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Elephant sets antelopes free
08/04/2003 14:05 - (SA)
Empangeni - The matriarch of a herd of elephants in South Africa opened a gate with her trunk to free antelopes being held at a camp in the east of the country, conservationists said on Tuesday.
Lawrence Anthony said that a private game capture company had rounded up the antelopes at their camp near Empangeni to relocate them for a breeding programme.
The team were settling in for the night when the herd of 11 elephants approached, he said.
"The herd circled the enclosure while the capture team watched warily, thinking the herd were after lucerne (alfalfa) being used to feed the antelope," he said.
The herd's matriarch, named Nana, approached the enclosure gates and began tampering with the metal latches holding the gates closed.
She carefully undid all the latches with her trunk, swung the gate open and stood back with her herd.
"At this stage the onlookers realised this was not a mission for free food, but actually a rescue," Anthony said.
The herd watched the antelope leave the camp before they walked off into the night.
Ecologist Brendon Whittington-Jones said: "Elephant are naturally inquisitive - but this behaviour is certainly most unusual and cannot be explained in scientific terms".
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Afri ... 10,00.html
Horatio Hellpop wrote:The animals never asked for nor contributed to any of this crap. They deserve better.
"Mountain gorillas become killers when their social groups come face-to-face...One gorilla group will deliberately seek out another and provoke a conflict...An enormous male left a skirmish with his flesh so badly ripped that the head of an arm bone and numerous ligaments stuck out through the broken skin. Another left the battle scene with eight massive wounds where the enemy had bitten him on the head and arms. The site where the conflict had raged was covered with blood...Fossey actually recovered gorilla skulls with canine cusps from other gorillas still embedded in the skull's crest."
HOWARD BLOOM, THE LUCIFER PRINCIPLE: A SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION INTO THE FORCES OF HISTORY
"The males from the larger band of chimpanzees began to make trips south to the patch of land occupied by the splinter unit. The marauders' purpose was simple: to harass and ultimately kill the separatists. They beat their former friends mercilessly, breaking bones, opening massive wounds, and leaving the resultant cripples to die a slow and lingering death. When the raids were over, five males and one elderly female had been murdered. The separatist group had been destroyed; and its sexual active females and part of its territory had been annexed by the males of the band from the home turf."
HOWARD BLOOM, THE LUCIFER PRINCIPLE: A SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION INTO THE FORCES OF HISTORY
"Most of the domesticated primates of Terra did not know they were primates................
Benny was constantly alarmed and terrified by the behavior of himself, his friends and associates and especially the alpha males of the pack. Since he didn't know it was ordinary primate behavior, it seemed just awful to him"
R.A.Wilson - Schrodinger's Cat
I re-iterate that this seems a vile and senseless act and perhaps I'm steering this off topic but I do find it interesting the way we admire human characteristics in animals and despise animal characteristics in ourselves.
Like I said, it's evil and dumb but there are many innocent people who are suffering for no good reason.
MacCruiskeen wrote:Another example of cross-species altruism:Elephant sets antelopes free
08/04/2003 14:05 - (SA)
Empangeni - The matriarch of a herd of elephants in South Africa opened a gate with her trunk to free antelopes being held at a camp in the east of the country, conservationists said on Tuesday.
Lawrence Anthony said that a private game capture company had rounded up the antelopes at their camp near Empangeni to relocate them for a breeding programme.
The team were settling in for the night when the herd of 11 elephants approached, he said.
"The herd circled the enclosure while the capture team watched warily, thinking the herd were after lucerne (alfalfa) being used to feed the antelope," he said.
The herd's matriarch, named Nana, approached the enclosure gates and began tampering with the metal latches holding the gates closed.
She carefully undid all the latches with her trunk, swung the gate open and stood back with her herd.
"At this stage the onlookers realised this was not a mission for free food, but actually a rescue," Anthony said.
The herd watched the antelope leave the camp before they walked off into the night.
Ecologist Brendon Whittington-Jones said: "Elephant are naturally inquisitive - but this behaviour is certainly most unusual and cannot be explained in scientific terms".
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Afri ... 10,00.html
FourthBase wrote:I wouldn't enlist in a war to save gorillas etc. because they're "innocent". I'd do it because they're endangered. For the future of humanity, saving them seems more important to me than saving an equal number of the -- what, 6 billion humans on earth?
Also, don't forget the bonobos.
Bonobos > human beings.
a single victim at Apenheul zoo
It is worth noting that the most striking observations of injurious aggression come from captive groups.
LOL
Sorry.
Your statement about endangerment is interesting, I can't quite formulate a reply yet.
It is worth noting that the most striking observations of injurious aggression come from captive groups.
MacCruiskeen wrote:a single victim at Apenheul zoo
Zoo.It is worth noting that the most striking observations of injurious aggression come from captive groups.
Captive groups.LOL
Stop it, you're killing me. ("Laugh? I nearly shat." - Peter Cook and Dudley Moore)Sorry.
If you're sorry, why do it? There's a back button on your keyboard.Your statement about endangerment is interesting, I can't quite formulate a reply yet.
Maybe something like: "Sheesh, get over it, guy! Nobody lives forever! ROTFLMAO"
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