This is the hilarious moment the two baby elephants try out the feature for the first time – but their aim was less than impressive.
Footage shot at the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana earlier this month by photographer Janet Kleyn, 53, shows two calves practicing charging while the rest of the herd drinks from the waterhole.
The two kept running towards an eland antelope, trying to scare it away.
But eland seemed unimpressed by the efforts of the much smaller animals. It still stood and waited for the herd to leave so it could drink.
Janet, 53, said: ‘A herd of elephants was drinking from a waterhole when an eland approached the water.
‘Two of the baby elephants tried to chase him, but he was undeterred and just waited for the herd to go away before coming in for a drink.
‘The herd was there for about 10 minutes, and the little charge by the baby elephants only lasted for about two minutes.
‘It’s cute to watch baby elephants trying to test how efficient their charge was.
“When they realize the eland wasn’t afraid of them, they went back to drinking.”
Much of the herd’s work revolves around guarding, rearing, and teaching survival skills to its youngest members.
Baby elephants are intensely nurtured by a network of mothers and aunts in the herd for the first two years of life and are expected to continue learning to be independent in the future.
Male elephants (bulls) will leave the herd between the ages of 12 and 14, and may live alone or in small celibate groups.
An older bull is usually accompanied by a group of younger bulls and will pass on survival tips and social skills to the young.
At birth, a calf will weigh between 170 and 250 pounds and average 36 inches high to the shoulder.
Immediately after birth, the calf is helped to stand and able to stand without assistance for a few minutes, which is crucial for its survival.
Within a few days of birth, the young will be strong enough to join the herd.
