So what’s this all about then?

For our Friday Charity, we’re adopting an elephant. Why an elephant, you ask?

Short answer - because they’re awesome.

The long answer is a little more involved. There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that these mammoth creatures, despite their strange shape, are a lot like us.

Elephants are among the world’s most intelligent species. Their brains are larger than those of any other land animal - we’re talking mass as well as size! They display all sorts of behaviours you wouldn’t expect to see in a mere animal, ranging from those associated with grief, learning, art, compassion and even a sense of humour.

For the science nerds: Elephants, like humans, have a highly evolved and complex neocortex - a part of the brain involved in higher functions like conscious thought and language.

Studies (proper ones) have shown that elephants are able to do the sorts of everyday shit we can do, like painting, mimicking ridiculous sounds, using tools for practical functions as well as just tooling around. Wild elephants at play even do silly things to amuse each other. They can complete problem solving puzzles, adapt to radically new social situations, and self-medicate when needing to induce labor.

Finally, elephants display recognisable rituals around death - they’re the only other species on Earth (besides us!) known to revere their inevitable fate.

We think all this makes elephants pretty special.

Follow our elephant blog for updates on our adoptee, along with general elephant goodness.

1 year ago  /  1 note