In Mount Elgon National Park, Kenya, biologist Ian Redmond had a close encounter with this African Elephant.

Footage from April 4, shows the elephant, a male named Nick (because of a small nick in his trunk tip), give a short bluff charge, uncertain of the human's intentions.

Ian uses a rumbling vocalisation and crouches low to reassure Nick he poses no threat. After six minutes Nick moves off slowly to continue feeding.

This interaction was filmed by KWS Sergeant Daniel Namunai, one of the founder members of the Mount Elgon Elephant Monitoring Team, which follows elephants on foot through dense montane rainforest.

In Mount Elgon National Park, Kenya, an African Elephant interacts with a biologist. At first the elephant, a male named Nick (because of a small nick in his trunk tip), gives a short bluff charge, uncertain of the human's intentions. Ian Redmond uses a rumbling vocalisation and crouches low to reassure Nick he poses no threat. The interaction lasted 6 minutes and ended when Nick moved off slowly to continue feeding having apparently concluded there was no danger, suggesting the inter-species communication was successful. This video of the encounter was filmed by KWS Sergeant Daniel Namunai, one of the founder members of the MEEM Team - the Mount Elgon Elephant Monitoring Team - which follows the elephants on foot through dense montane rainforest, Acanthus thickets and bamboo.
This population of elephants is famous for its unique association with caves - they venture deep underground to mine the cave walls with their tusks, pick up lumps of rock with their trunk, grind them between massive molars and swallow the particles. The volcanic agglomerate is a layer of mineral rich rock which supplements the elephants diet. They need these minerals - especially sodium ions - because they feed on plants growing in soils which have been leached of soluble salts. Find out more about this fascinating example of elephant culture (learned knowledge and behaviour that is passed from one generation to the next) by taking a virtual safari to Mount Elgon via www.vEcotourism.org or by downloading the free app vEcoTours, for use with or without a VR headset.