Arrival of the Desert Elephants

Family groups, the matriarch, sisters, daughters and their young, converge on the waterholes during the dry season. They tend to migrate from one waterhole to another following traditional routes which depend on the seasonal availability of food and water. Typically the elephants will drink and eat constantly for a couple of days, then make the long journey across the barren gravel plains in one long push, usually at night when the temperature is cooler. Desert elephants have developed certain adaptations for desert life and tend to have relatively broader feet, longer legs and smaller bodies than other African bush elephants The most usual appearance is small family units and bull herds. A large herd is made up of small units, each unit consisting of a matriarch, several adult cows and offspring of different ages. Grown up young bulls are forced out of these units at the age of about 12-15 years and later they join bull herds. The diet of elephants consists of grass, bark of tree branches, leaves, roots and fruits. The average elephant eats approximately 230 kilograms of fodder per day and drinks up to 180 litres of water. One (very seldom two) calves are born after a 22-month gestation period. Elephants can weigh up to 6000 kilograms and have a shoulder height up to 3 meters. Desert elephants are only found in Namibia and Mali. There are approximately 10,000 elephants in Namibia although they almost became extinct at the end of last century due to hunting and poaching.