My Journey with a Thousand Bigfoots

By Gideon Meyer

MY JOURNEY WITH A THOUSAND BIGFOOTS

Elephants embody all the characteristics we value in humans: They are fiercely loyal to family. They will risk their own lives to protect their offspring. Their herds are marked by a system of deference to the oldest, wisest female. Their friendships last for life. They mourn their dead, and they have an elaborate communication system. Join conservationist and wildlife guide Gideon Meyer on his journey with elephants over several years, where they allowed him to share their world – the world of the gentle giants. Lavishly illustrated with photos taken by Gideon in South Africa and Botswana.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gideon Meyer
• Release date: Dec 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005007911

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MY JOURNEY WITH A THOUSAND BIGFOOTS

Copyright © 2021 Gideon Meyer

Published by Gideon Meyer Publishing at Smashwords

First edition 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder.

The Author has made every effort to trace and acknowledge sources/resources/individuals. In the event that any images/information have been incorrectly attributed or credited, the Author will be pleased to rectify these omissions at the earliest opportunity.

Gideon Meyer

[e-mail]

All photos taken by Gideon Meyer

Page 84: Photo by Johan Kruger

Gentle Giant stamp designed by Rachel-Mari Ackermann

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. African Fables Concerning Elephants

2. Facts About Elephants

3. Personal Stories

4. The Culture of Elephants

5. Social Structure

6. Elephant Communication

7. Environmental Impact

8. Interesting Tips

9. Thank You

Introduction

Ever since the dinosaurs left the earth, elephants have been the biggest animals on land. They have been very successful and have been around for a very long time; fossil records indicate that more than 300 species of elephants have roamed the earth over a period of 55 million years. Modern man has been around for roughly 200 000 years.

The first true known member of the elephant family, and therefore the great-great ancestor of our modern elephants, was Moeritherium, a creature armoured with thick skin and a nose that shows potential for developing into a trunk.

Loxodonta africana, the African Elephant today is one of only two species that have survived.

African elephants are formidably strong, but they are in a precarious position and are currently listed as vulnerable on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

This book is an account of my personal interactions with elephants how I interpreted their behaviour; it should not be seen as a scientific work.

Chapter 1

African Fables Concerning Elephants

The fat girl and the elephant

In southern Africa there is a tale of a girl who grew to be so tall and fat that no man wanted her as a wife; she was accused of witchcraft owing to her great size. She was exiled from her village and wandered into the wilderness on her own. There she met an elephant who addressed her politely in good Zulu.

She agreed to stay with him, and he helped her to find wild cucumbers and other fruits of the forest. She gave birth to four human sons, all very tall and strong, who became the ancestors of the Indlovu clan of paramount chiefs. Indlovu is the Zulu word for elephant.

Too kind for their own good?

In African fables, the elephant is usually described as too kind and noble for its own good, so that it feels pity even for a wicked character and is regularly deceived. The Wachaga in Tanzania relate that the elephant was once a human being but was cheated out of all his limbs except his right arm, which now serves as his trunk. He paid for his kind heart!

The Ashanti of Ghana believe that elephants are human chiefs from the past. When they find a dead elephant in the forest, they give it a proper chief’s burial.

How the elephant got its trunk

Elephant used to only have a small snout in the Beginning. This didn’t bother him much; in fact he was rather proud of his elegant little nose which was never in his way of eating and drinking.

Elephant had an enormous body to maintain, so mealtimes were very important to him. He had to eat and drink a great deal in order to keep his great strength up. This was pretty inconvenient because he had to kneel down to reach the grass and water down there.

Elephant knelt down at the river one day to drink fresh water. Crocodile swam past and saw