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Taken in the Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa during our trip there in February 2015. There is something truly beautiful about seeing these huge creatures roam through the bushes appearing and disappearing like magic.
On the way out of the Minneriya park, we encounter yet another herd of wild elephants. Some of the animals surprisingly appeared to be frightened of the now accelerating vehicles (no need to stop on the way out!), and were seem jumping aside like cattle. Not good safari driver behaviour though. (Minneriya, Sri Lanka, June 2011).
A close view of one of the elephant watching over the herd. As the herd moves on, this lady eyes us with some suspicion. (Minneriya, Sri Lanka, June 2011).
The African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the larger of the two species of African elephant. Both it and the African Forest Elephant have usually been classified as a single species, known simply as the African Elephant. Some authorities still consider the currently available evidence insufficient for splitting the African Elephant into two species. It is also known as the Bush Elephant or Savanna Elephant.
The African Elephant is the largest living terrestrial animal, normally reaching 6 to 7.3 metres (19.7 to 24.0 ft) in length and 3 to 3.5 metres (9.8 to 11.5 ft) in height at the head, and weighing between 6,000 to 9,000 kg (13,000 to 20,000 lb).
The largest on record, shot in Angola in 1965, was a bull weighing 12,274 kg (27,060 lb) and standing 4.2 metres (13.8 ft) high, the body of which is now mounted in the rotunda of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.. (The museum's website states that the specimen weighs only 8 tons[4].) The Bush Elephant normally moves at a rate of 6 km/h (4 mph), but it can reach a top speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) when scared or upset.
The animal is characterized by its large head; two large ears that cover its shoulders and radiate excess heat; a large and muscular trunk; two prominent tusks, which are well-developed in both sexes, although more commonly in males; a short neck; a large, barrel-like body; four long and heavy legs; and a relatively short tail.
The animal is protected by a heavy but flexible layer of gray-brown skin, dotted with mostly undeveloped patches of hair and long, black hair at the tip of its tail. Its back feet have three toes that form a hoof, while the number of toes on the front feet have varied between four and five. The forehead is smoother and less convex than that of the Asian Elephant.
The trunk is the most characteristic feature of the African Bush Elephant. It is formed by the fusion and elongation of the nose and upper lip, forming a flexible and strong organ made purely of muscle.
Little scientific research has been carried out into elephants' cognitive or perceptual abilities. An exception is a recent report that African Bush Elephants are able to use seismic vibrations at infrasound frequencies for communication
Wild Animal Park Escondido Ca.
Ravi the Elephant King is a very special handcrafted 16" Tansy Doll made from the finest clean carded wool and imported cotton.
He has warm brown skin, warm blushed cheeks, and teal blue hair made from the finest all-natural mohair and wool yarn, crocheted into a secure cap.
He has a sparkle in his black eyes.
The Elephant King is a special edition Tansy Doll from our "From Fables" series. You can read about his story on our blog:
He comes with an extra special package of goodies!
He is wearing an adorable elephant costume, crocheted in grey with 100% wool felt added in the details. His outfit has a hood with big, beautiful ears and there are sweet blue elephant buttons on his chest. He comes with cute little undies, a tie-on elephant trunk and removable gold crown.
Ravi also comes ready to play with his friends, the Mouse King and his villagers.
They are needle-felted with love, and fit in the palm of your hand.
The Elephant King retails in our Doll Shoppe for $200 and will be available for purchase this Thursday, March 21st at noon (pst)
Elephants were brought to Leamington by Sam Lockhurst, a world famous elephant trainer who was born in Leamington in 1850. The son of a circus clown, Sam first trained as an acrobat before going to Ceylon where he was captivated by seeing elephants perform. He brought three elephants back to Leamington and trained them as a circus act with which he travelled the world.
More here
The Asian Elephants are done warming up and now move out into the open areas of the paddock. Female elephants are more easily tamed- males can sometimes be unpredictable and have been know to turn on their keepers with disastrous results. And one needs to be particularly cautious around male elephants when they are in 'musth', meaning in heat, with their testosterone levels at their peak. Both the elephants here appear to be cows. For more notes about Asian Elephants, please see my Sri Lanka- Animals album. (Emirates Park Zoo, Samha, Abu Dhabi, Jan. 2015)
The Elephant Nature Park was created by a thai woman called Lek back in the 90’s after she grew tired of watching the elephants dissapearing.She started out with 4 elephants that she bought from local logging companies, and found a piece of land that the elephants could live on.Check out my travelblog at