I have watched countless breeding herds of African elephant consisting of a senior cow, elder females and younger cows, all the way down to juveniles of both sexes – the young males are banished from their natal herd around their early teens – yet I’m ever fascinated by the quality of synchronised attention this matriarchal sisterhood constantly pay to one another.
We were treading a game trail parallel to the N’watindlopfu River in southern Kruger Park, mid-morning on a sweltering March day and we were nearing the Bushman rock paintings the river was named for. My mind was on finding a shady spot there for a short “tea break,” before heading back to our vehicle some 4km to the south behind us.
Storytelling in conservation is a fickle friend. You have to balance hope against urgency. Bring people on board, even if that just means making them more aware of the wild world around them. Above all, you need your audience to question everything. And there is a lot of information in a conservation piece. It can drown you fast.
![African Pygmy Goose - Tom Ennis [15]](https://kruger2canyon.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/African-Pygmy-Goose-Tom-Ennis-15-300x170.jpg)
Limpopo truly is fantastically bountiful in avifauna and is well worth exploring this summer, get out to your local hotspots and get exploring for some truly great backyard birding.
