More Adorable Animal Photos – 10.22.12

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Orphaned baby elephant is raised by human mom

Photo: AP Seven-and-a-half month old orphaned elephant calf named Moses cuddles with his adoptive "mother" and foundation owner, Jenny Webb, at sunrise at their home in Lilongwe, Malawi. Moses was found alone and close

Mail.com: LILONGWE, Malawi (AP) — Lots of mothers wake in the middle of the night to feed their babies, but not many get up to give a bottle to an infant elephant.

Jenny Webb adopted a baby boy elephant who was just a few weeks old in February. The orphaned elephant calf was named Moses after being found in the grasses of a riverbed by game rangers at Vwazi Wildlife Reserve in northern Malawi.

Rangers tried to find his family herd for two days without success, said the 48-year-old Webb, adding that the calf’s mother was likely killed by elephant poachers. The illegal killing of elephants is rife in Africa, with conservation groups saying that tens of thousands of elephants are being killed each year for their ivory tusks.

Malawi’s national parks did not have the funds to raise the little elephant, so Webb, the founder of the Jumbo Foundation an orphanage for large animals, took on the job of caring for the little pachyderm.

Moses weighs 100 kilograms (220 pounds) and each day he drinks 24 liters (6.3 gallons) of an infant formula that is boosted with coconut milk and 14 other ingredients. "Elephants are extremely sensitive," said Webb. "It amazed me. We think of elephants as big, strong creatures but they are very emotional. Moses picks up on my feelings. If I am sad, he is nurturing. If I am angry, he quickly gets upset."

Webb has placed a mattress on the dining room floor where she and Moses curl up for the night. Moses gets up about every two hours and shuffles around the room until Webb wakes and gives him his bottle feed.

In the mornings, as Webb has a coffee and watches television, Moses throws his trunk over her shoulder and nuzzles his head against her. Webb gets advice from veterinarians and from the Elephant Orphanage Project in Zambia, which for 16 years has offered similar support to baby elephants.

In the wild, a baby elephant would shelter underneath his mother to be shielded from the sun and remain warm and safe. To emulate this, Webb puts a blanket over Moses. His still tender hide is also protected with sunscreen and moisturizer.

Moses had to have a hernia operation not long after being taken in by Webb because his umbilical cord was damaged when he was born. He stopped eating because of the stress of the surgery and anesthetic and lost weight, but after force feedings the young elephant returned to a healthy weight, Webb said.

Caring for the baby elephant is a 24-hour job. Webb gets help from two employees Matimat Julius and Jim Tembo. All three take turns playing with Moses and using their arms to sweep the dust, the way a mother elephant would do with her trunk.

Like many toddlers, Moses likes to go outside and Webb takes him on daily walks with the family dogs. "The dogs are like his herd," she said. "He socializes with them in the day and likes going for walks with them. He quickly established dominance with them. But at night, he herds the dogs outside. He doesn’t like to sleep with the dogs. He likes to sleep with the cats, and me."

As soon as the sun goes down, Moses lies next to Webb on the makeshift bed. In a few weeks, Moses is expected to start eating hay, grass, bark and horse feed along with his formula. He has started putting grass and leaves in his mouth but he is not yet eating them. By the time he is four he will stop having formula and will be eating vegetation. And when he is five, Webb plans to reintroduce Moses to life in the wild, possibly in the national park where he was found.

In the meantime Webb plans to raise funds to build a boma, an African-style corral, where Moses can live when he becomes too big for the house. "By the time he is two years old, he will no longer be able to fit through the door and he will have to live outside," said Webb.

Webb wants to make Moses "an ambassador for elephants" to educate people against wildlife poaching. Raising Moses has been challenging, said Webb, "but it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I have raised children, and this is very similar, but you can’t put an elephant in a pram (stroller)."

Webb said that raising Moses gave her the idea to start an orphanage for other animals. "When we got Moses we found there is a desperate need for an orphanage for large animals. Elephants, hippos, buffalo, rhinos … there is no place for those babies to go if their parents are killed," she said. "There are some places in Zambia and Kenya, but no place here in Malawi, so that is what I am working for."

Technorati Tags: elephants,baby elephant,Malawi,wild animals,Elephant Orphanage Project in Zambia,animal adoption,JOMP,Just One More Pet,Vwazi Wildlife Reserve

THE ELEPHANT’S JOURNEY TO PAY RESPECT, BUT HOW DID THEY KNOW ?????????

Lawrence Anthony, a legend in South Africa and author of 3 books including the bestseller The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild, bravely rescued wildlife and rehabilitated elephants all over the globe from human atrocities, including the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals during US invasion in 2003. (Lawrence also wrote The Last Rhinos: My Battle to Save One of the World’s Greatest Creatures and The Elephant Whisperer: Learning about Life, Loyalty and Freedom from a Remarkable Herd of Elephants.

. On March 7, 2012 Lawrence Anthony died.

.He is remembered and missed by his wife, 2 sons, 2 grandsons & numerous elephants.

Two days after his passing, the wild elephants showed up at his home led by two large matriarchs.

Separate wild herds arrived in droves to say goodbye to their beloved man-friend’.

A total of 31 elephants had patiently walked over 12 miles to get to his South African House.

Witnessing this spectacle, humans were obviously in awe not only because of the supreme intelligence and precise timing that these elephants sensed about Lawrence ‘s passing, but also because of the profound memory and emotion the beloved animals evoked in such an organized way:

Walking slowly -for days –

Making their way in a solemn one-by-one queue from their habitat to his house. Lawrence’s wife, Francoise, was especially touched, knowing that the elephants had not been to his house prior to that day for well over 3 years!

But yet they knew where they were going.

The elephants obviously wanted to pay their deep respects, honoring their friend who’d saved their lives – so much respect that they stayed for 2 days 2 nights without eating anything. Then one morning, they left, making their long journey back home…

SOMETHING IN THE UNIVERSE THAT IS GREATER AND DEEPER THAN HUMAN INTELLIGENCE

h/t to Sue Hooper

Technorati Tags: elephants,animal intelligence,wild animals,JOMP,Just One More Pet,If Animals Could Talk,We are all God’s creatures,Lawrence Anthony,Baghdad Zoo animals,animal rescuer,remembering

ROAD RAGE AFRICAN STYLE

When you are feeling rushed and in a hurry, maybe it is time to stop and appreciate the wonder all around you?!?  And consider the consequences of you impatience…

These photos are from Thursday, Feb. 17th from Centurion in Pilanesberg game reserve, South Africa

The guy in the white Volkswagen was trying to get past the elephant…

Road rage, it affects us all 😉

Technorati Tags: elephant refuge,elephants,Africa,African elephant,animal rescues,humor,road rage

Elephant Critter Fun

h/t to Patricia Gillenwater

Shirley and Jenny – A true story of two elephants

(Best Viewed Maximized – Sound ON for the Videos) An UNreal Creations eProd by Gary the dRAt

I have argued on many occasion the fact that animals can and do think and of course have feelings.

There is more to life than just eating, sleeping, and existing.  There is an intelligence that needs to be appreciated, not be abused.

Video: Nature (PBS) – Shirley the Elephant (Part 2)

SHIRLEY and JENNY

The true story of a never forgotten loving relationship between two elephants

that after having been separated for 22 years were at last…, finally reunited.

In 2000, The Urban Elephant brought viewers the touching story of Shirley and Jenny, two crippled elephants reunited at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee after a 22-year separation. The bonding was immediate, intense and unforgettable between the two former circus elephants. But long after the cameras were turned off, the wondrous moments would continue. The two were inseparable. Shirley quickly assumed the role of surrogate mother to Jenny, who, though now an adult, had been a baby when they first met at the circus. Their bond was so intense, it would forever change life at the sanctuary. As Carol Buckley, Executive Director of the Sanctuary describes it, ‘that was the love that started our elephant family.’ "After Shirley’s arrival, elephants who had previously been companions and friends were now sisters and aunts in the mother and daughter relationship of Shirley and Jenny. They gave the sanctuary its future," says Carol. These strong bonds would soon be needed. Sadly, on October 17, 2006, ten years after arriving at the sanctuary, Jenny died. Jenny came to the sanctuary quite ill. She had scars and other traces of misuse and abuse from her past as a circus elephant. She had been exposed to tuberculosis. And due to an attack by a bull elephant before coming to the sanctuary, Jenny had a crippled back leg. Her caregivers suspect the leg harbored a hidden bacterial infection that flared up last year. Carol says the bond between Shirley and Jenny was never more touching than in the last days of Jenny’s life. "The day before she died, Jenny had been down and she wouldn’t get up. Shirley stood by her and insisted that Jenny get up. Jenny just couldn’t get up. Then Jenny stood up but she had to lean on Shirley to keep up. If you looked at Shirley’s face, you could see that she knew that Jenny was dying. Jenny dropped to the ground and Shirley walked into the woods." Jenny was on her deathbed when Shirley walked to the woods but she would give Carol and the sanctuary caregivers the privilege of one last incredible glimpse into the world of elephants before she died. "After Shirley left, Jenny started to make this rumbling noise. With each exhalation, she would rumble. It was almost like a singing. As Jenny did this, Bunny and Tara (two sanctuary elephants) came running over. We thought that was it and she was going to die. And then Bunny and Tara started trumpeting and rumbling. At a certain point, I turned to Scott (Director of The Elephant Sanctuary) and I asked him how long this was going on. He said 58 minutes! Well, she continued for another two hours. Jenny lived through the night and was even perky and silly. She passed in the morning. And when she died, she did a vocalization that I had never heard. It was like a trumpet. It was very low and got quieter and quieter. She passed very peacefully without straining or exerting herself. To experience this ritual was amazing. I had never seen anything like it." Shirley stayed in the woods until Jenny passed. She didn’t eat for two days. "It was very hard and especially hard on Shirley. Shirley’s whole life was about taking care of baby Jenny. It was like a mom losing her baby." Fortunately, Shirley has had some extended family members to lean on during the sad times. Shirley is very close with an elephant named Bunny — the two are like sisters. Bunny arrived to the sanctuary just two months after Shirley and they bonded instantly. Carol says Jenny’s death was difficult for the elephants but they are recovering. The healing process may have been sped up by a new elephant, Misty, who has come in from a different area of the sanctuary. "She’s a very happy creature. She loves all elephants. She just runs around. And they love her. She’s a ball of happy energy."

At Last Sanctuary

To View Videos of Shirley’s Life

Please Click on the Boxes Below:

VIDEO NO. 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzEUayHqrRc

VIDEO NO. 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXKxgLvIS6Y&feature=related

VIDEO NO. 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXySXSM904E&feature=related

SOME COMMENTS I’ve often wondered about Shirley’s longtime keeper, Solomon James, who traveled with her when she was brought HOME to the sanctuary. Has he ever been back to see her? Yes, I know visitors are not allowed, but it seems he might have a pass. He cared for her 22 years, so certainly she’d know him and be very excited to see him, much like her reunion with Jenny. It would be nice for both if they were allowed to see and touch each other up close again. · @onekinkstar Solomon has been invited on several occasions but has not returned to visit Shirley–it has been his choice not to do so. After saying goodbye to Shirley, Solomon stayed on at the Louisiana Purchase Gardens & Zoo and continued to care for other animals until his retirement in 2007. elephantsanctuarytn 7 months ago 4 · @elephantsanctuarytn Thank you so much for letting me know, and thank you . . . For The Elephants. onekinkstar 7 months ago · @onekinkstar You’re very welcome. We appreciate your support! For the thousands of Shirley’s fans (including Solomon) she is always just an internet connection away—and these days she can often be spotted live on the Elecam, too. elephantsanctuarytn 7 months ago 2 · I love Shirley and Jenny. I saw them recently on these video clips. they two are different from the rest. I don’t know about Shirley’s well being, I saw Jenny passed away in 2006. after more than 20 years, I don’t know for how long did she get to spent some good time with Jenny. krissh14 1 year ago @krissh14 "Grandma" Shirley is still with us and is doing wonderful. Look for more recent videos of her on our YouTube Channel, including "Summertime at the Sanctuary" and "Shirley and Tarra Playing." elephantsanctuarytn 1 year ago

Thank Goodness For Animal Sanctuaries

By Gary the dRAt

Elephants…

Video: The Elephant Sanctuary

Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee

Originally Uploaded by elephantsanctuarytn -  March 17, 2011

An overview of nation’s largest natural habitat refuge for endangered Asian and African elephants. For more about this non-profit organization and to make a donation, please visit:  www.elephants.com

Also see: www.elephantvoices.org

===

Comments by  MaueKay  -  March 20, 2008

A natural habitat refuge for old, sick or needy, retired zoo and circus elephants: 2,700 acres of pastures and forests, where these complex and highly intelligent creatures can live their remaining years amongst their own kind, without chains or dominance.

Video: Elephants Reunited After 20-Years – KPBS Documentary

Love You Can’t Buy

Innocence


Respect


Friendship


Patience


Rescued


Best friends

20,000 customers leave GoDaddy.com in response to CEO’s elephant-shooting video

Rival Namecheap.com donates $20,000 to Save the Elephants, $1 for each customer who transfers from GoDaddy.com to the rival web-hosting service.

Photo: Donna Brown/Flickr

Many customers of web host GoDaddy.com have jumped ship after CEO Bob Parsons posted a video of himself shooting an elephant in Zimbabwe last week. More than 20,000 former GoDaddy users have transferred their accounts to rival Namecheap.com, which promised to donate 20 percent of the revenue raised to the nonprofit Save the Elephants.

After the video was released, NameCheap offered to transfer accounts for $4.99 and donate $1 for each new customer to the nonprofit. As of April 5, NameCheap says it has raised $20,433 to help African elephants.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) decried Parsons’ hunt and video last week. The organization closed its account with GoDaddy and encouraged others to do the same.

GoDaddy founder Parsons traveled to Zimbabwe earlier this year to hunt what he called "problem elephants," animals that destroy local villagers’ crops, calling it the most rewarding thing he does in his life.

Parsons has brushed off criticism and does not plan to apologize. He told Time magazine that he is not sorry about the hunt or the video, and he plans to do it again because it is a service to the people of Zimbabwe.

POLL:  Are you less likely to use GoDaddy.com now?

Source:  Mother Nature Network  -  Cross-Posted at Just One More Pet

How did the elephant get its trunk?

Scientists have set out to unravel the mystery of how the elephant got its trunk and why the leopard gained its spots by creating a “genome zoo”.

African elephant: Scientists are to study how elephants got their trunk. Photo: AP

The scheme relies on DNA sequencing technology so new that it will only become available in the next two years and will attempt to map the genomes of 10,000 species of vertebrates.

The ”Genome 10K” project will involve gathering thousands of animal specimens from zoos, museums and university collections around the world and unravelling all their DNA blueprints, or genomes. It is hoped that by doing so, scientists will be able to tell how vertebrates evolved from a single marine organism into the species alive today.

The idea was first suggested in April 2009 at a three-day meeting of scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Nobel Prize-winning geneticist Professor Sydney Brenner, from the Salk Institute in San Diego, California, one of the project’s leaders, said: ”The most challenging intellectual problem in biology for this century will be the reconstruction of our biological past so we can understand how complex organisms such as ourselves evolved.

”Genomes contain information from the past – they are molecular fossils – and having sequences from vertebrates will be an essential source of rich information.”

Advances in the technology of sequencing – working out the repeating chemical patterns of DNA that form the genetic code – are needed before work on such a large scale becomes feasible.

But systems that will allow the scientists to embark on the project are under development and may be available within a year or two.

The researchers hope to be able to sequence an entire genome in under a week at a cost of less than $1,000 (£600).

David Haussler of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and one of the project’s architects, said: “No one has every really known how the elephant got its trunk, or how the leopard got its spots. This project will lay the foundation for work that will answer those questions and many others.

“Differences in the DNA that makes up the genomes of the animals we find today hold the key to the great biological events of the past, such as the development of the four-chambered heart and the magnificent architecture of the wings, fins and arms, each adapted to its special purpose.”

Dr Haussler also hopes that it will help explain how man evolved from his animal ancestors.

“We can understand the function of elements in the human genome by seeing what parts of the genome have changed and what parts have not changed in humans and other animals.”

Dr Scott Baker, from Oregon State University in the US, who edits the Journal of Heredity, is coordinating efforts to assemble DNA samples from all known species of whales, dolphins and porpoises.

”We are adding a new species every year or two, and there is some disagreement about how many actual species of these marine mammals there are. But to date, more than 90 species have been identified and officially recognized that will require tissue or DNA samples,” he said.

By Chris Irvine
Published: 7:00AM GMT 05 Nov 2009

Posted:  Just One More Pet