I spent like an hour reading about Elephants for no reason

[curimuch]

They are officially my favorite animal now.


Ruby, an Asian elephant at Phoenix Zoo would often eavesdrop on conversations keepers would have talking about her. When she heard the word paint, she became very excitable. The colours she favoured were green, yellow, blue and red. On one particular day, there was a fire truck that came and parked outside her enclosure where a man had just had a heart attack. The lights on the truck were flashing red, white and yellow. When Ruby painted later on in the day, she chose those colours. She also showed a preference for particular colours that the keepers wore.

Her painting career began when her keepers saw her scratching in the dirt of her enclosure with a stick, and offered her a brush and paints.

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[kuruk]

They feel so acutely - I think that's what gets me about them. Baby elephants that lose their mothers they fall into a deep depression, and family units actually mourn their dead. Their empathy is beautiful in a tragic way, especially when the herds pass elephant bones years later and still pause to touch them. It's just... they're majestic (and matriarchal, which is always intriguing to me).

[curimuch]

That's what captured my attention too. I also like their interaction with other Elephants as well as with other species. They always want to help out, and they're usually so gentle and kind I find it amazing. Elephants that were best friends in a way spend even more time with the fallen when the others start to leave. (They move slower to let that last elephant mourn more.)

And if the elephant is injured they literally try to pick that fallen one up and give it leaves and water.

I like the idea of Allmothering between the Elephants too.