It didn’t take long to fall in love with Samburu’s elephants. In the two short weeks that I have been at STE as an international intern, these incredible creatures have already stolen my heart. This wasn’t my first encounter with elephants-I have traveled throughout Africa before-but something about learning their tales and woes adds another element of captivation.
Besides cleaning data back at camp, I have been assisting Jenna Parker with her dung collections. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to come across her subjects right as they lighten their load, other times we aren’t so lucky and find ourselves waiting hours for a sample. Never before have I been so excited to see an animal poop!
@Mackenzie Mossing
I do not mind the waiting as it gives me time to watch and learn about these elephant families. Jenna and I often find ourselves laughing at the young calves as they interact with their family members and the world around them; they obviously have a lot to learn! Playtime is definitely the most entertaining, the “ellies” run around and trumpet with their trunks, treating them like toys. Naptime usually follows soon after, the mother’s quietly standing guard over their calves while they lay down to sleep in the shade. Some of the stories Jenna tells me as we wait are heartwarming: of strong matriarchs whose families have prospered despite all of the odds against them.
Other stories invoke quite the opposite reaction as I learn about the devastation some of these families have suffered due to drought, poaching, or other conflicts with humans. While I sit and listen, I can’t help but wonder why, despite everything these ellie’s have witnessed, they’ve still come to trust us. Many of the groups we come across allow us within arms reach of them, going about their day as if we weren’t even there. The STE researchers believe that the elephants know our vehicles and know we won’t harm them. However, I can’t help but feel that this trust is undeserving as so many of my kind have fiercely abused it in the past. If they chose to they could easily crush our vehicles and send us running, yet they have accepted us as their allies. A part of me wants to believe that such an intelligent creature could understand we are here to protect them, wanting nothing more than to see them thrive.
I can only hope that by living in harmony with elephants for the next few weeks I can help to redeem the cruelty mankind has inflicted on them in the past. I feel a sense of personal responsibility to reverse the damage done to these peaceful beasts. It leaves me to wonder: if more people had the opportunity to live so closely with wildlife and nature, would we have less taste for destruction?