Overheard on Safari
Graphic by Heidi Heffelfinger
Animals may not be able to speak with humans, but they are certainly not silent. If you spend enough time watching them, you might begin to wonder what is going through their heads. This photo series has no claim for accuracy—but rather, offers a guess at the inner monologues and wild thoughts of the animals I came across during my trip to Africa.
“He started it”
“Make way for elephants”
“Practicing my RBF”
“We don’t always sprint”
“Hydrate or diedrate”
“Practicing for the runway show”
“My kids are camera shy”
“I walk, they watch”
“Quick, kids! Pretend something interesting is over there”
“Smile, kids! This is going on the Christmas card”
“Wait for me, I’ve got little legs!”
“The perfect spot”
“Relaxing with mom”
“Playtime is my favorite time”
“What are you looking at?”
“Biiiiiiig stretch”
“Here, get my good side”
“You weren’t supposed to find me”
“One step at a time…”
“Tired trunk”
“Do I have any food in my teeth?”
“This is going to be a good nap”
“Practicing my roar”
“They’ll never know I’m farting down here”
“If these tusks could talk…”
“These hips don’t lie”
“Snack time”
“Mufasa won’t know what hit him”
“Am I black with white stripes or white with black stripes?”
“The mullet was definitely a good play”
“Two long necks, zero clue what’s next”
“Late for happy hour”
“Is it weird we’re friends?”
“Definitely didn’t hit my step count today”
Heidi Heffelfinger ’26 (heidiheffelfinger@college.harvard.edu) is a self-proclaimed Dr. Dolittle.