I received this through the email.
Lawrence Anthony, a legend in South African and author of 3 books including the bestseller, The Elephant Whisperer, bravely rescued wildlife and rehabilitated elephants all over the globe from human atrocities, including the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals during the US invasion in 2003.
On Marh 7, 2012, Lawrence Anthony died.
He is remembered and missed by his wife, 2 sons, 2 grandsons & numerous elephants.
Two days after his passing, the wild elephants showed up at his home led by two large matriarchs. Separate wild herds arrived in droves to say goodbye to their beloved man-friend.
A total of 20 elephants had patiently walked over 12 miles to get to his South African house.
Witnessing this spectacle, humans were obviously in awe not only because of the supreme intelligence and precise timing that these elephants sensed about Lawrence’s passing, but also because of the profound memory and emotion the beloved animals evoked in such an organized way:
Walking slowly – for days – making their way in a solemn one-by-one queue from their habitat to his house.
Lawrence’s wife, Francoise, was especially touched, knowing that the elephants had not been to his house prior to that day for well over a year!
But yet they knew where they were going.
The elephants obviously wanted to pay their deep respects, honoring their friend who’d saved their lives – so much respect that they stayed for 2 days 2 nights.Then one morning, they left, making their long journey back home.
This earth can be such a beautiful place if only humans, the so-called more “superior” being, take the lead in practising kindness to animals. Animals will reciprocate because kindness is a universal language that every being can understand as it is felt in the heart and need not be verbalised.
May Mr Lawrence Anthony be in a better place now, sowing seeds of kindness as he had while he was on earth.
May the elephants be safe, well and happy.
by
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5 responses to “And the elephants came to say goodbye and thank you (the demise of the Elephant Whisperer)”
Thanks for sharing, you never know when the blessings are coming.
So touching.
So touching…and yes, how I wish humans would be more compassion and respectful to animals and plants.
Presently I am dealing with many unpleasant situations with many so called ‘superio beings’ that some thinks they are better than GOD. I am more and more disenchanted with us human beings.
Our world is more interested in using technologies to solve problems. They misunderstood what technologies is about. They tried to replace human feelings with technologies. As the market flooded with more and more fancy-advanced-tools, human beings give away more and more compassions for our own beings. Let alone animals. If they no longer look at their fellow human beings as a living things with feelings, how can we expect them to understand animals is nothing but ALSO a LIVING THINGS WITH FEELINGS?
Wealth and technologies slowly destroyed human senses. With wealth came greed, selfishness. With technologies we no longer able to feel because constantly we are dealing with things that are ‘cold and without feelings’. Think of your keyboard, even the people/audience I am writing to now, they are ‘un-real’ because for all I know they can be a ROBOT, I do not know whom they are, how they look like, they do not project the warm that I get standing infront of me as a REAL PERSON would … I could go on, … therefore, how could we expect we understand warm and feelings?
The world is going to get colder and colder IF we think we can do everything with just the screen and keyboard … and we do not take time to touch anothe person or look into their eyes to read their feelings. And the animals – SIGNssssssssssss. Sometime it gives me sleepless nights when I think of IF I DIE, there will be one less person to help these ‘lives’.
Some people think I love animals therefore I rescued so many cats since 1984. And I always give this answer: These are living things. They are NOT animals. When we use the word ANIMALS — they become a different kind of beings. I think.
OFF soapbox.
Indeed I am deeply touched and moved by the elephants’ virtuous gratitude and act of filial piety in paying respect to their savior.
Reading this post got me all teary.
I’ve read books on animal intelligence and there’re many documented stories on how animal are extremely intelligent, intuitive and have feelings like us, humans.
This story proves that elephants have honoured Lawrence Anthony’s good deeds and compassionate self to animals by traveling to his home after his passing to pay homage and last respect to him.
Animals never forget once we do good deeds to them. Let’s always remember we are caretaker of mother earth’s living beings -animal kingdom and plant kingdom alike.