CBS Television's 60 Minutes aired a program on elephant vocalization and communication. The fifteen minute video introduces Andrea Turkalo and the work of The Elephant Listening Project. Can researchers crack their code and create an elephant dictionary? There are some great clips of elephant rumbles, warning sounds, baby cries, and complaining sounds of protest. The show also touches briefly on the subsonic sounds that elephants make to communicate with each other that are outside our range of hearing.
Cute television commercial of an elephant riding the waves on a surfboard for Accenture, who's slogan is "Who says you can't be big and nimble?" Besides being imaginative and funny, the use of computer animation instead of actual performing elephants is terrific. I'd hate to see a real elephant get sunburned out there on the beach and have sand washed into his "swimming trunk."
I went to their website to get the lyrics for you:
Elephant, elephant, Big and strong and gentle and intelligent, intelligent. How could I feel blue? I’ve got my sister at my side, And an elephant to ride.
Oh, elephant, elephant, You’re sad and in a cage, but that’s irrelevant, irrelevant. ’Cause everyone is jealous when they see me riding by, On a friend of such of great size.
Other kids ride bikes, that’s true, Or daddies pick them up from school, But that won’t do for me you understand. Other kids have horses, other kids have dogs, Other kids have hamsters, other kids have frogs. But the pet for me is something much more grand! And benevolent, and elegant...
After reading their website and doing some more research, I realized that Evelyn Evelyn isn't a children's musical group. Their site describes them as "a songwriting duo performing original compositions on piano, ukulele, guitar and accordion. The sisters are parapagus tripus dibrachius twins, sharing three legs, two arms, three lungs, two hearts and a single liver." They are twisted musical theater. Now I like them even more. To me, this version of the song is even better.
Now it should be obvious that I don't condone riding elephants in real life, but the "conjoined twin" duo of Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley aren't going for realism as much as they're expressing the imaginativeness of children. Indeed, there is so much we can learn from befriending a pachyderm.
Lualeni was my 2nd foster baby elephant from the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. She was found abandoned, a secondary victim of ivory poaching, as it was suspected her mother was killed for her tusks. She had tried to find protection with other elephants, but none would adopt her. Humans intervened and adopted her instead.
Lueleni was emotionally devastated and was slow to heal from her deep grief and depression from being orphaned. In 2005 (about 7 months after I began fostering her at the trust) I got to meet her. In the above photo, she was marching back home with a little elephant smile on her face after playing all day. She was just beginning to recover from her trauma. Keep in mind that although she already looks big in the photo below, she was only a one year old infant. It was such a treat to say good night to her as she was settling into her holding pen with her keeper for the night.
Another year later, Lualeni had really turned a corner in her rehabilitation, thanks to the elephant angels at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. It was an absolute thrill to see a video segment that BBC Television had done on her. Take a moment to watch it. It's very inspiring.
Lualeni has continued to thrive over the last 5 years. She's been gradually reintroduced to the wild and been bonded with a new herd made up of other rehabilitated orphans. I cannot express enough how much I esteem the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Please take a look at their website and consider fostering your own orphaned baby elephant.
This segment from Animals Are Beautiful People (1974) shows bored African elephants raiding a marula tree for it's fermented fruit. A drunken animal party ensues. It's clear that they are eating for entertainment and enjoying getting drunk, even if it means a ferocious hangover the next day.
Too bad Disney's 1936 character Bobo the elephant never became a regular. He's cute, even if Mickey's notoriously jealous dog Pluto didn't think so. Bobo, delivered in a crate labeled, "Handle with Care" and "Use No Hooks," was a gift from the Rajah of Gahboon to Mickey was intended to be a playmate for Pluto. Unfortunately for Bobo, Pluto would rather be friends with a green devil dog than a sweet baby elephant.
I'm on a 1960's music binge after watching Pirate Radio (aka The Boat That Rocked) last night (which was a very fun movie with a great soundtrack.) This song "Elephant Candy" by the garage band Fun and Games isn't on the movie soundtrack, but I thought I'd share it with you elephant lovers. The lyrics are bubblegum psychedelic nonsense and (as far as I can tell) not about eating candy made from elephants.
Surely you've seen cartoons that depict big elephants shrieking in fear from seeing a little mouse. The myth goes all the way back to A.D. 77 and is credited to a Roman philosopher named Pliney, who claimed, "The elephant hates the mouse above all other creatures." Based on relative size between the two animals, this myth seems absurd. Is there any truth to it? Discovery Channel's show MythBusters did a televised experiment with mice and elephants in Cape Town, South Africa to find out.
Ganesh mantras are Sanskrit chants used to invoke the powers of Ganesh into your life through sound vibrations. You can say the chant out loud, meditate on it silently, sing it, or use japa mala prayer beads to count out repetitions while you focus on devotional intent. There are many Ganesh mantras. This is a common one used at the beginning of new endeavors.
Aum gam ganapataye namah
This is a mantra from Ganapati Upanishad. One may always use it before beginning a journey, a new course in school, new career or job, or before entering into any new contract or business so that impediments are removed and your endeavor may be crowned with success. [Excerpt from the book Loving Ganesa.]
Teacher and musician Michael Denney, also known as Shabd Singh, recorded an album called Healing Mantras: Ancient Sanskrit Mantras with Shamanic Drums. [Click here to listen or buy it at iTunes.] Instead of the chants being set to traditional Hindi music, he lays down some West African drum beats. I really like it for meditation because it's clean and soulful. He also converted the entire Ganesha track to video and included some nice photos of African Elephants. Love it!
I'm passionate about wild elephant conservation. It's something that has overtaken my heart and soul. After a trip to Kenya, where I went to see wild elephants and meet some of my conservationist heroes, I returned to Northern California, asking, "What can I do to help?" So I began writing.
My intention for Sacred Elephants is to raise awareness about elephant conservation by touching your heart, enlightening your mind, and trumpeting a call out to your elephant-loving spirit.
I'm also looking for opportunities to work with other elephant philanthropists for events, travel/tourism, corporate social responsiblity ventures, and media productions. I also accept requests to review elephant books, DVD's, and other products.
Thank you for reading and helping to save our elephant friends!
Inspiration, Inc. Business coaching, consulting & training services for holistic lifestyle companies, spas, salons, alternative health & spiritual practitioners.
Inspirational Business Articles with strategies & tips for holistic business entrepreneurs and those who want practical business advice with consciousness, not hype.
Sacred Elephants A trunk full of inspiration for elephant lovers, conservationists, and spiritual friends of Ganesh.
Recent Comments