I was on safari in Zimbabwe at a magical spot called Mana Pools. This huge bull elephant walked right past our camp and down to the river, then swam out to the grassy islands in the middle of the mighty Zambesi. Our guide thought this might be a good opportunity for me to get close with my very wide angle camera, so we paddled out into the river and slowly moved closer to the big bull. We kept a watchful eye for crocodiles and hippos, which are plentiful in this area. In the distance, you can actually see hippopotamus on the river bank. This elephant was only about 30 feet from us but my camera makes him appear further away. You will notice his left ear is slightly blurred – that’s because it was twitching. Just as I took this shot, the elephant picked up our scent and began to charge. Fortunately for my racing heart, he stopped after only a few paces. He is an awesome sight – a great elephant in the mighty Zambesi River.