Matriarch

Matriarch

Female elephants live together in a matriarchal clan, consisting of a mother with her grown-up daughters and all of their offspring. Whenever they sense danger, the adults instinctively protect the young demonstrating solidarity and strength.
This photo shows the matriarch of such a group. Her raised head and spread ears told us she was not agitated, but alert and the challenge was to capture the moment of eye contact in a sharp close-up before moving away.
This photo was taken in Tsavo East NP, Kenya, where I will be leading a photo safari next summer - if you would like to learn more about this, check out http://www.ingridvekemans.com/safaris