Working aquatic-elephants like Rajan used to be a regular sight in the Andaman Islands, south of India, but this 60-year-old five tonne Asian elephant is the last of his kind. Thanks to the introduction of motor boats and other energy-saving technology, Rajan no longer needs to swim miles between islands to work for his masters, but can now enjoy swimming purely for pleasure. Rajan still swims for ten minutes twice a day, completing about 500 yards before heading back to shore. Brazilian Photographer, Daniel Botelho, 30, travelled to the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean after hearing stories of islanders swimming with the giant beasts. He said: “I almost got killed by the elephant during one photo shoot. Suddenly a swell came and took me and the elephant by surprise. I was stuck in the sand because of the crash of the wave. He did his best not to kill me - I felt him rolling on top and away from me.” Picture: Daniel Botelho / Barcroft Media
sunicornfjan:michaeljosephcano:magalomania:
Themba, the baby elephant, lost his mother after she fell down a cliff. The team at the Shamwari Rehabilitation Centre rescued him and for two years they dedicated their lives to getting this very special orphan back to the wild.
Themba soon befriended a very patient sheep named Albert, and together they formed a bond as strong as any human friendship. Albert never left Themba’s side and would follow Themba and his carers on long walks; share in Themba’s favourite snack of acacia pods; and when Themba took a dust bath, so did Albert. If any of the other animals at the Rehabilitation Centre tried to join in their fun and games, super protective Albert would make it quite clear that they were most unwelcome. The unlikely pair also made friends with a baby giraffe, and enemies with a baby hippo.
Animal friends are so cute.
Tilt shift effect - elephants by Lorenzo Baldini on Flickr.
AMAZING, so good, best tiltshift photo ive seen. Nice one Lorenzo Baldini :)
When this comes out I’m willing to shell out hard earned dough.
The South Woods from Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis’s Wildwood.
“Wildwood is a beautiful object and a beautiful read. One half fairy tale, one half coming of age story, one half unrepentantly gorgeous work of art, this book is overflowing with gifts.” (Jonathan Safran Foer )
“Dark and whimsical, with a true and uncanny sense of otherworldliness, Wildwood is the heir to a great tradition of stories of wild childhood adventure. It snatched me up and carried me off into a world I didn’t want to leave.” (Michael Chabon )
