I encountered this thriving African Elephant herd in the heart of Kruger National Park, South Africa. The matriarch was assessing the safety of traveling past us while the adolescent elephant joined in the exercise to hone his/her skills. Elephants face many threats to their existence including habitat loss and fragmentation in addition to poaching for their ivory and meat. The African Elephant is listed as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List.