I know I haven't posted anything since mom and dad left... but hopefully this post will make up for that and then some.
Today we got to be part of an elephant translocation, and it was awesome. There are 10 male elephants that they are moving from this area to Meru Park about 6 hours away. The elephants are darted with a tranquilizer from a helicopter, loaded onto a huge truck with a crane, then moved into another enclosed truck where they are woken up to make the trip standing rather than lying down. We got to watch the whole thing and touch the elephant too. After over 400 photos, here is just a sampling.
The helicopter herding the elephant closer and darting him. It got so low to the ground! Great pilot
Unfortunately the first dart fell out, so instead of going down, the elephant just got mad and broke through the fence, heading straight for a random cattle herd on the road.
Re-loading a second dart
He finally went down
To then be lifted by his feet onto the first truck
It is strange to see something that big in the air upside down
There was always someone holding his trunk to make sure he could breathe
His eyes were open even though he couldn't move, and I wonder how much he was actually conscious of around him
We could feel him breathing on us
I got to ride in one of the big trucks! Following the elephant to the staging area to load him onto the transport truck
Moving him over to the ramp to pull him in the enclosed truck
In he goes
Just after this, they gave him another shot to wake him up, closed the doors and we could see him stand up inside the truck through a little window
They also darted a second elephant, loaded him into the truck, and then the two were off to their new home in Meru
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