The number and variety of animals that we see in Mana Pools is fantastic. Just arrived at the park gate we meet an enormous bull elephant with a very impressive pair of tusks. His name is Boswell. He is popular in the park and is even a YouTube star. 
With his great height, he can reach branches high up in the trees. However, that is not enough for Boswell. Like a circus elephant, he balances on his hind legs to reach branches that even the tallest elephant would otherwise not be able to reach. Elephant groupies follow him closely, in expectation of getting a share of the branches, fruits, leaves and pods that he pulls down.
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His large stature, huge tusks and stumpy tail (he has lost the brush at the end of it), make Boswell easy to recognize. He also wears a radio collar. Boswell is quite protective of the youngest calves in the herd and almost seems to have taken over the role of matriarch despite his being male.
Before we arrive at our campsite, we see more elephants, in addition to impala, waterbuck, Southern ground hornbill (a large bird that looks like a black turkey), hadada ibis, black-winged stilts, and a mix of crested guinea fowl and helmeted guinea fowl. It is quite unusual to see the latter two hanging out together because the crested guinea fowl prefer woodland while the helmeted guinea fowl prefer open land.
