If you've followed us from the first travel blog in India you know that I am fascinated by elephants. We are in luck, as Knysna has a most wonderful elephant park just minutes out of town. Here you can feed and socialize with them, walk into the bush with them, ride them on a safari, and even get married with them as honored guests. We opt for the 'feed and socialize' ticket (it's a cold and blustery day) and spend a few minutes in the display prior to being called for our 11 a.m. tour.
Another display has an elephant foot with a post stating that during the great predations of these giants, their feet were taken as souvenirs and used as footstools! I didn't know that an elephant's height is three times the circumference their foot.
How Knysna Elephant Park came into being . . . over 20 years ago, a local couple adopted two abandoned/orphaned elephants and named them Harry and Sally. They had no idea what they were doing but were impelled to take in these two homeless, unwanted elephants. Their care and love has been repaid many times over. Since then, they've adopted a few more elephants, had several births, and, sadly, lost a couple. Today this is a first class research facility which employs a number of locals, and allows folks like us to have an up close and very personal experience with elephants.
With our treat bucket (fruits and veggies) in hand, we climb on to the tram for a short ride to the open field where the herd is waiting. Our guide instructs us as to the proper way to hand feed them. Actually it's much like feeding a horse except that instead of the velvety muzzle scrabbling against your outstretched palm, it is the tip of their trunk sucking up treats like a vacuum. We learn that their trunk has over 1,000 muscles and is capable of an incredible variety of actions including communicating pleasure or distress.
After they had emptied our treat buckets, the herd moved to an open grassy area where we were encouraged to touch them, stroke them and, of course, have our pictures taken with them!
Their hide is incredibly thick and tough but can detect a fly landing on it. An adult African elephant can weigh up to 4.5 tons (yes, that's 9,000 pounds); newborns weigh around 500 pounds.
I couldn't help but wonder - why do elephants have toenails??
This big female is the grande dame of the herd and, oddly, was infertile (she also had only one tusk which is quite unusual). Her 'sister' (on the left) has had one calf, and this elderly female is the official auntie; were anything to happen to the calf's mama, she would assume the maternal role.
Had it been a sunny, warm day I probably would have spent hours out there with them. However, it was nasty and cold, and soon the next tour group appeared, and the elephants knew the drill - they started moving to the feeding line, awaiting the next bearers of goodie buckets.
I know there is a a school of thought that says this is artificial, staged, and the elephants are conditioned to 'perform' for visitors. And, yes, that's probably all true but my feeling is 'so what!' They are safe, well cared for, and thoroughly loved. This wasn't always the case.
Knysna is a charming coastal village surrounded by magnificent old growth forest that came perilously close to being eradicated. To the early settlers, the forest seemed boundless, and the only thing that stood in the way of all that logging was, you guessed it, a herd of over 2,000 elephants. Early loggers actually lived in hollowed out tree trunks, fitted them with barred 'doors' to protect themselves from elephants!
The Knysna forest elephants are a unique subset of African elephants and evolved with significantly larger eyes to see in the dark, dense forest. Once logging got underway, eliminating the elephants was essential. One elephant hunter boasted that he killed over 200 elephants on one hunt. Now there are none left, except for the ones who live at this park. Legend has it that there is one aged female still lurking in the woods, but she hasn't been spotted for years. So, yes, this may be artificial but I don't give a hoot; these wondrous creatures are protected, loved, and appreciated by thousands of visitors every year, including us. And for that I'm so very grateful!
I especially liked this poster in the waiting area and was intrigued to see when and by whom it was written.
Another display has an elephant foot with a post stating that during the great predations of these giants, their feet were taken as souvenirs and used as footstools! I didn't know that an elephant's height is three times the circumference their foot.
How Knysna Elephant Park came into being . . . over 20 years ago, a local couple adopted two abandoned/orphaned elephants and named them Harry and Sally. They had no idea what they were doing but were impelled to take in these two homeless, unwanted elephants. Their care and love has been repaid many times over. Since then, they've adopted a few more elephants, had several births, and, sadly, lost a couple. Today this is a first class research facility which employs a number of locals, and allows folks like us to have an up close and very personal experience with elephants.
With our treat bucket (fruits and veggies) in hand, we climb on to the tram for a short ride to the open field where the herd is waiting. Our guide instructs us as to the proper way to hand feed them. Actually it's much like feeding a horse except that instead of the velvety muzzle scrabbling against your outstretched palm, it is the tip of their trunk sucking up treats like a vacuum. We learn that their trunk has over 1,000 muscles and is capable of an incredible variety of actions including communicating pleasure or distress.
After they had emptied our treat buckets, the herd moved to an open grassy area where we were encouraged to touch them, stroke them and, of course, have our pictures taken with them!
Their hide is incredibly thick and tough but can detect a fly landing on it. An adult African elephant can weigh up to 4.5 tons (yes, that's 9,000 pounds); newborns weigh around 500 pounds.
I couldn't help but wonder - why do elephants have toenails??
This big female is the grande dame of the herd and, oddly, was infertile (she also had only one tusk which is quite unusual). Her 'sister' (on the left) has had one calf, and this elderly female is the official auntie; were anything to happen to the calf's mama, she would assume the maternal role.
Had it been a sunny, warm day I probably would have spent hours out there with them. However, it was nasty and cold, and soon the next tour group appeared, and the elephants knew the drill - they started moving to the feeding line, awaiting the next bearers of goodie buckets.
I know there is a a school of thought that says this is artificial, staged, and the elephants are conditioned to 'perform' for visitors. And, yes, that's probably all true but my feeling is 'so what!' They are safe, well cared for, and thoroughly loved. This wasn't always the case.
Knysna is a charming coastal village surrounded by magnificent old growth forest that came perilously close to being eradicated. To the early settlers, the forest seemed boundless, and the only thing that stood in the way of all that logging was, you guessed it, a herd of over 2,000 elephants. Early loggers actually lived in hollowed out tree trunks, fitted them with barred 'doors' to protect themselves from elephants!
The Knysna forest elephants are a unique subset of African elephants and evolved with significantly larger eyes to see in the dark, dense forest. Once logging got underway, eliminating the elephants was essential. One elephant hunter boasted that he killed over 200 elephants on one hunt. Now there are none left, except for the ones who live at this park. Legend has it that there is one aged female still lurking in the woods, but she hasn't been spotted for years. So, yes, this may be artificial but I don't give a hoot; these wondrous creatures are protected, loved, and appreciated by thousands of visitors every year, including us. And for that I'm so very grateful!
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