You may have heard of the saying “Elephants never forget”. That proverb has actually been scientifically proven to be true as they have the largest brain for a land mammal of their size. However, their spectacular memory is only the a fraction of what they can do with their brilliant minds.
Remarkably, they recognise sights, smells and individuals. Their amazing memory enables them to learn from incidents which allows them to be able to recall danger ques, which is why herds with older and experienced matriarchs have higher survival rates.
Lladró’s Leading The Way Elephant White Figurine
They are intelligent and creative but also highly social and emotional creatures. They are the only non-human creature to mourn the dead as they perform burial rituals and display empathy by visiting elephant graves. Their altruistic tendencies have also been observed as they show concern for other species. They are gentle and loving animals but when you do hear about elephant attacks on humans, it almost always occurs right after massive poaching incidents, which suggests deliberate revenge and shows their strong sense of justice.
Lladró’s Celebration Elephants on Black Rock Figurine (left) & Lladró’s Elephants Walking Figurine (right).
Unfortunately, humanity’s appreciation for elephants doesn’t reflect the empathetic and caring nature of these gentle giants. Elephants face habitat destruction, ivory poaching and mistreatment in captivity. Given what we know about “nature’s great masterpiece”, we must make sure that they don’t disappear from this world forever.
As part of the education and conservation process, Lladró has sculpted anatomically perfect elephants to raise awareness and show appreciation for these animals that are rapidly disappearing from nature.
The only harmless great thing, the giant
Of beasts, who thought none had to make him wise,
But to be just and thankful, loth to offend
Yet nature hath given him no knees to bend
Himself he up-props, on himself relies,
And, foe to none, suspects no enemies,
Still sleeping stood; vex’d not his fantasy
Black dreams; like an unbent bow carelessly
His sinewy proboscis did remissly lie.”
Lladró’s Baby Elephant with Pink Flower Figurine (left), & Lladró’s Following the Path Elephants White Figurine (right).