Dzanga Bai
The Dzanga forest clearing — which Katy Payne calls "Grand Central Station for elephants" — in the Central African Republic is a central watering hole for forest elephants. More than 3,000 elephants have been observed here feeding, drinking, and engaging in social activities such as games and greetings.
This clearing is a saline area (locally called bai) and is rich in mineral salts and plants, and provides water for animals and birds throughout the year. Other saline areas are inundated in the rainy season and are mostly dry in the dry season. |
Male Challenge
Bulls use their long trunks to challenge each other and to play. |
Sharing a Hole
Elephants jockey for space by pushing against one another in the rich mineral pits of the Dzanga bai. Eventually, they share a hle together. |
Stampede
Elephants and many other animals stampede through the saline clearing of Dzanga. |
|
|
Rush Hour
An elephant family rushes through the Dzanga bai trumpeting. |
Playing It Safe
A family of elephants, headed by the matriarch Gonya, bunch together in typical family defense posture. |
Stay Away
An incomer from another elephant family is warned away from the mineral pit. |
Dirk Drinking
A bull named Dirk rests on his knees as he drinks from a mineral pit. |
|
|
Mud Spa
A sub-adult male wallows in the mud to cool down in the hot African sun. |
Mother and Child
An elephant calf and her mother, Kinktail, forage in the Dzanga clearing. |
Listening Intently
A female elephant flares her hears as she listens with alarm. |
|
