Human-Elephant Connection
“We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals. Remote from universal nature, and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization surveys the creature through the glass of his knowledge and sees thereby a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth.” – Angela Sheldrick
Also similar to humans, not all elephant emotions are lofty. While they have immense capacity for love, they are equally capable of being petty, jealous, and sometimes even mean. They can hold grudges and have vendettas. This is not a mark against their character, but rather an illustration of just how emotionally complex they are. Sometimes, the babies develop crushes on an individual Keeper. This can quickly escalate into a challenging environment, as they bicker over who gets precious moments with their favorite. Our Keepers are master diplomats, ensuring that every orphan feels special and singled out.
Among all the elephants who have touched our lives, Aisha stands out. She came into my parents’ care in 1974, when I was just a child. This was before Daphne had cracked the code for neonate milk formula, and as this calf was just days old, it seemed impossible that she could survive. However, Daphne never backed down from a challenge, saying, “I loved Aisha as my own child, for when one is mother to a little elephant, the commitment must be total and come straight from the heart.” Through Aisha, Daphne found a successful milk formula, one that our orphans benefit from to this day. She also, at heartbreaking cost, showed us the emotional complexity of elephants. She and Daphne developed an unbreakable bond, and when my mother was away in Nairobi for my sister’s wedding, Aisha — despite being well taken care of — pined for my mother and fell into a deep depression.
We often say that orphans select their Keepers. I was reminiscing with Benjamin Kyalo, our Ithumba Head Keeper, about his own recruitment, which took place over two decades ago. As he remembers, “I was nervous, especially when I saw another five individuals there. I wondered how I was going to shine above the rest and paced up and down waiting for my turn. I was most surprised when I was told to put on a uniform and go out into the bush with the Keepers, elephants, and the other men. We were given a month for the elephants to decide which four men out of the six applicants got hired. The elephants performed the interview, because they can read your heart.” That is the crux of it. Elephants truly can read your heart — and when you have earned their love, they never forget it. We are reminded of this through the 37 babies our ex orphans have introduced us to, often mere moments after giving birth to them. Although they are now fully wild, they still choose to share these milestones with the people who raised them. This even applies to bulls, who are more independent by nature.
Pachyderm power puns
What do you get when you throw two elephants in the pool?
Swimming trunks.
How would an elephant smell without a trunk?
He would still smell terrible.
Why do elephants not use computers?
Because they’re afraid of mice.
Did you hear about the elephant with eczema?
Turned out to be pachydermititis.
June 26th Birthdays
1994 – Ariana Grande, 1985 – Aubrey Plaza, 1986 – Nicole Arbour, 1992 – Jennette McCurdy
1974 – Derek Jeter, 1989 – King Back, 1998 – Jacob Elordi, 1968 – Shannon Sharpe