National Geographic: Reflections on Elephants (1994)

[bunniefuu]

Like the giant sea monsters

that once stalked the

ocean floors,

an unlikely creature still

roams the earth.

So much like the treasured

whales of the seas,

elephants are the precious

last remnants of the

largest land animals in

the world.

Even a gigantic bull

will play away the day,

wallowing in the coolness of a

life that ambles along at

its won pace...

A life as long as our own,

but with so much more time

to be simply

what they are.

But this sense of calm and

meditation can be deceptive.

For a whole year one small

herd races against time

and the drying water holes.

Often the battle over the

precious water enrages them.

Two tiny calves are caught up

in this struggle,

coaxed through their early

years that are fraught

with dangers.

As large as they are,

elephants are sensitive

and gentle creatures.

Haunting discoveries of

burial rituals, language,

and understanding suggest

intelligence and even emotions.

These are the last of

a dying race.

Watching them, we can reflect,

not only on their complex behavior,

but on our own as well.

Join us for a few moments

and Reflections on Elephants.

Africa seldom relaxes.

It always seems to be waiting

for the gentler moments to pass.

Around rainwater pools strewn

across the dry country

of Botswana,

doves and sandgrouse stir up

the air in a frenzy to drink

before the soft edges

of the day burn off.

Elephants are is symbol

of the African wilderness,

woven into its fabric like the

blazing skies and the

endless savannas.

In the midst of a swirling

dance of smaller creatures,

huge males live separate lives

usually ignoring any passing

herds of females and calves.

Around these scattered water

holes they live out their

isolation,

slowly drawing life from

the earth's open wounds.

With a life-span of 60 years

or longer

elephants pursue the rhythms

of life at a leisurely but

determined pace.

Each movement is a calculated

conservation of energy,

each day a tiny investment

in legend.

In the crisp morning a herd

of females and calves

pads in silently from

the forest.

It is unusual for females like

these to wander into the

bull area,

But they are anxious.

It's been an eventful night.

A calf was born to the matriarch,

the leader of this herd.

From the first day

danger is every where.

The youngster is a female

and she will be guided carefully

through life by her mother

and the other family members.

Because elephant societies

are led by females

and her mother is a matriarch,

It is likely that one day

she too will have to carry on

that tradition of leadership.

But for now she seems

blissfully unaware of the

dangers of life,

more concerned with keeping close

to her mother

and balancing on

her one-day-old legs.

For this young calf,

lions will be a recurring

thr*at to her life.

Towering giants block the way.

The determined opportunist

is reluctant to go.

When the calf flounders

in the unfamiliar muddy water,

she panics.

But at this age,

help is seldom far away.

They bunch together,

protecting her within a wall

of legs and trunks.

Even the females have tusks

that lions must avoid.

Safe against the bank,

the little female has to contend

with another new challenge

The first bowel movement,

an unbalancing and

alarming experience

With the lions still menacing,

the matriarch must soon

move her calf

out of the water hole

With her front toenails

she breaks away the edges,

making a ramp for the short

strides of the baby.

As she leads her family

through the gauntlet of lions,

The matriarch's bloodstained

legs are a testament to

a stressful night

and a new beginning

The start of a long journey.

This journey takes place

in southern Africa.

Once elephants roamed over

most of this continent.

They still wander freely over all of

their ancestral range in Botswana,

one of the last havens

for wild elephants.

These seasonal movements of

following the water

cover over forty thousand

square miles

The matriarch is guiding her

herd along a network of

ancient paths.

She has decided to visit an

old site to supplement the

diet of the herd.

They dig open the holes and

turn the soil into fine,

white powder.

Locked inside the dust are

sodium and other

valuable minerals

that have leached into

these soils.

These mineral digs are

investigated, remembered,

and used...

A rudimentary form of

self-medication.

It's not long before she gives

the command to move on.

As they glide along

they communicate gently

in rumbles of very

low frequencies.

These sounds, almost silent to

us, drift over the herd...

just vibrations floating

in the dust.

Ahead, at the next water hole,

a tragic drama is unfolding.

Another calf has been

abandoned in the first few

days of its life.

Sometimes sick or old females

struggling to survive

do leave infant calves to fend

for themselves.

Innocent to the virtues of

silence in the dark,

the young elephant calls out

to the shadows.

The cry in answered.

But the hyena is nervous, wary

of the approaching elephants.

When the matriarch leads her

herd into the water,

they are drawn to the disturbance.

But with a long journey ahead,

this abandoned calf could be

a grave burden to the whole herd.

And he is rejected.

Perhaps the calls are too chilling,

and the herd returns.

The calf is caught up in the

swirl of running legs,

and swept off into the dark.

Adoption is rare in

most species,

but by daybreak the rescued

calf is part of the herd.

Now, however, he has even

greater challenges to deal with.

It's an adoption,

but by some strange twist of fate,

his new mother is the matriarch,

Who already has her

own newborn daughter.

He is immediately seen

as a competitor

for the rich-flavored milk.

Elephants rarely have

two calves at a time,

so usually there is no

competition for milk.

Whether the matriarch

adopted the calf

or the calf found the only

lactating female in the herd,

is hard to tell.

But his rescue is no

less than remarkable.

Now he faces a new thr*at...

starvation by sibling rivalry.

Probing and testing like

serpents coaxed out by a

charmer's flute,

Sensitive trunks dance for a

hidden delicacy.

Each shake is followed by

a moment's silence,

not in reverence, But to listen

for the seed pods falling.

These pods are

harvested annually.

The trees are seldom damaged...

unlike the robust mopane trees

that they smash down to get

to the nutritious upper leaves

A little bark from certain

acacias yields fatty acids

and minerals.

It is thought that the fiber

in the bark has medicinal sues

for elephants

as it does for humans.

Herds all over northern Botswana

are on the move now

traversing the corridors

of their memories...

Ancient trails that run

like long veins of life,

spreading out,

then converging on

the scattered water holes.

The most vulnerable are the

very young

By the age of three, fewer than

half the calves survive.

Some lions specialize in

outmaneuvering the herds,

Waging a constant way

of nerves.

Sometimes older calves

become isolated

separated because their mothers

have new young to look after.

These newborn can be

snatched up easily

and must be well guarded.

Often the older calves must

fend for themselves.

As harsh as it may seem,

it is necessary.

With animals that live so long

some deaths are important to

regulate the population.

Only in paradise is death banned

from claiming the weak.

At the water hole a lone male suddenly

feels the awakenings in his body.

It is the time of his musth.

Like the new dawn, this feeling

is fresh and vital.

He can take on anything.

Musth comes to males

once a year,

But only begins halfway

through their lives.

This is their breeding phase,

when high levels of testosterone turn

their thoughts to conquests.

Another bull has the same

feelings of elation today

and is also ready to

confront the world.

When a breeding herd of females

glides towards the combatants,

the silence is deceptive.

This victorious bull has already

heard the low rumbles

from an eager female

across the plain.

As he draws nearer,

she coyly breaks away.

And the chase is on.

He hunts her down.

She knows she is being hunted,

and with a smaller body weight

She could easily outrun him as

she has lesser suitors this week.

But this time she is willing

and stops

Elephant mating takes

a lot of cooperation.

This coordinates sexual readiness

of both male and female

is quite unique in animals

and for several days

they will stay together.

By soliciting this musth bull,

she has purposely

chosen her mate,

and wins as a prize his dominant

genes for her offspring.

Her calf will be born nearly

two years from now.

Waves of thirsty giants

stampede the water holes.

Anything in the way is

chased off.

But before rushing in,

they stop and test the air.

Each family, under the

leadership of their matriarch,

Maintains long-distance

contact with other groups.

As the groups meet

at the water holes,

they melt together to

become one clan again.

Here they congregate

and reinforce bonds.

Even after short separations,

Greetings are very active

and affectionate.

Screams of tension drive out

non-clan members;

Elephants tend to

avoid strangers.

But the large water holes

attract herds from all around,

Both wanderers and regulars

on this route.

All mass together,

but maintain their discrete

groups around the water hole,

hundreds or sometimes even

thousands at a time.

These gentle animals appear to

want to avoid stressful encounters.

With language skills of at least

twenty-five different concepts,

A complex "stacking" system is

at work at these water holes

When incoming herds signal,

the herd that was drinking

vacates the water.

In all this activity,

the matriarch has arrived.

Over the last two months

the adopted,

Smaller calf seems to have

worked out a way to survive.

The water is still an unfamiliar

experience for both calves.

The adopted calf,

possibly with less

pleasant associations,

is even more reluctant

to venture in,

despite the gentle coaxing.

Others are here for the

water as well.

As hundreds of buffalo

crowd in,

stress rumbles through the elephant

herds like an electric storm.

Boxed in by the huge

herd of buffalo,

the matriarch and her family

are forced to use the

steep side of the bank.

An older calf is

jostled into the water.

With the buffalo still threatening,

a quick rescue is mounted.

Displaying an intelligence of

communication and astounding logic,

The elephants divide their efforts.

Some fend off the buffalo while

others tend to the frantic calf.

Just a gentle stabilizer is needed

and a well-placed trunk does the job.

And still the matriarch

doesn't lead them away.

They need water before attempting

the long journey ahead.

In their eagerness to drink,

the smaller,

adopted calf is shoved over

the edge and into the mud.

Now the danger of a buffalo

stampede is even greater than before.

The thick mud sucks

at the calf's back legs.

Following the matriarch's lead

they all climb into the mud to help.

Desperate attempts to break down

the bank only make the problem worse.

The two females combine efforts,

using tusks and trunks like shovels

to keep the calf from drowning,

while another digs a ramp.

Together the two females squeeze

and push at the calf.

The suction underneath is

suddenly released

and the calf is free at last.

They tenderly reassure

and smell the youngster,

rescued for the second time

in his life.

The concerned herd now bunches

against the converging buffalo

Outrage runs like wildfire

among the herds,

sparking explosions of aggression.

But the buffalo keep pouring

out of the forest,

and dust hangs like smoke

on a b*ttlefield.

The contest is finally resolved.

As the dust settles,

the buffalo disperse.

Somewhere in the confusion,

a young buffalo was struck

heavily in the head and side.

The calf is doomed,

injured beyond hope.

The two calves move off

with the herd.

Having avoided a

muddy death themselves.

The young buffalo's broken

body is left behind.

It causes some concern to the

departing elephants,

Suggesting an awareness

of in jury and death,

even of other species.

Like huge cathedrals

or ancient monoliths,

The solid shapes

block out the sun.

A long way from the

congregating female herds,

the bulls gently sway to a

rhythmic dance of the giants

A shuffle of constant adjustment

in a display of dominance

and submission.

Each one of these bulls has a rank

each responds to the next one.

Every newcomer to the

gathering provokes a reaction

that flashes through the

memories of all the contestants.

Anyone unsure of his status

soon learns the rules of

this tournament of giants.

Status is determined

by body size, rage;

tusks have little to do with it.

The contest is for water,

as usual.

In a classic bull area like Savuti,

up to 200 elephants compete

for this one resource.

In this melee they must constantly

be aware of who is around

A sensitive tail is an advantage.

With their head used like

huge medieval maces,

bodies jostle and tusks joust

for precious liquid.

This struggle may seem like a

chaotic free-for-all.

But with each changing combination,

the field plan of the hierarchy is reset

in a surprisingly orderly fashion

One ghostly form is excluded

from the commotion.

His gaunt features and

sagging skin

are sure signs of his age

and fading energy for life.

With his last set of grinding

teeth nearly worn away,

his days are numbered.

Too weak to join in,

he can only watch the

competing bulls, and wait.

By dusk his body cries out for the

moisture leached from it by the heat.

He can no longer resist,

and with fewer bulls around the water,

he makes his move.

Drawing himself up

to his full height,

he forces himself into the circle.

At last the drinks.

When a mud-covered,

dominant bull returns,

the ghostly elephant

should retreat.

But the water still

beckons him.

It is a mistake.

A jagged tusk slices through

the old skin into his neck.

The old bull goes down

with barely a struggle,

losing blood fast.

Even before the old bull dies,

a young male carries out a

bizarre mock-mating display.

This behavior can only

be explained

as an attempt to upgrade

his own status with this

show of domination.

The old bull dies quickly

and silently in the night,

though his fate was

long since determined.

Companions defend the

carcass against the hyenas,

a useless endeavor.

His body must continue

its usefulness to Africa,

even after his death.

Like an ancient burial ritual,

attention is paid

to every detail.

We don't yet understand

this behavior.

Is it a macabre fascination

with the dead

or perhaps a tribute to

a fallen companion?

And why is the ivory so often

the focus of these haunting

examinations?

As a week passes,

the carcass gradually

relinquishes its form.

There is no mythological

elephant graveyard,

no common place where bones

and tusks are taken...

just the eventual scatterings

in the dust.

As the last scavengers squabble

over the scraps of the body,

A few bulls remain,

perhaps still nurturing a special bond

with the old elephant.

Before we could really understand

his ways and the ways of his species,

The bull's spirit floats away.

Eight days and what was once

a giant of the world

is no more than just a memory,

just a reflection of a time

when elephants roamed Africa

from sea to sea and

ruled the continent.

Once again the clans are gathering,

marching for the rivers.

Paths interlace,

leaving behind a swath

of flattened vegetation.

This constant ebb and

flow of bodies

affects some areas

while resting others,

A balance that is

forever changing.

The females head for the best

feeding and good water,

not only for the living,

But for their unborn as well.

The final miles are covered

on the run toward the rivers.

Here the matriarch and

her calves will see out

the next three months

of the dry season.

Even in this chaotic clamor

for water,

The elephants show a sensitivity

and awareness of who is around them

and where their other clan

families are

After a grueling six months,

the calves,

possibly sensing that their

constant march is over

take on a new playfulness

and relax.

But now when the oppressive

heat stings their dark bodies,

They can hide from its burning fingers

Gradually the elephants drop down

like weary puppets at the end of a show.

both young and old drifting

into a rare sleepiness.

For them there are easy ways to

shut out the world.

They seldom allow themselves

to sleep for long.

Just a few minutes at a time are needed

by animals with such long, slow lives.

Only when they are all up

and ready will the matriarch

lead them out of the shade,

always keeping the herd together.

But sometimes things go wrong.

Occasionally calves are left

behind and wander around lost,

Testing each herd they approach.

When he sees the matriarch

and goes to greet the herd,

this young male is turned away

His best chance of being found

is to keep searching.

Despite their

good communication,

These separations are

inevitable.

Newborn calves have begun to

displace the older ones.

Unbeknown to him,

his real family is across the

plain heading into the forest.

Suddenly he finds himself

among lions.

Before he can turn away,

the juvenile is

locked in a deadly game.

But this time innocence is

matched by inexperience.

The lions are young and seem more

intent on experimenting thank k*lling.

Lions often prey on the weak,

but this calf is lost,

Not ailing... a determined

opponent with a thick hide,

not easy to penetrate.

But soon he tires and the

lions close in for the k*ll.

Quite suddenly the

experiment is over.

The lions are exhausted,

and lose interest.

The calf responds,

surprising the lions with his

new zest for life.

As they watch, he slips away.

What emotions elephants feel during

these struggles we do not know

That they do feel something

is quite apparent.

Back in the bull area,

when old bones have

all but turned to dust,

The mud relinquishes

a precious last reminder

of the old bull at the

water hole.

Like a trophy,

it is carried into the open,

displayed, and f*ndled.

Like a memory,

it is tasted and nurtured.

This haunting behavior is

difficult to understand.

How can we ever know

what elephants feel

and what form these emotions take

A mystery, forever.

When they attempt to destroy ivory

by smashing it against rocks

or try to crush tusks

by standing on them,

are they displaying a

new behavior...

a solemn response to the

atrocities of our time?

Or is this an ancient ritual

and if so what does it mean?

At the river the matriarch

leads her herd on a final push

for better feeding on the north bank.

Swimming is little

problem for elephants.

They share an ancestry with seagoing

mammals like dugongs and manatees.

Large, vacant, nasal and sinus cavities

keep their heavy heads afloat,

and their fat makes

them buoyant.

On the south bank a timid

young bull refuses to swim

and watches the herd disappear

By now the young bull has given up

all attempts at swimming.

The herd's ancient knowledge

has betrayed them this time.

For when they finally emerge

on the north bank,

They have crossed into another

country, Namibia.

The stranded young bull still

calls to them in alarm.

The herd is now fair game for

hunters poachers and traders

A wave of communication flashes back

and forth across the river.

Then, reacting as one,

they plunge into the water

so swim back to the young bull

Although by now the

exhausted young calves

are at risk of drowning

in the strong current,

A fatal conflict with man

has been avoided.

On the south bank greetings and

urgent reassurances flood from the herd,

But he will not be persuaded.

The herd gives up and remains

on the familiar and safer

soils of Botswana...

The end of the restless

journey for the matriarch

and her calves, for this year.

This may be the last

generation of elephants

to traverse these ancestral ranges,

the last truly free elephants.

As we succeed more

and more as a species,

They seem to trickle further

and further from our reach.

It has been said

that we could do worse

than mold our own lives

on those of elephants...

Lives filled with dignity

and gentle bearing, and time.

Perhaps we need more time

to understand those gentle

celebrations of life and death

that are like silent whispers

in the moonlight...

more time for reflections on elephants