To give you an example of the intelligence and trust of elephants, I'll paste a paragraph of the November Diary of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Mweya is an orphaned elephant raised by the David Sheldrick Trust. She has been living free in the Tsavo bush for some time now. Some of the keepers were recently out in the park checking for the "free orphans" and found Mweya (see below).

"Mweya was limping heavily, with a very swollen back leg which had obviously been pierced by a stick. The Keepers led her back to the Stockades, where our Mobile Veterinary Unit Vet assessed the wound and treated it. Mweya then remained close to the Stockades and presented herself each day for the foot to be treated indicating the implicit trust she had in her Keepers. Only when it had healed and was no
longer painful did she leave to return to her friends out in the bush."

The above is only one of many examples of the former orphans now living wild who know when they need medical care and where to go to get it. The Keepers have told me that some of the bull elephants know when they have worms and go back to the stockade to be treated. Many of them have shown up back at the stockades where they haven't been for months to have a snare removed.

They are far more intelligent and trusting than most of us realize.

I\'m reading The Emotional Lives of Animals by Marc Beckoff and an incident in Samburu is recounted. One of the eles (named Babyl) in a herd was crippled and could not keep up with the others, so the others routinely waited for her and looked to see that she was following them. The matriarch would even feed Babyl sometimes.

When there are old saying like "he or she has a memory of an elephant" or "an elephant never forgets" - obvious reasons behind this.

Atravelynn:

Thanks for reminding me of Babyl. I have seen her on three different trips to Samburu. She still manages to get around with the family unless they are on long treks. Then she stays back in Samburu and joins up with other groups. She was born with a dislocated hip. Despite this, she manages to get around just fine on three legs. I asked Iain Douglas-Hamilton if he thought once she gets older and of bigger size she will continue to be able to get around and his answer was "only time will tell".

We watched a pink eared baby moving with the herd, it just got too much, so the baby slept with mother & a juvenile in attendance. The heard moved on to high ground where all stopped & waited for the calf to waken!
After a brief sleep the group rejoined the waiting herd where the youngster was greeted by all before they moved on over the ridge.

My most magical moments have been with elephants.

I agree with you entirely Kipper. They are amazing animals. They are what draws me back again and again to watch them. It is just so sad what humans have done to them over the years.