Video: A book, 375 blockbusters, read all the wild elephants in Africa
Last year, the migration of elephants in Yunnan touched the hearts of netizens across the country, allowing us to watch the naughty and cute side of elephants as never before, and the cute little elephants were countless fans, which also triggered our understanding of elephant body language and their thoughts and emotions, not satisfied with only seeing their cuteness, but also wanting to know more about their behavior and joys and sorrows. This book, The Last Elephant, provides us with a deeper and more specialized knowledge of elephants.
This is a collector's edition of African elephant science books that take readers through the wild African elephants. Through the diverse perspectives of more than 40 researchers, animal conservationists, and rangers, the book tells the life of African elephants and the current situation of elephants. It not only shows the cute and intelligent side of elephants, but also exposes the brutal killing of elephants, the poaching of ivory, and the unremitting efforts of people on the African continent to survive and benefit elephants. Paired with 375 stunning documentary photographs taken by Africa's top wildlife photographers, the book presents every frame of the elephant in wonderful detail, providing readers with a beautiful experience like a BBC wildlife documentary.
The Last Elephant
[South Africa] by Don Pinnock
[South Africa] Colin Bell, eds
Translated by Liu Yang and Zhang Hongzhaojie
Published by Guangxi Normal University Press
My real experience of living with wild elephants in Africa
Dr. Marion E. Galley
This is a story about a magical elephant named Jane and a group of frightened baby elephants. In the 1990s, baby elephants that were protected from screening in Kruger National Park were transferred to private reserves. At the time, nothing was known about the trauma and the impact of their migration.
A herd of baby elephants was transferred to the newly established Viti Alempopo Nature Reserve, near the Botswana border. Botswana is a hot, dry, bushy country. I joined them, their corrals on the banks of the dry Klopp River, and I camped near their corrals. To my great dismay, when they were released, a baby elephant with a wireless collar (useful only for a limited range) and a companion suddenly left and disappeared in the 30,000-hectare protected area. Most of the elephants arrived at the corral on time. The first group consisted of 4 very nervous female elephants, about five or six years old, "hysterical girls" – that's what I call them. A few days later, 8 more elephants, 3 female elephants and 5 male elephants, and then 10 more baby male elephants between the ages of 18 months and 2 years old, if they did not come here, they would be shot.
The smallest baby elephant does not eat. It grunts all day long, which is why it's called Lambourg. It still needs its mother. To satisfy its need to feed, it began sucking on the ears of another elephant I called Nock. Nock was very patient, but sometimes he couldn't stand it either, and withdrew his ears, at which point Lamber would let out a frustrated scream that I could hear in the tent. Lambourt didn't eat, and I was afraid it would die, so I broke the rules and I ran my hand through the fence to feed it. It soon knew it was coming to get the diced food, so it sucked my hand. It can't chew alfalfa yet, and I'm worried it won't have enough food to eat. At its age, it should be fed more milk.
The elephant soon learned of my special cry and calmed down upon hearing my voice. Only 4 "hysterical girls" had been nervous before being released. The youngest elephant has always been the fastest to adapt to me. Like most young animals, they don't yet know what fear is and can easily trust others. I'm grateful for this long corral adaptation period, and I need this time to gain confidence.
One day, I came back from town and found an adult elephant in the fence. Jane, about 18 years old, came here from Zimbabwe. While in Zimbabwe, it grew up on farms with humans. After being sifted through The Hwangi National Park, it became an orphan. It is said that these baby elephants went crazy with excitement when they saw it! The next day, 5 baby bull elephants can also enter the fence with it. Before that, a group of bullying little mischievous ghosts were in awe of it, and they suddenly turned into 5 helpless baby elephants. They stood around Jane, carefully sticking out 5 small elephant trunks to touch it, while Jane stood there indifferently, accepting the new situation of suddenly having 5 more children. It looks great.
The little male elephants were always by its side, and it had to push them away so that it could feed them. Several baby elephants wanted to suckle, but it disagreed. The smaller male elephants in the fence next to them desperately tried to touch Jane through the fence. After a few days, when it had regained its composure, it would lean against the fence and let them touch and suckle, especially Lamber, trying to touch it with its little nose. Jane's arrival quieted the atmosphere at the fence.
Jane and the 5 baby male elephants were soon able to enter a larger paddock, and 8 elephants were added, both male and female. Jane got to a larger paddock, which got it so excited that it kept running, with 13 baby elephants chasing after it. Jane is very appealing. It had a very poor electric fence experience for the first time, and probably the last time, and it never touched an electric fence again. I've never seen baby elephants touch the fence, so Jane most likely informed them of the dangers of the fence.
After 10 weeks of captivity, Jane was released along with 13 baby elephants. At first, they stayed near the fence, but eventually it realized it was free and left. The 13 baby elephants and I followed behind it, keeping a certain distance. Do I have the courage to follow them? In the bushes, can I successfully keep up with them? Will they keep me behind, or will they be aggressive? I followed them for 5 hours and talked for 5 hours, and I made a special call to calm them down and to myself. Of course, Jane was still nervous, unaware of the situation in the area, and had to take care of 13 baby elephants. The next day, I spent 3 hours searching for them and eventually found them on a hill near the dam. Jane came at me suddenly and quickly, and I wasn't sure if she was happy to see me or if she was telling me to go. But it satisfied its curiosity and stopped and stepped back.
Jane and herd of elephants in the Vitty Alymppo Nature Reserve in South Africa
After that, I didn't see them for many more days. When I finally found them, Jane approached again, this time toward my car—the terrain they had chosen allowed me to walk down the road. I felt it was close to me because it was nice to meet me. Jane spotted a river area and decided to stay there for a while. The next day, I plucked up the courage to walk again to look for them. Jane suddenly emerged from the bushes and walked over to my empty car. To my horror, it started pushing the cart. All I can do is take pictures. Luckily, it soon got tired of the game and disappeared into the bushes with all the baby elephants following it, which, no doubt, was impressive. When I caught up with them, they were lined up, drinking water in front of the beautiful dam, like Snow White and the Dwarfs. I walked to the opposite side and sat, watching in awe, taking pictures. Jane was calm, and when the time came, they started eating. They accepted me and my dream came true.
For the next two weeks, I found Jane and her 13 baby elephants near the little river valley and dam every day. On the third day, I plucked up enough courage to go into the bushes and found a huge surprise waiting for me: one of the two smallest male elephants was nursing, I called it squeaky, and Jane was standing next to it. I didn't expect that at all. I named another very similar baby male elephant Bubble, and the only difference between them was that bubble had a small lump on its buttocks. I couldn't tell who was younger, but apparently Jane could. It adopted Squeak and treated it like its own child. The poor bubble was ignored, and it joined the other little bull elephants.
Bubbles and Squeak spent most of their time together while in the fence, but now Squeak has only one purpose in life: to stay with Jane. It can eat with Jane, sleep next to it or under her stomach, feed on time, and get all jane's care and affection. As it suckled, it gently touched its face and lips and kept looking at it. Squeak gave Jane all her attention and friendliness, and Jane didn't let bubbles get too close. One day, I spotted the elephants at the far north of the reserve as they crossed the road in front of my car. After Jane, there are 13, 14... 21 baby elephants! "Hysterical Girls" and a group of baby elephants before them joined them.
Over time, the elephants and I trusted each other more, and I could eventually walk with them, even between them. Jane was always vigilant while the elephants slept, but I was sure that it had accepted me the day it lay down and rested with them.
The day the elephants panic is the next step in building mutual trust, probably because there are helicopters in the area, reminding them of their arrests. I was afraid I would be inadvertently flattened in the chaos, so I shouted to them, "It's me!" "Everything is fine! Don't worry! "Incredibly, I succeeded and they all calmed down immediately. One day, Jane came to my car with the baby elephants, and next to them stood Squeak and Brukop, the oldest of the baby elephants. It suddenly smacked Brukop in the nose. I didn't understand why, so I got out of the car and talked to them calmly. What does it mean? This happened on three different occasions, when Jane and the baby elephant walked together, they would beat the baby elephant standing next to it, no matter who it was, and at the same time reassure Squeak. Then they will leave to eat. It's like it's saying to them, "Treat this person well." "From then on, I can walk with them without having to worry about either side. Later that year, the Vittia Sanctuary hosted two other adult elephants rescued from Zimbabwe's Cornary State National Park, which has devastating poaching activities. I was told that there was a male elephant and a female elephant to join our group. When I returned to Vittia from another reserve, the steward told me that the bull elephant was coming at him in a menacing manner, almost breaking through the fence, telling me to be careful.
I was nervous after the new elephants were released, which is not difficult to understand. I found Jane and the two little ones and approached them slowly, trying to hide behind the Coke Bean Tree. I quickly recognized the two new elephants—in fact, they were two larger female elephants, one of which was mistaken for a male elephant because of its extra large head and long teeth. I named her Zola based on the character of a wild young Hungarian gypsy in a children's book. The other female elephant had very short tusks, and I named her Gona according to the State of Cornari.
Gona stays next to Jane, but at first Zola doesn't get along well. Poor Zora must have had an unpleasant experience with poachers. It's wary and nervous. As the others left, it mysteriously hid behind the bushes and ambushed me again and again. One day, as the elephants rested in a small coke bean bush, I sat under a tree and waited. After about two hours, Jane didn't move on, which I found strange. I turned on the tracking radio: there was no signal. They were gone: 24 elephants left, and I heard nothing. Soon I received the signal a little farther away and started running after them. Suddenly, a large gray thing appeared in front of my eyes, flashing a dazzling white light in the sunlight. Zora ambushed me, rushing at full speed towards me. I burrowed into a one-meter-tall cola bean bush and heard someone shouting, "It's okay!" It's me, don't worry! "I realized the sound was coming out of my own mouth, which surprised me. Zora recognized my voice and stopped. I realized that under Jane's influence, it had learned to accept me.
My extraordinary relationship with Jane highlights the intelligence of elephants and their amazing ability to communicate; Jane's telling the other elephants that I wouldn't pose a threat proves it. Over the past few decades, our knowledge about elephants' intelligence, cognitive abilities, and psychological states has grown tremendously. The more we learn about these animals, the more we realize how similar they are to humans. They use tools, they have a complex society that fits their needs very well, they live millions of years longer than we do, and they don't damage the environment. They have a highly complex communication system that we are only beginning to understand. They have feelings and a strong sense of family, exhibit emotion and empathy, and know themselves, which so far only great apes (including humans) and dolphins can do. Elephants also have a sense of humor, are able to think about complex issues and plan ahead, and they mourn the dead, all of which Jane demonstrates. For Baby Elephant and me, Jane was a truly remarkable teacher. It allowed me to understand its world and understand what I meant without having to speak. Our slaughter of these fantastic creatures is a complete death sentence for ourselves.
Elephants are very alert and alert to their surroundings. The old man tried not to disturb the pigeons perched on the ground, but instead made himself unsteady
Editor: Jiang Chuting
Source: Guangxi Normal University Press