|
National Geographic Reflections on Elephants
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Like the giant sea monsters |
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that once stalked the |
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an unlikely creature still |
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So much like the treasured |
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elephants are the precious |
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largest land animals in |
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Even a gigantic bull |
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wallowing in the coolness of a |
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life that ambles along at |
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A life as long as our own, |
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but with so much more time |
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to be simply |
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But this sense of calm and |
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For a whole year one small |
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and the drying water holes. |
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Often the battle over the |
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Two tiny calves are caught up |
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coaxed through their early |
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years that are fraught |
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As large as they are, |
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elephants are sensitive |
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Haunting discoveries of |
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and understanding suggest |
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intelligence and even emotions. |
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These are the last of |
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Watching them, we can reflect, |
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not only on their complex behavior, |
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but on our own as well. |
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Join us for a few moments |
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and Reflections on Elephants. |
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Africa seldom relaxes. |
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It always seems to be waiting |
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for the gentler moments to pass. |
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Around rainwater pools strewn |
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across the dry country |
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doves and sandgrouse stir up |
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before the soft edges |
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Elephants are is symbol |
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woven into its fabric like the |
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blazing skies and the |
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In the midst of a swirling |
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huge males live separate lives |
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usually ignoring any passing |
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Around these scattered water |
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holes they live out their |
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slowly drawing life from |
| 00:04:12 |
With a life-span of 60 years |
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elephants pursue the rhythms |
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of life at a leisurely but |
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Each movement is a calculated |
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each day a tiny investment |
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In the crisp morning a herd |
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pads in silently from |
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It is unusual for females like |
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these to wander into the |
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But they are anxious. |
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It's been an eventful night. |
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A calf was born to the matriarch, |
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the leader of this herd. |
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From the first day |
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The youngster is a female |
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and she will be guided carefully |
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through life by her mother |
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and the other family members. |
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Because elephant societies |
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and her mother is a matriarch, |
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It is likely that one day |
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she too will have to carry on |
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that tradition of leadership. |
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But for now she seems |
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blissfully unaware of the |
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more concerned with keeping close |
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and balancing on |
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For this young calf, |
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lions will be a recurring |
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Towering giants block the way. |
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The determined opportunist |
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When the calf flounders |
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in the unfamiliar muddy water, |
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But at this age, |
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They bunch together, |
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protecting her within a wall |
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Even the females have tusks |
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Safe against the bank, |
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the little female has to contend |
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with another new challenge |
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The first bowel movement, |
| 00:07:19 |
an unbalancing and |
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With the lions still menacing, |
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the matriarch must soon |
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out of the water hole |
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With her front toenails |
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making a ramp for the short |
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As she leads her family |
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The matriarch's bloodstained |
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legs are a testament to |
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and a new beginning |
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The start of a long journey. |
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This journey takes place |
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Once elephants roamed over |
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They still wander freely over all of |
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one of the last havens |
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These seasonal movements of |
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cover over forty thousand |
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The matriarch is guiding her |
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herd along a network of |
| 00:09:22 |
She has decided to visit an |
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old site to supplement the |
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They dig open the holes and |
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turn the soil into fine, |
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Locked inside the dust are |
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sodium and other |
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that have leached into |
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These mineral digs are |
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and used... |
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A rudimentary form of |
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It's not long before she gives |
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As they glide along |
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they communicate gently |
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in rumbles of very |
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These sounds, almost silent to |
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just vibrations floating |
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Ahead, at the next water hole, |
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Another calf has been |
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abandoned in the first few |
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Sometimes sick or old females |
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do leave infant calves to fend |
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Innocent to the virtues of |
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the young elephant calls out |
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The cry in answered. |
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But the hyena is nervous, wary |
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When the matriarch leads her |
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they are drawn to the disturbance. |
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But with a long journey ahead, |
| 00:12:32 |
this abandoned calf could be |
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And he is rejected. |
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Perhaps the calls are too chilling, |
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The calf is caught up in the |
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and swept off into the dark. |
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Adoption is rare in |
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but by daybreak the rescued |
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calf is part of the herd. |
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Now, however, he has even |
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It's an adoption, |
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but by some strange twist of fate, |
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Who already has her |
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He is immediately seen |
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for the rich-flavored milk. |
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Elephants rarely have |
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so usually there is no |
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Whether the matriarch |
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or the calf found the only |
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is hard to tell. |
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But his rescue is no |
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Now he faces a new threat... |
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starvation by sibling rivalry. |
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Probing and testing like |
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serpents coaxed out by a |
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Sensitive trunks dance for a |
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Each shake is followed by |
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not in reverence, But to listen |
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These pods are |
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The trees are seldom damaged... |
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unlike the robust mopane trees |
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to the nutritious upper leaves |
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A little bark from certain |
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acacias yields fatty acids |
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It is thought that the fiber |
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in the bark has medicinal sues |
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as it does for humans. |
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Herds all over northern Botswana |
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traversing the corridors |
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Ancient trails that run |
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spreading out, |
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then converging on |
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The most vulnerable are the |
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By the age of three, fewer than |
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Some lions specialize in |
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Waging a constant way |
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Sometimes older calves |
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separated because their mothers |
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These newborn can be |
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and must be well guarded. |
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Often the older calves must |
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As harsh as it may seem, |
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With animals that live so long |
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some deaths are important to |
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Only in paradise is death banned |
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At the water hole a lone male suddenly |
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It is the time of his musth. |
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Like the new dawn, this feeling |
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He can take on anything. |
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Musth comes to males |
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But only begins halfway |
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This is their breeding phase, |
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when high levels of testosterone turn |
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Another bull has the same |
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and is also ready to |
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When a breeding herd of females |
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the silence is deceptive. |
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This victorious bull has already |
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from an eager female |
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As he draws nearer, |
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And the chase is on. |
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He hunts her down. |
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She knows she is being hunted, |
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and with a smaller body weight |
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She could easily outrun him as |
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But this time she is willing |
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Elephant mating takes |
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This coordinates sexual readiness |
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is quite unique in animals |
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they will stay together. |
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By soliciting this musth bull, |
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she has purposely |
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and wins as a prize his dominant |
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Her calf will be born nearly |
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Waves of thirsty giants |
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Anything in the way is |
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But before rushing in, |
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Each family, under the |
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Maintains long-distance |
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As the groups meet |
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they melt together to |
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Here they congregate |
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Even after short separations, |
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Greetings are very active |
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Screams of tension drive out |
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Elephants tend to |
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But the large water holes |
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Both wanderers and regulars |
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All mass together, |
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but maintain their discrete |
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hundreds or sometimes even |
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These gentle animals appear to |
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With language skills of at least |
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A complex "stacking" system is |
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When incoming herds signal, |
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the herd that was drinking |
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In all this activity, |
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Over the last two months |
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Smaller calf seems to have |
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The water is still an unfamiliar |
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The adopted calf, |
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possibly with less |
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is even more reluctant |
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despite the gentle coaxing. |
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Others are here for the |
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As hundreds of buffalo |
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stress rumbles through the elephant |
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Boxed in by the huge |
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the matriarch and her family |
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are forced to use the |
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An older calf is |
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With the buffalo still threatening, |
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Displaying an intelligence of |
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The elephants divide their efforts. |
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Some fend off the buffalo while |
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Just a gentle stabilizer is needed |
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And still the matriarch |
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They need water before attempting |
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In their eagerness to drink, |
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adopted calf is shoved over |
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Now the danger of a buffalo |
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The thick mud sucks |
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Following the matriarch's lead |
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Desperate attempts to break down |
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The two females combine efforts, |
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using tusks and trunks like shovels |
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while another digs a ramp. |
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Together the two females squeeze |
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The suction underneath is |
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and the calf is free at last. |
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They tenderly reassure |
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rescued for the second time |
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The concerned herd now bunches |
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Outrage runs like wildfire |
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sparking explosions of aggression. |
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But the buffalo keep pouring |
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and dust hangs like smoke |
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The contest is finally resolved. |
| 00:30:07 |
As the dust settles, |
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Somewhere in the confusion, |
| 00:30:17 |
a young buffalo was struck |
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The calf is doomed, |
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The two calves move off |
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Having avoided a |
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The young buffalo's broken |
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It causes some concern to the |
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Suggesting an awareness |
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even of other species. |
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Like huge cathedrals |
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The solid shapes |
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A long way from the |
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the bulls gently sway to a |
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A shuffle of constant adjustment |
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in a display of dominance |
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Each one of these bulls has a rank |
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each responds to the next one. |
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Every newcomer to the |
| 00:32:16 |
that flashes through the |
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Anyone unsure of his status |
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soon learns the rules of |
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Status is determined |
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tusks have little to do with it. |
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The contest is for water, |
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In a classic bull area like Savuti, |
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up to 200 elephants compete |
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In this melee they must constantly |
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A sensitive tail is an advantage. |
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With their head used like |
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bodies jostle and tusks joust |
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This struggle may seem like a |
| 00:33:55 |
But with each changing combination, |
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the field plan of the hierarchy is reset |
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One ghostly form is excluded |
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His gaunt features and |
| 00:34:20 |
are sure signs of his age |
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With his last set of grinding |
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his days are numbered. |
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Too weak to join in, |
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he can only watch the |
| 00:35:04 |
By dusk his body cries out for the |
| 00:35:14 |
He can no longer resist, |
| 00:35:16 |
and with fewer bulls around the water, |
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Drawing himself up |
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he forces himself into the circle. |
| 00:35:29 |
At last the drinks. |
| 00:35:35 |
When a mud-covered, |
| 00:35:38 |
the ghostly elephant |
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But the water still |
| 00:35:44 |
It is a mistake. |
| 00:35:47 |
A jagged tusk slices through |
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The old bull goes down |
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losing blood fast. |
| 00:36:21 |
Even before the old bull dies, |
| 00:36:23 |
a young male carries out a |
| 00:36:28 |
This behavior can only |
| 00:36:31 |
as an attempt to upgrade |
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his own status with this |
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The old bull dies quickly |
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though his fate was |
| 00:36:51 |
Companions defend the |
| 00:36:55 |
a useless endeavor. |
| 00:36:57 |
His body must continue |
| 00:37:01 |
even after his death. |
| 00:37:14 |
Like an ancient burial ritual, |
| 00:37:17 |
attention is paid |
| 00:37:53 |
We don't yet understand |
| 00:37:57 |
Is it a macabre fascination |
| 00:38:01 |
or perhaps a tribute to |
| 00:38:10 |
And why is the ivory so often |
| 00:38:12 |
the focus of these haunting |
| 00:38:27 |
As a week passes, |
| 00:38:28 |
the carcass gradually |
| 00:38:32 |
There is no mythological |
| 00:38:36 |
no common place where bones |
| 00:38:40 |
just the eventual scatterings |
| 00:38:47 |
As the last scavengers squabble |
| 00:38:51 |
A few bulls remain, |
| 00:38:54 |
perhaps still nurturing a special bond |
| 00:39:22 |
Before we could really understand |
| 00:39:28 |
The bull's spirit floats away. |
| 00:39:34 |
Eight days and what was once |
| 00:39:39 |
is no more than just a memory, |
| 00:39:44 |
when elephants roamed Africa |
| 00:39:46 |
from sea to sea and |
| 00:40:02 |
Once again the clans are gathering, |
| 00:40:06 |
Paths interlace, |
| 00:40:08 |
leaving behind a swath |
| 00:40:26 |
This constant ebb and |
| 00:40:28 |
affects some areas |
| 00:40:31 |
A balance that is |
| 00:40:40 |
The females head for the best |
| 00:40:43 |
not only for the living, |
| 00:41:00 |
The final miles are covered |
| 00:41:05 |
Here the matriarch and |
| 00:41:08 |
the next three months |
| 00:41:25 |
Even in this chaotic clamor |
| 00:41:28 |
The elephants show a sensitivity |
| 00:41:32 |
and where their other clan |
| 00:41:45 |
After a grueling six months, |
| 00:41:47 |
possibly sensing that their |
| 00:41:51 |
take on a new playfulness |
| 00:42:11 |
But now when the oppressive |
| 00:42:16 |
They can hide from its burning fingers |
| 00:42:26 |
Gradually the elephants drop down |
| 00:42:31 |
both young and old drifting |
| 00:43:01 |
For them there are easy ways to |
| 00:43:26 |
They seldom allow themselves |
| 00:43:30 |
Just a few minutes at a time are needed |
| 00:44:15 |
Only when they are all up |
| 00:44:18 |
lead them out of the shade, |
| 00:44:20 |
always keeping the herd together. |
| 00:44:27 |
But sometimes things go wrong. |
| 00:44:35 |
Occasionally calves are left |
| 00:44:39 |
Testing each herd they approach. |
| 00:44:43 |
When he sees the matriarch |
| 00:44:46 |
this young male is turned away |
| 00:44:49 |
His best chance of being found |
| 00:44:54 |
Despite their |
| 00:44:56 |
These separations are |
| 00:44:59 |
Newborn calves have begun to |
| 00:45:09 |
Unbeknown to him, |
| 00:45:11 |
his real family is across the |
| 00:45:20 |
Suddenly he finds himself |
| 00:45:28 |
Before he can turn away, |
| 00:45:30 |
the juvenile is |
| 00:45:38 |
But this time innocence is |
| 00:45:42 |
The lions are young and seem more |
| 00:46:02 |
Lions often prey on the weak, |
| 00:46:07 |
Not ailing... a determined |
| 00:46:11 |
not easy to penetrate. |
| 00:46:30 |
But soon he tires and the |
| 00:47:00 |
Quite suddenly the |
| 00:47:03 |
The lions are exhausted, |
| 00:47:07 |
The calf responds, |
| 00:47:08 |
surprising the lions with his |
| 00:47:15 |
As they watch, he slips away. |
| 00:47:19 |
What emotions elephants feel during |
| 00:47:24 |
That they do feel something |
| 00:47:32 |
Back in the bull area, |
| 00:47:34 |
when old bones have |
| 00:47:38 |
The mud relinquishes |
| 00:47:41 |
of the old bull at the |
| 00:47:52 |
Like a trophy, |
| 00:47:53 |
it is carried into the open, |
| 00:47:59 |
Like a memory, |
| 00:48:26 |
This haunting behavior is |
| 00:48:30 |
How can we ever know |
| 00:48:34 |
and what form these emotions take |
| 00:48:38 |
A mystery, forever. |
| 00:48:53 |
When they attempt to destroy ivory |
| 00:48:58 |
or try to crush tusks |
| 00:49:01 |
are they displaying a |
| 00:49:04 |
a solemn response to the |
| 00:49:09 |
Or is this an ancient ritual |
| 00:49:12 |
At the river the matriarch |
| 00:49:29 |
leads her herd on a final push |
| 00:49:44 |
Swimming is little |
| 00:49:53 |
They share an ancestry with seagoing |
| 00:49:59 |
Large, vacant, nasal and sinus cavities |
| 00:50:04 |
and their fat makes |
| 00:50:21 |
On the south bank a timid |
| 00:50:25 |
and watches the herd disappear |
| 00:50:42 |
By now the young bull has given up |
| 00:50:51 |
The herd's ancient knowledge |
| 00:50:56 |
For when they finally emerge |
| 00:50:58 |
They have crossed into another |
| 00:51:11 |
The stranded young bull still |
| 00:51:18 |
The herd is now fair game for |
| 00:51:23 |
A wave of communication flashes back |
| 00:51:30 |
Then, reacting as one, |
| 00:51:34 |
they plunge into the water |
| 00:51:51 |
Although by now the |
| 00:51:53 |
are at risk of drowning |
| 00:51:56 |
A fatal conflict with man |
| 00:52:03 |
On the south bank greetings and |
| 00:52:08 |
But he will not be persuaded. |
| 00:52:10 |
The herd gives up and remains |
| 00:52:12 |
on the familiar and safer |
| 00:52:17 |
The end of the restless |
| 00:52:19 |
and her calves, for this year. |
| 00:52:30 |
This may be the last |
| 00:52:32 |
to traverse these ancestral ranges, |
| 00:52:36 |
the last truly free elephants. |
| 00:52:41 |
As we succeed more |
| 00:52:45 |
They seem to trickle further |
| 00:52:50 |
It has been said |
| 00:52:52 |
than mold our own lives |
| 00:52:56 |
Lives filled with dignity |
| 00:53:02 |
Perhaps we need more time |
| 00:53:05 |
celebrations of life and death |
| 00:53:08 |
that are like silent whispers |
| 00:53:11 |
more time for reflections on elephants |
