New Fashion Accessory – The Pancake Phone

Charles has come up with the new must have designer fashion accessory, which once we develop our marketing strategy, will make us all millionaires.  Production is relatively easy.  Take one mobile phone, any brand will do as it is the process which subsequently makes it unique, and a 5 tonne bull elephant.  Place the two of them together and there you have it, instant pancake phone.

It was Friday afternoon and we were doing a vehicle mounted fenceline patrol along one of our fences that adjoins a neighbour’s farm when we came across a couple of trees that had been pushed across the road by an elephant.  The first one was fairly small and quickly moved out of the way, the second however had about five branches which required cutting.  So we commenced taking it in turns to cut a branch when as Barend started the last one, AJay shouted ‘the elephants are coming!’  On looking behind it was observed in not so calm tones that we had the fence on one side, bush on the other, a tree across the road in front and an elephant rapidly approaching us from behind.  As a consequence, Barend picked up his pace of chopping slightly, AJ jumps in the driver’s seat (by the way he doesn’t have a licence), Gary grabs his camera, Hennie shouts encouragement to everyone and Charles comes up with a cunning plan to offer the elephant his mobile phone (maybe so he could call his mum?).  It was also about this time that it was noticed that the elephant was our old friend and favourite (Bad Attitude) Umfumu, who had a particular vendetta against our bakkie (ute) because he had been unable to catch it in the past.

Barend subsequently finished cutting the branch and calmly climbed into the back of the bakkie, while AJay gently pulled away as Umfumu was still at least 2 metres away.  Gary continued to take photos, a selection of which are posted below:

Barend jumping out to swap driver's while Chales is requesting us to go back for his phone!

Umfumu approaching up the road towards us.  You can just see Charles' hat in the bottom left corner of the photo.

Umfumu, circling to come at us from the side.  I included this photo mainly because it is one of my better close up shots of an elephant in its natural environment.

Another shot of Umfumu.  In several previous posts I have mentioned that he lost the end of his trunk in a poacher's snare before coming to SanWild, and this photo gives a good shot of his trunk so you can see where the end is missing.  This probably explains his bad attitude.

Umfumu thinking of having another go at us.  That is Hennie's hair in the photo, who is at the front of the bakkie tray, so you can see how close he was.

Charles (complete with AJay's silly hat!) relieved at getting away from Umfumu.

The new 'Pancake Phone'.

The other side of the 'Pancake Phone'.  Each one can be unique in its style depending on the focus of the 'production elephant' on any particular day.