Something's Missing
Kristen Ollila | December 2017
You wear me on shirts. You enjoy me in zoos.
I am found on piano keys, and ornaments too, but I belong in the Savanna.
I am a symbol of strength and power, yet I am powerless when it comes to humans.
My habitat is encroached on, I am losing vital sources of food, yet you think I am a perfect accent to a room.
My tusks help me in my survival, yet I am killed and you profit off my ivory.
My skin protects me, it is thick and stretches when I grow, yet it is on your shoes for show.
My hair allows me to adapt and keep cool in the extreme heat, yet it is used in bracelets to make an outfit complete.
My memory is sharp, but it is not a map, yet people injure me for visiting the land that was once my habitat.
I am a savanna elephant, and I am vulnerable.
I am a human, I live in the city, and I am naive to the dangers that savanna elephants experience on the Mara.
The Maasai Mara is located in Southwestern Kenya, known for its abundance of wildlife and scenery that seems to be untouched by man.
The mara is where life begins, and adventure awaits, a place where wildlife can find refuge from the world outside of its boundaries.
A place that is hidden from development, a place where culture is still alive and a place that is visited by few throughout the year.
But there are places close by that evil lurks, where animals are seen as trophies, and their bodies are used for profit. Where the changing climate is causing stress on the environment.
In my time on the Mara, I saw the wildlife.
I experienced a giraffe giving birth; I watch a Thompson gazelle become breakfast for a cheetah and her cubs, I ran from a hippo who was protecting his home and saw lions creating life.
All of this felt like a dream. A dream that was missing something, and that something missing weighs on average thirteen thousand pounds and stands eleven feet tall.
That something missing was an elephant. In the thirteen days, I spent on the mara; I only saw eight of those massive mammals. This bothered me.
As a kid growing up when I thought about Africa: I thought lions, giraffes, and elephants. I saw the lions with their pride's and the giraffes with their towers, but where were the herds of elephants hiding?
Africa used to be home to 1.3 million elephants, now it is home to approximately three hundred and fifty thousand, with roughly twenty-five thousand of those elephants living in Kenya. On the mara, it was hard to think that anything would be vulnerable to extinction, but it is true the savanna elephant is suffering. Even though the mara is a haven for these giant mammals, this does not mean all of the elephants in Africa are safe. In fifteen African Countries, one hundred and forty-four thousand elephants were lost to poaching and habitat destruction in less than a decade.
When riding around in the safari vehicle, I noticed a massive piece of bone and then a little farther away I saw another bone. These bones were not like the ones of the wildebeests that were scattered across the landscape; these bones were of something much bigger. I asked our guide if those bones belonged to an elephant, he proclaimed yes and told us that this elephant had been injured in human-wildlife conflict and made its way back to the reserve for safety but did not survive.
Human-wildlife conflict is a rising issue within the savanna elephant population, as towns grow bigger and need more land, this means they are taking land the elephants once roamed freely. With the loss of habitat, there is a decline in food sources, so elephants have been known to eat entire crops in a night, and negatively affect the livelihoods of people who live in the areas surrounding elephants habitat. So natives take matters into their own hands, and sadly it sometimes ends with the elephant being shot.
While thinking about the bones I had seen, we came upon a herd of elephants. In this herd, there were four adults, two adolescents, and two babies. These eight elephants would be the only herd we would see on the mara. While observing the elephants, we saw them topple over trees as if they were toothpicks. Then they would strip the bark off of the logs in such a graceful manner. While watching these elephants eat, I thought two things.
The first thought I had was “Woah they are bigger in person” and my second thought was “they are very destructive.” Elephants’ destructive eating habits help shape the savanna, they remove trees, trample grasses, create watering holes and improve soil condition. Without their contribution to their ecosystem, many animals would not be able to survive in the woodland areas, and there would be more vulnerable species.
Besides using their trunks for consumption of food, elephants also use their trunks for drinking water. When we were sitting on the porch of our tent we got to see the same herd of eight come to the watering hole that was just down the hill from where we were staying. When these elephants went to the hole it was the middle of the afternoon, the temperature was beginning to rise, and I can only imagine how hot they were getting. When they reached the hole, the young ones started to play, and the older ones drank water and cooled themselves off.
While watching them I was not aware that their thick wrinkled skin helped them maintain moisture, and their thick hairs help them stay cool during the heat of the day. Those two things that help the elephant adapt to their changing environment are also two things that are in demand. The skin is used in shoes and other leather products, and the hair is used in jewelry and artwork.
However, these are not the part of the animal that makes them susceptible to poaching. The poachers want their ivory. The tool that these elephants use for everyday survival is a product that has a high price tag and holds great social significance.
These animals are killed for an incisor that grew larger and stronger than the rest. These animals are killed for entering areas that they once belonged but now are forced out of. These animals are vulnerable because of humans.
While at the time I was upset I did not see the numbers of elephants I thought I should on the mara; I am sad that the once-thriving population of elephants is dwindling due to human interaction and climate change.
Kristen Ollila | December 2017
You wear me on shirts. You enjoy me in zoos.
I am found on piano keys, and ornaments too, but I belong in the Savanna.
I am a symbol of strength and power, yet I am powerless when it comes to humans.
My habitat is encroached on, I am losing vital sources of food, yet you think I am a perfect accent to a room.
My tusks help me in my survival, yet I am killed and you profit off my ivory.
My skin protects me, it is thick and stretches when I grow, yet it is on your shoes for show.
My hair allows me to adapt and keep cool in the extreme heat, yet it is used in bracelets to make an outfit complete.
My memory is sharp, but it is not a map, yet people injure me for visiting the land that was once my habitat.
I am a savanna elephant, and I am vulnerable.
I am a human, I live in the city, and I am naive to the dangers that savanna elephants experience on the Mara.
The Maasai Mara is located in Southwestern Kenya, known for its abundance of wildlife and scenery that seems to be untouched by man.
The mara is where life begins, and adventure awaits, a place where wildlife can find refuge from the world outside of its boundaries.
A place that is hidden from development, a place where culture is still alive and a place that is visited by few throughout the year.
But there are places close by that evil lurks, where animals are seen as trophies, and their bodies are used for profit. Where the changing climate is causing stress on the environment.
In my time on the Mara, I saw the wildlife.
I experienced a giraffe giving birth; I watch a Thompson gazelle become breakfast for a cheetah and her cubs, I ran from a hippo who was protecting his home and saw lions creating life.
All of this felt like a dream. A dream that was missing something, and that something missing weighs on average thirteen thousand pounds and stands eleven feet tall.
That something missing was an elephant. In the thirteen days, I spent on the mara; I only saw eight of those massive mammals. This bothered me.
As a kid growing up when I thought about Africa: I thought lions, giraffes, and elephants. I saw the lions with their pride's and the giraffes with their towers, but where were the herds of elephants hiding?
Africa used to be home to 1.3 million elephants, now it is home to approximately three hundred and fifty thousand, with roughly twenty-five thousand of those elephants living in Kenya. On the mara, it was hard to think that anything would be vulnerable to extinction, but it is true the savanna elephant is suffering. Even though the mara is a haven for these giant mammals, this does not mean all of the elephants in Africa are safe. In fifteen African Countries, one hundred and forty-four thousand elephants were lost to poaching and habitat destruction in less than a decade.
When riding around in the safari vehicle, I noticed a massive piece of bone and then a little farther away I saw another bone. These bones were not like the ones of the wildebeests that were scattered across the landscape; these bones were of something much bigger. I asked our guide if those bones belonged to an elephant, he proclaimed yes and told us that this elephant had been injured in human-wildlife conflict and made its way back to the reserve for safety but did not survive.
Human-wildlife conflict is a rising issue within the savanna elephant population, as towns grow bigger and need more land, this means they are taking land the elephants once roamed freely. With the loss of habitat, there is a decline in food sources, so elephants have been known to eat entire crops in a night, and negatively affect the livelihoods of people who live in the areas surrounding elephants habitat. So natives take matters into their own hands, and sadly it sometimes ends with the elephant being shot.
While thinking about the bones I had seen, we came upon a herd of elephants. In this herd, there were four adults, two adolescents, and two babies. These eight elephants would be the only herd we would see on the mara. While observing the elephants, we saw them topple over trees as if they were toothpicks. Then they would strip the bark off of the logs in such a graceful manner. While watching these elephants eat, I thought two things.
The first thought I had was “Woah they are bigger in person” and my second thought was “they are very destructive.” Elephants’ destructive eating habits help shape the savanna, they remove trees, trample grasses, create watering holes and improve soil condition. Without their contribution to their ecosystem, many animals would not be able to survive in the woodland areas, and there would be more vulnerable species.
Besides using their trunks for consumption of food, elephants also use their trunks for drinking water. When we were sitting on the porch of our tent we got to see the same herd of eight come to the watering hole that was just down the hill from where we were staying. When these elephants went to the hole it was the middle of the afternoon, the temperature was beginning to rise, and I can only imagine how hot they were getting. When they reached the hole, the young ones started to play, and the older ones drank water and cooled themselves off.
While watching them I was not aware that their thick wrinkled skin helped them maintain moisture, and their thick hairs help them stay cool during the heat of the day. Those two things that help the elephant adapt to their changing environment are also two things that are in demand. The skin is used in shoes and other leather products, and the hair is used in jewelry and artwork.
However, these are not the part of the animal that makes them susceptible to poaching. The poachers want their ivory. The tool that these elephants use for everyday survival is a product that has a high price tag and holds great social significance.
These animals are killed for an incisor that grew larger and stronger than the rest. These animals are killed for entering areas that they once belonged but now are forced out of. These animals are vulnerable because of humans.
While at the time I was upset I did not see the numbers of elephants I thought I should on the mara; I am sad that the once-thriving population of elephants is dwindling due to human interaction and climate change.