ASIAN ELEPHANTS AND AFRICAN ELEPHANTS

San Suk and his herd are Asian elephants. How do they differ from their African relatives? Physically, there are many differences, but the easiest to spot is the size: African elephants are bigger, with much larger ears. Other features need closer inspection!

What about their character? It’s commonly believed that Asian elephants are more placid in temperament and easier to train. Is this because there are innumerable records that for more than 4,000 years, Asian elephants in captivity have been used to aid man in various tasks? On the other hand, African elephants were trained and used by the Carthaginians in the Punic Wars over 2,000 years ago. However, they were believed to be African forest elephants, a close cousin of the African savannah elephants.

Many years ago, I saw a wildlife programme on television about a herd of African elephants making an arduous journey across the arid plains in search of water. A very small calf, perhaps only a few days old, fell. He was exhausted and ill and lay motionless. The herd walked on while the mother stayed with her young, standing over him. As the sun blazed down, she stepped around so that her shadow shielded the calf from the heat. At the end of the day, the calf died and it was only then that the she left him to catch up with the herd.

Whatever the differences, physically and characteristically, all elephants, Asian, African forest and African savannah, are noble animals.

I am sure we all have experienced moments when we were touched, filled with wonder and awe by an animal’s action. That was one of mine. I would love to hear yours, if you would like to share.