Elephant

Enormous gentle beast Equals man's compassion. Each has powerful strength, Ears that have massive size. Elongated nose helps Enrich all its senses. Earth's largest animal. 9-18-16 Pleiades E Poetry Contest Sponsor Kim Merryman Note: Compassion and Altruism: Compassion is not reserved for offspring alone in elephant society. Elephants appear to make allowances for other members of their herd. Observers noted that one African herd always traveled slowly because one of its members had never recovered from a broken leg. And in another case, a park warden reported a herd that traveled slowly because one female was carrying around a dead calf. One perplexing report was of an adult elephant making repeated attempt to help a baby rhinoceros stuck in the mud. She continued to try to save the baby rhino despite the fact that its mother charged her each time. Risking her life for the sake of an animal that is not her own, not related to her, or even her own species is remarkably altruistic in nature. While there is a great deal more to learn about what elephants feel, such accounts are astonishing. They reveal a creature that is compassionate, weeps, revels, rages and grieves. They lead us to believe that the depth of elephant emotional capacity knows no limit. They are striking for they suggest that elephants act on feelings and not solely for survival. They are highly intelligent creatures. They are the largest land animal.