Sometimes a bit of “gardening” is required in the reserve outside the lodge, especially during the winter when elephants have much less food and, considering their size and the amount they need to eat, they resort to pushing over more trees to get at the roots where all the nutrition is held during the winter months. Sometimes they push trees into the road and effectively block our path. This is when we go “bush clearing”, either dragging the trees off the road or cutting them up and moving them to the side. We do not take the wood for firewood as this wood can for instance provide food or shelter for insects, and snakes will wedge themselves against it to lie in ambush or seek shelter from the sun. So even though it may look as if the wood is just “lying” around waiting to be taken, on a much smaller scale it allows life to thrive. In fact, were we to remove all this wood, over a period of time it could have severe consequences for nature, and since we are here to observe all animals in their natural state, it is much better just to clear the wood to the side and move on. And all the while you never know if a large branch you are about to remove is sheltering a stalking leopard!
