In infancy, the family lost to the orphaned elephants must be replaced by a human equivalent i.e. enough Keepers to represent a “family”. It is imperative to take care of the mind of the orphan as well as the physical aspect, so that they grow up psychologically stable. If they are psychologically unstable and neurotic they will not be welcomed into the wild herds and risk rejection. The psychological aspect of hand-rearing elephants is just as crucial as everything else, the human Keepers substituting for the orphan’s lost elephant family, with the babies 24 hours a day, traveling with them as a group during the day, and sleeping alongside them within their stable at night. During early infancy the Keepers must be in physical contact at all times, replacing the contact the baby would have enjoyed from its elephant family. It is also important to rotate the Keepers so that a different Keeper sleeps with a different elephant each night in order to avoid any strong attachment to just one person. This proves counter-productive and plunge the elephant into grieving when that person has to take time off. Psychological grief can trigger life threatening physical problems such as diarrheoa in the infant elephant orphans, who are essentially extremely fragile during their milk dependency. Elephants are tactile and highly social animals, so the human “family” is encouraged to fondle the babies gently, talk to them and demonstrate genuine heartfelt affection, as would their elephant family. Elephants can read a person’s heart and mind, so it is important that such affection is sincere and not just a facade.
Nairobi, Kenya
17.5×24 $1000
Archival Gelatin Silver Print
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