An Apology To Elephants

Tweet

I love the elephant. The way they stick together and all the females help to raise the infants is so endearing. The word "elephant" comes from the greek "elephas" which means "ivory". I can't believe their gestation period is 22 months. I barely made mine for 9 months. There are only about 400,000 elephants left in the world. Asian elephant populations have dropped by 50% in the last three generations. I remember a documentary I saw back in 2013 entitled "An Apology To Elephants". It was narrated by Lily Tomlin and told the dismal history of several elephants who had been used by circuses around the world. A staff-like implement with a sharp point on the end is used to stick them above their ear to make them do what the trainer wants them to do. These poor animals would rock back and forth by the hour because they only had that amount of space and were traumatized by their captivity so badly that this was their daily activity. By the hour. Day after day. Like a nut in a rubber room or something. It was horrible. Even the nut is usually medicated so they can withstand the memory of it. These poor creatures don't have that option.