If anything shows elephants’ incredible sense of smell, it will be this moment! Not one elephant passing by Adine & Tigere out in the reserve misses the chance to smell and investigate Adine’s grazes knee (acquired from a recent cycling accident)!

Adine rumbles and Khanyisa comes speed walking over — followed by little Timisa! It’s fascinating to watch Timisa’s reaction to Adine’s knee compared to the other elephants.

Khanyisa wants to play with Timisa as always but the six year old has other plans. Soon Limpopo and Kumbura move in to see what the fuss is all about and their trunks go straight to Adine’s knee. There’s no hiding from an elephant!

Klaserie proves to be the most curious and overly attentive as she cannot stop herself trying to figure out the injured knee. The herd know Adine well and react to wounds on each other in the same way. Adine is part of the herd to them in many ways and they endeavour to make sure she is ok.

Klaserie has so much confidence compared to her mother, Setombe, having grown up in a more settled and protected environment than her mother who was orphaned and rescued from being killed with the rest of the original herd in Zimbabwe in 2002.

Bubi’s reaction is just as interesting and telling, revealing Bubi’s cautious and nervous character. Due to her past, having lost her mother to poachers and being orphaned, Bubi is not easy to warm to others, or to put herself out there. Unless of course she’s taking care of Khanyisa. But she shows her interest in Adine’s wound!

Tokwe the Matriarch moves in too and spends time beside Khanyisa while digging for roots and keeping the calf company in this dry river bed surrounded by vegetation for all the herd to enjoy.