CONFRONTATION

“The location is the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya, a few miles north of the Tanzania border and the vast Serengeti. Small herds of elephants cross into this game reserve from the south, where poaching is prevalent. When humans approach they will immediately bunch together with the mature cows facing outwards, ears outspread to catch every sound, trunks questing the air for danger and the youngsters hidden and protected behind their elders,” relates Simon Combes. “This fine tusker before the herd is one that lost patience with my persistent presence. It chose the moment when I was half-way out of the roof hatch with the engine turned off to suddenly throw out his ears and blast his way towards the car. Sketch book, pencil and camera went flying as instinctively I performed half a dozen escape actions in the space of a split second. Pulling up short, he shook his head in disgust, dislodged a large cloud of dust and stalked away with his dignity intact.”