Each of us got to walk "hand-in-truck" with the giants. I walked with Amarula. She is named after a liquor made from the fruit of an African tree that she used to eat from. Images of a drunken Dumbo with pink elephants dancing around instantly popped in my head. Amarula was missing the first part of her truck and they think it may have been from a hunting trap. She had to suck her food off the ground to get it in her truck and then put it in her mouth. I had a handful of elephant snot and dirt on my hands by the end of our walk; it was as bonding experience.
Up close, the elephants are mellow and sweet. Or they were possibly jaded from doing the same act every two hours, every day. They did have personality though. When it came to the end of the tour and we fed the elephants fruits and veggies to "thank them," I put one piece in each trunk and they continued to hold them out like, "Hey lady, don't be stingy. We know you have more."
It was a really cool experience, especially with the added attraction of the surrounding meercat colony.
