A thirsty elephant might have benefited from a pair of trunks… after deciding to have a refreshing drink straight out of a private infinity swimming pool.
Visitors were stunned as the baby bull elephant sucked down gallons of water to cool off.
Along with a small herd, the magnificent beast discovered the water at Kambaku River Sands in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
There haven’t been many natural streams since it’s been a dry season, and waterholes have dried up, forcing elephants to look for alternative ways.
The elephant was discovered drinking by 33-year-old photographer Villiers Steyn, who captured some breathtaking photos.
‘I was leading a private photographic tour for a British visitor,’ Styn said.
‘He just wanted a morning and afternoon driving tour. The early drive was quiet, with only a few animals being sighted.
‘We heard that the elephants had visited the pools near the dining hall the previous day, so we went there to see what they were doing.’
So instead of retreating to rest and unwind, we decided to wait for the elephants to return. Sure enough, they did.
I was resting on my stomach about two meters away from the young bull. The elephant was so calm.
At first, he wasn’t even drinking but instead sucking and sprinkling water in my direction.
‘I waited a long time for this to happen during the day, and I needed the water to be smooth for the reflection shot, so that took patience as well.
‘I’m a little stiff because I kept my camera so low down, but it was worth and fantastic.’
