A few days ago, driving home from work, the car ahead of me slowed down - hazard lights flashing. We both stopped and waited for a leisurely band of elephants to amble their way across the road in front of us. They were in absolutely no hurry, and seemed supremely confident (with good reason) that we were going to wait there for as long as it took them to get to the other side.
Amazing how large an elephant looks when you are in a tiny green car, whose driver's seat is almost at road level! It really is a humbling experience to look up at the plodding, wrinkled legs and gently swaying undercarriages of these unlikely traffic obstacles!
They really don't seem to mind encountering us on the roads during their walks to and from the river, which never ceases to amaze me. Every now and again, one of them will direct a gentle, rolling head/ear shake in the direction of the vehicles on the road, as if to remind us lowly humans that they could... if they just wanted to.... load us and our silly little tin boxes up onto their tusks like a forklift.... I always have the greatest respect for them while on the road, and no matter how serene and friendly they are, I always breathe a sigh of relief, tinged with awe once they've actually crossed over!
For an older post about other encounters with elephants have a look here.
Highway Elephants - rainy season
Warthogs roam freely through the town, mainly on the bottom road which parallels the Chobe river. In the mornings, if you're unlucky enough to coincide with the government workers' "rush hour", it is not unknown to sit in a traffic jam (in Kasane, about 6 cars), with all vehicles flashing orange lights while waiting for a lone warthog or family of warthogs to cross over!
Last week, how I wished my camera had been accessible. An entire family of hogs ventured onto a proper pedestrian crossing in front of me. Therefore I followed the rules of the road and stopped while they demurely trotted across the road in single file - mother first, piglets behind, tails pertly vertical! I was the only car on the road at the time and could have had enough time to snap a photo, as I know it sounds a likely tale which seems to require some sort of proof! It really was a delightful experience, in any case!
Town warthog family - just passing by...
