Progress on the Elephant Series

I just flew up to Nairobi yesterday morning after an intense period of filming with Echo and her family. Martyn Colbeck has been filming for two months now and is very pleased with what he has been able to get so far. Mike Birkhead, the producer, visited for four days this week, and was also satisfied that everything was proceeding at the right pace.

It’s actually somewhat surprising that Martyn has been able to get such outstanding footage, because we are at the end of a very harsh dry season and so there is little elephant behaviour. They’re saving their energy. What have been fantastic are beautiful late dry season scenes with clouds building, dust devils, and snow on the mountain. It always has to snow first on the mountain before Amboseli gets any rain, but although the mountain is looking gorgeous we have had only a bit of rain in Amboseli. The short rains, due at the end of October, are thus very late and that has us worried.

In the meantime, Echo’s family, of course, has come through with some nice behaviour, especially play among the young calves. Because they are suckling from their mothers, they’re fat and mischievous. One calf in particular, Echeri’s male, born in February 2007, is one of the most active calves I’ve ever known. We don’t usually name the calves until they are four years old, but because this family features in the series, the youngsters need names too. I decided to name Echeri’s calf “Espresso” because he’s so full of energy. He butts the other calves, climbs on them and even bites them, which is very unusual. He’s definitely a character.

As usual Echo’s family is completely tolerant of us filming. Martyn’s vehicle has all sorts of things sticking out of the side and top but they just take it in their stride. Sometimes they seem to act as if they know what they’re supposed to do, walking and stopping just when we want them to or posing prettily in a line-up. They are such pros now.

A second cameraman is arriving today to film more sequences with Soila, Norah and Katito. Martyn had been doing both the people and the elephants which was something of a feat. After a week’s break back home in the UK Martyn will be back in late November to do some exciting filming with a helicopter.

I am also taking a break from filming by going to Scotland for a week to work with AERP colleague Phyllis Lee at Stirling University. Keith Lindsay will be coming up from Oxford to join us. We will be tackling book chapters for the Amboseli scientific book.