I got to take Jabu for a walk! Her trunk felt rough and was quite heavy.
Here’s a very serious question for you to ponder. What do you do with the elephant snot in your hand after taking your elephant for a walk? This is the dilemma I faced when I visited The Elephant Sanctuary near Plettenberg Bay in South Africa. Watch the video below for one possible answer.
The Elephant Sanctuary takes in elephants that have been injured in the wild and gives them a safe place to live. They’re given food, shelter, and an area free of predators and poachers. The elephants need to get used to people so their injuries can be treated, and so they can be given medicine.
Elephants use a wide range of sounds to express their moods and feelings.
Elephants are very intelligent. They can understand voice commands and hand gestures, and respond well to rewards. You can train an elephant, just as you might train a dog. When an elephant follows a command, you have to give it a treat so it will do it again next time. Watch the video below to see what I mean.
Having seen these magnificent beasts in the wild, I don’t like seeing them treated like pets, but The Elephant Sanctuary hasn’t just captured elephants. It’s helping those who would probably not survive in the wild. Jabu, the elephant I took for a walk, had a damaged trunk. This made it too difficult for her to grab food in the wild. Watch the video below to see how elephants use their trunk to eat.
The money the tourists pay to visit the sanctuary helps pay for the elephant caretakers, and the food and medicine. The Elephant Sanctuary also provides an educational program for the visitors to better understand and appreciate these amazing animals.
Elephant snot on her hand! Ewwww!
Click here for interesting facts about elephants. You’ll find some really surprising information!
It was an awesome experience being able to touch an elephant and take it for a walk! I was happy to see that the elephants were being treated well, and that they seemed content with their lives. Although there was lots of land for wandering at the sanctuary, eventually, as more elephants are taken in, these elephants will be taken to larger reserves where they’ll have even more room to roam.
Jabu had a different way of taking food because the tip of her trunk had been damaged.
Click here to meet all the elephants at The Elephant Sanctuary. It’s good to know there are organizations like this one that take care of animals in need, and educate people about these interesting, intelligent animals.
Click here for more information about the elephants I saw in the wild while on a photographic safari in Tanzania.
The elephants at the Elephant Sanctuary have lots of room to wander in a natural setting.
Elephants have demonstrated loyalty and caring for each other. Some will even put themselves in harm’s way to save another elephant.
African Elephants have four hoof nails on their front feet, and three hoof nails on their hind feet.
The Elephant Sanctuary, Plettenberg Bay, South Africa.
This is really cool.
This is so awesome.