, in the summer months, it is right near the fence and they often use it as a makeshift swimming pool. I started noticing this old giant elephant often standing right next to the fence listening and watching the kids play. This was done without any malice or agitation, he just stood there calmly curious every time the kids were there.

But my first real experience that this was a very different elephant came through bad guiding on my part.

I was parked with guests watching a herd of giraffe off to our left and slightly behind us. I turned around to face the front and a giant elephant was standing over the bonnet of my vehicle looking down on me. Not very clever guiding on my part to get myself in to that situation and my only defense is elephants can move perfectly silently when they want to and he had come out of nowhere.

Now here is where it got strange because this old giant elephant fell asleep or at least closed his eyes as almost immediately. So here I am with the engine switched off and 8 French guests stuck under a sleeping elephant. We sat very quietly for a few minutes before I realized that this elephant was definitely asleep. We were fine but very quiet, and I did not want to wake him in case he got a fright and reacted badly. But it soon dawned on me that we could be sitting here for quite awhile if he didn’t wake up and what if he got a fright when he woke up by himself? I would certainly get a fright to find a Landrover filled with French tourists in my bedroom sitting under my nose.

I decided we had to go, so I told the guests to hold tight, put the clutch in and put the vehicle into reverse gear, before starting the engine, so we would at least be able to race off as soon as I started the engine. I started the vehicle and sure enough he woke up, but to my surprise remained completely calm and let me reverse slowly away. It was then that I got my first real evidence that we were dealing with a very gentle giant. Because he was a wild animal he of course deserved a lot of respect like any wild animal, but he was not the least bit interested in bullying vehicles or chasing cars, or showing how tough he was.

When I had figured it all out, I realized I had unknowingly been parked in his way, as he wanted to use the road to walk on, but he was quite prepared to have a little sleep while he waited for me to move. I just wish he hadn’t been standing quite so close as I don’t think my blood pressure as ever fully got back to normal.

More on this amazing elephant in the next newsletter.

Patrick Van Rensburg