@natgeo

Photo by @jasperdoest | Forest elephants spend most of their time within the lush undergrowth searching for fruit, which forms a large part of their diet. But because fruit availability can be strongly seasonal, there are times when the elephants may need to leave the forest interior to seek alternative foraging sites. The grasslands in the middle of the equatorial forest in Lopé National Park are remnants of arid periods since the last ice age 12,000 years ago. Covering more than 1,900 square miles in central Gabon, the uncommon mosaic of savanna and tropical rainforest is rich in biological diversity. Named Gabon’s first wildlife reserve in 1946, it became a national park in 2002. Follow me @jasperdoest for more on the relationship between humankind and nature. #gabon #forest #elephant #lopenationalpark