One of the joys of being a #fieldbiologist is, quite simply, being in the field - surrounded by #nature and the species that fascinate us.
In 2018, I was invited by Lilongwe Wildlife Trust to co-lead a course on primate #conservation which involved spending a few days in vwaza marsh wildlife reserve, Malawi teaching ecological research methods. One day just before lunch, a lecture on #primates was interrupted by a herd of elephants passing right through the camp. Formal teaching was suspended to make observations on elephant behaviour from a few paces away! #Elephants shape the habitat of sympatric species of primates so it was relevant to our topic.
One adolescent male, a teenager still living with his mother's herd but beginning to act independently, carefully pulls up plants by the tents with a neat trunk and foot technique, effectively doing the weeding, then reaches up to prune the trees, eating the foliage. I often describe elephants as #GardenersoftheForest and #savannah, but this fellow seemed to want a job as a gardener of the #Vwaza Research Camp! Meanwhile, the rest of the herd had moved on to the lake, mothers and babies moving en masse. Suddenly, the young gardener realised he had been left behind and rushed after the herd trumpeting, comically carrying his unfinished lunch in his mouth as he ran.
This memorable moment makes my 75th #BrightenYourDay video to lift spirits in #Covid19 #lockdown - please enjoy, I did!