Road Rage African Style

These photos are from Thursday, February 17, by someone from Centurion in Pilanesberg Game Reserve, South Africa.

Road rage affects us all!

Elephant

This cheeky elephant showed off his big ears as he charged our vehicle. He stopped a few feet away and walked off in disgust.

Elephant Finale

Some have asked me what happened to the elephants. We talked to Rod and Sue Calder at Seven Fountains Farm and got the full story. The elephants stayed around for two weeks, terrorizing the farm workers and destroying fences. They munched their way through the maize fields, but the crop had already been harvested, so they did little damage there. Rod and Sue said the elephants did not want to be around people and would turn away and go into the woods whenever the vehicle came near. After a couple of weeks, the elephants moved on and haven't been seen since. Rod reported that they did a good job of clearing some brush for him. He wasn't able to get a good photo of the actual animals because they always ran away. The photo above, however, is his souvenir: authentic elephant droppings.

Elephants!!

We received an e-mail from Rod and Sue Calder who live on a farm adjoining Namwianga. Last week they saw two groups of elephants going through their farm--a total of 12 plus a baby. The elephants have torn down fences in several places and have terrorized the farm workers. Rod and Sue report that many people were wide-eyed and shaking as they watched the elephants tromp through the fields. I wonder if homeowner's insurance covers elephant damage?

BIG news!

The big news in our area is ELEPHANTS! Small herds of elephants have been sighted on farms adjoining the mission. Last Sunday we visited the village of Kasibi where David preached for the morning service. Mr. Simoongwe, one of the elders, served as his translator. He told us that he had been late arriving for church that morning because he had been out inspecting the damage that elephants had done to his maize fields. This morning in chapel it was announced that elephants had been seen in Namwianga's back paddock. Schools are warning children to be careful when walking to school, and everyone is advised to be watchful.

The elephants in the photo above were seen in South Luangua's game park. I'll be quite happy if I don't have any opportunities to take photos anywhere else!