The camera captured a heartwarming scene in Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa, as two playful baby elephants engaged in a delightful trunk intertwining during a friendly play fight. Professional photographer Anne Laing, from Pretoria, skillfully captured these enchanting images showcasing the young elephants’ trunk control skills.
Laing, a photographer for 35 years, is passionate about capturing elephant images and often spends entire days in the park.
She recommends driving slowly and listening to the sound of breaking branches in the dense vegetation to locate these majestic creatures.
Young elephants often twist their trunks while play-fighting, which helps them learn to control their boxes and imitate adult behavior.
For the first three months of their lives, baby elephants have little control over their packages, but as they grow older, they learn to use them like a combination of an arm, hand, and straw to drink water.
Laing’s photographs also depict the elephants drinking and spraying water on one another, highlighting the importance of water for these animals. Adult elephants can drink up to 150 liters daily and often travel many miles searching for water.
One moving image showcases a mother elephant affectionately stroking her baby with her sensitive trunk.
Laing’s impressive portfolio includes photos from major sporting events, such as the rugby, cricket, and football World Cups and the Rio Olympics in 2016.
She plans to continue her wildlife photography adventures and hopes to photograph the next Rugby World Cup and Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
