Primal urges and the death of an elephant

Author: Greg Marinovich

THE long, dry season had caused the waterholes to dwindle to muddied pits. The vast herds of elephants that came to claim their share of what little there was usually met no opposition from any of the other animals. Just occasionally, however, there would be a creature brave enough to make a stand for equality – and no such occasions one would be treated to the unusual sight of an elephant retreating before the indignant ire of one of the lesser creatures.

The primal urge to drink and the rush to get to the bank, on one occasion, has disastrous results. An elephant cow fell down a steep bank, breaking her left for-leg. As she progressively weaker, and unable to keep up with the herd, she was forced to lead a painful and solitary life.

The elephant is gregarious species and as weeks of loneliness dragged on, the cow became progressively more desperate for company. She met up with a pair of bachelor bulls, and made overtures of friendship.

The trio went through went through the protracted ritual of touching and caressing each other with their trunks. The female elephant visibly drawing consolation from the physical contact. As the ceremony progressed, one of the young bulls became increasingly amorous.

Once the female, who unhappily was in season, became aware of the change of mood, she tried to resist the bull’s advances – but to no avail.

Mounted by both bulls, it was an agonizing ordeal. The young bulls blindly following their instincts had, in effect committed unpremeditated rape. Afterwards the cow hobbed away in great pain.

Loneliness was to be preferred to the inevitable pain that championship would bring. Two days later, the infection from the broken leg led to her slow death, the only company being extended by an anticipatory crowd of hungry vultures.

On the banks of the remote Linyanti River in North-Western Botswana, the undisturbed peace is punctuated by exotic birdcalls and the rustling of animals moving invisibly through the dense bush. It is in this idyllic setting that one comes across a reed but and paint-sainted easel.

This primitive camp is the home of world-renowned wildlife artist, Keith Joubert. In this unspoilt fragment of Africa he isolates himself for months at a time.

Weeks may be spent preparing for a work. Keith walks kilometers to trail and study a subject, reaching a close communion with the animal and its lifestyle. Only when he has absorbed the essence of his subject, does the painting begin. Once he is ready, he approaches the work with feverish intensity and total concentration.

His strikingly individualistic style is more than merely illustrative. The central subject is often simply a part of a complex rendering of an ecosystem.

The contrast that appear in a single Keith Joubert canvas, evoke many emotions with their diverse messages. Keith says it is not his intention to make a statement, rather to share some of what he has gained and experienced through his long involvement with the bush.

The good, the bad and the ugly are all examined in his works, but no solutions are offered; rather an awareness that an irreplaceable dimension of life is under immense pressure.

Keith is presently researching the mysticism that certain African people attribute to the natural world. These ancient philosophies and religions have a highly developed system of divinities and deities which are often manifest in the reverence and personification of the animate and inanimate environment. Patrons of Keith Joubert’s vision can anticipate an exciting new period, from a dynamic and innovate artist.