Elephants gather to mourn death

[Magical Realist]

Rescued elephant herds inexplicably gather to mourn South Africa’s “Elephant Whisperer”

For 12 hours, two herds of wild South African elephants slowly made their way through the Zululand bush until they reached the house of late author Lawrence Anthony, the conservationist who had saved their lives.

The formerly violent, rogue elephants, destined to be shot a few years ago as pests, had been rescued and rehabilitated by Anthony, who had grown up in the bush and was known as the “Elephant Whisperer.”

For two days the herds loitered at Anthony’s rural compound on the vast Thula Thula game reserve – to say good-bye to the man they loved. But how did they know he had died March 7?

Known for his unique ability to calm traumatized elephants, Anthony had become a legend. He is the author of three books, Baghdad Ark, detailing his efforts to rescue the animals at Baghdad Zoo during the Iraqi war, the forthcoming The Last Rhinos, and his bestselling The Elephant Whisperer.

There are two elephant herds at Thula Thula. According to his son Dylan, both arrived at the Anthony family compound shortly after the author’s death.

“They had not visited the house for a year and a half and it must have taken them about 12 hours to make the journey,” Dylan is quoted in various local news accounts. “The first herd arrived on Sunday and the second herd, a day later. They all hung around for about two days before making their way back into the bush.”===

Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists...-africas-elephant-whisperer.php#ixzz3JkgR9d4Q

 

[cosmictraveler]

There used to be many who could talk with the animals especially in the Native American tribes. Sorry to hear about his death, hope his son carries on.

 

[origin]

Anthony sounds like a wonderful person. This story is simply tripe though.

 

[Billy T]

Anthony sounds like a wonderful person. This story is simply tripe though.

Why do you say that? I read this several years (more the a dozen) ago. Trans-specie "bonding" is not rare.

I am in such a relationship now with my 7 year old cocketail (a small very intelligent bird in the parrot family - a group that has two, not three, of 4 toes pointing forward.) She is as smart as any dog I have known - has several distinct "chirps" - one took me a few years to learn meant "thank you" and not "that was nice." Another is a request for me to pet her head. She also understands several phrase even without much if any tonal clue. For example if she hears her own name when it happens to just be mentioned in conversation with another human, her current activity such as eating seeds or straighten her feathers will briefly stop as she looks to the people speaking about her.

She has a strong will / wishes and a sense of justice. If she thinks she has been mistreated,* she will turn her back to me, not let me pet her head, even though she loves to have that done. She fully understand what she is allowed to do (some cloth chairs are OK as they have plastic on their backs she can sit on - others are "off limits" - but that is ignored at times.)

* She flies anywhere inside the apartment she wants to but she considers being left in a room by both me and my wife for more than a minute to be "unfair" and will pout unless I tell her: "I'll be right back." then she is OK with being alone in the room for about 5 minutes; However, if she goes to another room, she may stay there alone for more than an hour - I get worried so call her name and she responds with the "I'm here" or some times it is more like "I'm here dummy." chirp. When we both leave the apartment, she is cage confined, and if one of us says as we go out the door "an hour" once or twice, then there will not be a display of pouting when we return even several hours later. She likes her moderately large cage - often goes there for a nap if one of its doors is open (the normal case). I am sure she will be very sad if I die first, and I will be too if she dies first.
We are strongly bonded together.

 

[origin]

Why do you say that? I read this several years (more the a dozen) ago. Trans-specie "bonding" is not rare.

I do not doubt bonding. I doubt that elephants are capable of indepth communication nor can they read the newspaper so they did not know that the guy died.

I am in such a relationship now with my 7 year old cocketail (a small very intelligent bird in the parrot family - a group that has two, not three, of 4 toes pointing forward.) She is as smart as any dog I have known - has several distinct "chirps" - one took me a few years to learn meant "thank you" and not "that was nice." Another is a request for me to pet her head. She also understands several phrase even without much if any tonal clue. For example if she hears her own name when it happens to just be mentioned in conversation with another human, her current activity such as eating seeds or straighten her feathers will briefly stop as she looks to the people speaking about her.
.

I also have a cockatiel and agree. My cockatiel recognizes the sound of my daughters car and when she dives up to the house he starts chirping. When the phone rings he says hello. When he sees the dog he will call the dog and whistle. He is scary smart and is clearly bonded with us especially my daughter. When my daughter would go to college the bird would do these freaking screaming cheeps, obviously calling for here for a week. Now when my daughter has to go back to college she makes a big deal out of say the words goodbye several times and the bird no longer gets upset. We just cannot say her name when she is gone or he goes haywire for a while. I believe that if one of us were to die he would be sad. Males are much more vocal than females, sort of the opposite of humans.

Soooo, bottom line is I just don't by that wild elephants could somehow know that this great guy had died, so I do not buy the 'gathering'. If the elephants were to find his dead body in the bush I do not doubt that they would mourn him, in what ever way elephants show mourning.

 

[Landau Roof]

Why do you say that? I read this several years (more the a dozen) ago. Trans-specie "bonding" is not rare.

I am in such a relationship now with my 7 year old cocketail (a small very intelligent bird in the parrot family - a group that has two, not three, of 4 toes pointing forward.) She is as smart as any dog I have known - has several distinct "chirps" - one took me a few years to learn meant "thank you" and not "that was nice." Another is a request for me to pet her head. She also understands several phrase even without much if any tonal clue. For example if she hears her own name when it happens to just be mentioned in conversation with another human, her current activity such as eating seeds or straighten her feathers will briefly stop as she looks to the people speaking about her.

She has a strong will / wishes and a sense of justice. If she thinks she has been mistreated,* she will turn her back to me, not let me pet her head, even though she loves to have that done. She fully understand what she is allowed to do (some cloth chairs are OK as they have plastic on their backs she can sit on - others are "off limits" - but that is ignored at times.)

* She flies anywhere inside the apartment she wants to but she considers being left in a room by both me and my wife for more than a minute to be "unfair" and will pout unless I tell her: "I'll be right back." then she is OK with being alone in the room for about 5 minutes; However, if she goes to another room, she may stay there alone for more than an hour - I get worried so call her name and she responds with the "I'm here" or some times it is more like "I'm here dummy." chirp. When we both leave the apartment, she is cage confined, and if one of us says as we go out the door "an hour" once or twice, then there will not be a display of pouting when we return even several hours later. She likes her moderately large cage - often goes there for a nap if one of its doors is open (the normal case). I am sure she will be very sad if I die first, and I will be too if she dies first.
We are strongly bonded together.

That's a really nice story, Billy. Thank you for sharing it. I also liked your French auction candle story. Good stuff.

 

[The Marquis]

I am reminded of something I read many years ago of a lioness who bonded with antelope babies... or something. She did it more than once.
I am reminded also that Dolphins, those paragons of spirituality in many new age art shops, often engage in pack rape as a procreation strategy.

Humanity is not a reflection of the animal kingdom, but the culmination of it.

 

[Landau Roof]

I am reminded of something I read many years ago of a lioness who bonded with antelope babies... or something. She did it more than once.
I am reminded also that Dolphins, those paragons of spirituality in many new age art shops, often engage in pack rape as a procreation strategy.

Humanity is not a reflection of the animal kingdom, but the culmination of it.

I'm sure honey badgers, slugs and gila monsters feel the same way about their species.

 

[The Marquis]

I'm sure honey badgers, slugs and gila monsters feel the same way about their species.

Oh no, I doubt that.
Honey Badgers, Slugs and Gila Monsters don't do much other than think about where their next meal is coming from, where they're going to sleep, and in the case of the most advanced, who is around they might fuck.

Only Humans think about how they're above all that.

 

[madethesame]

the stray dogs mourn before death of people. they mourn near the deaths arrival place.