27/08/2026
This should not be normal.
The elephant in this photograph is the last surviving calf born in the Ugab since 2022. Seeing a young wild elephant this comfortable approaching a vehicle should concern all of us.
Wild elephants are exactly that: wild.
But in the Ugab, the natural boundaries between elephants and people are steadily being eroded. Vehicles allowing elephants to come too close, people feeding them from cars, and elephants successfully accessing food at campsites all teach them that humans and vehicles are something to approach rather than avoid.
The consequences can be devastating.
A young elephant approaching a vehicle may seem harmless now. But that calf will grow into a much larger elephant. Behaviour that is tolerated when it is young can become dangerous later… for visitors, for the communities who live alongside these elephants every day, and ultimately for the elephant itself.
Every person entering elephant territory has a responsibility to protect these animals by allowing them to remain wild.
🐘 Keep at least 70 metres between yourself and elephants.
🚙 If an elephant approaches your vehicle, move away slowly and calmly.
🍎 Never feed elephants or carry fruit or bread that could attract them.
🏕️ Make sure elephants cannot access food at campsites.
📢 Report behaviour that puts elephants or people at risk.
Our presence should never alter the natural behaviour of a wild elephant.
The longer these boundaries continue to disappear, the greater the risk becomes. Protecting the Ugab elephants also means changing our behaviour.
