#19 BeautifulPlanet: Lessons from the Elephants
"But perhaps the most important lesson I learned is that there are no walls between humans and the elephants except those that we put up ourselves, and that until we allow not only elephants, but all living creatures their place in the sun, we can never be whole ourselves."
- Lawrence Anthony
All species are essential for the ecosystems they exist in, however elephants have always been glorified within the animal kingdom. Although having a majestic and strong build, they are very unique for the many lessons they teach us by just going about their way.
Listen to this episode, the second one of the Beautiful Planet series, to hear about the two main lessons we can learn from elephants and how incorporating the "elephant way of living" can genuinely make us more human.
Outline:
- Key facts and features/habits of elephants
- Lesson One: Conservation (keystone species, ecosystem engineers, conflicts)
- Lesson Two: Philosophy of Life (acceptance of death, compassion not limited to species)
Essential Resources:
- Trunk: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/science/elephants-smell-trunk.html
- Trunk: http://www.bbc.co.uk/earth/story/20150217-why-the-elephant-has-a-long-trunk
- Smell receptors: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25053675
- Key facts: https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/elephant
- Keystone species: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1146609X11000154
- Importance of dung: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-10-6605-4_16
- Ecosystem engineers: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11607299
- Human-elephant conflict: https://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/elephants/asian_elephants/areas/issues/elephant_human_conflict/
- Mourning: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2016/08/elephants-mourning-video-animal-grief/
- Life and death lessons: https://www.bbc.co.uk/ideas/videos/what-elephants-can-teach-us-about-life-and-death/p07j3y4k
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