About the Author

Sean Cresswell

Alumni Ranger

Sean is one of the humblest rangers you are likely to meet. Quietly going about his day, enriching the lives of the many guests he takes out into the bush, it is only when he posts a Week in Pictures or writes an ...

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28 Comments

on Heart of the Elephant

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Sean your story about the elephant with the short trunk is so beautiful, so touching,and makes my heart jump.
What amazing incredible animals they are. We can all learn so much from them. Please keep us informed if she is sighted again. Thank you for such a touching story. Just love them.

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What a wonderful way to start a new week!! Thank you, those of us living in the States need this beautiful story !

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Och, man, you bring tears to my eyes. Grand story.

Member
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WOW! I have goosebumps.

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Sean, what a beautifully written piece on this special elephant and her herd. I was teary eyed but smiling while reading about her. You and the other rangers transport us daily back to Londolozi through your soulful words. Thank you.

Member
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What a great and touching story! Very well written. Maybe humans can learn a lesson from elephants!

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Beautiful story!

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Such a wonderful story. I believe she and her herd were the first elephants my wife and I saw during our trip to Londolozi in June 2015 with Don and Lucky. Our group was fortunate enough to enjoy sundowners with the herd as they drank from a watering hole. She was a bit slower to drink than the others and the herd began to move on, but one or two elephants clearly hung back to wait for her as she finished to ensure they all stayed together. Incredible animals.

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Wonderfully articulated and thought-provoking, Sean. Thank you for telling this beautiful story.

Member
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What an amazing story, brought tears to my eyes, so privileged to witness
and meet up again with this elephant, such special animals thank you!.

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Your eloquent sharing of this story evokes many emotions for the reader, Sean. Powerful and beautiful. Would be wonderful to view again into the future.

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Nevertheless, she persisted.

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I read the Londolzi blog every day, and I’m often moved. I’ve been to Africa 3 times, and I’m about to embark on trip #4. I have loved elephants since the 1st minute I saw one in the wild on my 1st trip. This story confirms what I have always known in my heart, that elephants are capable of complex and deep emotions, and have self-awareness and empathy towards other creatures. Just lovely!

Member
Guest

Such a lovely story! Wonder why my eyes are filled with tears? ;)))) Such resilient, inspiring, beautiful creatures. There are a couple of elephant cows that stroll through Djuma with shortened trunks, but nowhere as short as your lovely creature. They have adapted well, although it looks like the stooping to feed is messing with their spine. I want to say ‘poor thing’ about your cow, BUT she’s a survivor, and I want to believe since the young bull was so casual about his aid that it is a steady thing and others are learning from him. Thank you, Sean, and I hope your elephant survivor returns to Londolozi more often for your viewing pleasure.

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thank you Sean a really beautiful story and heart renchimg. I do hope she survives and returns to visit you often. We can learn a lot from these beautiful sensitive mamals. I look forward to the blog each day as it takes me back to an area I love and hope to visit again. How privileged and lucky you are to be in the bush daily with the animals.

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Mahalo for sharing not only the story but your emotions as you wrote it. I cried. Of thevanimals I’ve been blessed to see in the bush elephants remain my favorites.

Member
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Sean, thank you so much for this heart melting article. I had tears in my eyes reading it. I have watched the Safari from Djuma and have seen an ellie cow with a short trunk along with her calf. She appears to be a really good mum and both look well nourished. This is likely not the same ellie though. She is a survivor and how special that the young bull ellie helped her to get a drink – maybe he is one of her calves. Elephants are the most amazing, sensitive and intelligent creatures God put breath in. How anybody could harm them is beyond me. Thank you so much for your compassion you have infused into this article. I pray you will have the chance to see her again.

Member
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Thank you for sharing this amazing story. I read your eloquent and touching narrative to my 87 year old mother while we were in the waiting room at her eye doctor appointment. Her eyes were blurry from the dilating drops but she clung to every word that I read. She will never visit Africa but your words brought it together to her why I love Africa, these wonderful created animals and especially Londolozi. I never miss the blogs since our visit last June but this has so touched my heart as well as those who have not visited. You have a wonderful gift of storytelling! So glad that you were our ranger June30-July 3 at Tree Camp!

Member
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Sean, beautiful story of an amazing, touching experience. Elephants are such incredible, ancient souls and it is always a privilege to be able to watch them go about their lives. Thank you for sharing this very special moment with us.

Member
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An amazing story. Thank you for sharing it.

Member
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Oh so beautiful of such an amazing Elephant Cow & her determination to survive! Thank you Sean

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Visited Southern Africa, including Londolozi, last May (and was so impressed with her wildlife that I’m seriously thinking of making a second visit all the way from the States next year). I like to spend the year before a trip reading as many books as I can about the destination. Before visiting Southern Africa I came across Lawrence Anthony’s books and came to appreciate the elephant as one of the most intelligent animals on this planet. Spend enough time with certain species and you can tell something more, something less stereotypical animal, is going on behind their eyes. Brown bears in Alaska, and Antarctic humpback whales immediately come to mind. Probably not the best example for this forum, but the hunter/writer Peter Hathaway Capstick described one occasion when he shot an elephant in a herd. He describes the herd huddling as if making a plan, before spreading out and advancing in the direction from which the shot came. Caps tick describes the next several hours running from this herd occasionally being surprised by an elephant hiding behind brush in ambush. Truly intelligent animals. Its a crime that they are hunted by man for economic gain

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Kindness? Love? Inspiring on this Valentine’s Day…

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Funny, must have got something in my eye whilst reading your story Sean, as they kept on becoming blurry……. great read, thank you

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Sean, so many have eloquently stated their feelings after reading your very special post on elephants and the joy to know this one and her calf survived. I thank you for writing of your impressions and feelings, and Robbie’s too, as it moved me to tears as well.
Do you recall the afternoon we watched a small herd come into view of the Hippo carcass and the herds’ reaction and the young male pushed forward who bellowed and stomped his foot several times before backing away?
I have very fond memories of my trips into the bush with you and Robbie, and truly enjoy reliving them through the Londolozi blog and my photos.
Thank you again and again.

Member
Guest

Simply amazing and yet more proof of great intelligence awareness and empathy not exclusive to us humans. Truly elephants are extraordinary.

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Herd animals have a remarkable level of awareness of the needs of others in their group, as has been evidenced in other stories (I recall reports of wildebeest helping to successfully defend against a predator attack). Elephats in particular have demonstrated a very high level of social development, far higher than many humans are capable of! This story is deeply moving, and indicates the tremendous courage and will to survive of this disabled cow.

Member
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What an amazing story with expressed emotion which couldn’t fail to touch all who read the blog. The Immovable Wisdom photo is especially fabulous. Thank you for sharing this with us – it was easy to imagine actually being there and to reflect on how lucky we are to have spent time at Londolozi.

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