Animals have feelings too. They experience familial bonds, friendship, and a whole range of what we humans know as emotions. Anyone who has a pet can attest to the fact that they have unique personalities and reactions to things. Even a goldfish gets excited when they see you heading over with the food canister, their tail swish-swishing happily in the morning sunlight.
In recent years we’ve begun waking up to what it really means to be a sentient being – realizing that the human race has been terribly cruel to animals. There are countless examples, all over the world, in every culture and every age, of people enslaving animals. For entertainment or hard labor, in any case, it is wrong. We’ve got to do better by our fellow earthly inhabitants! We are all part of an ecosystem, and we need each other.
Best Friends Forever
Shirley and Jenny are two elephants with quite a story to tell. Many years ago, Shirley was already enslaved as a performer in the circus. One day an infant Jenny arrived, doomed to a life of captivity and mistreatment in the circus too. So Shirley did what any good elder does: she took Jenny under her wing, and they became a family unit of their own. But in a cruel twist of fate, the two would again be separated for several years. Shirley was rescued from circus life and moved to a sanctuary. It would take a while, but Jenny would eventually arrive at that sanctuary too. Even after all that time, the recognition was instant and the joy was palpable. The rekindled bond between them was so heartwarming and familiar. So human-like.
Cruelty to animals has never been OK, but as we continue to evolve and grow as a species it becomes clear that differences between animals and humans are not as great as we’ve led ourselves to believe. In fact, a lot of studies have been done around elephants and their familial structure. Their behaviors and emotions mirror humans quite closely. They experience joy and play. Grieving and sadness. (1) It seems a “memory like an elephant” is a thing. As evidenced in the story of Shirley and Jenny, elephants never forget their loved ones.
Let’s Do Better
On July 6, 2018, Shirley celebrated her 70th birthday. (2) She is now the 3rd oldest elephant in North America, and given the life she’s had, that is quite an accomplishment! In the video above, the words of her caretaker Soloman say it best: “I don’t know who was the first to put the chains on her, but I’m glad I’m the last to take it off.”
May all elephants, all animals kept in captivity, be as fortunate as Shirley and Jenny… to one day know freedom. This is one animal cruelty story that has a happy ending, but there are so many more that do not.
As time marches on, it becomes more and more obvious that treating animals with anything other than respect is not the way. We could certainly dispense with kidnapping them from their families and making them jump through hoops on command. Maybe elephants never forget the past, but it’s not too late to brighten their future.
