On the 12th August WE celebrate World Elephant Day. This is the third year of celebrating the Elephants and how they enrich our lives, it is also to bring awareness to the intolerable actions of poaching and the steady decline of Elephant numbers in the wild, and the mistreatment of elephants in captivity.
Aristotle was absolutely correct in his conclusions about elephants. However, he left out the part that ‘they passeth all others in heart and soul too’. If ever you are found yourself in an Ele-jam you will realize this in a few brief seconds. The grey pachyderm is delicate in its mass but will tear down and push over any emotional boundary one may have previously erected. Never has an animal brought tears to humans like an elephant. The tears may be from happiness, comfort or sadness but WE believe it is because of the connectedness and understanding that is felt when spending time amongst them.
There is a plethora of valuable lessons that the elephant has taught us over the years and keep teaching us as we leap from decade to decade. Their strong sense of community and family is enduring – and teaches us that being connected is valuable and important to living in functional communities.
There are many organisations who practice this philosophy and take the elephants approach very seriously but also with a trunk full of fun.
Save the Elephants is taking an interesting view point of and doing research in how man and elephant can live harmoniously in an area, with the use of ‘bee-hive fences’. WE are all too aware of the need to create harmonious living between these giants and ourselves, especially after all our recent Ele after dark calls to the DRC (Djuma Research Camp – Crew living quarters).
WE adore elephants and no matter how many times they may come parading through our gates to get a morsel of food during the drought, they bring us the serenity, comfort and connectedness that WE so long for. WE take refuge in such beauty and WE will continue to learn from them. WE are proudly supporting World Elephant Day – everyday!
