Tansania – Tarangire: Entdecker und Forscher

Cattle egrets: The early warning system for humans and animals

One moment we were watching giraffes by the tall trees, and the very next, elephants appeared. Not just one or two, but a whole herd. We had just finished taking photos of the giraffe bulls when Elly already knew there were more animals waiting just ahead. Even from a distance, he had spotted numerous cattle egrets perched high up in the dense bushes.

Just as animals in the wild form a symbiosis with cattle egrets, rangers and guides utilize these birds as a natural early warning system.

Cattle egrets are always found where larger animals are nearby, which serves as a cue to proceed with caution. And sure enough, right beneath the egrets stood a massive herd of elephants. Barely visible behind the thick brush, a multitude of elephants was gathered. Around two of the larger elephants, easily twenty cattle egrets were sitting in the branches. It was a fascinating sight: countless white dots, a sea of vibrant green, and amidst it all, those massive gray backs. The elephants‘ backs looked almost like inconspicuous gray boulders. Two large elephants were contentedly browsing on the bushes, alternating between feeding on the tall grass and plucking fresh leaves.

„Look over there, zoom in!“ Elly suggested. And indeed, a tiny elephant calf became visible in the high grass, flanked by the first large matriarchs. „Just wait, this herd is going to be massive—there are many more elephants to come!“ Elly added. Moments later, a flood of elephants emerged. They stepped out from behind the trees and shrubs, feeding as they moved. It was a breeding herd with many young animals, their tusks still remarkably short. Amidst this elephant gathering, cattle egrets fluttered and perched, while giraffes casually strolled past, browsing on the foliage.

The temporal glands of elephants

„Look how relaxed the elephants are here; that’s why the giraffes feel safe staying so close to them,“ Elly explained. They certainly looked calm, but we wondered how exactly one could tell. „Elephants express a great deal through their facial expressions and body language. They use their ears, mock charges, and trumpeting to signal exactly where the boundary lies.“ However, whether they are experiencing stress can be determined even sooner by checking their glands—specifically, their glandular secretions.

These are the temporal glands, located on the side of the head, midway between the eye and the ear. In elephant bulls, this secretion flows heavily when they are in musth (their mating period). In females and young animals, it trickles when they are stressed, excited, or pregnant.

We immediately used our camera lenses to examine the elephants‘ heads closely. There was hardly any secretion visible, meaning this entire herd was perfectly at ease. As we continued to watch, the elephants went right on enjoying the fresh green grass. Completely relaxed, they began crossing the path directly in front of our Land Cruiser. For a brief moment, they were incredibly close to our vehicle. We held our breath and kept taking photos. We had already switched our cameras to silent mode to eliminate any shutter clicks and ensure we could photograph them without causing any disturbance. „Elephants don’t have particularly sharp hearing, but their sense of smell is extraordinary,“ Elly noted.

A few teenage elephants greet us

Then, out of nowhere, two young elephants came to a halt right in front of our Land Cruiser. They puffed themselves up, flaring their large ears to maximize their size. They put on a mock charge, taking a few heavy strides toward us. It looked incredibly endearing.

„But be careful—even these young elephants can be dangerous. We will wait it out. I know how to handle this,“ Elly cautioned.

So, we kept our eyes locked on the duo. The two teenage elephants were fully in their element, continuing their posturing, stepping closer, and then backing away again. The larger of the two actually hid behind the younger one, which was fascinating to watch. Then, another elephant ambled over to join them. This one was visibly stressed, with a significant amount of fluid running down from its temporal gland. It was a female elephant—and indeed, she was the mother of one of the youngsters.

We kept capturing photos of the teenagers and the rest of the herd to our left and right. The other elephants flanking us were far more relaxed, simply continuing to graze peacefully on the grass, while the young hotheads kept putting on their big show. The elephant mother, now standing visibly tense next to the teenagers, nudged the smaller calf over to her side and allowed it to nurse briefly, lifting her right front leg slightly to accommodate it.

Half an hour later, the spectacle drew to a close. The massive herd moved along, and the teenagers finally followed suit. They vanished into the bushes and trees, until soon, only their gray backs could be seen fading into the distance.

Heading up to the Tarangire Safari Lodge

Just before midday, on our way up to the Tarangire Safari Lodge, there was an abundance of wildlife left to discover. The track was beautifully lined with massive baobab trees, trees housing intricate termite mounds, and countless animals. We passed impalas, warthogs, hornbills, and yet another group of giraffes.

Near the beginning of the trail, we observed a few male impalas. These stately rams possess impressive, sweeping horns, which I initially thought was their most remarkable feature. But as it turned out, there is so much more to them. All impalas feature a distinct, dark marking on their rear ends. „This backside serves multiple clever purposes,“ Elly explained. The coloration acts almost like a visual flag to keep the herd tightly together. The tail, meanwhile, serves as an ingenious early warning system.

„When fleeing, they raise their tails straight up and leap away. The moment they stop somewhere to look back, the tail is flipped down again,“ Elly told us. I found myself thinking it sounded like switching a car on and off—what was the evolutionary point? „Lions rely heavily on contrast and motion, and they track the impala by that bright white backside. When the tail flips back down, the lions suddenly have a hard time locking their vision back onto the target,“ Elly continued. It is absolutely fascinating how nature works.

„Look right there on that shrub!“ Elly suddenly burst out. If we hadn’t already pulled over to watch the impalas, we would have completely missed this remarkable bird.

Tarangire’s Von der Decken’s hornbill

Thanks to that lucky stop, we managed to catch a glimpse of it just before lunchtime—at least through our camera viewfinders. But what makes this bird so special? „It’s a Von der Decken’s hornbill,“ Elly said with a chuckle. My imagination immediately kicked into gear. I stared at the bird, wondering what on earth a bird had to do with a blanket (since „Decke“ means blanket in German). I just couldn’t figure it out. Elly saw the puzzled looks on our faces and didn’t leave us hanging for long. „This bird was named in honor of the explorer Baron Karl Klaus von der Decken,“ Elly revealed.

Somewhere along the climb toward the Tarangire Safari Lodge, there must be a hidden waterhole, because our final companions on the way up were numerous warthogs. These warthogs were absolutely caked in mud from head to toe. Even though warthogs might not receive the appreciation they deserve from the average tourist, they are incredibly vital to the ecosystem here. They serve as a reliable early warning system for a variety of other species, including baboons and impalas. They are, quite literally, „Radio Africa“ in action!

Lunch at the Tarangire Safari Lodge

If you ever travel to Tanzania and visit Tarangire, you absolutely must drive up to the Tarangire Safari Lodge for lunch. The panoramic view from up here looking down across the sweeping savanna is breathtaking, and the buffet offered exceptional African cuisine.

Down in the valley, the Tarangire River meanders through the landscape, though it wasn’t carrying much water at the time. We watched a massive giraffe bull slowly and gracefully trudge through the riverbed. From our high vantage point, the giraffe looked tiny, yet still incredibly majestic. We sat along the low stone wall, sipping our coffee, soaking in the view of the savanna, and enjoying the small wildlife visitors that frequented the lodge.

In several spots around the stone wall, the lodge staff has set up feeding and watering stations, which the local birds and butterflies thoroughly enjoyed. The three of us—Elly, Karen, and I—sat together on the wall with our coffees, watching a colorful flock of birds take turns at the water bowl. Without Elly, we would have just taken photos, but with him, it became an incredibly educational experience.

Among our lunch guests were white-headed buffalo weavers, Meyer’s parrots, and even an African Monarch butterfly.

„You will frequently spot these white-headed buffalo weavers around Cape buffalos. They forage for food here in the savanna and also amidst the acacia trees,“ Elly taught us. He genuinely loved sharing his knowledge.

And yes, if you ever find yourself in Tarangire, make sure to plan a lunchtime visit up here—both for the excellent African food and, above all, for that stunning view and the delightful wildlife company over coffee.