The clever elephant has devised a unique method to acquire a meal from the ground when food is hard to come by, it reaches up to eat straight from the tree.
Standing on its hind legs with its trunk among the trees above, the elephant makes every effort to gather food while the snap’s timing allows the sunshine to enhance the scene, perfecting the photo.
The elephants in this region have had to learn new strategies to eat during the dry season, as the weather is scorching and food on the ground is becoming increasingly difficult to find.
The brilliant elephant was observed in the Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe, at sunrise by project manager David Whelan, 43, from Melbourne.
“This is the dry season and the daytime temperatures are about 40 degrees. Water and food are restricted, and a few of the elephants have learned to stand to get fruit from higher branches.”
This elephant has been called Fred Astaire since he does a little dance when standing.
“It was a pleasure to be able to view this sight, which is made all the more special at Mana Pools since this excursion is on foot rather than in a car.”
