Water, Whole.

Etosha National Park, Namibia – The sun has set and the park has come alive. A low, baritone rumble issued below us serves as a warning.

A more forceful trumpet: a rebuke.

Elephants of all size – lit against the darkness – have gathered at our camp’s waterhole. Four rhinos, meanwhile, have infringed upon their space. One of the junior male pachyderms flaps his ears and mock-charges, causing three of the rhinos to retreat to a safe distance.

Another, unfazed, strides into the water. For a moment, an uneasy truce.

One of the many baby elephants, taking a break from suckling at its mother, grows curious, wandering over to the interloper. Its mother uses her trunk to forcefully flick water at the rhino. The message is clear.

A bunny hops by in the foreground between a pair of jackals, offering comedic relief.

The park is dry, but it won’t be long before humans, too, fight wars over water.

With more than 50 elephants now ringing the pool, the rhino snorts and shrugs, shuffling back into the bush.

Crisis averted – the calf, trying to catch up to its trunk, remains blissfully unaware of the high alert its curiosity has caused.