Elephants are known for their incredible memory, but for one three-week-old calf, staying on his feet seems to be a lesson in progress!
In a series of delightful photos from South Africa’s Kruger National Park, a young elephant is seen playfully struggling to walk, face-planting repeatedly as he tries to balance.
Photographer Graeme Mitchley captured these entertaining moments, explaining that the calf kept toppling forward, his trunk not yet steady enough to help him balance.
“This little one kept us laughing for a good five minutes,” Mitchley shared. “He seemed to be having a lot of fun, despite taking a few spills.”
The photographer and his companions were on their way back to Johannesburg after a peaceful weekend in the park when they came across a breeding herd of elephants near the road.
Stopping at a safe distance to watch, they quickly noticed the young calf’s wobbly attempts at walking.
Mitchley added, “When they’re this young, they’re still figuring out how to use their trunks, which often leads to some comical stumbles.”
Mitchley noted that bystanders speculated whether the calf was just tired or possibly curious about the road’s texture.
“I’m not sure why he kept falling, but it definitely gave us a good laugh,” he said. “After a while, an older male decided it was time to move on, and the little one followed along.”
While elephants usually begin walking soon after birth, young calves like this one still have plenty of time to master their balance—elephants can live for up to 60 years, with many adventures ahead.
