Pygmy Elephants

Our hunting of the Pygmy Elephants in Borneo was more difficult than hunting African Elephants in Botswana or Zimbabwe. In fact, we almost didn’t see any. We were down to our sixth and final safari before we were lucky and magic struck. It was worth the wait and we had an amazing hour of viewing.

On any safari, you never know what you will or won’t see. Here in Borneo, we were hoping to see their big five, but it is always chancy and you need a bit of luck. Over the course of the 3 and 1/2 days, we saw many crocodiles, a ton of Proboscis Monkeys, several Rhinoceros Hornbills, and one Orangutan, but no Pygmy Elephants.

 Pygmy Elephant is a bit of a misnomer. Yes, these are the smallest Ellies in the world, and the adults are over two meters tall. Still, compared to African or Indian Elephants, they are quite small.

 We were down to our sixth and final safari, and things did not look too good at the start. It was raining as we departed by boat, and we had to go over an hour to where we would be looking. Our guide, Sonny, was hopeful, but could not promise anything. As he said, we were “on the big chase” and boats would communicate with each other if anyone saw anything. 

 We arrive in the general area we were boating to, when an alert went up. Our boat sped to where two others were located, but there was nothing there. One of the other guides thought he saw something in the jungle, but it disappeared. This happened a time or two more and again, there was nothing. At this point we were 1 1/2 hours into our 3-hour safari.

 And then it happened.

 A guide on another boat saw elephants! We positioned down river from the first boat and were scanning the jungle when finally, Sonny spotted them. Our first viewing was through the jungle, but it was something and we could check it off our list.

 

Then, something amazing happened. Two of the smaller elephants broke through the jungle and came to the water just in front of us to drink. We were fifteen yards away. 

After that, it was a free-for-all. Elephants marching by. Elephants drinking. Elephants playing in the water. Baby elephants with their elders. I took perhaps 75 photos and 5 or 6 videos. Here are just a couple.

Finally, we started our journey back to the lodge. The Ellies were still trooping past us, but were now fading further into the woods. Over the course of the hour, I believe we saw thirty or more.

 We eventually arrived back at our Lodge. I can’t speak for the others, but I was drained. You wouldn’t think sitting in a boat for three hours is hard work, but combined with the excitement of finally seeing the elephants made it a long and tiring day. Also, a day I will never forget.