Do Elephants Remember?

cryhavok

Enlightened
Joined
Nov 21, 2005
Messages
871
Location
Orlando, FL
In 1986, Dan Harrison was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University

On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air.

The elephant seemed distressed, so Dan approached it very carefully.

He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it.

As carefully and as gently as he could, Dan worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot.

The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments.

Dan stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away.

Dan never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.

Twenty years later, Dan was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teenaged son.

As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Dan and his son Dan Jr. were standing.

The large bull elephant stared at Dan, lifted its front foot off the ground, and then put it down.

The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.

Remembering the encounter in 1986, Dan couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant.

Dan summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure.

He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder.

The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Dan's legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.

Probably wasn't the same elephant.
 

Sigman

* The Arctic Moderator *
Joined
Sep 25, 2002
Messages
10,124
Location
"The 49th State"
Recently Anchorage's only elephant "Maggie" was sent to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) facility in California to live out the rest of her life. We'll not get into "animals are people too" theories at this time!

Anyway, Maggie arrived in Anchorage about 20 years ago. She and others were orphaned when their herd was being culled. Supposedly a couple of the elephants at the PAWS facility are from that herd. There is great interest whether they will remember each other or not.

BTW, she is isolated in her own area until all of the elephants are comfortable with each other. They can be seen via webcam here.

Your post caught my eye due to this recent event. THANKS for that smile!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
 
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