Orphaned Elephants in Kenya — and Hope

Orphan Elephants in Kenya; Photo by National Geographic

Good Morning, God!

I’ve been reading more National Geographic magazines, God. It comes with sitting in waiting rooms.

Yesterday I learned about an orphanage for elephants in Kenya. It’s the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi. There’s a lot of Youtube videos, too. Seeing humans feeding young elephants with huge baby bottles was very touching.

The killing of their mothers — for meat and money — is so distressing, God. It’s distressing enough that it is happening. Even more distressing is that it is being done by my fellow humans. We ought to know better, God! We ought to see elephants as fellow sentient beings on this planet.

Hmmm. About the pork ribs I ate last night. Pigs are pretty smart, too. Drat! I didn’t want to get into my being a “meat eater” — I am not wanting to go there. Not now. Later!

Sigh, well, there’s the problem, God! I suppose Gandhi was right. We must become the change we wish to see.

Change comes with experience. In the National Geographic article they showed how baby elephants were being taken to schools to let the children see them and touch them and experience them as fellow creatures.

Fellow Creatures. Oh, would that we could see our fellow human beings as fellow creatures. Please help us, God. Help us reach out. Help us not to give up. Fill us with HOPE.