Tusker Tanzen, Ramganga River

Every photographer is only as lucky as his escort. I have been fortunate to spend all my trips in Dhikala in the company of Islam Mama, a former mahout who now earns a living as a driver in the park. His experience with elephants gives him a lot of insight into their behaviour and has helped him direct me to quite a few rare experiences. One evening we arrived at the banks of the Ramganga after a long day trying (and failing) to sight big cats. I passed the time watching the herd feed when he asked me to get ready to shoot something very rare – a huge tusker had decided he wasn’t too old to have some fun.