African Elephants Are Becoming More Nocturnal
Galaxies and Kilimanjaro appear in the backdrop of a grazing family of elephants in Amboseli National Park on the border of Kenya and Tanzania. Elephants are not considered nocturnal, but they feed several times a night between naps. There is also a surprising transition of behaviors to more night-time activities as most poaching in Africa occurs in the daytime. Wild African elephants sleep for the shortest time of any mammal. In their natural surroundings adult elephants rest for only two hours per day, mainly at night. The matriarchs of the herd sometimes stay awake for several days to avoid threats such as lions or human poachers.
Amboseli has a world record for the largest elephants and the longest studied elephant population. Before protecting elephants at the park they were largely affected by human-wildlife conflicts.
From the Photographer
Taha Ghouchkanlu: In the native Maa language of the Maasai people, “Kimana” means ‘returning to a place’. The magic of Amboseli fascinated me after my first project in 2013, it always draws me back to this remote spot on the planet. On this 2020 visit the goal was to document bush elephants at night; the largest species of African animals and the largest land-dwelling mammal.
Recording elements of the southern night sky (Magellanic Clouds) above Kilimanjaro with an elephant herd was a dream project. The excitement and joy was the purest thing I could have experienced at that moment. But I also noted the increase of light pollution on the Kenya-Tanzania border, with blue and white LEDs that did not exist in my previous visits.
Diurnal Species Active in Moonlight
Bright moonlight increases activity of some diurnal species who find a safer environment to wonder around at night. The tallest land mammal, giraffe, selects safe resting sites to take a break during part of the night. They work in teams where some individuals stay awake while others sleep, to protect the group from predators.
From the Photographer
Babak Tafreshi: Looking for a local guide who could help my team find animals at night with the backdrop of Kilimanjaro, we were referred to a local Maasai man, Moses Loan, who was known for having incredible eyesight and night vision. On our first night walking outside of the camp, I realized this was true! The animals that he pointed to, often over a 100 meters away, were totally invisible to me at first glance, but the camera revealed them in just a one second exposure or shorter, thanks to moonlight. Photography of wildlife is not easy in natural night light due to their motion in long exposure, but the main challenge is to find and frame them properly at night in a small field of view of a telephoto lens, while you have to use all senses on any approaching noise, to avoid an encounter with a big predator.
Left & middle: Giraffes under bright moonlight in Amboseli. Right: Moses Laon is a member of the local Maasai community who lives in small villages around Amboseli. He is a tour guide who assisted the photographer in finding animals at night on this 2013 visit. @BabakTafreshi
Time-exposure image reveals star trails (formed by the Earth rotation) in a moonlight night of Amboseli. The South Celestial Pole is just behind Kilimanjaro. More in the slideshow. @BabakTafreshi 
Grant’s zebras in Amboseli, walk to their safe night resting area. 
Photographer Babak Tafreshi, rests before sunrise after a night of imaging in Amboseli. 
Twilight in Amboseli above an elegantly curved acacia tree.
Amboseli Dark Skies
Being very close to the equator, the night sky above Kilimanjaro includes both northern and southern celestial spheres. From Amboseli some of the iconic southern sky elements appear above Kilimanjaro including the Southern Cross, the Great Carina Nebula, and the Magellanic Clouds. Easily visible to unaided eyes in dark skies these little clouds are two of the Milky Way’s satellite dwarf galaxies, 160,000 and 200,000 light years away. That means their current arrived light takes us back in time to the Middle Paleolithic era, when the first modern form of humans (anatomically) evolved in Africa, not too far from Kilimanjaro in fact!
Amboseli is far from large cities and the nearby camps do not use intense lights at night, which make this wonderland, a paradise for stargazers and a safe haven for nocturnal species.
The Roof of Africa
Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa (5895m) and has influenced pop culture around the world. From Hemingway’s novel Under Kilimanjaro to adventure stories inspired by this massive dormant volcano. But under a starry night it is even more mysterious. The mountain is in Tanzania but one of its best viewing angles is from its northern side in Kenya. Kilimanjaro’s smaller rugged peak, Mawenzi, is also visible in many of the images.
