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The only time elephants get upset is when you 1) suprise them or 2) block their transit. They probably don't like you getting too close but can usually walk away and being smart creatures do.

We did a hairpin turn along the river south of Letaba into a riverside turnout and met head on with a 15-20 yr old male. We stopped, he trumpeted, we hit it quickly into reverse and were outta there pronto.

Another time we were tailing a SANParks vehicle near Skukuza. A tall tourist bus had stopped to observe a herd of elephants and in so doing blocked their transit across the road. The SANParks truck went on, we hung back. The tourist bus left yet the elephants still appeared consternated, we threw it into reverse for a few ten meters until they felt comfortable enough to cross. After they crossed, one bodacious lactating female came back and excoriated us with a shake of the head for our causing her inconvenience in crossing and exercising undue familiarity with her offspring.

Several times we encountered lone late teen, twenty something males strolling down the road alone, happy as a clam, shaking ears and trunks, stopping before us to dump a few bowling balls of dung washed down with a fire hose full of urine all the while tumescing into five legged beasts, the fifth leg of which is as articulate as the trunk!

I have read this thread with great interest. I am absolutely terrified of elephants, or maybe its great respect for them, and dont like coming anywhere closer than at least 50 meters minimum from a feeding peaceful one, let alone a lone bull elephant in Musk! It appears that now seems to be the time that they are in musk (spelling not sure of), is this so? Or do they come into musk at different times of the year? (Would rather cancel my booked trip in two weeks time and go later if necessary )

Have had one experience, (one too many) of having to wait nearly an hour, reversing and stopping, whilst one lonely bull took ownership of the road, dirt road, between L S and Skukuza, (we were late back to camp because of this).

Have also had an experience, not in KNP, but in our Hlane Game Reserve in Swaziland. A whole lot of baby elephants were brought in about 20 years ago, (I think from the KNP and were ones left over or out of a culling). We watched them with interest over the years, starting off with them in an enclosure then when a bit older being let out into a much bigger enclosure, where the Game Rangers used to go calling for them at feeding time...... yes they were fed as well) and then finally two years ago being taken by one Game Ranger into this really large enclosure, many hectares in size, to look for the ellies.......... we came across about 6 or 7 or them, the Ranger said, "turn off the car and sit absolutely still". We did. These ellies came right up to the car, the one ran his trunk all over our windscreen, one rubbed himself aginst our vehicle. They were all around us, we were like a human/vehicle sandwhich, (I was petrified and kept my hat on low and kept reading my book, - did not take in a word of what I was reading - I did not want to look, but did peep now and again!).
After about 15 minutes, the ellies wondered off, it was a terrifiyng experience, but I suppose an equally wonderful one.
The Rangers obviously knew these ellies, but I still think its taking a chance, as I have heard reports on how unpredictable these sort of ellies are that are brought up alone with no parental guidance.

Anyways, please tell me what is the season when they are in musk? How long does it last?

There's a lot of information here

Im sure its musth .

The males are in musth for about 1 month out of the year , at random times .
There musth period can be from as little as a week , to 3 months or more , although this is regarded as abnormal and is a discussion on its own .

Musth bulls will chase any other mature non-musth bull out of his area , even bigger & stronger bulls will give way and move out of a musth bulls area .
If all the males went on musth at the same time , it would be a blood bath as the only time bulls will fight to the death , or really hurt each other would be when 2 musth bulls meet up .

As I mentioned previously , stay away , I have seen 3 cars that have been attacked by ellies that where all apparently in musth .
1 Poor couple was watching a pair of musth bulls battling , when 1 suddenly turned and attacked the car , luckily none of the people where hurt .
If you just give them there space , nothing will happen to you , my friends and family who are all regulars have never had an issue , but we all show the due respect .

I don't agree that elephants are always on the defensive when chasing cars. Some of them actually seem to do this for a bit of rest and relaxation. I have come across them standing in the road WAITING for traffic. It is common, especially up north to find elephants walking down a tar road for kilometres chasing everything that comes their way. Usually bulls in musth, and they are actually venting pent up aggression. The best approach here is to find an alternative route. I sense that these days with the increased day and night traffice and the huge population increase of elephants in the park, that these aggressive outbursts have also increased. Cetainly I am getting chased more than ever before. Sorry Jazil I am not been very comforting I know. (If you are really worried stick to the busier roads.)

@ laserblazer - thank you for that site, its very interesting and I have bookmarked it for future reference too.

@ nunu - no your not very comforting, but realistic and thank you for that....... at least going alone again, I am in control of the vehicle - will certainly keep a wary eye open and will not turn off........ thank you.

Hi Jazil

I can't recall your camps for your upcoming trip but seem to remember them being in the bottom half of the KNP. I generally find the elephants here more placid - so go and enjoy your trip!!!

Thanks nunu

I would recommend not to get too close to an elephant if you can help it in the first place. The first thing to do is to recognise the obvious signs of danger. If a bull elephant has a dark wetness on the sides of it's temples and dripping urine, then it is in musth and it is not safe to get too close to the animal.

Same goes for cows with small calves. Stay clear unless you want a sunroof in your golf or even a cabrolet combi.

When an elephant starts shaking it's head and gives a trumpet or 2, it means, that you have over stayed your visit and that things could turn out well afterall for your financial troubled doctor and estate lawyer.

Rhino's don't have good sight, anything over 15m is a guess for them. And if that guess is an intruding bull into their territory then you are about to give someone the chance of having this week's 50-50 veldfocus prize coming their way.

Banging your hand on your roof or side of door when mr rhino looks confused will convince him that the metal sound is not his jealous neighbour looking to get back his once used-to-be bride.

Never switch your car off when it's not safe to do so, and being up close and personal with these heavies means that it is not safe. Don't agitate these animals, don't tempt them. They do wonderfull work to enhance the uniqueness of your vehicle without trying too hard. Many people found it out the hard way that insurance companies don't have a sense of humour when you explain to them that their untimely swim in the Kanniedood dam was in fact the result of a ele bull with a bad sense of humour and an equally bad personal interest in nosey homo sapiens.

Also, when an ellie is walking down the road towards you and you can't get past him .. Don't use your hooter .. if anything it will only irretate him more ...

Just reverse all the way or if there is time and space, turn around. At some point he will get bored with his game and go off into the bush ...

Do not try to pass an ellie if he shows signs of irretation ... They are remarkable quick.

Signs of warnings and mock charges are when ears are flapping.

Definite charge: Ears are tucked back against the shoulders and trunk is rolled up underneath head .. Maak Spore (get going) ...

Also look for signs that he knows you are there .. some of them are very playfull (don't go out and play tagg with him) .. We've had some good experiences this last trip.
Several times an elephant would casually make like it's eating or drinking next to the road .. watch them carefully ... The one that charged a vehicle (who thought she could pass it) ... was not looking in our direction .. but the trunk was constantly pointing to us underneath it's head .. smelling ...

Give them their space ... then you will be fine.

All these tips are great, there is no ways that I would like a reconditioned vehicle so 5km is about the distance I will try and keep from any ellies.

I always believed that the musth period is in april

Musth is a period among adult male elephants, (over 15-20 years old) sometimes referred to as similar to male deer's "Rot".
(Musth is a word of Persian origin and is translated in the languages of Northern India by "condition of poisoning". The word musth is used to describe an abnormal behaviour or the behaviour of a drunk, whether human being or elephant.)
There is a three weeks pre-musth-condition, about one month high-musth, and one post-musth condition. Their temporal glands become swollen, from where a strong smelling fluid, rich of testosterone, runs down on their cheeks. During musth the males are very aggressive, and sexual active. According to Cynthia Moss, author of the book elephant memories, the older females in a heard gives passage to musth males when a female is in heat, while they block the way for younger males, not in musth. But males are always able to cover a female, also outside the musth period.

The reason for the musth seems to be that it prevents inbreeding. If the bulls would not be at their aggressive peak only for a month a year, only the largest, most dominant bull would cover the females all the time. In captivity, the limited space makes it dangerous to let a bull in musth condition to a female, since she may be attacked and wounded if she is not willing to mate.

Elephant males are able to reproduce from around their eighteenth birthday. However, it would be an extremely unusual event for a bull younger than 30 to mate with a female at the height of her oestrus. At all times there would be at least one large adult musth male with the herd about who would displace any young pretenders. In fact, older bulls that are in musth actually suppress the musth cycle of less dominant younger bulls to the extent that they will fall out of musth a few days. This results in a stable hierarchy of bull elephants, with the older more experienced bulls coming into musth for a full period of three to five months a year, and less dominant bulls being in musth for relatively shorter periods. The most subordinate bulls would be those that have just left the breeding herd, and those will not come into musth at all. Joyce Poole found that Amboseli bulls only enter a sustained period of musth at about 30. Up until then, although they will start musth, and will show a lot of the symptoms, younger bulls will not achieve full musth. A consequence of this hierarchy is that when a bull does actually enter musth he has the experience to cope with the circumstance of being cock-full of testosterone in the presence of a group of receptive females, and in a bunch of like-minded guys. The goal of introducing Kruger elephants to Pilanesberg (and now Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park) was to establish such a bull hierarchy. This would prevent young males from entering sustained musth until they could manage it.

Thanks Google!

Now you tell me (Will take that blanket and make like a lump in the road then)
Although from earlier reports it can be anytime of the year.

Hello everybody,

Do you know if there are often accidents due to collision/charge of ellie or rhino in Kruger ?

or when people have the bad idea to get out of their car ?

Alya
(KNP 20-27 May06 )