This thoughtful “poetic story” animation takes us into the lives of our elephants in India and the dangers they face as they struggle to survive. Humans hold the key to a happy ending. There is a way to co-exist, for both man and beast. It is still not too late.
“Once upon a time
In the land of scientific fact
Where everything is true
And nothing made up
Live the Indian elephant
A grand beauty
Twice as big as me
Can definitely appear
Very scary
But look a little closer
And the tale does change
To a compassionate creature
That’s intelligent and brave
They make their very own sunscreen
By dipping in the mud
Or throwing sand
Over their enormous backs
Great swimmers
That use their feet as propellers
And their trunk as snorkel
But perhaps the best
Is a secret means
Of communication
By trumpeting or stomping
They produce a racket
That yes we can hear
But only so far
Traveling twice the distance
The sound transmits
Also underground
Where it’s picked up by
Another elephant’s foot
Sounds like this
Can travel 20 miles
And tell all sorts
Like when there’s trouble
And it’s best to run
Or when there’s a handsome suitor
That wants to be found
An elephant’s foot
Might even sense
Distant rains
So they know where to go
To get well and fed
But the problem is
The paths they take
Are now booby trapped
Train tracks and roads
Towns and dams
And a whole lot
Of agricultural land
Only 30,000 left
But with over a billion people
Living in India
How can there be room
For even those
Fireballs are thrown
People are killed
And so the war goes on
Even when
They stay in their strip of forest
They can’t be safe
For the poachers come
For their tusks and their skin
And their meaty flesh
And let’s not forget
About the ones we took
Stripped of their mothers
Beaten and shook
It’s called domestication
In today’s book
All to make those majestic beasts
That you can ride
And Instagram
But zoom in on the picture
And what will you see?
A vacant stare
From both elephant and owner
With eight mouths to feed
What can he do?
In this circle of pain
And desperation
Now let’s turn the page
For it’s getting a little sad
And we couldn’t have that
Let’s take a look
At a more positive future
And what do I see?
Huge reserves of untamed forest
With elephant corridors
To connect them up
The people are happy
For they got the chance to get involved
No longer a threat
But really an asset
They look with pride
At their Indian elephant
I don’t know
You tell me
Could this even be a possibility?”
Poem and narration by Julia Galbenu
Animation by Pinar Alsac
Images & transcribed from Creative Commons video: “The Story of the Indian Elephant” by Julia Galbenu