As the dawn breaks, Lesego explodes out his stable and boisterously screams around the handlers and elephants expending his pent up early morning energy; Mom in pursuit to moderate his antics and the bulls being quietly tolerant of this new noisy intrusion.

Typical of baby bull behavior, Lesego seeks to dominate all objects that are bigger than him (living or inanimate!) This lion heart butts, pushes, climbs or negotiates all in his path, and when he isn’t pushing
he is grabbing or investigating with great vigor, his unwieldy trunk swinging and flopping around like a garden hose! Bystanders with children watching Lesego’s antics can only liken his entertaining performances
with their own toddlers – always hungry for information and new kicks!

With Chikwenya always there to guide him through these learning curves, Lesego is learning fast….
At risk of sounding like proud new parents, the handlers and team are convinced this bundle is well
advanced for his age!!! Lesego has become well tuned and accustomed to the Wallow routing joining the
herd on the elephant-back safaris and lunch time interactions. Clearly obsessed with water and mud, he regularly holds back the safari charging into the wallows, throwing mud and slopping around in the water –
A treat to witness for any enthusiast! He has learnt to collapse in the shade of Moms bulky mass
when tiring in the heat of the day, this reprieve from activity coming as a welcome relief to
mom and the other herd members.

Lesego will suckle from Mom for approximately 2 years and the centre of his world will be Chikwenya.
At 6 months he will start taking leaves and grass with his trunk, not very efficiently but certainly
significantly and start taking water from his better coordinated trunk. The joy of making these
milestones is learning from the herd, with both Moms and bulls there to support him along the way.

At puberty it is expected that he will bond more closely with the bulls in typical fashion, head butting
and jossling and learning his place in the hierarchy. His world will be rich with learning, nurturing and care
from both his elephant family and his human family and we look forward to being witness to
this wonderful new comer’s progress through the years.

The days at the Wallow are blessed with this new arrival with visitors to the Wallow enthralled
with his antics, the handling team likewise. The adult elephants are no doubt also benefiting
from this new young blood in their midst.

A visit to the Elephant Wallow for any enthusiast is a must – To be witness to this significant
part of elephant life is an absolute treat!