Tusks and Trunks

Today is International Rabbit Day.

I’m a little intrigued…

International is the big time, after-all!

But… there’s another day

I would rather look into. 

Today is also

Elephant Appreciation Day.

I do like elephants

(even more than rabbits!).

Wayne Hepburn also loved elephants…

so much so, he established

Elephant Appreciation Day in 1996.

 And, what’s not to appreciate!

They are the largest land animal.

They can live for 70 years.

Their trunk has

over 100 000 muscles!

 

 

 

Elephants eat 136kg

of food each day!

Females are pregnant

for 22 months!

(That is real dedication!) 

Baby elephants are 91kg

when born and already stand 1m tall!

 Females are the leaders

of the herd and the matriarch

remembers where to find

food, water and salt,

leading their family

through the plains.

 

 

And, elephants mourn their dead.

They remember where

 a family member died,

and spend time remembering

 them each time

they move through the area.

 Watching elephants mourning

 a death shows just how

compassionate they are.

 

 

An elephant’s ivory tusks

are used for

digging for food and water,

 fighting and stripping bark …

 and, the ivory tusks

are the reason elephants

are being hunted down and killed.

 Staring into the eyes

of an elephant,

you can see their intelligence

 and feel their gentle nature –

even though they are so huge.

 

Being Elephant Appreciation Day,

 today is the perfect day

to find an elephant

and feel how heavy its trunk is…