(A Short Story: 3rd of 8 Installments)
Dear Fellow Earthlings,
This is the third installment of an 8-installment story of how things will end up if we do not STOP killing elephants NOW!
The Last African Elephant page 3 of 8 pages
Elephants, similar to whales, baboons, humans, dolphins, and other ‘higher animals’, exhibit behavior patterns set down not only by instinct but also by mentoring from the older members of their species with which they live. By extension, social fabrics are then established, with the weave of the fabrics reinforced by interactions with members both of our social in-groups and – at times – with members from neighboring social groups.
The lives of African elephants may be set down by instinct, as is the case with dandelions, chameleons, euglena, and ants, but they are dominated by training, “talking” (in various forms), and tradition -- as is the case with humans and baboons.
At four years of age I really did not know how to act. My manners appeared shoddy to the strange herd I had encountered and they would often drive me off to distances of a kilometer or more. At four years of age, I was just too young and inexperienced to make my way smoothly among these strangers. At any rate, I just remained with them, always staying on the fringes of the herd. It brought me increasing degrees of relief whenever my “new family” showed signs of accepting me as one of them. After only two years, I had learned their herd specific language – and had gained their acceptance into the herd...
We were living in a protected area, a ‘national park’ you call such places. Even at that, the poachers were killing us off. Big Kate, at 38 years of age, was the leader when I first appeared on the scene. She was adept at recognizing poisons, and I learned from her -- always at a safe distance. she would grab any strange-smelling plant with her trunk and then would signal us if she knew it to be laced with poison by poachers.
(continued in tomorrow’s installment)
Steve Walker
Earthsaver and Jingles Creator
© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.