The Milgis Trust

Category: Milgis lugga, elephants | Date: Feb 03 2009 | By: milgistrust

First I have to clear every ones worries of the wounded elephant, reported 22 January… It seems that it was a ‘game’, to try and get help from somebody because this cow had been killed…Possibly they were looking for compensation… When the news first came through, we got a message that a cow had been killed by an elephant, and somebody needs to get there immediately, but it was a very long way and these things happen, so then they came back with the news that the Elephant had been wounded, and the next message was it was dead!!!.. Oh dear ! It turned out that it was a fight over ’sagiram’…The acacia tortilis pods that fall twice a year, and every one from the squirrels to the Elephants, Goats, sheep, cows and camels go crazy over them… Fortunately these accidents don’t happen very often, and often you will see elephants peacefully eating ’sagiram’ with peoples livestock, one seed pod at a time!, even the stock benefiting from the Elephants being able to shake the trees to make the pods fall, but for some reason the Elephant got really angry with the cow, and that was it.. Nobody saw it, nobody knows which Elephant it was. I felt that it may be something to do with the renewed poaching and the Elephants becoming jittery again… On the subject of compensation, this is another big issue, which i think has to be very very carefully thought out… as it would mean people do not try to look after their stock… its a hot subject though, as I think the lion conservation people have discovered….

On our last safari at full moon, we had a big Elephant that came just below our camp on a high bank of the lower Milgis to drink water from a deep well… Funny, he chose to drink right there, below our camp, lots of people, camels and dogs!, as there is water close to the surface literally half a km away on the other side of the Lugga… maybe the water was sweeter in this about 8 feet well.. We were woken by the dogs barking, and this apparition in the moon light came out into the middle of the lugga.. The Elephant paced back wards and for wards, checking things out before he came in… He cautiously knelt down, but could not reach the water, so the next trick was to lift his back leg up so he could reach further!!… It was a wonderful sight, only 10 feet away below our tents!!.. he had a looooong drink, and melted back into the moon light… What a privilege…

. Where the Elephant was kneeling..Would have been more dramatic with the Elephant in the moon light in the picture, but I was busy holding the dogs!

We also heard about another Elephant in the Matabauwa Lugga, west of the Ndotos, where the wells are too deep, about 25 feet, for the Elephants to reach.. But this one has a great deal with the local people… When they are watering there goats he pitches up and stands around… They fill the Ngarau [trough carved out of wood] up with water, and go and stand across the way… He comes in to drink… If the water is not enough he goes and stands alittle way away, while they fill it again!! He is a completely wild Elephant making use of his friendly neighbours!!.. Would love to see that…