A landscape that dwarfs elephants

In Sri Lanka’s Minneriya National Park, herds of elephants gather during the dry season. Against this dramatic landscape of extensive grasslands and trees surrounding a tank, the elephants – despite their heft and bulk – appear diminutive. As you wait and watch, the elephants pass, astonishingly close, seemingly close enough to touch. In poetic black-and-white, ARATI RAO relates her intimate encounter with the gentle giants of Minneriya.

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We saw different herds – named after the letters of the alphabet, all making their way slowly, chewing the grass, to the water. Once in a while we would come upon a few bulls by themselves. And despite their bulk, the vast grasslands and tall trees dwarfed them.
We saw different herds – named after the letters of the alphabet, all making their way slowly, chewing the grass, to the water. Once in a while we would come upon a few bulls by themselves. And despite their bulk, the vast grasslands and tall trees dwarfed them.