by This is the moment an angry elephant used his trunk as a water cannon to drive the wild dogs away. The moment was captured on camera by Jackie Badenhorst at the Welverdiend waterhole in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
The 37-year-old said the elephant was close to a waterhole when he noticed dogs surrounding him and decided to jump in.
Mrs. Badenhorst, from Pretoria, said: “My husband and I went to the waterhole and found a pack of wild dogs drinking. As he got closer to the waterhole, he realized the dogs were there and immediately changed his posture and attitude, raising his head to appear larger and more intimidating.”
“He shook his head around a bit and made sure they knew who’s boss. Not long after we got there, a bull elephant came in the distance.”
The huge elephant started spraying water at the dogs, causing them to panic and run away. After a while, however, the elephant was still disturbed by the dogs, and he decided to retire to a more peaceful part of the savanna.
“The dogs are quite curious, almost playful, trying to see how close they can get, how far they could push him,” she said. “The elephant was really cranky and tried to spray water on approaching dogs – which they would nimbly dodge!”
She added: “He eventually decided to leave the area and try to find some peace and quiet.”
The dogs still do not give up their hobby. They switched from elephants to herds of buffalo, kudus, and they even tried to catch some jaguars for breakfast.
Ms. Badenhorst started photographing wildlife while she was permanently living in the bush. Despite moving back to Pretoria, she continues to photograph wildlife as much as she can.
She said: “I really enjoy the adventure of going to faraway places, the excitement of not knowing what you may see and photograph, and at the end of the day, spending time in nature is what it’s all about.”
