We set out on foot at 5:45 a.m. for our morning game monitoring exercise. We were headed into the woods looking for one of the Big 5. On the trek, our guide pointed out a dung beetle rolling a perfectly round ball of elephant dung that he created from a nearby rather large pile. He is pushing the ball, many times his size, across the road, up an incline of sand and into a grassland. A female beetle is hitching a ride.

Now, imagine this: He’s actually upside down, facing backward, pushing the ball with his back feet. He often stops and crawls atop to check on his bride. Eventually, together they will bury the ball, mate and lay eggs inside it. Meanwhile, the dung is breaking down into the soil providing important nutrients and fertilizer to grow trees and scrub for herbivores.

The work of this one-inch tall beetle feeds elephants and rhinos. That’s the true meaning of eco-system, a term that has been hijacked by business and economic practitioners. I’d like to ask people who go to work in white shirts or blouses to please find another term for your infrastructure. Because, after watching that dung beetle, I am quite certain you can never do the work of that little guy.

But I digress. The first two days at Siyafunda Endangered Species Reserve have been quite spectacular. Yesterday afternoon, while out with our guide, Sam, we spotted a young elephant having a late lunch. We stopped to observe and record his behavior. Sam explained that this young fellow was somewhat of a loner and it wasn’t unusual to find him straggling behind his family.

But elephants being elephants the rest of the herd was likely not far away. Before the afternoon was over, we had spent two hours with 30 elephants from two different herds. We followed these massive creatures, at times being completely surrounded, to their water source. The 30 consisted of two bulls, including the majestic Bombyx, the bull who is in musth, 17 adult females, six adolescents and two babies.

Sam is especially skillful at situating the jeep in the great spots for viewing, while not intruding on the animals. We observed one mother nurse her baby and greet us with a snort and a trumpet when she finished to remind us who has priority on this reserve.

At one point, sitting quietly in the jeep, we were surrounded by the two herds as they slumbered by. Some approaches our vehicle to say hello, tossing a little sand on the hood. Others walked around not giving us the time of day.

But then we saw Bombyx coming toward us. He approached slowly and deliberately toward my side of the jeep. He seemed to fix his gaze on me as he moved forward. I held my breath and ant then he pivoted ever so slightly at the last second to sweep around the jeep. Evan, my fellow volunteer, and I almost clasped hands the way strangers do on an airplane when the plane goes down. My heart was still racing as he followed the females and kiddos to water. This was one unforgettable moment.

Thank you, Mr. and. Mrs. Dung Beetle, for giving the world Bombyx.