You definitely know these characters - after all, the disk of the Earth rests on them!
Do you really believe that the earth is round and hangs by itself? Don't fool common sense...
Since ancient times it has been known that the Earth has the shape of a disk and rests on three elephants that stand on
to the turtle. The beauty of this bold idea is so mesmerizing that you wish it were true!
This was stated not only by the ancients, but also by modern scientists who are members of the Flat Earth Society.
(The Flat Earth Society), which has followers all over the world. They question
only the presence of a turtle and elephants... here I categorically disagree with them!
The idea of the spherical shape of the Earth appeared long before the birth of Christ. Aristotle proved
that the Earth was spherical as early as 330 BC. and Eratosthenes (276 BC-194 BC) already approximately
Calculated the diameter of the Earth. But adherents of the flat Earth theory have never been convinced by this...))
The idea of the “world turtle” was supported by the sages of China, India and the American Indians. Isn't it strange
such unity? Maybe this proves the truth of the theory? And the now generally accepted doctrine of
the structure of the universe - is this a global conspiracy?
After all, living on a turtle is so cool! She is reliable, kind, calm and pretty...
On May 23, the world celebrates World Turtle Day, which is supported by many stars:
And the world on a flat disk is clear and comfortable. There are no questions left, no one is walking upside down. 
A more advanced thought about the complex shape of the disk, which explains the illusion of space flight. 
Yes, yes! The truth is out there...
The UN emblem also hints at the flat nature of the earth - we just didn’t think about it:
This is a warning to be careful when approaching the edge of the flat earth.
The idea of a flat earth is fascinating and beautiful! Discard thinking stereotypes and do not idealize
scientific knowledge - the world still hides many mysteries that scientists have not solved! In all ages they believed
that science has reached perfection and now they think so! In a hundred years they will laugh at them too...))
We are ours, we will build a new world! I'm signing up for the Flat Earth Society with the World Turtle! 
Everyone wants to live on another Earth that does not have the vices of the modern world - this is the paradise of dreams!
Elephants. The most in many ways. And they are the only ones left of many similar species. What do we know about them?
Elephants are the largest and strongest living land mammals. Now there are 2 species in the elephant order - African and Indian, but quite recently, by biological standards, there were more of them. Mammoths became extinct during the Ice Age, and American mastodons most likely died out just before the first people came to America. The skeleton of elephants is massive, weighing about 15% of the total mass of the elephant. The skin is covered with sparse hair, but baby elephants are born more shaggy.
The family belongs to the order Proboscis. The boneless, muscular trunk of elephants is a fused and greatly elongated upper lip and nose. It ends, depending on the type of animal, with one or two protrusions, which, while simultaneously sucking air through the nostrils, can be used as fingers for grasping small objects. With their trunks, elephants send food and water into their mouths, cover themselves with dust, pour themselves, trumpet and make many other sounds. This sensitive organ, vital for them, turns in all directions, capturing the finest odors, and when there is a threat of damage, it curls tightly. The trunk has great strength, as it consists of very developed muscles. An elephant can lift a ton with one trunk.
The elephant is considered an intelligent animal, but its brain, although large in absolute size, is disproportionately small in comparison with its enormous body mass. The short, thick, muscular neck is necessary to support the huge tusked head, but allows only limited movement. Small eyes are surrounded by long thick eyelashes. Large fan-shaped ears, like fans, constantly move hot tropical air. The legs are like vertical columns, the toes point downwards, so that the heels are raised off the ground and the body weight rests mainly on the thick pad behind the toes. The short tail ends in a stiff brush, and the skin - often 2.5 cm thick - is covered with sparse, coarse hair.
The huge tusks of the elephant represent the second pair of upper incisors that have grown to incredible sizes, with a significant part of each tooth deeply embedded in the bone tissue of the skull. Small milk tusks of a young animal are replaced by permanent ones, which continue to grow throughout life. The molar tooth is formed as if by a stack of transverse vertical plates, each of which is equipped with its own roots with pulp, and together they are united with cement into a large enamel-dentin block approximately 30 cm long and weighing 3.6-4.1 kg. An elephant has a total of 24 molars, but of these, only one is functioning at any given moment on each side of the upper and lower jaws. Having worn out, it falls out, and another, larger one slides out from behind in its place. The last, and largest, molar takes its place when the animal is approx. 40 years, and serves another 20 years, until the death of the owner. Under favorable conditions, elephants live more than 60 years.
Elephants spend most of their lives on the move. They walk slowly, eating bark and foliage from trees, and spend the night near water bodies if possible. One should not think that the elephant is a very clumsy animal; it is capable of moving across the plain with amazing ease. Moreover, even the swamp is not an obstacle to it - their limbs are designed in such a way that they are not sucked in. They also overcome burning steppes and snow without hesitation. Despite its massive build and amazing strength, the elephant's movements are surprisingly smooth and graceful. With a normal rhythmic step he walks at a speed of 6.4 km/h, and at a distance of approx. 50 m can accelerate to 40 km/h. However, the elephant is not capable of galloping and jumping. The ditch, too wide to cross, becomes an insurmountable obstacle for him. Elephants swim well, but, of course, they cannot dive. They can swim slowly all day long, without stopping, maintaining a speed of approximately 1.6 km/h in the water for almost 6 hours.
Elephants live in herds - from 15 to 30 female elephants and small elephant calves (on average, a female elephant gives birth to one baby elephant 4-5 times in her entire life), several young elephants and one adult leader. In Africa you can find herds of several hundred elephants. In such a herd, everyone is relative. It is very rare to see several female elephants or a couple of elephants without their herd. Such loners are quite dangerous, as they are much more aggressive and bolder than their counterparts living in herds. Elephants live, like humans, on average 50-70 years. An animal rarely dies of old age. In nature, they can be attacked by various predators - lions, hyenas, wild dogs...
Between the eye and ear of the elephant there is a slit-shaped temporal gland, the purpose of which is not precisely established. When it is activated, the animal's forehead swells and a dark oily liquid flows out of the gap; this indicates a state of extreme arousal (in India it is called "must"), apparently of a sexual nature. As a rule, “must” is observed in males, but is generally characteristic of animals of both sexes. It first appears in young elephants around 21 years of age and disappears completely by age 50. During must, elephants become very aggressive and begin to “hunt” for females. Often, only 50% of elephants in a population reach musth age. The duration of must ranges from 1 day to 4 months. Elephants kept in captivity are freed from all types of work during this time.
Females begin to mate only after reaching 18 years of age, and males only when they acquire mass and strength sufficient to compete for females. During the mating season, the male and female spend several weeks together in the forest away from the herd. A female wild Indian elephant, after a pregnancy lasting from 18 to 22 months, usually gives birth to a calf weighing 64-97 kg in the spring. If the mother is disturbed, she carries it with her trunk to a safe place, and during the first weeks of the calf's life, several members of the herd protect it from predators day and night. Until almost the age of five, the elephant calf sucks milk with its mouth from the mother’s nipples, located between her front legs, and then begins to feed with the help of her trunk. Typically, a female elephant gives birth to one baby at a time; in total, she brings 5-12 babies during her life, but she is often followed by 2 baby elephants of different ages, since she can give birth once every three years.
The African elephant is much larger than the Indian elephant. It was once widespread across much of sub-Saharan Africa, from lowland savannas to altitudes of 3000 m; it is still common in some inaccessible areas of the continent and nature reserves. The species in question is divided into three subspecies: South African, which is considered typical, East African and Sudanese. They are found in the steppes of Africa, from north to south. They are also found in Egypt, but are not found in the very south of the mainland. In appearance, this animal is easy to distinguish from the Asian elephant. The height at the withers of a female is on average 2.1 m, an adult male is 3-3.9 m. Huge ears, 1.1 m wide, together with the head, reach a span of more than 3 m. The trunk, up to 2.4 m long, bears two outgrowths at the end . The hind legs have 3 toes with peculiar nails, the front legs have 4. Both females and males are armed with well-developed tusks. In the former they are thinner, up to 1.8 m long, while in the latter they reach three meters in length and weigh up to 103 kg each.
Normal skin coloring is dark gray, but African elephants often cover themselves with dry soil, so they sometimes appear brick red. Like their Asian relatives, the animals usually roam in herds of up to about 50 individuals, but temporary aggregations of more than a hundred elephants have been observed. Both male and female African elephants have tusks, although they are of different sizes. An adult elephant grows up to 4 meters and weighs about 7 tons. Elephants are thick-skinned animals, in the truest sense of the word - in some places the thickness of their skin can reach 3.5-4 centimeters. However, this does not prevent her from remaining extremely sensitive, sensing the presence of even the smallest insects. To protect themselves from their stinging bites or to cool off, elephants douse themselves with water or roll in the mud or dust.
Indian elephants are smaller - up to 3 meters, and weigh up to 5 tons. The ears are relatively small. There are three subspecies: the Bengal, the relatively small Ceylon and the Sumatran, an even smaller animal, relatively slender and tuskless. The Indian elephant has smaller ears and tusks than the African elephant, a convex forehead, and only one “finger” at the end of the trunk. Male tusks reach a length of 2.4 m, but are never longer than 3 m; the record weight of one tusk is 72 kg. In females, the tusks are usually invisible, rarely protruding from the mouth. On average, an adult elephant weighs 3.5 tons with a height at the withers of 2.7 m, but the mass of especially large males reaches 6 tons with a height of 3 m.
Indian elephants are much more peaceful than African ones, so people often turn them into their helpers. Most often, elephants are used in logging, where they not only carry heavy trunks of cut trees, but also perform complex work, laying sawn boards in a certain order, loading and unloading barges, and pulling logs out of the water.
Like humans, elephants can be right- or left-handed, making the most of their right or left tusk. Each elephant has its own individual shape of the tusk, its size and angle of inclination, which makes it much easier for researchers to “recognize” individual individuals. The main use of the Indian elephant is skidding logs, especially teak tree trunks, from mountain slopes inaccessible to mechanical means of transport. The animal easily drags logs weighing 2 tons, and, if necessary, four tons. Usually the elephants work together, pulling huge logs down the slope without the urging of the mahout.
Elephants do not reproduce well in captivity, so to use them as labor, young wild animals aged 15-20 years are captured and trained. However, if an elephant is over 18 years old, resisting trappers, it receives serious injuries, and it will never be able to achieve the same obedience as from individuals that were caught at a younger age.
Wild elephants are caught in different ways. Individuals are surrounded by a group of tame elephants with drivers and driven day and night until the animal allows ropes and chains to be thrown over itself. A group of elephants is surrounded by locals with torches, sticks and beaters and forced into a round enclosure made of bamboo. In Karnataka, they use “elephant pits” of precisely calculated size so that animals that fall into them do not injure themselves while trying to escape. In Nepal, Bengal and Sri Lanka, wild elephants are sometimes captured using a lasso attached to a tame animal.
Each young elephant is assigned a boy trainer, and they remain together for life. The boy bathes his charge every day, polishes his tusks with sand and teaches the animal useful skills. After a day's work, the elephant goes into the forest and feeds there most of the night. In the morning, the trainer finds his sleeping pupil and carefully wakes him up, because a sharp wake-up can put the elephant in a bad mood for the whole day. Training begins at about 14 years of age; by the age of 19, the animal is ready for light work, but it is attracted to heavy work only after 25 years. An elephant is unprofitable as a beast of burden, since the average load it can carry does not exceed 270 kg; however, they claim that the Japanese transported 4 tons of ammunition on each animal during World War II. The cabin, blanket and harness carried by a ceremoniously decorated elephant often weigh half a ton.
According to African legends, all elephants in a herd come to die in one specific place, but such cemeteries have never been found. However, in Angola at the beginning of the 18th century. Huge piles of elephant tusks were discovered, often containing more than four tons of ivory, topped with wooden idols and human skulls.
Elephants have very expressive body language. An important signal is the spread out huge ears:
"I'm angry!" You must immediately run away, because an angry elephant tramples the enemy, grabs him with his trunk and throws him. And when an animal is frightened by something, it makes a sound very reminiscent of a squeal. A frightened elephant is also unsafe. He can run in panic, destroying everything in his path.
Fear and horror, panic and trumpet roaring - this is how the sudden rage that sometimes happens to elephants manifests itself. And then the elephant is obsessed with the thirst for destruction and murder. He destroys everything in his path - breaks houses, fences, pulls out trees, kills animals and people who come across him. Some went on a rampage for years, and then people were forced to leave their settlements. Mad elephants are found in India and Ceylon, much less often in Africa. There are several versions of this behavior: a virus, intoxication from certain berries, or rage after an insect or snake bite. But it is still not completely known what the real reason is.
Handsome - this is how an elephant appears to many. But the elephant is one of the ten most dangerous animals on our planet. You shouldn’t think at all that this is only a kind and harmless animal. Elephants are one of the four most intelligent animals, which also includes monkeys, dogs and dolphins. Elephants have excellent memory. The elephant remembers the person who treated him badly all his life. When meeting, he may even try to take revenge. He remembers places where he felt bad and tries not to appear there again. Usually in the wild, elephants themselves try not to get involved with humans and avoid them. But you shouldn’t get too close to the elephant; it’s better not to provoke it and be as careful as possible. Still, this is not a domestic animal, but a wild animal, unpredictable and dangerous.
And finally, a little poetry:
The elephant is the giant in the world.
It weighs several tons.
Even elephant ears
Words are not enough to describe:
They wave their fans,
There are no equals on Earth! * * *
An elephant's nose is a trunk.
There is a reason to talk about it:
This trunk is like a hand
He takes everything from above.
From an inaccessible height
Elephant and leaves and fruits
They are plucked from distant branches
For yourself and your little children.
Can he take a coin?
Pick it up from the floor with your trunk,
Maybe he can carry logs for them,
His strength is enormous.
An elephant drinks water with its trunk
And it pours on your back.
He also blows his trunk,
And he talks to others. * * *
The elephant at work is mighty, diligent,
But at the same time very gentle.
And of course every elephant
Exceptionally smart!
Asian elephant tamed
Trained to be a helper.
And during all the work
He won't let people down.
The elephant is always hardworking
The elephant is a patient worker,
From the Indian jungles
He is revered by the people. * * *
In Africa there is a wild elephant.
How strong an Indian brother is.
Even the lions are afraid of him
Can they compare with him?!
After all, in the shroud he is the King.
The first plays a role.
Yes, and more tusks than his
No one else has it.
These elephant tusks -
- Kind of special two teeth.
Year after year, in the heat and rain
The elephant grows, and with it the tusks.
And the longer those tusks are,
The older the elephant becomes, the stronger it gets.
There are no better tusks in defense:
"Hey, enemies, don't come closer!" * * *
Elephant loves to swim in water
And sprinkle yourself with sand.
Likes to be friends with someone
And wander around in company.
He is family friendly
And courteous with elders,
Polite with his elephant brothers
And friendly with kids.
Since ancient times
A friendly herd of elephants.
The elephant is kind and brave in nature.
He is resourceful and skillful.
Well, what if you suddenly need
Will protect you like a true friend! * * *
From the distant southern countries giants -
- On Earth, elephants are talents.
After all, they are smart, wise
And so sincerely kind!
If the elephant is angry,
He is rarely guilty of this:
There is no need to offend him
Only good is his consolation.
The elephant is not "thick-skinned" at all
He looks like us people!
Elena Goreva
The elephant is a unique animal. Its difference from other mammals is so great that scientists have assigned it to a separate order - proboscis, which contains only 2 species.
The main thing you immediately notice is the huge size of the elephant. This is the largest living animal on Earth.
Now only two species of elephants remain in nature: African and Indian.
Many people wonder: how much does an elephant weigh?
The height of the Indian elephant from the ground to the withers is approximately 2-2.5 meters, and the weight ranges from 3 to 5 tons.
The African elephant is much larger than its relative. It weighs 6-7 tons, and its height reaches 4 meters. There are also larger African elephants - real giants, with a body weight of 10-11 tons.
Description
Elephants have a very massive body, a fairly large head, and thick and powerful legs. The ears reach an impressive size, but the eyes, on the contrary, are small.
Ears help animals in hot weather. Fanning themselves with them achieves a cooling effect.
Elephants have excellent hearing, but their vision over long distances is not very good.
Elephants have no hair; the body of the animal is covered with gray or brown skin, up to 2.5 cm thick, with deep wrinkles. Baby elephants are born with sparse bristles, while adults have none at all.
Another difference between an elephant is its inability to jump. It's all about the leg, which has 2 kneecaps. Despite their enormous weight, elephants move almost silently.
The reason for this is the fat pad located in the center of the foot, which springs back with each step of the animal.
And finally, the elephant's trunk. This organ is formed by the fusion of the nose and upper lip, and consists of tendons and many muscles that make it both very strong and flexible. It reaches a length of up to 1.5 meters and weighs approximately 150 kg.
The trunk performs several important functions at once. With its help, elephants eat food, pour water on themselves and communicate with each other, and also raise their cubs!
There are tusks on both sides of the trunk. They continue to grow throughout their lives, so it is not difficult to determine the age of the animal by looking at the tusks.
The larger and more powerful the tusks, the older the elephant. The average lifespan of an elephant is about 70 years.
Elephants are excellent swimmers who love water activities. They also run quite quickly over short distances. Running speed can reach 45-50 kilometers per hour.
With its tail, the tip of which is framed by coarse hair, the animal drives away annoying insects.
According to its size, the elephant drinks and eats a lot, eating up to 300 kg of vegetation per day and drinking from 100 to 300 liters of water. Elephants eat food for about 2/3 of their lives.
Their diet is quite large: leaves and bark of trees, grass, a variety of fruits and vegetables, corn, sweet potatoes and other agricultural land.
Elephants also love bread, bran, oats and boiled potatoes.
Elephant breeding
Elephants are very friendly animals. They usually form a family, which includes the main female, as well as her daughters, sisters and males who have not yet reached sexual maturity.
It must be said that elephants in the family have real family relationships. They always help and take care of each other.
Typically, female elephants reach puberty by the age of 12, and by the age of 15-16 they are quite ready to bear offspring. Males leave the family at the age of 15-20 years and lead a solitary lifestyle, but for the rest of their lives they maintain contact with their relatives, sometimes visiting them.
Animal reproduction occurs at any time of the year. When the female is ready to mate, the male senses it and approaches the herd.
In normal times, male elephants are quite friendly to each other. But during the mating period, they arrange fights, and only the winner is allowed to the female.
Pregnancy in female elephants lasts a very long time - from 20 to 22 months. Childbirth takes place surrounded by family. The females of the herd help the woman in labor, surrounding and protecting her from any danger.
Most often, one baby elephant is born, rarely twins. The cub stands on its legs 2-3 hours after birth and feeds on its mother’s milk.
After a few days, the baby travels everywhere with the herd, grabbing his mother by the tail. It should be noted that all lactating females take part in feeding the baby.
Elephants are fed milk until they are one and a half to two years old. After six months, plant foods are added to the milk.
Like humans, elephants are right-handed and left-handed, depending on which of their tusks is used more than the other.
Elephants do not sweat because they do not have sebaceous glands. However, they are able to lower body temperature by dousing them with water and fanning their ears.
Elephants are easy to train and train. In ancient times they were often used in battles and as labor.
Adult elephants have practically no enemies among animals. But cubs should be wary of lions and crocodiles. However, adult elephants always care for and protect their offspring.
The only and biggest enemies are poachers, whose fishing has led to a sharp decrease in the population of these animals.
Elephants are patient even with the mistreatment of their owners. However, prolonged stress often leads to a nervous breakdown. Then the animal literally goes berserk and begins to destroy everything in its vicinity.
Elephants occupy one of the first places among the most intelligent animals on our planet. They have an excellent memory, remember the insults and troubles that a person caused them, as well as the places of significant events.
Elephants have strategic thinking. In Thailand, a whole “gang” of elephants has appeared, lying in wait for trucks passing through a national park, and stealing fruit from them. Hobbyists even managed to get photos of elephants stealing fruit from a truck.
Scientists conducted a study and found that elephants sleep the least of all mammals. According to biologists studying this topic, two hours of sleep a day is enough for elephants to maintain normal life. Despite this, the animals do not suffer from lack of sleep or fatigue.
Photos of elephants
Hello, dear readers of the Sprint-Response website. Today we will look at another crossword puzzle in the popular newspaper “Arguments and Facts”. In this article you can find out the answers to crossword puzzle No. 36 in AiF for 2017. Answers to the crossword puzzle will be given at the end of the article in a compact form; they are printed as the crossword puzzle is solved. In the meantime, the questions of crossword puzzle No. 36 will be published in the AiF newspaper for 2017, after which you can read the answers to them.
Horizontal:
1. What, most likely unfoundedly, is Lucrezia Borgia accused of?
7. What object is considered the sacred “double of the world”?
8. Who invited Freken Bock to dance?
9. Which royal vessel is reproduced in a bottle of cognac named after Louis XIII?
10. “Election of a beauty queen.”
11. Performance based on the libretto.
12. Messenger of fire.
14. What kind of life “does not know adversity”?
15. Hebrew-sounding language.
17. “To travel... around the world, you don’t need a visa.”
21. Who can be jinxed by “a couple of trifles”?
27. Lack of mediocrity.
28. What style of hat was especially popular among Italian mafiosi in the 50s and 60s?
29. “Siberian Athens”.
30. Role profile.
32. Quote “with wings.”
34. Grains on sandpaper.
35. Which poet was considered “wiser than all the Hellenes combined”?
38. Which Louise became the queen of “American flappers”?
41. Country of the Vikings.
42. Who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in the hospital?
44. “The fuss of mice gives rise to...”
45. Which goddess returns from the hunt in Peter Rubens’s painting?
46. “Regular nutrition.”
47. Major Jovanka Budisavljevic was legally married to the marshal in 1952. The groom was almost 60 years old! Who is he?
48. "Sanitary idol."
49. Elephant to support the disc of the Discworld.
50. Clean receipt.
51. A duplicate created by geneticists.
52. A classic of world literature in the countrymen of Franz Kafka.
Vertical:
1. What, besides catching butterflies, fascinated Vladimir Nabokov most?
2. Negotiations about marriage.
3. Cardiologists have this joke: “If it helps you..., then your heart doesn’t hurt.”
4. Carrier of hereditary information.
5. The murder weapon of old man Jud and his mother from the novel “Pet Sematary” by Stephen King.
6. Clan of the richest.
7. Which vigilante brought millions of dollars to Antonio Banderas?
13. Who completely killed common sense in himself?
16. State, but not a monopoly.
18. Who gets blamed for calories?
19. “Molecule” of moisture.
20. “Herbal compote.”
22. Why did the world sex symbol Rudolph Valentino once end up in custody?
23. “Ball of Mysteries.”
24. “Festival” of scientific reports.
25. Device for duplicating documents.
26. Salty splashes of internal elements.
31. Who takes forty-nine documents to make the fiftieth from them?
33. Respect “in the times of ona.”
36. Filled pasta.
37. Russian language test.
39. How did Leonardo da Vinci make entries in the Codex Leicester?
40. In what style was the House of Usher from Edgar Allan Poe’s story built?
43. Hollywood actress who took her name from the novel The Great Gatsby.
48. Which world sex symbol was forced by his parents to play the guitar, trumpet, piano and even double bass as a child?
Answers to crossword puzzle “AiF” No. 36 for 2017
Horizontal: 1. Adultery 7. Mirror 8. Carlson 9. Flask 10. Competition 11. Opera 12. Spark 14. Idyll 15. Hebrew 17. People 21. Witch 27. Talent 28. Borsalino 29. Tomsk 30. Role 32. Aphorism 34. Emery 35. Homer 38. Brooks 41. Denmark 42. Landau 44. Gray 45. Diana 46. Diet 47. Tito 48. Hygiene 49. Beryllium 50. Blank 51. Clone 52. Hasek.
Vertical: 1. Writing 2. Matchmaking 3. Valocordin 4. Gene 5. Scalpel 6. Oligarchy 7. Zorro 13. Idiot 16. Secret 18. Parasite 19. Drop 20. Decoction 22. Bigamy 23. Masquerade 24. Conference 25. Xerox 26. Tears 31. Analyst 33. Reverence 36. Ravioli 37. Dictation 39. Sepia 40. Gothic 43. Weaver 48. Gere.
One hot winter day we decided to go to an unusual elephant nursery. We will talk about the Hutsadin Elefant Foundation.
The purpose of this Foundation is to care for elephants and it is here that they try to give them every opportunity so that old or unhealthy elephants can live a full and free life. To achieve this goal, the foundation attracts donations from companies and the general public. In exchange, they provide the opportunity to ride, wash, walk and feed the elephants for a small donation. The foundation is located in a forest near Hua Hin, and employees there provide an ideal habitat for the elephants. When we read about all this on the foundation’s website, we thought - why not come?
3
IMG 9761
The Elephant Orphanage Foundation was started by three local businessmen to rescue elephants who had been abandoned by their owners due to illness, old age or simply because they could no longer work. The foundation is a non-profit organization and receives funds directly for the benefit of elephants.
To date, the fund employs 15 team members. Each of them is assigned one elephant and the mahout is responsible for its welfare.
The remaining staff are responsible for the day-to-day running of the foundation.
There is also a small group of volunteers who help care for the elephants, assist with administering medications under the supervision of a professional veterinarian, and ensure that the elephants' general health is maintained at a high level.
In addition, volunteers and donors do behind-the-scenes work that is not usually visible, but is vital to making sure as many people as possible know about the foundation. I'm talking about things like fundraising, brochures, facebook, TripAdvisor and maintaining the foundation website.
Any volunteer can do this by contacting the fund. I hope that my review is also volunteer work), because there is almost no information in Russian!)
1
Do you want me to tell you about elephants?
There are African and Asian elephants. Asian elephants are divided into Indian, Sri Lankan, Sumatran and Borneo elephants.
The elephant is generally the largest animal on earth, but the Asian elephant is slightly smaller than its African cousin. Asian elephants can be identified by their small, round ears, while the African elephant's ears resemble the shape of the African continent.
Do you know why an elephant has such big ears?
The huge mass of muscles and internal organs generates a lot of heat, and elephants do not sweat and cannot breathe frequently with their tongues hanging out, as dogs do. But there are big ears. They are permeated with blood vessels, and thus radiate heat, that is, they prevent the elephant from overheating. If it’s really hot, the elephant flaps its ears, thereby increasing heat exchange.
1
Why does an elephant need a trunk?
An elephant's trunk is actually a long nose with many functions. It is used for smelling, breathing, the elephant trumpets with its nose, drinks, and also grabs things and food. The trunk alone contains about 100,000 different muscles!!!
Asian elephants have a finger-like process at the tip of their trunk nose, which they can use to grasp small objects. African elephants have two of these.
Elephants use their tusks to dig up roots from the ground, dig holes to find water, strip strips of bark from trees, and even to fight each other. Unfortunately, for many elephants, their tusks are the cause of their troubles. Still, they remember about the ivory trade... A huge population of elephants was exterminated precisely for the sake of tusks. This trade is illegal today, but it has not yet been completely eliminated.
IMG 9698
Lifestyle.
Elephants eat roots, herbs, fruits and tree bark, and it is clear that to maintain such body weight they have to eat a lot: 130-150 kilograms of food in one day. Due to the fact that they are almost always in search of food, in the wild they roam long distances and sleep very little.
Elephants live in family groups, constantly in contact with other families, and during the period of migration they can unite into large herds of up to 1000 animals. Matriarchy reigns in elephant communities. The family group is headed by an experienced adult female.
Elephants have the longest gestation period of any other mammal, almost 22 months. By the way, all this time the male is nearby and does not enter into contact with other females. A female elephant usually gives birth to one baby every two to four years. At birth, baby elephants already weigh about 90-100 kg, and the height of such a toddler is about 1 meter. The calf is born and stands on its legs within 20-30 minutes to find the udder. Mothers feed their calves milk for 2-3 years, but the process is very difficult for them. She feeds while standing! So, to feed her offspring, the elephant stops over a small hillock, stone or small termite mound. The baby elephant uses this elevation as a stepladder, climbs up and sucks milk. Young and inexperienced mothers do not do this, and hungry babies whine pitifully. A baby's cry does not go unnoticed. Adult females immediately intervene, helping the mother calm the baby or taking it away and adopting it. In any family group there will definitely be a “milk” elephant, and the newborn is not in danger of starvation.
Until they are one year old, elephant calves do not use their trunks, but drink directly with their mouths. By the way, mothers take care of their offspring 10-1
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5 years! Then the “girls” continue to live in their mother’s herd, take care of their younger brothers and sisters, “get married” themselves, and give birth to children. But for the “boys” the fate is more complicated. Grown-up males are not allowed into family groups. The “ladies” begin to pursue a “boy” who has reached the age of 14-15. Gradually, when all the adult members of the herd turn against him, the teenager is forced to leave his family. Sometimes he follows his mother's herd for several years, but keeps a respectful distance from it in order to avoid attacks from his relatives. Having matured, he wanders alone. In his mature years, his situation changes. The young giant reaches such size and strength that the fair half no longer dares to attack him.
When the time comes for love, young male grooms challenge each other to combat mating tournaments. The contenders for the “hand and heart” of the beautiful elephant stand opposite each other at a distance of 5-10 meters, raise their heads, stretch out their ears, and quickly begin to converge. Just before the collision, the rivals' trunks intertwine. If neither opponent manages to push the other back, they disperse.
Elephants also have a unique speech. If he is calm, he grumbles quietly, muffledly. If he is alarmed, he makes deep chest sounds, and when he is scared, he trumpets sharply and abruptly. His voice can be sad, melancholy, and sometimes it can be cheerful and joyful.
But it was all about elephants in the wild. Now things are a little different. Asian elephants were domesticated approximately a thousand years ago. Powerful beasts began to be tamed to move heavy objects, such as cut trees, carry people on their backs, and even wage war. Despite the fact that in Thailand the elephant is a sacred animal (this is due to the fact that Buddha’s mother, on the eve of pregnancy, saw in a dream a white elephant with a lotus in its trunk - this foreshadowed the birth of a great man), now the number of elephants in Thailand is noticeably decreasing, first of all due to poaching and environmental changes. The country's authorities are actively fighting to preserve the elephant population and are trying to transfer them under human care. National parks, reserves, nurseries, elephant villages and even special hospitals - all this is created in order to protect animals and increase their offspring
There is even a special holiday - Elephant Day, celebrated in November. Animals take part in processions and parades, theatrical performances and simulated battles. The elephants are bathed, painted with colorful patterns and given real buffets of fruit treats.
Elephant symbolism can be seen everywhere in Thailand, from souvenirs, logos and labels, to sculptures and artwork decorating homes and temples. Speaking of temples! Right before the entrance to the nursery there is a very beautiful Buddhist temple, about which, unfortunately, I did not find any information at all.
But it’s surprising that everyone driving along the highway honked their horns near the temple—we didn’t understand the reason. Like all Thai temples, this one is richly decorated with dragons. I already talked about the dragon symbol, I won’t repeat it.
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There are a great many temples in Thailand. Almost all of them were built with donations from the laity, so every village, even a very small one, has a temple. The temples are entire complexes: a pavilion with a statue of Buddha, where locals come to pay tribute to the teacher, as well as monastic cells where temple servants live, and there is also a crematorium, since cremation is common in Thailand.
Residents of Thailand do not go to temples to repent to Buddha, ask for his protection or deliverance from illnesses. To whom they repent, God does not exist, and Buddha is an ordinary person, just like them, and cannot bestow earthly or spiritual blessings. All this is only in our hands.
