Elephants are such beautiful, majestic and thoughtful creatures, and they deserve appreciation.
Please enjoy this list of all the reasons why elephants are the greatest creatures in our universe, and in any other universe.
1. Elephants are very family oriented, and they live in groups of females, or cows. Males, or bulls, leave the groups when they hit puberty to live alone or with a group of other males, and they only reenter groups of females to find a mate.
2. Elephants families are run by matriarchs, or the oldest cows. A family is usually made up of a cow and her calves or a group of cows and all of their calves that they care for together.
3. Elephants communicate many different ways. They can communicate through sight, smell, sound, and touch.
4. Elephants use their trunks for everything, including: breathing, eating, drinking, communicating, and playing. Calves swing their trunks around because their muscles aren't build up to use them properly.
5. Elephants are very emotional creatures, and have been known to mourn their dead.
6. Elephants can live up to 70 years in the wild.
7. Their are two main species of elephants left, African and the Asian Elephants. The African Elephant has larger ears and a concave back, and the Asian Elephant has smaller ears and a level back. (In the attached picture, the Asian Elephant is on the left, and the African Elephant is on the right.)
8. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, or the IUCN, African Elephants are classified as vulnerable, and Asian Elephants are classified as endangered. This is why the conservation efforts to save elephants are incredibly important for the survival of these beautiful creatures.
9. Elephants have also endured centuries of mindless torture in various forms. Elephants have been used in armies, circuses, zoos, freak shows, and most of all, elephants have been poached for the use of their tusks for a variety of ivory products. Luckily, recent policy and law changes have started the steep decline in the ivory trade business. Major airlines have stopped shipping big game products,which includes elephants and elephants tusks in response to the recent killings of the lion Cecil. Amazingly, elephants are so compassionate, that they are still loving and accepting towards humans. There was a fantastic documentary released in 2013 on HBO that explores the history of the mistreatment of elephants called, An Apology to Elephants.
10. There are many great ways to support elephants and the fight to conserve and protect them. The company, The Elephant Pants, sells fantastic products and donate a portion of their proceeds to the African Wildlife Foundation. Their products can be found at https://www.theelephantpants.com/. There are many other organizations and groups that work to improve the lives of elephants and fight tirelessly to prevent the unfair treatment of elephants and to stop the plight of poachers in the world.
Elephants are beautiful creatures that deserve our respect, compassion and love. Also, take some time and watch the movie, Dumbo because it's adorable and gives everyone the sweetest childhood nostalgia feels.
