‘She carried the dead calf for hours even though it wasn’t hers. She had had a miscarriage two years before – and now picked up the stillborn babies of other mothers’
My love of African animals, in particular elephants, dates back to when I was three or four years old, growing up in Milan in a house full of old nature books. When I was six, my parents took me on my first safari in Kenya – I cried on the plane home, feeling I was being torn away from the savanna I’d dreamed of, somewhere I really loved. But for the past 20 years, that’s where I’ve lived, guiding photographers on the Maasai Mara National Reserve and elsewhere in Africa.
I’ve spent time photographing other animals, especially big cats, but elephants are still my favourite subject. They have this extraordinary presence, dominating the landscape and making it come alive. I love to follow them in different habitats. They are extremely adaptable – in Kenya they’re associated with the savanna and acacia woodland, and they can also live in extremely arid areas, such as the deserts of Namibia, where this photograph was taken.