Elephants are some of the most sure-footed animals. Being the largest land mammals in the world, they carry so much body weight that they cannot afford to fall down, especially when they are going up or down the slopes. Elephants are herbivores and have great liking for their favourite food plants. Some of these grow on the slopes of the hills and in order to reach these, elephants may climb steep slopes that appear to be impossible for the elephants to climb. When going uphill, it is rather easier for the elephants to climb as may appear to us because their body weight is distributed across their large bodies and carried on widely placed legs. However, they are a lot more cautious when they climb down because a single wrongly placed foot may bring them tumbling down the slope to their doom. It is often said that if a man is fleeing from an aggressive elephant, his best chances are to run downhill as the elephant will not be able to pursue its chase in that direction.
On one of the safaris to Corbett Tiger Reserve, Jim’s Jungle Retreat naturalist team members came across this small herd of elephants climbing a steep slope in a patch of jungle not too far from the Retreat.
Elephants climbing a steep slope
