Caution: This is sad. Via BoingBoing, here is an emotionally powerful animation by Hugo Guinness for The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an organization that protects and cares for Africa’s endangered animals, especially elephants and rhinos.
40 thoughts on “They Never Forget, Remember?”
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Okay, now I’m crying. 🙁
Two suggestions, NTMTOM — one, put this in the “That’s Not Cute” category because, honestly, it’s beautiful but it’s not cute. And two, call it an animation instead of a cartoon. Cartoon implies funny, and this one is anything but. 🙁
Good suggestions, thanks.
Prepare yourself. It’s wrenching. And important.
Gosh. That was well done and incredibly touching but I need a hug now, and a blankie.
I wonder if the wildlife trust really gives the bebeh trunksters those little coats with the bows on top when they are in the bebeh trunkster shelter place.
I’ve been looking through their website’s photo gallery and for the most part the elephants aren’t wearing anything, but there was this shot:
I’ve seen some documentaries where they use those blankets to cover the orphans faces.
Apparently they like to push their faces into fabric as it approximates nuzzling their mothers’ teats and comforts them.
Long answer: The CBC’s “The Nature of Things” ran a documentary called “For the Love of Elephants” a little while ago about this special place (and then a follow-up called “How to be a Wild Elephant”). In the documentary the elephants are often seen wearing blankets. And red blankets have special meaning — they are put on just the newest residents so they are easily identified for extra attention. These documentaries are amazing — not because of the tragic situation of these elephants, but for how many wonderful, caring, kind, empathetic, and nurturing people do their very best to give these little ones a better future.
Short answer: yes, they do put on little coats with bows.
Welcome to the comments section, and thank you for providing that detail.
I should have known that I wouldn’t be able to handle watching this. :'(
I realize this post deviates from the “doing funny things to cute animals” mission that I’ve set out for myself here, and I promise that I won’t do this very often. I felt this video was worth sharing, even though it’s sad.
Of course it’s worth it. They gained a new foster parent thanks to you, me.
Not just one new foster parent, Maureen. It’s a wonderful organization that I am very, very happy I’m in a position to help out. And Alamaya’s story broke my heart. Poor baby, so chewed up by evil hyenas (I have feared hyenas ever since hearing them at night as a small child in India — they sound just terrifying!) that they thought he was a girl for several months till they operated to remove scar tissue from the hyenas’ attacks! Who did you pick to foster?
I don’t subscribe to post updates so I didn’t see your note until now, Laura! Awesome, well done. I chose Panda, but really impossible to settle on any one in particular when you see how many there are and read all the stories. Of course any fostering goes to care in general which is great. Trying to get the spouse to foster a giraffe orphan as well :).
It is sad, but it needs to be shared with others. It’s through things such as this that I became aware of the horror that humans are inflicting on animals. There is a wonderful site, Elephant Nature Park, in Thailand run by Lek Chalert devoted to the rescue of Asian elephants and other animals. It’s not easy to see, but it’s vitally important to be shown. Thank you NTMTOM.
It’s okay, NTMTOM, at least you didn’t post a picture of a HUMAN baby!
PASICKIE!
ha ha ha! I thought you would get it.
Well, you can feel better for giving me a piece of music that I love. 🙂
I’m going to need a hint, here…
Just saying I loved the music in the video.
Oh, I get what you’re saying. Hey, when Mike throws you lemons, make lemonade. Good onya.
I had a hard time deciding whether to vote thumbs up or down but went with up because the message is too important to be ignored.
That was awful.
I don’t understand the draw to ivory, which makes me even more irate.
I don’t like the human race sometime 🙁
Oh Mike, please put up a more clear warning. It is a beautiful animation but “emotionally powerful” is too vague. I burst into tears when the mommy is dying. I’m still crying. And I’m sorry but I don’t have any suggestions…
I’m going to go watch the toucan videos again now….
That’s good advice. I don’t plan to do this very often, but I will remember your idea.
Thanks Mike. 🙂
As much as this caused many to get teary eyed, it’s a message that needs to be out there. There may still be people who don’t know this is going on. It’s only being factual, not something made up. I’ve followed and donated to many of these programs working with abused or orphaned animals like this one and the one that Lek has. Between the elephants losing their lives for their tusks and the rhinos for their horns, the world needs to know there are humans (if you can call them that) out there who care only about money and not the annihilation of species. And what’s to happen to their offspring when that happens? Thankfully there are organizations who rescue these poor babies and cares for them. Yes, ellies are remarkable animals who have very good memories, both good and bad. Off my soapbox now!!
I couldn’t watch at all. I waited to read the comments. I will foster now that there is a link. I think if you had posted a cute baby trunkster video with a link to a sanctuary like this I could have handled that.
I meant I wish there was a link. I’ll google.
See the link. Duh.
Fostered Godoma a female born on or near Valentine’s Day last year. Fell down a well. I feel better now. ??
Yep. There is NO WAY I am going to watch this all the way through. I knew from the title that someone was going to die and it would just make me sad.
I, too, couldn’t watch all the way through but saw enough to make me a foster parent. Thank you, NTMTOM, for posting this, as painful as it is. We hoomins need to be kinder and more loving not just to each other, but to all the creatures we share this planet with.
Okay, as awful as this video was, it produced at least four new foster parents for the babies. Good on you, Mike, for posting it even though it doesn’t fit your usual mission. Nobody is here unless they love animals and want to see them treated well. The internet can be such a powerful force for good as well as evil!
Agreed!
I’m beginning to understand why my mother/father never bought Babar for me to read.
I support posting this video because yes, its obviously a subject that we all feeling deeply about. Thanks for those who donated to these little and not so little guys.
Although heart-wrenchingly sad, this animation in no way compares to the horror of actual photos. There is no gore, only saddness. Watching it to the end helped me because it ends with hope.
I love teh qte, but with the love/respect of animals comes responsibility–to be a spokesperson for animal rights and welfare to others who are unaware of their plight. I don’t think I can be as effective if I don’t see or read about the horrors they suffer, esp. at the hands of humans.
Make sure there are suitable warnings, NTMTOM, but don’t stop posting things like this, especially when there is something we can do to help!
Fostering Ndotto. Such a tough little guy!??