A Eye For an Elephant
Wed, 2008-02-13 03:54 — Pete666
Hi folks
I've just watched this programme for the first time and I love it. Martins enthusiasm for the elephants is amazing, it brings back memories of watching the Echo programmes (does anyone know of a source for these on DVD here in the uk?) I will admit to sitting here nearly in tears watching the trials and tribulations of these magnificent animals. Can anyone tell me how Email is doing please ?
Pete
PS is there any chance of a fourth programme on Echo and her Family?
The reason I asked again
The reason I asked again about the Echo series on DVd is that all those that I can find on sale here are actually region 1 dvd's and as such are incompatible with my dvd players. Email is Erins son and I was wondering how he was doing after the tragic loss of his mother.
Pete
Nolus Illegitemi Carborundum
If you've got it a TRUCK bought it
Email the Elephant
Good news, the BBC is finally releasing the three Echo of the Elephants films on DVD. I believe these are due out in April. There is also an Australian BBC version already out that includes the three Echo films plus "Africa's Forgotten Elephants". As soon as we find out how the BBC version will be obtainable we'll let you know.
Email is doing very well and this pleases me tremendously. He was so distressed when he lost his mother and it is amazing that he survived. He was depressed for about two years after her death, but now at six years old he is a robust, active and very playful calf. He frequently spars with the other males in the family and particularly enjoys engaging calves his own age from other families. He seems to be well-integrated in the family. I will try to get a photo of him posted as soon as I can. Email has large splayed tusks and I think he's going to be a magnificent adult male.
I must explain why he is called Email. We have had so many calves to name that we have run out of the normal people names, so we started naming calves by themes. All the calves born in one year are given names following a particular theme. Thus one year the theme was plants--trees and flowers, another year it was African rivers, and most recently we had World Cup football players. For the year 2001 the theme was Internet and e-mail terms. Erin's calf born in 2001 got the name Email.
Excellent
Will be a best seller I am sure, glad E-mail is now growing up to be a strong and happier bull calf, I think he must have benefited from the excellent genetic qualities that Erin must have passed on to him. I guess that she was always the natural successor to Echo as the EB matriarch for the future ? I hope Echo is doing fine and that the family overall are doing well.
Anna Martinsson
UK
Cynthia Thank you for
Cynthia
Thank you for the update on Email, it's wonderful to know that he's doing fine. Also thanks for the news on the dvds it's much appreciated. I must keep an eye on the BBC shop.
Pete
Nolus Illegitemi Carborundum
If you've got it a TRUCK bought it
Thanks for the updates
It’s great to know that Email is doing very well. I hope Erica is doing well too. She too was affected deeply by her mother’s death.
It was amazing that Email stayed with Erin after she was speared and only went off with the rest of the family the day she died. They probably evaluated the situation and decided to take Email away from his dying mother. Elephants are truly very intelligent animals!
It’s such a tragedy that EB lost Erin. For she was a great contributor to the family, having calves at average of every 3 years.
EB Updates
I too recall from the film the visible impact of Erin's death on her three youngest calves. I think that I have read somewhere that Echeri now has her own calf; thanks to Cynthia and all at AERP for the information you give us - it's like fitting together a jigsaw puzzle! A fourth Echo film would be so welcome, but in the meanwhile, a full update of the current family members would very much be appreciated by all us elephant lovers who are, in particular, huge EB fans.
Answer
Hi Pete, you have asked about the UK DVD source before and got an answer.
I don't understand your question about email. Please explain.
"Email" is the name of an elephant
This is a point that is understandably outside the area of Hans' considerable expertise as an IT boffin. But as others will know, this is a case of technology crossing wires with an animal behaviour study that gives identifiers to its subjects, occasionally with double-sided meanings.
I don't know what kind of figure of speech this represents, but here we have an example of a personal pronoun -- an elephant's name -- coinciding with the noun for an electronic medium. I don't THINK that there was a metaphorical intent in the choice of name, but that is a question for the field team (Soila/ Nora/ Katito) and/or Cynthia to answer.
As for how is Email doing, again I must defer to the field people for an update.
_____________
KL
Email
Oh, the upper case E should have been a giveaway! Now I understand. Of course I know Email.
He was seen in June 2007. I don't know about any later sightings.