We had moved hardly more than 50 feet when we stopped on a bluff overlooking a wide, shallow river. Clearly James knew something we didn't. The sun was filtering through the trees on the opposite bank at a low angle. From between the thick trees and shrubs across the river a proud matronly elephant appeared. She looked upriver and down.
Most elephant herds are matriarchal groups.
They consist of a mother and her dependent offspring, including grown daughters and their children. It's a close-knit family. Even when browsing on grass, shrubs or trees, elephants seldom stray more than 50 yards from a sibling or child. Should one herd member become sick or injured, the entire group will remain beside it, often struggling together to get the downed animal to its feet. In fact, too many stories are told of hunters easily killing an entire herd that refused to leave a downed companion.