Elephants Cry

[Nomad]

I was watching a documentary on elephants today. After mom was poached the baby elephant cried. God that broke my heart. Theres also an indication they can suffer from post traumatic stress disorder.



Elephants Cry Too

Florence L. Lambert




On this earth live intelligent beings whose lifespans are about 70 years. For them, family reunions are a joyous occasion. They assist the disabled. They mourn their dead. They weep.

I am not referring to humans. I’m talking about elephants.

These gentle giants have expressed emotions said by some to be reserved exclusively for human beings: love, affection, joy, compassion, grief, and fear are only a few.

Cynthia Moss, who has studied wild African elephants for more than 20 years, writes, “The sounds of their greeting rent the air as over and over again they gave forth rich rumbles and piercing trumpets of joy.” Granted, this is not human joy: it is elephant joy, and who is to say these animals are not experiencing happiness?

In her book, The Tsavo Story, Daphne Sheldrick, who has successfully saved and rehabilitated orphaned elephants for more than 30 years, shares many of her observations:

And what, I wonder, was going through the minds of a herd of elephants in Uganda who stood outside the store that housed the feet of hundreds of their cropped companions, and shoveled earth into it through a narrow opening until the feet were partially covered with soil? Why, I wonder, do elephants often cover bodies with bush and grass, bodies not only of other elephants, but of other animals as well? ... Who can say that animals are not capable of the same emotions and feelings as we ourselves?

In our greedy desire for power and control, how much have we lost in distancing ourselves from other species? George Lewis, an elephant trainer of 50 years, tells about a young circus elephant named Sadie: “One day we had her in the ring for training. She could not do her tricks and ran out of the ring, afraid of the punishment. We caught her, brought her back, forced her to the ground and began to punish her for being so stupid. Suddenly, we stopped hitting her and looked at each other. Sadie was crying like a human being. She lay there on her side, the tears streaming down her face and sobs racking her huge body.” Could witnessing such an incident broaden our understanding about the true nature of other species? It did for George Lewis.

Why are we afraid to admit the reality of animal emotions? Is it because we would have to change the way we treat them? Would we have to relinquish our sovereignty over other species and become more responsible and compassionate beings? Would the price of becoming nobler be too costly?

Having been a nurse for almost 20 years, I have a habit of observing and analyzing the natural behavior of animals, human and otherwise. As a child, I had the pleasure of growing up with animals. I received the warmth, love and protection of dogs and I have been blessed to live with them most of my life. Like many of you who not only live with but interact with other species, I firmly believe animals experience emotion.

After observing their responses to the abusive conditions most elephants in captivity are forced to endure, I have been further convinced that elephants are emotional beings. Just because scientists deny emotions in animals doesn’t mean it’s true; their pronouncements simply represent a current state of knowledge.

Elephants are sensitive, gentle, intelligent, caring, patient, altruistic, and highly social mammals. Most so-called “bad behavior” in captive elephants can be traced directly to maltreatment and archaic “training” methods. Elephants shackled for life become demented, as would any sentient being. Every captive elephant suffers from a broken spirit. Perhaps, someday, this “civilized nation” will learn that we are not the only creatures on this planet who have feelings and a right to life and freedom. Perhaps in learning to live morally with other creatures, we will also learn to live better lives with each other.

[nvalleyvee]

They are very intelligent and family oriented animals. I saw one show where a group came upon a poached elephant and they spent hours mourning the death.

[NotToday]

aww that is so sad