We visited the Mana Pools for the first time in December 2013. At that time, we met a young bull elephant who visited us in the camp every day. He flapped his ears to cool himself down, so we named him Floppy. Although not a carnivore, he was always drawn to the grill where I would cook a steak on the embers. (In our book «Around the World in 2,573 Days», you can see on page 141 Floppy standing on the banks of the Zambezi.)

On October 21st, 2023 we went up at five o’clock. When the birds sing and we hear the hippos grunting, nothing can keep us in our sleeping bags. An espresso awakened our spirits; Afterwards we went on an early morning game drive. We drove along the Zambezi and its pools, where the animals quench their thirst in the early morning. After three eventful hours, we returned to camp and placed Mahangu under a shady tree.

Now we deserved a good breakfast. Brigitta fried eggs, served with linseed bread and a grapefruit. (She had safely hidden the grapefruits inside the car, because elephants love citrus fruits!) We were on our third cup of espresso when a young bull elephant suddenly approached. It was Floppy!

PS: If you want to know more about Floppy and his colleagues, take a look here.