National Geographic: Reflections on Elephants Page #2

---

and swept off into the dark.

Adoption is rare in

most species,

but by daybreak the rescued

calf is part of the herd.

Now, however, he has even

greater challenges to deal with.

It's an adoption,

but by some strange twist of fate,

his new mother is the matriarch,

Who already has her

own newborn daughter.

He is immediately seen

as a competitor

for the rich-flavored milk.

Elephants rarely have

two calves at a time,

so usually there is no

competition for milk.

Whether the matriarch

adopted the calf

or the calf found the only

lactating female in the herd,

is hard to tell.

But his rescue is no

less than remarkable.

Now he faces a new threat...

starvation by sibling rivalry.

Probing and testing like

serpents coaxed out by a

charmer's flute,

Sensitive trunks dance for a

hidden delicacy.

Each shake is followed by

a moment's silence,

not in reverence, But to listen

for the seed pods falling.

These pods are

harvested annually.

The trees are seldom damaged...

unlike the robust mopane trees

that they smash down to get

to the nutritious upper leaves

A little bark from certain

acacias yields fatty acids

and minerals.

It is thought that the fiber

in the bark has medicinal sues

for elephants

as it does for humans.

Herds all over northern Botswana

are on the move now

traversing the corridors

of their memories...

Ancient trails that run

like long veins of life,

spreading out,

then converging on

the scattered water holes.

The most vulnerable are the

very young

By the age of three, fewer than

half the calves survive.

Some lions specialize in

outmaneuvering the herds,

Waging a constant way

of nerves.

Sometimes older calves

become isolated

separated because their mothers

have new young to look after.

These newborn can be

snatched up easily

and must be well guarded.

Often the older calves must

fend for themselves.

As harsh as it may seem,

it is necessary.

With animals that live so long

some deaths are important to

regulate the population.

Only in paradise is death banned

from claiming the weak.

At the water hole a lone male suddenly

feels the awakenings in his body.

It is the time of his musth.

Like the new dawn, this feeling

is fresh and vital.

He can take on anything.

Musth comes to males

once a year,

But only begins halfway

through their lives.

This is their breeding phase,

when high levels of testosterone turn

their thoughts to conquests.

Another bull has the same

feelings of elation today

and is also ready to

confront the world.

When a breeding herd of females

glides towards the combatants,

the silence is deceptive.

This victorious bull has already

heard the low rumbles

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes