Happy World Elephant Day!

Did you know there was a World Elephant Day? I only recently learned about this day, marked to “bring attention to the urgent plight of Asian and African elephants.”

In honor of the day, I wanted to share some photos taken during a recent trip to Pilanesberg of a bull elephant taking down a tree. It was really something to watch.

We’ve been fortunate to see several elephants since we arrived in South Africa two months ago: in the wild, and in sanctuary. They really do need more habitat. It’s heartbreaking to see them confined to small spaces and separated from their family group.

We are heading to Kruger National Park soon and hoping to see more. It never gets old. They never cease to be breathtaking animals, and you can tell how intelligent they are when they look in your eyes. I’m pretty sure not everybody sees that when looking at me, so I would like to put in my request now to come back as an elephant. Please save me a little habitat, okay? 😉

I know that I often post links to make a donation, but I think today we’ll just focus on awareness.

So…just share.

Share the World Elephant Day page, or tweet a photo of an elephant (include #worldelephantday or just #elephants), or share some of your own reflections about elephants, or anything that will make others aware of World Elephant Day as well.

Love, Marla

P.S. I’m going to leave you with a lovely poem I found on the internet today, courtesy of a page called The Biology Corner.

The Elephant Poem by John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887)

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind

The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
“God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!”

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, “Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me ’tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!”

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a snake.”

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
“What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain,” quoth he;
“Tis Clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree.”

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: “E’en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!”

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Then seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a rope.”

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long.
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong.