Echo of Amboseli.

This is a photograph that I took of some of Amboseli's elephants, they are a part of Echo's family.

Eighteen months ago I visited Kenya for the specific purpose of seeing the world's most well known elephant - Echo. She's the matriarch of a herd within Amboseli National Park, at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. The BBC have filmed several documentaries about Echo and her family, the most recent film showed her giving birth to her youngest calf, Espirit. Now at the grand old age of late sixties Echo continues to b a remarkable lady, holding the family together through the changes of time.

It was a special opportunity to be with Echo and an added privilege since I was able to spend some time with the researchers of Amboseli Trust for Elephants (Elephant Trust) who have followed Echo and the many other elephant herds of Amboseli for over thirty years. Their indepth studies have been at the fore of elephant research and are invaluable to aid the future well being of this magnificent creature of the African plains.

How wonderful it is to be able to move amongst the herd accepted as one of them, albeit in the safety of a 4x4 landcruiser! My time gathering reference material was rewarding and enabled me to create an oil painting entitled "Echo of Amboseli", the proceeds of the original and Limited Edition reproductions will assist the dedicated work of the Trust. Very soon the painting will be displayed on my website and I trust it will greatly benefit the Elephants of Amboseli and further afield.