THE ANGRY ONE

I met this young bull elephant all alone in the thick, riverine bush in Southern Kenya and developed this painting from that brief but exciting encounter. Evidently, he'd become too big for his boots in the herd of cows and calves so his mother and the other cows pointed him to the door. This is a highly traumatic experience for a young elephant who had spent years in comfort and security. He will now have to find and be accepted into a herd of unattached bulls. "Initially, I located him by the sound of his frantic trumpeting. He was tearing around charging wart hogs, bushes, baboons - anything on which to vent his frustration. When I appeared, he hurtled forward like an express train, full of bombast and bravado, but became most disconcerted when I refused to move aback. Screeching to an an unscheduled halt, he drew himself up to is fullest height, spread his ears, shook his massive head, swayed from foot to foot and trumpeted furiously. Realizing that this particular opponent was not going to back off, he retreated backwards. Desperately trying to retain some shred of dignity, he suddenly whirled and demolished a bush."