Elephant eyes

[AlwaysOnAuto]

For some reason I'm always saddened by the look of their eyes when I look at my pictures taken at the zoo.

[Ziggy]

And why so?

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Because when you realize there is a certain amount of intelligence there, to see them just standing motionless in the shade, I can't help but feel for them.

I know they are well cared for and better off in the zoo than out in the wild, but it still gets to me.
That's just the way I am when it comes to elephants.

[IzzieK]

I love elephants, some of them were used during the war and did very good jobs and then retired to the zoo. I came upon a story of one who had helped soldiers but after the war the elephant was given a hero's honor, then retired to a zoo while the rest of the soldiers with him got finally old and she outlived them, but they visit her, talked to her...until the last oldest member of her regiment visited her for the last time and passed on too...

[davidedric]

I think I know a fair bit about elephants, having observed them in the wild in Africa over many years, and talked with some very knowledgeable people.

Elephants live in multi-generational families. The females generally stay in the herd for life, the males are turned out in late adolescence (their lives and life stages are much like ours), and live singly or in two's or threes. Eventually of course they become mature and seek females to breed.

I fear that however well treated they are, it's next to impossible to reproduce this life in captivity, and it is crucial to their wellbeing .

Dave

[AlwaysOnAuto]

This is true Dave, but I think the life they lead out at the Safari Park is as good as it will get for them in captivity. We haven't been out there for a number of years now, but I plan on going once it cools down a tad here. I'm not sure if they rotate the ones at the zoo out to the Park on a regular basis or not. I don't think they do. The males at the zoo are segregated from the females.

[davidedric]

I agree - I was just musing on the sad eyes of the penned animals.

These are also Asian elephants, and I'm much more familiar with the African ones, though I understand behaviours are similar.

Given that most people cannot see these animals in the wild, I also think safari parks are hugely important in educating people, young people in particular.

Cheers,

Dave