Travels in Nepal # 65 An Early Morning Birding Walk

Baby elephant

Next morning we were up early to go on a birding walk straight after breakfast. When our guide found out I was really interested in birding he made this special arrangement for us. On this occasion I was rather doubtful whether we would actually see anything, let alone some birds. The foggy conditions had worsened over night and visibility was down to about thirty metres at best.

Soon after leaving the hotel grounds we visited the Royal Chitwan National Park headquarters where I did manage to see and identify several species of birds new to me. Actually, Kamal, our guide, identified them for me. I could barely see them in the fog.

A little distance on we visited another elephant enclosure complete with several baby elephants. While the mothers were still tied up the babies were free to roam. One of them took a liking to us and in his curiosity he sniffed all over us. My coat still had baby elephant slobber on it when it was washed back home several weeks later.

Jade, the woman shown in the photo, wanted to take this little elephant home to Darwin with her. They are rather endearing at this age, I must admit.

How does one smuggle a baby elephant back to Australia? In your trunk, of course.