Interesting: The Elephant Whisperer

LadyEagle · Nov 18, 2012

Saying Goodbye: Elephants Hold Apparent Vigil To Mourn Their Human Friend

Lawrence Anthony was a conservationist and author known as "The Elephant Whisperer" who passed away on March 2nd. In 1999, Anthony rescued and rehabilitated a group of wild South African elephants who were deemed dangerous. And the animals appear to remember what he did for them: when Anthony passed away, a group of elephants visited his house in the South African KwaZulu for a two-day vigil, according to his family.

Anthony, who grew up in rural Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi, was known for his unique ability to communicate with and calm traumatized elephants. In his book 'The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild', he tells the story of saving the elephant herds, at the request of an animal welfare organization.

Anthony concluded that the only way he could save these elephants, who were categorized as violent and unruly, was to live with them - "To save their lives, I would stay with them, feed them, talk to them. But, most importantly, be with them day and night".

When Anthony died of a heart attack, the elephants, who were grazing miles away in different parts of the park, travelled over 12 hours to reach his house. According to his son Jason, both herds arrived shortly after Anthony's death. They hadn't visited the compound where Anthony lived for a year and a half, but Jason says "in coming up there on that day of all days, we certainly believe that they had sensed it".
Click to expand...

http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/social-is...parent-vigil-to-mourn-their-human-friend.html

Baghdad Zoo

Mr. Anthony’s most widely publicized work was after the United States and its allies invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003. Hearing that Baghdad had the biggest zoo in the Middle East, he was in Kuwait within days and packing a car with veterinary supplies before crossing the Iraq border in the wake of the United States soldiers.

He arrived at the zoo while fighting was still going on to find clouds of flies swarming the carcasses of animals. Looters had stolen many others. Of the 650 animals in the zoo before the invasion, just 35 were still alive, mainly large ones like lions, tigers and a brown bear native to Iraq. They were in such sad shape, he said, that he initially wanted to shoot them to end their misery.

Mr. Anthony worked in Baghdad for six months, often helped by American soldiers, who volunteered their time after a day of patrols. Former Iraqi soldiers who had abandoned the Republican Guard joined the effort several weeks later. He bought donkeys to feed the carnivores. He hunted down one giraffe that had been stolen; another had been eaten by starving Iraqis. He rescued the Hussein family’s pet lions and tigers.

When he left Iraq, the animals were healthy, the cages were clean and the zoo had been preserved. The United States Army’s Third Infantry Division gave Mr. Anthony a medal for his bravery.
Click to expand...

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/w...thony-baghdad-zoo-savior-dies-at-61.html?_r=0

You Tube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKUjGicMK6A

Michael Wrenn · Nov 19, 2012

LadyEagle, thanks very much for posting this!

Crabtownboy · Nov 19, 2012

Thanks. Very interesting post. Elephants are quite amazing.

Years ago I read about a big game hunter who killed many elephants. Among other hunters he was called "the elephant killer." According to the book I was reading he died and was buried in a rural setting in Africa. Elephants traveled to his grave, dug him up and stomped his body until there was nothing left.

I tried to find this story on the Internet, but have not been able to do so. If I find it I will post a link.

NaasPreacher (C4K) · Nov 19, 2012

I would have scoffed about this till I became a per owner/lover about 18 months ago. I can't prove it, but animals are more complex than I imagined.

LadyEagle · Nov 19, 2012

C4K said: ↑

I would have scoffed about this till I became a per owner/lover about 18 months ago. I can't prove it, but animals are more complex than I imagined.
Click to expand...

Yep. Even cats. I have always said that pets respond as to how they are treated. If they are treated like family members, they tend to act like family members. If they are treated as "dumb" animals, they tend to act "dumb." Except the word "dumb" really means they can't speak language, not "dumb" as in stupid!! Pets do vocalize to get their wants and needs across to humans!!!

What amazes me is that animals understand languages!! (It's not just voice inflection!) How do animals know what words mean in different languages??? Mysterious.

According to the book I was reading he died and was buried in a rural setting in Africa. Elephants traveled to his grave, dug him up and stomped his body until there was nothing left.

I tried to find this story on the Internet, but have not been able to do so. If I find it I will post a link.
Click to expand...

Yes, please post it if you find it. I am not surprised at all. Elephants have been known to grieve over the passing of one of their own - thus, elephant grave yards in Africa.

Glad ya'll enjoyed this story as much as I did! :flower:

Interesting: The Elephant Whisperer

LadyEagle <b>Moderator</b> <img src =/israel.gif>

Michael Wrenn New Member

Crabtownboy Well-Known Member
Site Supporter

NaasPreacher (C4K) Well-Known Member

LadyEagle <b>Moderator</b> <img src =/israel.gif>

Useful Searches

Interesting: The Elephant Whisperer

LadyEagle <b>Moderator</b> <img src =/israel.gif>

Michael Wrenn New Member

Crabtownboy Well-Known Member Site Supporter

NaasPreacher (C4K) Well-Known Member

LadyEagle <b>Moderator</b> <img src =/israel.gif>

Crabtownboy Well-Known Member
Site Supporter