Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Elephant Trunk Tricks

One of the most important lessons I learned over the few years I spent with the Wild Orphans was to never assume I knew anything definitive about elephants. It's at that very moment they seem to know they have you, and presto! the come at you from a perspective you never imagined.

For the new elephant project in Asia I am digging through and surfing into mountains of elephant research, over the coming months as that research expands I'll try and share as much information and links here as I can. This first one is a favorite for it involves elephant trunks - which I am certain are separate creatures from the beasts they are attached to - or at least there is a symbiotic co-dependency relationship. Seriously, watch that trunk for a few minutes and it seems to be doing a whole range of things independent from its host. Trunks are brilliant!

BBC camerman Mike Holding commented,
"I have spent countless days in the company of elephants, and I believe this was a timely reminder that however much we think we know about elephants, they always surprise us with some new and intelligent piece of behaviour."

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