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Elephants also can communicate with each other using sounds that are below the audible range to humans. These sounds can travel up to 70 kilometers (about 40 miles). Family members are called together with such communication. When a female is in heat, she emits such a sound. This attracts many males, who begin moving in her direction. The first and strongest male to arrive gets the opportunity to mate with her.
Also, the large ears of elephants are not primarily to keep flies off of them. They act as radiators. The blood is pumped through the ears, and when they move their ears back and forth, the blood is cooled.
I commented to the guide that I was glad that the Land Rover was protecting us. He laughed and said that the vehicle provides NO protection. Each elephant can weigh 6 tons. They can and do crush vehicles like sardine cans. Not feeling very reassured, I asked then why we were safe in the vehicle. He said that the vehicle masked our scent. The elephants cannot smell humans as long as we are in the vehicle; they only smell gasoline and related smells. If we stand and/or exit the vehicle, they would be able to distinguish us, and then extinguish us.
Why would elephants want to extinguish us? They can live for about 70 years. That means that many elephants that I saw, about 200 in all over the 2 weeks, can remember the period of poaching. They lost many of their family members to humans. Knowing elephants as I do now, I feel particularly bad about that. They are like us. They are very smart, they nourish their children, their development cycles are like ours (adolescence, puberty, reproduction, etc). Their digestive systems are like ours. The most touching scene for me was seeing a mother with 2 children greeting her partner. They wrapped trunks around each other and touched foreheads, in a hug or kiss or however you want to interpret that. My heart was touched.
When a baby is born, the whole herd stops for 1 or 2 days and celebrates and supports the new mother. After that, they leave the new mother and the baby in high brush in order to protect the baby, who can move but not very fast.
What is the incentive to poach? > Money. How much money? Well, one tusk can weigh 100 pounds (average 50 pounds). Before the ban on ivory sales, the price for that tusk would be about $10,000. Now, after the ban, the price is closer to $20,000. For families who live on less than $1/day, that is a large incentive.
The government of Kenya made it very clear that poaching would not be tolerated. The law was established, and appropriate notices were distributed. It was clear that there would be no poaching. 7 men apparently did not believe it. They killed an elephant. The incident was seen and reported immediately. A Kenyan Wildlife Service helicopter was called in. The poachers shot at the helicopter. All 7 men were killed on the spot. Poaching stopped in Kenya.
One morning as we set out on our rounds, we came across a fresh wildebeest kill. Within the past hour, a lion had killed and ate it. There was not much left, although its remains were still recognizable. Thanks to the vultures and hyenas, there was absolutely no evidence of the kill the following morning.
Speaking of hyenas, they visited me each night just outside my tent. Their breathing woke me up on several occasions. I was somewhat nervous about this to start. But the guide assured me that the spotted hyenas were not a problem. And in fact, if I moved a muscle, they disappear instantly, and heard their howling a 100’ away. I later found out that if it was a striped hyenas, that they might rip my stomach open. I was glad that no striped hyenas lived in that area.
Each night, I also heard lions roar, elephants trumpet, and a whole menagerie of birds and smaller animals. The guide heard a large porcupine visit me one night. I slept through that.
During the day, a monkey family would regularly visit us. Monkeys are cute, you say. Well, yes, and they are VERY mischievous. They play with everything. The trees, the Land Rover, the camp kitchen, and my tent. They loved sliding down my tent. Cute, you say. Well yes, but on the last day they invited more of their friends to play on my tent. They ripped the mosquito net as they were climbing up it in order to slide down. I was not happy. However, I think that I can repair the tent.
Baboons would be another story. They are very strong. 2 male baboons can kill a lion. If they smelled any food in the tent, they would have just shredded it. Do not keep food in your tent.
With so many wild animals around me, I wondered what the circuses in Africa were like. Are there any circuses in Africa? Yes, there are circuses, but they contain NO wild animals. The highlight is acrobatics (of which a saw a fine demonstration in Nairobi). My guide said that circuses are NOT kind to the animals, that in order to tame or overpower the animals, the circuses initially use whips with needles at the end. It seems that the continent most known for its animals now respects then so much that it does not use them for entertainment. A note here is that no African wild animal can be tamed. Some think that if African warriors had been able to ride into enemy camps on elephants and rhinoceros, that Africa’s position in history may have been much different.
I returned from Kenya with an enhanced respect for Africa; it’s incredible environment, wondrous animals, concerned legislators, committed scientists, and the love of its people. I offer my deepest thanks and respect.