2 x 50' (ENG, GER)
They range from a family of elephants to a pair of hornbills (aka ‘Zazu’ of The Lion King) alongside dung-beetles, chameleons, bullfrogs, geese and killifish. Their Tsavo waterhole home exists for just a few months each year. One moment it’s a dusty depression in a parched landscape, the next a bustling oasis.
The elephant family provides the background. They are the ‘architects’ and heavy lifters, but the intriguing narrative centres on the characters that live alongside them – at elephant toe-nail height.
Their Tsavo waterhole home exists for just a few months each year. One moment it’s a dusty depression in a parched landscape, the next a bustling oasis. Its creation relies on both termites and elephants. Deep underground, termites make clay by mixing minerals with organic matter and saliva. They bring it to the surface to build their mound – and that attracts elephants. Elephants excavate and eat the clay for the minerals it contains, which creates a hollow in the landscape. When it rains, they roll in the mud. A single visit by a herd can remove a ton of mud. The more mud they walk away with, the deeper the hollow becomes, so the more water it holds and the longer it lasts – a waterhole is born.
