Sit with the Elephants!

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briczar22
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    briczar22
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  • Added: 28-Aug-08

"Sitting with the Elephants"
One of my favorite things to do on safari is to sit with a herd of elephants. Watching their social structure is very interesting and one can't wonder what the future of the largest land mammal on earth will be?
African elephants are usually divided into the savannah and the forest elephants.
They range from being highly protected in eastern Africa to areas in southern Africa where they can be legally hunted and are also "culled" meaning killed to try to keep their numbers manageable given the amount of land they use.
This is controversial as some wildlife groups would prefer to see them transported to lower populated areas as hunting leads to abandoned calves which at times can grow up to become rogue elephants killing the endangered rhinos. Elephants are also illegally poached for their ivory tusks.
*(Recently a large African goverment stockpile of Ivory was legally sold to China with an ok from CITES to help the demand, but it only made it worse and new reports show wild elephants are still being poached)
Illegal ivory is also confiscated here in the U.S.
New reports show a huge drop in populations of forest elephants in the Congo in central Africa.
There are approx 500,000+/- African elephants in the wild. Elephants, like humans and apes, have the ability to recognize themselves in a mirror and are very intelligent.
The elephants trunk filled with thousands and thousands of muscles can be gentle enough to choose between different blades of grass or powerful enough to uproot a tree. Elephants will sometimes attack and kill humans both in the wild and in captivity.
For ways to help the elephant:

African Wildlife Foundation:
http://www.awf.org

Amboseli Trusts for Elephants:
http://www.elephanttrust.org

Sheldrick's orphan elephants & rhinos
http://www.daphnesheldrick.com

IUCN Elephant page:
http://data.iucn.org/themes/ssc/sgs/afesg/

Thanks for watching and please subscribe to my You Tube videos.
*Footage filmed in Kenya, Africa

  1. Categories: Pets & Animals
Comments on

Sit with the Elephants!

15 Comments | Add Comment
  • There is always ...

    There is always some risk, but in this situation it is very, very slim as the guides know which elephants they can get the jeeps close to. They read their body language, as well as we didn't overstay our welcome.

    By briczar22 [Affiliate User] 1222996005 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • you realize you ...

    you realize you could have been killed right?

    good vid though

    By randomness72838 [Affiliate User] 1222989372 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Yes, wolly mammoths ...

    Yes, wolly mammoths were very much like a big hairy elephant. There bones are often found still to this day all around America (they also lived in Europe and Asia). The La Brea Tar Pits in L.A. have produced a ton of these mammoth bones.

    By briczar22 [Affiliate User] 1222744518 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • I'm reading a book ...

    I'm reading a book that's set 10,000 years ago in North American history. They used to call elephants mammoths.
    The picture on the front of the book is obviously an elephant, but they call it a mammoth in the story.
    I never knew elephants were ever in North America.

    By vickiormindyb [Affiliate User] 1222736917 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • What a fabulous ...

    What a fabulous video;these memories will stay with you for ever...sad to think that the elephant's only enemy is man.

    By tuktukskagal [Affiliate User] 1222330425 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Thanks for watching ...

    Thanks for watching. I wish i had a video camera the first time i went to Africa and saw wild elephants. It was something I will never forget. Unreal to see a large herd just go past your jeep. so huge, and yet mostly peaceful and quiet amongst one another.

    By briczar22 [Affiliate User] 1222259561 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • wow what an amazing ...

    wow what an amazing encounter u had I bet you will never forget that huh? thanks 4 the video

    By nvskills [Affiliate User] 1222234770 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • so very sweet they ...

    so very sweet they are, irresistible creature, I just wan to kiss them all!

    By FANTASTICKISS [Affiliate User] 1222212840 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • There are a ton of ...

    There are a ton of safari companies these days. I like to go to Kenya. Elephant herds are usually pretty calm with jeeps coming up to them, unless there is a big male in a bad mood.

    By briczar22 [Affiliate User] 1222189615 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • How do you get on ...

    How do you get on one of those Safaris?
    Is there a certain time you can do this or is it year-round?
    How close can you get to the elephants?


    Like Inurputer stated the elephants said it all, great video. I look forward to more!

    By WildlifeMediaChannel [Affiliate User] 1222116255 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • This was on the ...

    This was on the Olare Orok Conservancy just outside the Mara park.

    By briczar22 [Affiliate User] 1222000944 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Where in Kenya is ...

    Where in Kenya is this?

    By CoolKidHalter [Affiliate User] 1221973000 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • that's nice

    that's nice

    By sherieefelkoley [Affiliate User] 1221245883 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • i call these ...

    i call these elaphonte's its a thing we have going...

    By mufcboy1999 [Affiliate User] 1220619504 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • WOw, fantastic ...

    WOw, fantastic footage! I'd love to go to Africa someday and see all the fantastic wildlife. Elephants are such beautiful animals!

    By CachangaCaracal [Affiliate User] 1220030091 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
15 Comments | Add Comment