Elephant - South Africa Safari     Eating habits: Elephants are herbivores and drink up to 200 liters of water every day. The main part of their diet is made up of grasses, branches, fruit and roots. Due to the fact that the elephant has to take in these immense quantities of food, it is always on the lookout for more bushes and trees.   Social Behavior:  One herd is typically made up of numerous females and their young. The male elephants live alone and only join the female group during the mating season. The female groups do not accept old male elephants, also known as "rouge elephants" into their group.   Pregnancy in an elephant lasts for two years and during the birth process the other members of the group will help the female giving birth. The "aunts" will also help to take care of the newborn. After two years the baby elephant will be able to take care of itself. Elephants can reach an age of 70 years.   Enemies:  The African Elephant is the biggest mammal in the world and has no natural enemies. He is very strong and can fight off most attacks. There are, however, animals that pose an immediate threat to the young calves like the lion, hyena, crocodile and African Wild dog.   Elephant spotting:  The best areas to spot elephant are in the Addo Elephant Park and the Kruger National Park.   Protection:  During the conference in Santiago, Chile, it was decided that Botswana, Namibia and South Africa are once again permitted to export ivory, from 2004, according to a very strict set of rules.  These countries are now selling about 60 tons of ivory. For many years, national and international organizations tried to stop this export. This is why the number of elephants all over the world has increased and there is even an over-population of elephants in some areas.   Please click for more pictures of elephants - Elephant Pictures         Please click on the picture for a high resolution image!                             Elephants - South Africa       Herd of elephants   Elephant with calf