What we can learn from elephants

Elephants are one of Mother Nature's most emotionally intelligent animals, and they have some lessons they can teach humans.

Seeing an African elephant in the wild is something of an awe inspiring experience. Not to say that an Asian elephant lacks the same impact but the sheer size of an African elephant is truly something to behold. Standing up to four metres tall and weighing up to 6,000 kilos for males, they command your attention - even when in a place like Tarangire National Park where there are so many animals, birds and other natural phenomena abound, the elephants will undoubtedly always capture your gaze and your heart at the same time.

Despite their huge physical size, elephants are graceful and majestic. They move without a sound and are light on their feet, and their thick, cracked and wrinkled skin and saggy bottoms add to their beauty and character.

But what's most admirable about elephants is their deep emotional intelligence. Elephants, among their many traits, are big on expressing their boundless joy and unbridled enthusiasm, particularly when among their family and friends. They rejoice at the birth of a baby, are deeply compassionate and band together to help their herd and show great amounts of affection to one another. They can communicate with other elephants from miles away and when they are reunited, displays of utter happiness and joy are typical.

Elephants have a temporal gland located on the side of their head, above the eye. During moments of supreme happiness, such as when elephants are reunited with loved ones, this gland visibly seeps liquid down their face. Their tails swing side to side, ears flap and trunks intertwine and caress their loved ones as a sign of their joy. When was the last time you had a reaction like that when seeing a loved one?

Seeing elephants in the wild exhibiting seeing these emotions is extremely moving and then equally heartbreaking to think that these same deeply intuitive animals are also killed in mass every year.

During a weekend safari I can came across a few herds of elephants at one of Taringire’s watering holes. Here, I was captured by the interaction between two young elephants that was just so pure and so heart warming. From different herds, the two saw each other from across the water hole and were gleefully reunited. They engaged in a display of trunk entwining for a good 20 minutes and eventually when they left the watering hole, their trunks were on each others backs, as if they were humans walking with their arms around each other. It was a beautiful reminder to cherish and embrace your loved ones like there's no tomorrow, every time you see them.

On the flip side of experiencing and understanding all this joy and love, elephants are one of the only animals to fully understand the concept of death. They mourn their loved ones and have even been known to hold "funerals." They return to spots where loved ones have passed and will touch the ground and pay their respects.

And maybe it is because they understand the fragility of life, and because as the old adage goes, an elephant never forgets, that they have such an appreciation for their herd. Maybe this is what allows them to truly relish in such joy, love and happiness. Although these are all emotions that we as humans know and experience, at the same time we forget them. We forget love and family is all we need. We take our loved ones for granted and it is often too late when we realise that we should have soaked up those precious moments with them.

So go call your mum. Tell her you love her. And when you next see your best friend do this to them: