Conversations with Critters
Walk with the animals. Talk with the animals. And the Critters go big…
Today, Critters, we give a warm welcome to Spring here on the 45th Parallel North. Wherever you may be in the world, we send good wishes for the changes that come with the Seasons, with the Equinoxes, and we hope you find solace and strength in the natural world.
We want to thank
for sharing a curated critter photo gallery of African Elephants which have been chosen especially for Conversations with Critters and offered to us as a special gift for this post. As we view these beautiful portraits, please consider opening your hearts and minds to the survival of these incredible elephants. May they thrive and may they live in the wild. Furever.We’ve been hard at work over the past couple of weeks, developing a deep deep dive into the struggles and triumphs of these iconic and most magnificent of Critters. We ask each and every one of our readers to see these great beings with luvluvluv, both the African Bush Elephant featured here and the related African Forest Elephant. In doing so, we all keep good company with each other and with those who need to remain wild. The lives of the African Elephants depend on it.
Safari means journey in Swahili and we are so grateful to be taking you with us to explore and discuss one of the Greatest Critters on the planet. Please, join us now in excellent iconic critter conversation.
Jasper: Hello, Critters! Thank you for being here with us today!
Chris: Thank you, Friends. Welcome.
Panda: Hello! Please, come with us on this incredible journey to talk about African Elephants.
Jasper: So, when we talk about the African Elephants living in the Bush, is that similar to when I was found as a Kitten in a Bush at the Gas Station or is it something bigger and beyond my wildest imagination?
Panda: Definitely bigger.
Chris: Definitely, wilder.
Jasper: Thank you for the clarification. Thank you very much. I feel deeply humbled in the presence of these great beings.
Panda: Yes, well said, Jasper.
Chris: Jasper, you were only about 8 weeks old when you were in the Bush.
Jasper: Yes, I was a very small kitten back then. Now I’m almost 2 years old.
Chris: This leads me to consider the young elephants featured in the photos here. The elephant herd is thriving and repopulating.
Panda: Impressive field observation, Chris. I see where you are heading with this. Because. Elephants take a long time to have a baby. When we think about Jasper Kitten being in a Bush as a baby, well, it only takes dogs and cats 63 days to gestate and give birth. I can attest to this as a former Street Dog when I was lost and had my own beautiful pups. After that, of course of course, I found my way to the Shelter and then to Furever.
Chris: Yes, thankfully, Panda. We have a pretty quick turn around and are weaned at about 8 weeks which pairs well with the timing of Jasper Kitten and the Bush at the Gas Station. So please, to our Hooman readers, spay and neuter your cats and dogs. Thank you.
Jasper: I’m googling this with my toe beans as we speak. It takes 22 months for an African Elephant to have a baby. That’s the longest gestation for any mammal. It takes that long to be this special. They are the largest land mammal. And! Critters! They have the largest brain of any land animal.
Chris: Cats and dogs have brains the size of walnuts. Just saying.
Panda: What do your field notes tell us about their life span?
Jasper: Yes. They live, on average, 60-70 years and they have excellent complex intellects and memory.
Panda: They also have trunks. I know how important my nose is to me, so imagine the incredible sensitivity of an elephant’s trunk.
Chris: It certainly is multi-faceted. They can grab things with it.
Jasper: And smell things at the same time. They also can spray with their trunks like a hose. And they can trumpet with their trunks. Incredible.
Chris: We need to heed their clarion call. Although it grieves me to bring it up, African Elephants have been under so much nefarious and odious pressure, so much threat from habitat destruction and organized crime and poaching for meat and the ivory trade that they are an endangered species.
Panda: I shudder at the thought of it, Critters.
Jasper: Yes. Still. There is hope. Let’s share more photos from
of this thriving herd of African Elephants for the edification and enjoyment of our readers, so we can all keep our hearts and minds open open open to helping them live in the wild.
Panda: Critters, we have also learned that our Incredible Photographer witnessed some truly outstanding and highly noteworthy herd behavior toward the babies.
Chris: Tell us everything you know, Panda.
Jasper: We’re listening.
Panda: The herd itself and, I must add, the Alpha Male of the herd, were very protective of the babies.
Jasper: Critters, imagine the power of protection.
Panda: That is such a powerful point, Jasper, and it moves the generations forward into the future.
Jasper: We all have so much to consider from our conversation. We thank you for your luvluvluv of the African Elephants.
Chris: Thank you, Critters, for your deep deep attention. I didn’t even need a nap which is incredible.
Panda: Thank you. We’ll see you next time. So stay safe and have fun out there! The. End.
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
Poetry with Pets
When elephants weep
We open our hearts and minds
And they thrive again
By Jasper Kitten, Chris and Panda
Notes:
Thank you to
for the outstanding and beautiful photography of the African Elephants. You can also find out more by visiting the website: Clee ImagesAnd for more field notes and behavioral observations:
The Waterhole by Clee Images on Substack
The images were stunning. Great curation!
I have a friend who has dedicated her life to saving Indian elephants. Sadly, many elephants in Asia and on the Indian subcontinent have been mistreated. These magnificent creatures are intelligent, sensitive and community-oriented. They deserve our protection and respect.