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Photo provided by Debbie Ethell.

Elephants are more similar to humans than you might think.  They have a similar lifespan, they grieve the loss of fellow elephants, and they can make decisions based on emotions.  They have five times more genes than people that are dedicated to scent.  They can also communicate with each other–using vocalizations or their feet–from 20 miles away.

Debbie Ethell founded the KOTA (Keepers of the Ark) Foundation to “educate by revealing powerful, true stories about the secret lives of elephants.”  Although she has been fascinated with elephants since age 8, Debbie came to this career in mid-life after owning several different businesses and going back to college in her late thirties.  She credits a close friend with giving her the courage to pursue her dream:  on remarking that she would be over 40 when she graduated from college the friend asked, “How old will you be if you don’t?”

Debbie works closely with the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an organization that rescues baby elephants who have been orphaned when their parents are killed by poachers.  In 2017 the Trust will mark its 40th anniversary and its “mission to protect and conserve wildlife and habitats in Kenya.” Throughout that time Tsavo National Park, one of the oldest and largest parks in Kenya, has been home to the DSWT’s field operations as well as countless wild species, most famously, its resident elephant herds.

Eleanor the elephant lived at the DSWT shelter for 25 years and helped raise many baby elephants until she wandered away.  The Sheldrick safe-haven has no fences and elephants are always free to come and go.  Thirty years later she came back.  It was clear that she remembered her human helpers.  Elephants at the shelter have been known to bring other elephants to the shelter for help with injuries. We’ve all heard the adage, “an elephant never forgets” which seems to be borne out by these incidents.  A study of elephant memory, using a card game of “concentration,” showed that their memory improves over time.  In the study, elephants were able to recall 22 pairs of cards compared to only 7 pairs for human subjects.

In parts of Kenya, elephants come out only at night when they are less likely to be poached.  “One Ton” was known to get on his knees–a very painful task for an elephant—and hide his tusks in the bushes when poachers were in the area.  Elephants have been observed carrying away and burying the tusks of dead elephants.  Clearly, they know they are being hunted for their ivory.

In 15 years, elephants will be extinct in Kenya.  Ten years ago 135,000 elephants roamed the African savannah; now there are fewer than 35,000.  The U.S. is second only to China in the amount of ivory imported even though it has been illegal since 1990.  Debbie recommended the Netflix film, “The Ivory Game” to those interested in learning more about the subject.  We can also help by boycotting Sprint, GoDaddy, and Jimmy John’s all of which have leadership who are big game hunters.