Sacred Elephants

Vote for Team Elephant in National Geographic's Expedition Granted Program

2009-11-12T12:44:01-08:00

Cast your vote by clicking here (ends November 19, 2009.)

National Geographic is offering a $10,000 grant to fund the expedition of the adventurer who receives the most votes in their Expedition Granted contest. This is their largest grant yet.

The battle for expedition bucks is between Team Elephant (represented by Trip Jennings) and Team Shark (represented by Ben Horton.) Both are intrepid adventurers. Both have already received some acclaim for their work. Both have applied for this grant to support anti-poaching efforts. But of course, you already know who's getting my votes* Trip Jennings and Team Elephant.
*You're allowed one vote per day, until 11/19/09, 11:59pm EST.

*Photo credit Inside NGC Blog.

Team Elephant's expedition will take them deep into the Congo in search of elephant poop. Samples collected from the inhospitable and conflict-ridden area will assist Dr. Sammuel Wasser, Director of the Conservation Biology department at the University of Washington in his efforts to abate ivory poaching. Dr. Wasser has developed non-invasive DNA identification techniques that help map out where different elephant families live, so that reclaimed poached ivory can be tracked to its source. In this way, the distribution networks of organized criminals might be broken by law enforcement.

For more information about both team's mission, read the Inside NGC Blog.

One of the things that inspires me about this project is the collective passions and teamwork behind it.

Trip Jennings is offering his talents at leading the conservation expedition on the river, being the charming spokesperson for the team, and raising funds.
Joe Riis will be setting up remote video capture of elephants and taking photos.
Andy Maser is the media expert, who'll be getting the word out about the expedition's results and what they learned from it.
Kyle Dickman will be writing up some great stories and articles about the adventure.
Dr. Wasser will work with the samples collected and integrate the date into his existing project.

All of them will be up to their ears in elephant poop, contributing what they do best to the team's project, and helping to raise awareness about the seriously escalating problem of elephant poaching. It's very exciting to see these guy's take their skills and talents, and courageously put themselves out there to help save elephants.

Most of us conservationist types are hard-wired to ask the question: What can I do to help? The answer is to take what you already know how to do and apply it towards your cause. We can all do something to help. That question is what prompted me to start this website. I enjoy writing, so I started there. Not all of us can be (or need to be) machete-weilding jungle explorers like our heroes on Team Elephant (even though it's thrilling to live vicariously through their stories.) Not all of us need to be super brainiac scientists, either. Just do your thing--whatever that is.

Here are two easy things you can do right now:

Vote for Team Elephant to win the NGC Expedition Granted contest.
Forward this Sacred Elephants blog post to your friends (there are Twitter, Facebook, and email sharing links below.)

One last note: Not only do the guys at Team Elephant have a chance to win, but elephants will win. Also, there's a BIG prize you can win, too! NGO is giving away a 12-day Mediterranean Cruise (worth $24,580.) Remember, you can enter once per day until November 19th. Click here to enter now.

PS: National Geographic Channel staffers, if you're reading, as I know you sometimes do, I don't want to win a luxury cruise. There are no elephants on cruise ships! I want to be up to my ears in wild elephant poop. That's my idea of great holiday. Sheesh. *grin*

Elephant Birth Video That Will Have You on the Edge Of Your Seat

2009-11-10T16:34:26-08:00

Elephant lover Sarah Bearden sent me this amazing video of an elephant giving birth at the Elephant Safari Park at Taro in Ubud, Bali. Three things make it exceptionally surprising:

The quality of the video is crystal clear. The camera and the elephant mother are positioned so viewers can see everything. WARNING: It's graphic. Not for the squeamish. Watch it before deciding to let your kids watch it.
The birth is really fast. Elephants take two years to gestate in the womb, but the birthing process goes pretty quick. This elephant baby is born in one big plop (and a gush, as the amniotic fluids release.)
It's emotional. There is a period of time when you can't tell if the baby is alive or dead. I'm intentionally spoiling the end, which includes a happy ending, because otherwise it's pretty intense. However, I promise that it will still have you on the edge of your seat as you watch the new elephant mother taking care of her newborn calf.

If you're reading via RSS or email, click here to watch the video.

Trick or Treat for Elephants on Halloween

2009-10-31T00:27:16-07:00

Picture credit: TOTALLY WILD, as featured on Telegraph.co.UK

Judging by the way she's eating one and playing with another, I'd say jack o' lanterns are a treat for this elephant!

Sweet Elephant T-Shirts and Art by Karin Taylor

2009-10-02T15:49:24-07:00

I was enjoying an email conversation with artist Karin Taylor about her work that includes a whole herd of elephant designs. I thought you might enjoy her art work, but also her answer to my questions:

What made you choose to draw elephants? What do they mean to you?

"I started drawing elephants one day when I was playing with a new medium, oil pastels. I recall having a small sheet of yellow pastel paper available and some new vibrant pastels just purchased...I can't recall why I drew that first elephant, he just was there, I saw him in my mind's eye. For these 7 years, I've had a love affair with adorning elephants with designs, swirls, embellishments...and the longer I sit on an idea, the more intrigued I become with the elephant.

I watched a program where a beautiful baby girl elephant was dying from depression after her mum had died, a Steve production (from Australia Zoo) and that really moved me. I then learned about the amazing emotional displays of elephants who are grieving, and the way they interact as a community, I love to learn, particularly about social behaviours. Whatever it is I'm interested in from an educational or research point of view, I tend to also become interested in drawing and painting. Or sometimes it can happen that I enjoy the image so much, that I long to draw and paint it, and afterwards, comes the obsession of learning more about whatever I'm trying to paint.

In this case, I began painting elephants before I knew why....then learned about them, and how beautiful they are afterwards. I was particularly interested to learn about the elephant keepers who told Charles Darwin that elephants can cry when grieving or feeling sad or under severe stress and this led me to understand that animals have feelings, just as humans do. I am fascinated by elephants, and all creatures in fact. The first elephant I drew was "Rainbow Elephant" and "Magic Elephant" and "The Littlest Elephant Lovelinks" would be the most recent, all in all I've painted elephants over the last 7 years, just now and then, I feel an intense desire to paint one... once painted, they become like real souls to me, I feel they are my children."

Ah! Another matriarch who heard and responded to the elephant call. I just love how Karin's inspiration moved through her to create these lovely designs.

You can view (and buy) all of Karin's art, including her elephant t-shirts, elephant framed art prints, elephant greeting cards, elephant calendars and more, over at RedBubble.

"Trunk Sale" to Support The Elephant Sanctuary (Buy books, save elephants, win prizes!)

2009-09-02T00:01:00-07:00

My elephant-loving friends at Tilbury House, independent publisher of two picture books about The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, Travels with Tarra and Just for Elephants, are holding their first-ever "Trunk Sale" promotion from now through December 31, 2009.

The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, founded in 1995, is the nation's largest natural habitat refuge developed specifically for endangered African and Asian elephants. It operates on 2,700 acres in Hohenwald, Tennessee — 85 miles southwestof Nashville.

The Elephant Sanctuary exists for two reasons:

To provide a haven for old, sick or needy elephants in a setting of green pastures, dense forests, spring-fed ponds and heated barns for cold winter nights.
To provide education about the crisis facing these social, sensitive, passionately intense, playful, complex, exceedingly intelligent and endangered creatures.

For every 100 copies of their elephant books sold, Tilbury House has pledged to sponsor a much-needed item from the Sanctuary's wish list. These gifts will include 100lbs of peanut butter (a favorite treat), a day's worth of meals for one elephant (including more than 10lbs of fruits & veggies and 100lbs of hay!), and an elephant-sized piece of land (to support the Sanctuary's recent expansion.)

The Elephant Sanctuary has received major media attention recently, including features on Oprah, CBS Evening News, and in People Magazine. Videos of the Sanctuary's now famous residents, Asian elephant Tarra and her canine best-friend, Bella, have charmed millions on YouTube, and their story is the subject of a forthcoming book from Putnam, Tarra and Bella.

This CBS News video about Tarra and Bella is a must-see:

If you're reading via RSS or email, click here to watch the video.

To coincide with their promotion, Tilbury House is organizing a virtual book tour for author and Sanctuary co-founder Carol Buckley from September 1-8, with interviews, giveaways, and other web-exclusive content. Updates on the tour will be posted regularly on Twitter (@tilburyhouse) and Facebook.

Here are the two elephant books included in the Trunk Sale:
Both are beautiful picture books with captivating elephant photographs. Minimal text. Large font. Suitable for young/old readers. Would make lovely coffee table or waiting room books!

Just for Elephants by Carol Buckley is the story of two circus elephants who were reunited after many years when they were rescued by the Elephant Sanctuary.

[Official book description] "Most elephants in America live in circuses and zoos, and their lives are very different from what they would be in the wild. But there's a very special place in Tennessee called the Elephant Sanctuary, where elephants can finally have the freedom to roam and have elephant friends. Why do elephants come to the Elephant Sanctuary, and what is their everyday life like there? Some are like Shirley, who performed in a circus before an injury forced early retirement and a transfer to a zoo. She lived at the zoo for many years and received good care, but she didn't have elephant friends.

Then plans were made for Shirley to move to the Elephant Sanctuary, a place just for elephants. It was a big surprise to everyone when Shirley recognized another elephant when she arrived—they greeted each other with great excitement and joy and lots of trumpeting. Jenny had been a baby elephant at the circus where Shirley had worked so long ago. (Elephants do remember!) Shirley and Jenny spent that first night standing close, with their trunks wrapped around each other. And in the morning, Jenny led Shirley outside to explore the fields and ponds and woods and meet all the other elephants. Now Shirley has a special family, in a place just for elephants."

Here is a heart-warming video of Shirley (a former circus elephant) who has now been at the Elephant Sanctuary for a decade and seems to be thriving in her retirement:

If you're reading via RSS or email, click here to watch the video.

Travels with Tarra by Carol Buckley is the story about how Carol (co-founder of the elephant sanctuary) came to adopt baby elephant Tarra and how their relationship has evolved over decades:

[Official book description] "What happens when you fall in love with a three-foot-tall, 700-pound infant covered with thick black hair?

Carol Buckley was a college student, studying exotic animal care, when she looked up from her homework one day to see a baby elephant walking past her house. The local tire dealer had bought the tiny elephant as a promotion gimmick for his store and was taking her for a stroll. Carol quickly volunteered to help care for and train Tarra, tried to meet the baby elephant's emotional and social needs, and ended up buying her.

Tarra was bright, playful, and loved attention, so Carol taught her to do lots of tricks (including roller skating and the hula), and for about twenty years they appeared at circuses, theme parks, and zoos, changing their lifestyle as Tarra's needs changed and balancing the performing life with time at their farm.

But Carol began to dream of a place where elephants could just be elephants, where abused elephants could find a haven, and where old elephants could live out their days peacefully. She established the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, an 800-acre refuge now home to Tarra and five other elephants, with room for many more. A place just for elephants--no visitors--the Elephant Sanctuary has been featured on the Emmy award-winning PBS Nature documentary, "Urban Elephants". Carol Buckley and co-founder Scott Blais were named "Heroes of the Planet" by Time Magazine for their work at the Sanctuary.

Illustrated by dozens of photographs, Carol's 28-year odyssey with Tarra is the fascinating story of a lifetime commitment to an elephant, but it also asks us to reconsider the real needs of captive wild animals. Travels with Tarra has been choosen as a "Louisiana Young Readers' Choice" book. This means many more children will have the opportunity to learn about the lives of captive elephants. This delightful book has just been published and has made the Smithsonian's 'Notable Books for Children' list."

Here is a really cute video of a very chatty Tarra, vocalizing different sounds as she plays at the Elephant Sanctuary:

If you're reading via RSS or email, click here to watch the video.

Want more elephant inspiration?
Want a chance to win some elephant prizes?

Here is the complete schedule for the virtual book tour:

Tuesday, Sept. 1: Reading Rumpus
Wednesday, Sept. 2: Sacred Elephants (you are here)
Thursday, Sept. 3: Read These Books and Use Them!
Friday, Sept. 4: Maw Books
Saturday, Sept. 5: Shelf Elf
Sunday, Sept. 6: Bees Knees
Monday, Sept. 7: Through The Looking Glass
Tuesday, Sept. 8: Bri Meets Books

Blog Comment Prizes!
Comment on any of the blog posts that make up the virtual book tour (including this post!) and you will be eligible to win one of these 3 prizes:

A copy of Just for Elephants signed by Sanctuary co-founder Carol Buckley.
A copy of Travels With Tarra signed by Carol and stamped by Tarra the Elephant
A package of Tilbury House Animal Books— The Goat Lady, Thanks to the Animals, and an advance copy of Bear-ly There.

Details: No purchase necessary. Comments must be on one or more of the respective tour posts (September 1-9, 2009.) Winners will be announced on September 10, 2009. Prizes can only be shipped to the United States or Canada.
Email/RSS Subscribers:
Click here to make a blog comment on Sacred Elephants.

Twitter Prize!
From now through September 9, 2009, anyone who tweets about the tour using the hashtag #trunktour will be entered to win of these 2 prizes:

A copy of Travels With Tarra

A copy of Just for Elephants.

Details: No purchase necessary. Tweets must contain the hashtag #trunktour on or before September 9, 2009. Winners will be announced on September 10, 2009. Prizes can only be shipped to the United States or Canada.

Travels With Tarra and Just for Elephants are available from independent booksellers across the country — if they're not on the shelves at your favorite store, please tell them about the Trunk Sale! Books are also available from online retailers, as well as directly from the Elephant Sanctuary.

The virtual book tour and contests are held September 1-9, 2009.

However, the Trunk Sale is on through December 31st! Tilbury House will be tracking all new (not used) books purchased between now and the end of the year, then making their agreed upon donations to the Elephant Sanctuary.

Also, these books would make lovely holiday gifts (as do their elephant holiday cards.) So please consider gifting them to your friends and family, knowing that you're also giving back to the Elephant Sanctuary!

Watch the First Elephant Baby Being Born in Australia

2009-08-22T17:46:58-07:00

Taronga Conservation Society has started an Asian elephant breeding program at their zoo in Sydney, and their first elephant calf was birthed on July 4, 2009. The keepers have been videotaping the baby's progression and compiled an interesting montage starting just before the elephant calf reared its head during the birthing progress through some of the early development stages.

If you're reading via RSS or email, click here to watch the video.

All babies are cute, but elephant baby cuteness makes me completely melt! I especially love watching the calf first learning how to use his trunk, before the muscles are developed. So sweet.

The elephant keepers held a baby elephant-naming contest and selected the boy's name "Luk Chai" as the winner. It's a traditional Thai name that means "son." Hopefully the first of many siblings to come!

Baby elephant Luk Chai is blessed in a traditional Buddhist ceremony at Taronga Zoo. Photo: James Brickwood. Source: Sydney Morning Herald.

Nine Buddhist monks came from Sydney and Canberra to bestow blessings of good health and success upon the Australian elephant baby and a Christian Reverend delivered a ecumenical blessing by burning gum leaves. Click here to read the full story.

While it was our baby elephant friend Luk Chai that received the spiritual blessings, his arrival is auspicious for Asian elephant conservationists who are trying to increase the number of Asian elephants (estimated at 35,000 world wide.) Out of space to roam freely due to conflicting needs between humans and elephants, Asian elephants are becoming alarmingly rare. Although conservation measures for wild elephants are of extreme importance, captive breeding programs also help us to study, learn, and preserve genetic diversity for endangered species.

Welcome to the world, Luk Chai!

Thank you to elephant lover Christine for alerting me to this story.

Celebrating Elephants Day at the Oakland Zoo

2009-05-28T05:00:00-07:00

The Oakland Zoo in Northern California host an annual Celebrating Elephants day every May. The have a few elephant events usually: an evening lecture [click to read about the one I attended in 2006] a charitable dinner [click here to read about that] and a daytime educational event at the zoo.

I haven't been able to attend the daytime event before, but this year was perfect timing for me to take my five year old nephew. He loves animals and going to the zoo, and now that he's got a brand new baby brother, it seems like an especially good time to take him out with his Auntie Jaya for some big boy adventures. Of course, this is all preparation for seeing how well we might travel together someday. I'm hoping I'll be able to take him to Kenya with me for a safari vacation after he graduates high school. That's my dream for us anyways. But as big goals sometimes start small, we packed up our gear consisting of peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, cherries, water, camera, and sunblock for a short safari at the zoo.

I remember going to the Oakland Zoo as a child and one of the things that's nice about it is it's small size. We just had a couple of hours, but that's all you need there. It's perfect for small children in that they have fun without coming home completely exhausted.

Where did we head first? The elephants of course. Straight away! We were so excited to see them that I didn't focus my camera very well, but here's the first elephant we spotted.

A nice gentleman saw us taking pictures and offered to take on of me holding my nephew.

They had several educational booths up in the elephant area, with information about the bush meat crisis, animal cruelty in circuses, and other important conservation topics. One of the booths that most caught our attention was this lady who was demonstrating elephant pedicure tools.

Some of you might know that I'm a spa consultant in my business, so I found this whole idea of elephant pedicures very interesting! The tools that they use for elephant podiatry aren't all that different from the ones that we use in spas and salons. Do you see the big nail file that the lady is holding in her right hand? Scrub brushes and oil. Tools to get dirt and rocks out from their toes. Everything but nail polish!

As a burgeoning elephant conservationist, I already know the importance of proper foot care for captive elephants. In the wild, they would be walking long distances and on varied surfaces that would help keep their feet in top condition. Zoos need to pay close attention to elephant feet. [Here is a good article on elephant foot care.]

What my nephew was more interested in was their toes. We learned that elephants walk on their toes! We stared at the Oakland elephants' feet for signs of this grand nimbleness, but it was impossible to tell just by looking. [Here's an article on elephant foot anatomy.]

We were all about getting a closer look, and one of the fun interactive exhibits they created for Celebrating Elephants was a mock elephant research camp. What fun! My nephew and I could pretend we were scientists studying elephants in the wild.

This display table had a laminated card with a definition of what elephant researchers do:

"People who study elephants in the wild, help us understand elephant ecology and behavior. This research can help solve conflicts between people and elephants, suggesting ethical techniques for management of these complex, intelligent animals."

I would like to be a researcher. How does one get a job like that? Although if that doesn't fit my resume, I could definitely create a luxurious elephant spa! Please send any inquiries my way. Elephants need pampering, too.

For our short project at the zoo, my nephew and I were a team. A zoo docent gave my nephew the binoculars, while I was handed a clipboard and pencil to make observational notes.

The elephant we were observing was Osh, Oakland's male elephant. Our job was to note what Osh was doing every couple of minutes. Our report looked like this:

12:05pm Eating
12:08pm Eating
12:11pm Eating
12:14pm Walking and eating
12:17pm Eating

Elephants need to eat all the time!

The zoo also had a safari tent set up, so we could really pretend we were on safari. This might be my favorite photo of my nephew of all time:

In about 12 years, I want to recreate this photo of him--but on a real safari!

The Oakland Zoo has a widely acclaimed reputation for its elephant care. You can feel good about visiting them. The zoo is located at 9777 Golf Links Rd, Oakland, CA 94605. Visit their website: Oakland Zoo. Say hello to Osh for us!

Lessons from Ganesh: Step Out

2009-05-22T23:39:04-07:00

Walk in beauty and be the smile of consciousness. Let the light dance from your eyes and stars fall loose from your hair. You are never more lovely than when you step out of the shadows. Why do you cautiously scurry into dark corners when there is so much goodness around you? Do not fear the wide open spaces. Breathe easy and step out into your royal divinity. Join me in the palace of abundance. Step out and float on the sweet springtime air.

Christian Louboutin Loves Asian Elephants (Now THAT is Some Nice Footcandy!)

2009-04-29T15:45:30-07:00

Shoe retailer Footcandy has teamed up with the red hot designer Christian Louboutin to raise money for Asian elephants. Louboutin agreed to make 50 pairs of zipper-wrapped & strapped Rodita sandals in hot pink (instead of the original black) exclusively for Footcandy. All proceeds will go to the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF) in Thailand.

The answer to the question on every fashionable philanthropist's mind is YES. Yes, yes, of course they have Louboutin's signature red sole.

So what is the story behind this venture, you ask? I called their St. Helena store hoping I might reach the owner Carolyn Butler to inquire. When she wasn't available, her perky salesperson Brenda was more than happy to explain. In 2006, Carolyn and her husband Perry fell in love with elephants on a trip to the Four Seasons Tented Camp, where it seems their hearts were cracked open by the terrible sadness of how elephants are mistreated in Thailand. I can only imagine, as I have not been to visit the Thai elephant conservationist groups yet, though I have a deep longing to go. It looks profoundly sad, as there is much rescue work to be done there. Carolyn and Perry saw it first hand and were moved to assist through cross-promoting with their shoe & vineyard businesses. [Click here for more of the Butler's story on the GTAEF site.]

The joint venture with Christian Louboutin isn't Carolyn's first footwear promotion for elephants. Her employee explained that she first did one with Cassidy, then another elephant shoe with Manolo Blahnik (shown at right.) I'm not a Manolo devotee anyway, but I'm somewhat taken aback at his choice to create a faux leopard shoe for a conservationist cause. It's an interesting debate amongst us animal lovers as to whether faux endangered species fur items are a compliment to nature's beautiful designs or if they perpetuate the dark history of adorning ourselves with living creatures to the point of extinction. My personal stance is that if it's clear that it's not real, but more of an homage to the animal, then it's okay. These pony-haired Manolo's are borderline for me. Carolyn, if you're reading, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this over a glass of wine sometime!

Footcandy is a charming store in Napa Valley. Being a West Sonoma County girl now, I haven't been by that shop in ages, but trust me, it's fabulous. And now it seems that Footcandy has four locations in California, as well as an on-line store.

I'm so very tempted right now. Those sandals would look so good with the little black dress I got recently. They even have a couple of pairs left in my size (9.5) Oh, but it IS for such a good cause and what a fun conversation starter! I would love to tell the story of those shoes while wearing them!

National Geographic's "Waking the Baby Mammoth" Tells the Tale of an Ancient "Ice Baby"

2009-04-21T18:02:46-07:00

The 40,000 year old remains of an infant woolly mammoth were found on the Yamal Peninsula in northwestern Siberia. At 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide, it is the same size as the elephant orphans I've met in Kenya. Similar to some of their stories, this small babe accidentally got caught up in a river, but rather than being swept away in the currents and orphaned, this one drowned, leaving her mother behind to grieve. Going even farther back in time, her story is similar to other African elephants through the ages. The wolly mammoth's ancestors migrated from Africa to Siberia about 3.5 million years ago. Yet for all the similarities between prehistoric mammoths and the elephants of today, there are still many differences. Scientists are trying to discover what those distinctions are, and this infant's remains, which are nearly perfectly intact, are providing valuable insights.

National Geographic has covered this prehistoric pachyderm story in three formats: television, magazine, and on-line.

Television: Waking the Baby Mammoth
Airs on Sunday, April 26th 2009 at 9pm on the National Geographic Channel. Check back on their site for rebroadcasting dates/times after the premier.

Here is a 4.5 minute video clip from the program, dramatizing what it was like when the infant mammoth's body was discovered out on the frozen tundra by a reindeer herder and his sons in 2007.

If you're reading via RSS or email, click here to watch the video.

There are more videos and all kinds of interactive content that you can view on the show's overview page. National Geographic Channel: Waking the Baby Mammoth.

Don't have an upgraded cable television plan that includes National Geographic Channel? Me either. But this is such a neat story that they also covered it in the May 2009 issue of their magazine.

Magazine: Ice Baby by Tom Meuller
May 2009 issue of National Geographic Magazine.

You can read the full article on-line by clicking here.

Also, the photos by Francis Latreille are quite remarkable. Click the image below or this link to view the entire photo gallery.

It's astonishing how anything survives in Siberia, with its cold permafrost that is so severe that this 40,000 year old body could survive relatively intact. So this was quite a find for our scientists who were able to gain better insights into this long-extinct species. (It was also an interesting find for a thief who tried to sell the mammoth body for snowmobiles and food, before the authorities were able to track it back down and reclaim it.) She is the best preserved specimen on record. Even her eyelashes were still there. The full story explains how the scientists determined her cause of death, and more curiously, what caused her miraculous preservation.

Hopefully, our current species of elephants won't become extinct like their ancestors the mammoth.