A to Z: Elephants Evoke Excitement

First, a sidenote about Roger Ebert
I considered changing what I planned to write for "E" today after the death of Roger Ebert. I used to watch Siskel and Ebert with my mother, and have always been a fan. Even when I did not agree with him, I enjoyed listening to his take on a movie. He will be sorely missed.

I decided against changing my "E" simply because it doesn't seem right. It would seem as if I'm using his death as a topic for some challenge. Instead, I am including a link to another article that I think honors the man better than I probably ever could. It's a wonderful article, and conveys what I feel perfectly.

by Flickr user scorbette37

On with the topic: I love elephants!
I wanted to write about elephants because they are one of my favorite animals. Unfortunately, I've never actually taken a picture of an elephant, so all the pictures I've included are from Flickr, with the attributions added.

Elephants are highly intelligent, with complex social structures. In fact, elephants are one of the few species, along with apes and dolphins, that are nearly on par with humans in terms of intelligence. They also exhibit complex emotions similar to that of humans, including depression.

by Flickr user epSos.de

Unfortunately, humans can sometimes revert to cave-man barbarity by killing and torturing elephants just for their tusks or hides. Elephants are truly more intelligent and "human" than some humans!

The saddest thing about the practice of killing elephants is that family members of the murdered elephant may be completely grief-stricken. A young calf that has lost its mother in a violent manner may try to commit suicide. Think about how you would feel if you lost a family member whom you love deeply. With their human-like, complex social behavior, that is likely very close to how an elephant feels when it loses a loved one.

by Flickr user Randi Deuro

I remember watching a show on HGTV about spectacular houses. In one example, the annoying old guy who was showing off his man-cave-like home walked up to a very long bar in his kitchen. He was very excited to announce the pride and joy of his home: his bar, appliqued with elephant leather. It covered the entire side. It was a huge amount of leather. The instant I heard him say that, I got sick to my stomach, and nearly threw up in my mouth.

I don't know whether people such as that man on HGTV are simply ignorant of what they are doing, or if he really cares more about what he thinks is gorgeous design (but actually ugly) more than the fate of the gorgeous elephant. People need to be educated on this form of mass murder!