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A close call with a charging Bull Elephant in Meru National Park in Kenya was the inspiration for this painting. I was in a vehicle with several other visitors. We had stopped and were preparing to leave the truck to take photos of Elsa’s Kopje (rock formation) on Mughwango Hill, where the story of Born Free had its origins. The engine had just been shut off when without warning the brush erupted in a loud trumpeting and a very upset massive elephant burst onto the dirt road and charged us. He came within five feet of the front radiator, backed up then charged again. On the third charge the driver got into reverse gear and we hastily backed up hitting an Acacia tree and sending the passengers sprawling inside the vehicle. After three successive charges the elephant backed off, still trumpeting, and kicking up a cloud of dust. It turned out we had accidentally disturbed a mating pair. Having seen a damaged Volkswagen van in Nairobi with two large tusk holes through the side door I felt we got off rather lucky. I painted this scene in watercolour shortly after the incident but it has stuck in my mind for years and finally decided to recreate the drama with a giant Baobab tree as the backdrop to the scene.
