Before travelling to Africa, dolphins were always my favourite animal. I loved their sense of joy and gentle, peaceful spirit that emanates from them. I still love them very much, but now I have a deep affection for elephants.
This comes from spending a lot of time in their vicinity on the various safaris we went on in the game parks of Africa. I would spend hours watching them in their family units and learning so much from them.
This is why I love elephants so much and feel they are some of the wisest animal species on our planet.
Elephants love deeply and are passionate about life
Elephants live in a strong family unit. The mothers are so protective of their babies and spend all day teaching and loving them. They band together to shield their young if they feel danger is present.
They are highly social animals and meet every day to roll around in the mud pool together. They cry when a family member dies and they mourn their death every year on their anniversary.
They’re playful and fun and hug trunks when meeting each other at the waterhole.
Elephants Never Forget
I love this so much about elephants and can relate to it a lot. Never forgetting can have its really bad points, but at the same time it shows fierce loyalty. I know I never forget when someone shows the same loyalty to me.
A game ranger friend of ours told us a fascinating story of the family of elephants who lived in the Addo Elephant game park.
Over 100 years ago the borders of the park were much bigger than what they are now; the shrinking borders were due to the increased poaching of the elephants. As numbers in Addo are now increasing the park borders were extending out again.
This extension of the borders now mean that an old cemetery became part of the park once more.
As soon as this happened a herd of elephants found their way into the cemetery and smashed up every single gravestone bar one. That one gravestone was the only one that did not belong to a poacher.
Over 100 years later the elephants finally got their revenge – the energy of it was passed down through their DNA. They have a mystical connection to the Earth.
This is what frightened me so much about them yet I loved how loyal they were and would not forget those they love.
On the anniversary of a loved one’s death they return to the exact spot of their death on the exact day to mourn which also demonstrates the wisdom and connectedness they have to the spirit world or world of energy.
How do they know this?
They don’t have calendars or watches. They know more secrets then we do, that’s for sure. You feel it in their presence.
Elephants have a commanding presence
Elephants command your attention, more so than any other animal. It is easy to get blase about the animals in the game parks of Africa as you see them in such abundance. But not the elephants.
Every time they are around, you are sitting up straight in your car, with the gears engaged and your foot ready to put some pedal to the medal.
Elephants help you to become very aware of your surroundings. You can’t help but look and watch their every move. That slow, steady gait of theirs will deceive you into thinking they are lacking in power and speed.
And then one starts to run towards you in your car and you become aware of the squashing power they have. Lucky for you they skip on by gaily to meet up with their friends on the other side of the road.
The Mummy is the boss
She’s all woman! She’s fierce, she’s strong, she’s a leader, and a protector. She’s firm yet compassionate, loves her babies and chases away lions! Everything I aspire to be.
Rock on Elephant Mummy! A true 21st century woman.
I could sit all day with these majestic creatures and still would never learn all they know. One thing I do know is they have taught me a lot about who I want to be and how I want to live my life.
