POTD 15.07.19 - Close Encounter With an Elephant Calf

Here is one of the most special animal encounters I’ve ever had in my life.

This is a two week old elephant calf. It isn’t a typical sighting to see the calves out in the open like this. Usually the mother and other females hide the calves away in the bush until they are big enough to not be threatened by predators as well as other male bull elephants. While we observed this group from a safe distance the females surrounded the baby and made some pretty intimidating growls to let us know not to come any closer. To my girlfriend and I, every one of these moments in Udawalawe National Park was new and amazing but for our guide who had 10 years of experience guiding folks through the park not a lot got him visibly excited, but this moment got him pretty giddy. What a privilege it was to see this baby up close.