This is the moment a cheeky baby elephant was chased through a watering hole in Tanzania – after sneaking up behind its parents and splashing them.
The chase lasted several strides before the older elephant caught up with the calf, playfully returning the favor and wrapping its trunk around the young’s tail.
The scene was captured by Australian couple Dalida and Andrew Innes in the Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania.
Dalida, 43, of Sydney, said: ‘We were waiting near the watering hole hoping to see some zebras. But we were delighted to see a herd of elephants approaching the water. All the zebras could only step back and watch the elephants happily run into the mud. ‘
Dalida and Andrew, 48, spent two hours watching the scene unfold.
Andrew added: ‘We spotted a baby elephant nibbling on the back of an unhappy adult member of the herd. Before we knew it, the big elephant was chasing him through the mud. They looked as if they were having fun. We know the calf was not in any danger. ‘
Dalida and Andrew were about 20 meters from the watering hole when they photographed the elephants.
Dalida said: ‘We never felt we were in danger around animals. We really tried to respect wildlife and make sure we gave them enough space.
‘One thing that we learned while there was that if an elephant rushes towards you, don’t run. The elephant will know that you are not threatened and just walk away. ‘
