The Amazing African Elephant, A Lesson on Video: How Hairy is an Elephant? More So Than One Might Think, as Guide From HERD Elephant Orphanage in South Africa Explains! : Part 1

Learn more about the fascinating elephant as HERD elephant orphanage manager, Tigere, and founder, Adine, take us on a video journey highlighting elephant hair & starring bull elephant Jabulani! Even little Khanyisa makes an appearance with her elephant blonde hair and white blue eyes peaking out from under her lush eyelashes.

Image: full copyright belongs to HERD; Jabulani eyelashes Source (1)

Tigere: “So here we have got Jabulani’s eye, but as you can see they… they do have longest eyelashes we have ever seen.”

“But eyelashes are also playing a huge role, um, to protect this… I mean… the sun directly into the eye and also to pro…to protect all the falling objects, you know, not to get into the ear, I mean, into the eye.”

“So it is very important that they should have the eyelashes. But I guess that is what every woman is dying for, eh?” (Laughs)

Adine: “Although Bubi still has the best, best eyelashes.”

Tigere: “Bubi has, ya, the longest eyelashes ever.

Adine: “As you can see the top eyelashes are also much longer than the bottom ones… it is like closing over…

Tigere: “Yes, and you can see there is a lot of mud, you know, in those eyelashes, which means … I mean they were like playing a huge role like protecting the mud not to enter the eye.”

Image: full copyright belongs to HERD; Jabulani Source (1)

“So it is a very, very fascinating feature on elephants. You know how it plays a huge role in elephant’s daily lives.”

Adine: “So showing you where elephants do have hair. We have got on the eye. Then we also have on the ear, look at all those hairs. And then we have on the whole body.”

“Even on the tip of their… you can see that… on the tip of their ears. And then their bodies.” (Adine rubs her hand across the elephant’s skin)

Image: full copyright belongs to HERD; side of Jabulani’s face & tip of ear hairs Source (1)

Tigere: “On the trunk.

Adine: “And look at… on the trunk.”

Tigere: “The ones on the trunk, they are more likely… they are more like whiskers.”

“Gives the elephant the sensation and, you know, the feel. When you touch them you know you are touching them because of the whiskers.”

Image: full copyright belongs to HERD, carer Tigere pats Jabulani’s trunk Source (1)

(Tigere reaches out to stroke the elephant’s trunk) “It sends all the, you know, the signals into the nerve endings, and then they know that you are touching them.”

“So, touching is also part of their communication; it is very important.”

“So, us as carers, the more you touch an elephant (Tigere places his hand on elephant’s trunk) the more they communicate with your body, the more they understand that you are calm, you are not there for… you know, causing trouble.”

“So, we call it tactile. It is a very important… uh, uh, uh… mechanism of com.. of communication… eh, communication among themselves, too.”

Image: full copyright belongs to HERD; Jabulani moustache hair near tusks Source (1)

Adine: “You can see that they even have hair over there (pointing to area of skin above the elephant’s tusk). That is like a moustache nearly because it goes…”

Tigere: (laughs) “Yes, yes, right underneath his… you know, more like on the chin there. (Tigere touches elephant on his chin as elephant chomps on some food) (laughs)

Tigere: “Yeah. So the entire body of an elephant contains the hairs, more likely for sensation. That is all. Um, every part of it, you see.”