When the Elephant Walks Free

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One by one, in tight formation, we tiptoed around the corner. Nobody dared utter a word, or for that matter breathe too heavily. Though it was only 9 a. A proud, dark gray female elephant about the size of a school bus stood before us, ears outstretched, white tusks glimmering and pointed in our direction. Yes, When the Elephant Walks — as in, on foot — not in a jeep, not in a van, and not behind the protective fence of a zoo. We were in her home, quiet and still. If you allowed your body to When the Elephant Walks enough for a deep sniff, you could smell her, though she clearly had the advantage of smelling us out first. In all, the moment maybe lasted 20 seconds. But it was perhaps the most thrilling 20 seconds of my life. Zambia, and more specifically South Luangwa National Park, are often regarded as the birthplace of the walking safari. Since then, walking safaris have remained an under-the-radar option for those looking to not just be When the Elephant Walks to nature, but to immerse themselves in it completely. He talked about everything from animal behavior to patterns in bird flight with the knowledge and distinction of a seasoned pro. Along the walk, Banda could point out a paw print from several yards away. Actually, it was a hyena, and you can tell because of its angled interior edges and distinct claw marks as it strikes the ground, Banda effortlessly explained. You know, the kind you thought was only real in Indiana Jones. But I had no fear of abandonment on this walking adventure accompanied by Banda and a gun-toting park ranger, there to protect both me from the animals and the animals from me. Walking through the African wilderness When the Elephant Walks in the wee hours of the morning may sound like a daunting task, but with The Bushcamp Company, visitors are able to fill their trip with plenty of luxury. That includes a few overlooking a lagoon teeming with hippos who will chat with you all night long. At each one, guests will stay in comfort and When the Elephant Walks as they each house a maximum of eight guests. In every bungalow, guests will find plush beds protected by mosquito nets, sitting areas, solar-powered lights and fans, and outward-facing showers so they can bathe while giraffe-spotting. And that was fine with us. A typical day while staying in the camps involves getting up before the sun, sometime around a. By a. From here, guests can choose to spend the morning in the outfitted Land Rovers, perfect for traveling far distances in When the Elephant Walks 3,square-mile park, or to get out and walk for a bit with a guide. By 10 a. At that time, your guide will find the perfect location to get out, sit on a blanket, and sip on some tea provided by a sherpa along with freshly baked cookies. At 11 a. Like tea time, your guide will find the ideal location to watch the burnt orange and red sunset over the wilderness, as When the Elephant Walks few elephants cross through the river, or a pride of lions meanders by with a kill. A night drive usually When the Elephant Walks as you make your way back to camp for dinner, When the Elephant Walks could involve Nshima, a local dish made of corn that is similar to grits. Finally, guests will head off for their slumber sometime after dinner, to the sound of a troop of baboons blathering on, a bloat of hippos snorting up When the Elephant Walks storm, and a cackle of hyenas howling in the distance. Both the bushcamps and the walks give you what you came on safari for in the first place: intimacy with the land. So go ahead. Get out of your comfort zone. Get out of your jeep. Get out of yourself for a moment and stare down an elephant. It will be one of the most heart-pounding, electrifying, and awe-inspiring moments of your life, too. By Stacey Leasca October 30, Save Pin FB ellipsis More. Image zoom. Stacey Leasca. Close Share options. All rights reserved. Close View image. 6 Ways to Help Elephants

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Few animals on earth have been mourned, mythologized, and just plain marveled at like the elephants of Africa and Asia. In this article, you'll learn 10 essential elephant facts, ranging from how these pachyderms use their trunks to how females gestate their young for almost two years. All of the world's pachyderms are accounted for by three species: When the Elephant Walks African bush elephant Loxodonta africanathe African forest elephant Loxodonta cyclotisand When the Elephant Walks Asian elephant Elephas maximus. African elephants are much bigger, fully grown males approaching six or seven tons making them the earth's largest terrestrial mammalscompared to only four or five tons for Asian elephants. Besides its enormous size, the most notable thing about an elephant is its trunk; basically an extremely elongated nose and upper lip. Elephants use their trunks not only to breathe, smell and eat, but to grasp the branches of trees, pick up objects weighing as much as pounds, affectionately fondle other elephants, dig for hidden water, and give themselves showers. Trunks contain overbundles of muscle fibers, which can make them surprisingly delicate and precise tools. For example, an elephant can use its trunk When the Elephant Walks shell a peanut without damaging the kernel nestled inside or to wipe debris from its eyes or other parts of its body. Given how enormous they are, and the When the Elephant Walks, humid climates in which they live, it makes sense that elephants evolved When the Elephant Walks way to shed excessive heat. An elephant can't flap its ears to make itself fly a la Walt Disney's Dumbobut the large surface area of its ears is lined with a dense network of blood vessels, which convey heat to the surrounding environment and thus help to cool the pachyderm down in the blazing sun. In absolute terms, adult elephants have enormous brains, up to 12 pounds for fully grown males, compared to four pounds, max, for the average human in relative terms, though, the brains of elephants are much smaller compared to their overall body size. Not only can elephants use primitive tools with their trunksbut they also display a high degree of self-awareness for example, recognizing themselves When the Elephant Walks mirrors and empathy toward other herd members. Some elephants have even been observed tenderly fondling the bones of their deceased companions, though naturalists disagree whether this shows a primitive awareness of the concept of death. Elephants have evolved a unique social structure: essentially, males and females live entirely apart, hooking up only briefly during mating season. Three or four females, together with their young, congregate in herds of up to a dozen or so members, while males either live alone or form smaller herds with other males. Female herds have a matrilineal structure: members follow the lead of the matriarch, and when this elderly female dies, her place is taken by her oldest daughter. As with humans at least most of the timeexperienced matriarchs are renowned for their wisdom, leading herds away from potential dangers such as fires or floods and toward abundant sources of food and shelter. At 22 months, African elephants have the longest gestation period of any terrestrial mammal though not of any vertebrate on earth; for example, the eel-frilled shark gestates its young for over three years! Newborn elephants weigh a whopping pounds, and they usually have to wait for at least four or five years for any siblings, given female elephants' extremely long interbirth intervals. What this means, in practical terms, is that it takes an unusually long time for devastated populations of elephants to replenish themselves, which makes these mammals especially susceptible to poaching by humans. Elephants, and elephant ancestors used to be a lot more common than they are today. As far as we can tell from the fossil evidence, the ultimate progenitor of all elephants was the tiny, pig-like Phosphatherium, which lived in northern Africa about 50 million years ago; a dozen million years later, by the late Eocene epoch, more recognizably "elephant-y" proboscis-like Phiomia and Barytherium were thick on the ground. Toward the later Cenozoic Era, some branches of the elephant family were characterized by their spoon-like lower tusks, and the golden age of the breed was the Pleistocene epoch, a million years ago, when the North American Mastodon and the Woolly Mammoth roamed the northern expanses of North America and Eurasia. Today, oddly enough, the closest living relatives of elephants are dugongs and manatees. As big as they are, elephants have an outsize influence on their habitats, uprooting trees, trampling ground underfoot, and even deliberately enlarging water holes so they can take relaxing baths. These behaviors benefit not only the elephants themselves but also other animals, which take advantage of these environmental changes. On the other end of the scale, when elephants eat in one location and defecate in another, they function When the Elephant Walks crucial dispersers of seeds; many plants, trees, and bushes would have a hard time surviving if their seeds didn't feature on elephant menus. The ancient deployment of war elephants reached its apogee around When the Elephant Walks BC, and ran its course with the Carthaginian general Hannibalwho tried to invade Rome, by way of the Alps, in BC. After that, elephants mostly fell When the Elephant Walks of favor with the classical civilizations of the Mediterranean basin, but continued to be used by various Indian and Asian warlords. The true death knell of armored elephants came in the late 15th century when a well-placed cannon shot could easily fell a rampaging When the Elephant Walks. While elephants are subject to the same environmental pressures as other animals they are especially vulnerable to poachers, who value these mammals for the ivory When the Elephant Walks in their tusks. One positive development is the recent decision by China to outlaw the import and export When the Elephant Walks ivory; this hasn't completely eliminated poaching by ruthless ivory dealers, but it has certainly helped. Share Flipboard Email. Bob Strauss. Science Writer. Updated November 04, ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our.