All EFA Team Treasury: WiLD NATURE and WiLD LiFE with Team EFA !

'WiLD NATURE and WiLD LiFE with Team EFA !' by brizel4TheAnimals

Its called wilderness and wildlife... and its our animals habitat... fresh air, clean water & earth and the cosmos is what sustains them and us... Let's work to keep it that way !ENJOY some of these beautiful nature landscapes presented by members of Team EFA, Etsy for animals :)

Open Edition Print of Crow R... artbyakiko $15.00	Silence - 8x10 photograph JMcGuinness $25.00
Coyote on Ice Soft Focus Fin... blindwolfspiri... $6.00	Sunny Rooster, Fine Art Phot... thebluewindmil... $12.00
8x10 Cloud Photo Skies sky A... aktie9 $15.00	Grizzy Sow and Cub 5x7 Print MyPhotoArt $24.00
Savannah Tree with Lions - s... oceloteyes $20.00	Black-capped Chickadee and P... ruffings $22.00
Red Fox in the Woods Giclee ... aeruffing $22.00	Lake at Sunrise KneeDeepOrigin... $295.00
Sea Turtle - 8x10 Fine Art G... BrazenDesignSt... $25.00	fabric Rockface wilderness l... brizel4TheAnim... $4.95
Landscape of Rural Cottage G... ArtByMarilyn $11.00	Animals and Nature 4Card Set... LittleStudioJe... $9.00
Willow 5x5 WoodsEdge $15.00	Zebra 6 x 8 Ceramic Art Tile... TracyTeeter $29.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

All EFA Team Treasury: Queensland Flood Releaf Appeal, COTM

'Queensland Flood Relief Appeal, Team EFA COTM' by brizel4TheAnimals

"In the recent flood disaster which has affected so much of the state of Queensland, Australia, several animal shelters were damaged and their main shelter in Fairfield, Brisbane, QLD, was completely flooded. All the animals were placed in foster care, but now the RSPCA has to re-build their shelter. The charity does not receive government funding to recover from the disaster, and depends on kind-hearted people and volunteers."

Lovebirds, Original ACEO Car... thebluewindmil... $12.00	Paperweight Signed Art Glass... theanimalsmagi... $28.00
Mysterious Coco kraftikats $18.00	Daisy 8x8 WoodsEdge $25.00
Bugs 'n' Daisies dog... thedoghouse $10.00	Great Lioness Sekhmet - New ... oceloteyes $99.00
Handmade Knit Scarf - Secret... susanneedlehan... $40.00	Brehmen Town Musicians Pillo... chicadolly $20.00
SALE - Organic Catnip Kitty ... WeeMef $1.00	Baby Harp Seals Vintage Coll... EllaQuaint $25.00
vegan Silk Tapestry Box trea... brizel4TheAnim... $20.00	Blue Rondo a la Turq Turquoi... cocoNme $150.00
Ebony Ironworks PADDED - iPh... pippichick $25.00	EFA - Etsy For Animals - Cha... TwoStrayCats $15.00
Lighthouse Fine Silver Neckl... blindwolfspiri... $75.00	Leaves of Love Oil Painting KneeDeepOrigin... $150.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Etosha's Extraordinary Elephants: part two

“It is not possible for a free man to catch a glimpse of the great elephant herds roaming the vast spaces of Africa, without taking an oath to do whatever is necessary to preserve forever this living splendour.” Romain Gary, Roots of Heaven, 1958

Etosha's Extraordinary Elephants

Photography & article by

Nadya of OcelotEyes

- PART TWO -

If you have not read part one- click HERE

When I grow up I want to be like Daddy

8x10 Photograph

We treasured all the sightings of wildlife that we got to see, but our favourites were, of course, the elephants!

We got pretty good at tracking and timing them – that is, driving along until we spot fresh elephant dung (it's hard to miss!) or trees that had fresh branches torn off – these signs meant that elephants were here recently and might still be nearby. People say the mopane trees are an elephant's favourite food – but we actually saw them eating these scraggly, thorny bushes! I can't imagine how many branches of these are needed to feed even one elephant, but we saw them breaking and happily munching away on these...

Big Family for a Little Elephant, 8x10 Photograph

Once we spotted the elephants in the distance, we tried to estimate which direction they might be going in – from a waterhole, or toward one? Depending on the time of day (elephants seem to like to drink around lunch-time), we planned our elephant sightings. For example, the 5 bull elephants that we saw at 9am heading in the direction of a waterhole, meant that at the average elephant speed, allowing for stops for browsing on thorny bushes and standing around as they tend to do, they'd make it to the waterhole right on around 12 noon. That would give us 3 hours to drive around, then come back to the waterhole – and sure enough, there were our 5 elephants, right on schedule, drinking, mud-bathing, play-fighting, and having a good time!

There are waterholes in the park that are “famous” for being favoured by certain types of wildlife, and soon we found our favourite waterhole – between thorny bushland on one side and grassland on the other. 12 enormous bull elephants seemed to enjoy this spot, as did a pride of lions that lived very close by. So while we were watching the elephants, we kept glancing back to see what the lions were up to! This way we got some fantastic elephant photographs, and were in the right place to witness a lion hunt in the afternoon.

Young Lion, 8x10 photograph

Elephants are social animals, and in this video taken by my father, you can see how the male elephants that were already at the waterhole, the “silver elephants”, greeted two other elephants that came from another area of the park with different-coloured mud. Observing the elephant interactions was amazing!

(Also note the ele-sensor attached to a collar on the first silver elephant's head – could this be a tracking device, or a sensor to study their communication? We saw another one of these devices on a herd matriarch.)

While at this same waterhole on a different day, we were incredibly lucky to see an entire herd of elephants suddenly appear from the bushes – about 40 or 50 at once, all mothers and babies! The 12 bulls were already there, and it was absolutely fascinating to watch them all interact. Unlike the two solitary males in the above video, the herd of females joined the males without any particular greeting ceremony, and it seemed to me like they all knew each other.

In elephant society, mothers and other females raise the babies together, until any males become teenagers and are “kicked out” of the female herd at around 16 years of age to go on their own or join loosely organised herds of bull elephants. The 12 bulls seemed to be such a herd, and it could be possible that if the female herd normally stays nearby, some of them could either be the grown sons of the female herd, or the fathers of many of the babies.

Wait for Meee, Baby Elephant, 8x10 Photograph

Either way, we sat there for hours just watching these elephants. I wish I could speak “elephant language” to understand them - but they are such intelligent animals, so close to us, I could just imagine the younger females giggling amongst themselves as they saw the big bulls play-fighting and showing off, the mothers watching over their babies as they played in the mud and chased each other, the old elephants smiling to see the antics of the little ones.

I think that part of the human fascination with elephants, is because we see so many qualities in them that we can admire and aspire to. They are extraordinary animals – they are kind, compassionate, loving creatures, gentle unless provoked. They are intelligent, long-lived and complex. They are wise and beautiful.

Elephant Wisdom, 8x10 Photograph

Want to learn more about elephants ?

Some Elephant facts:

http://elephant.elehost.com/About_Elephants/about_elephants.htm

A hilarious and true look at Namibia in general:

http://www.realnamibia.com

Elephant communication studies and more:

http://www.elephantvoices.org/

Elephant Family, Canvas Print

by OcelotEyes

Click HERE to visit

Nadya's shop OcelotEyes

Etosha's Extraordinary Elephants: part one

Etosha's Extraordinary Elephants

Photography & article by

Nadya of OcelotEyes

- PART ONE -

Two Morning Elephants, 8x10 photograph

Did you know that a 5-ton elephant moving through the African bush does not make a sound? Not one cracking twig underfoot, nor the sound of breaking branches... the largest land mammal sails through the landscape like a tall ship – carefully and silently! This is just one of the facts that amazed me about elephants on my recent trip to Namibia.

No wildlife documentary on even the biggest screen can compare to the feeling of being near these incredible animals. I liked elephants before this trip – I returned with a deep, resonating LOVE for elephants and for Africa!

Location of Etosha Pan, Namibia, Africa

My father and I spent an incredible week photographing animals in Etosha National Park in Namibia - the highlight of our trip. Established as a game reserve in 1907, opening the gates to tourists in 1955, and attaining National Park status in 1967, Etosha is one of the largest National Parks in Africa – over 22,000 square kilometers – even though today it is only a quarter of its original size at the start of the century.

Its territory includes different landscapes and vegetation, and protects a wealth of animal species, many of them endangered – such as black rhino, cheetah, and black-faced impala. The National Park takes its name from the Etosha Pan, a fascinating feature of the landscape – basically a huge dry shallow depression in the landscape – takes up about 20% of the Park's territory.

Nadya of OcelotEyes, Etosha Pan

There are different theories of how it formed - some say it once was a lake, that dried out when the river supplying it changed course, others say it was flattened out by a glacier during the ice age. There is a special viewing point where, during the dry months of the year, you can drive out a bit and admire the flatness, whiteness, and emptiness. During the rainy months, though, water can fill the pan, and life blossoms over what is normally just cracked white mud, inviting flocks of flamingoes to breed.

There are many different meanings to the name “Etosha” - English translations include “the Great White Place”, “Place of Dry Water”, “Place of Emptiness”, all referring to the Pan itself – though the Pan during dry months is hot and empty, not at all a good habitat for most animals.

I saw a stray ostrich there, but even he was within sight of the life-saving grassland at the edge. Surrounding the Pan, though, are various grasslands, woodlands of mopane and acacia trees, and shrublands of thorny bushes – these are the habitats of many different kinds of animals and birds. You can see herds and herds of springboks grazing, spot groups of impala finding shade in the midday sun, appreciate playful zebras at the waterholes, and admire the tall giraffes walking through the savannah. Even elephants can hide in trees a short distance from the road!

Savannah Tree with Lions, 8x10 photograph

We visited during the later part of the dry season, and spent the days driving between the many different waterholes of this enormous park. The animals are very accustomed to cars, so as long as you stay in your vehicle, they ignore you and go about their natural business, giving you an amazing opportunity to stay quiet and observe them very closely!

The dry season means that the vegetation is not all green, animals are visible, and sooner or later they will have to come to a waterhole to drink, so park at one you like - and just watch. If you get tired of endless herds of springbok and zebra at one waterhole, just move to the next one – and you might see giraffes, eland, kudu, or even a rare rhino or lion.

Some of the waterholes in the park are seasonal, filling only after the rains, others are year-round natural freshwater springs, but some are man-made or at least supplemented with piped water – solar panels hidden in the bushes power the machinery, ensuring that the animals always have a chance to drink.

Evening Elephant, 8x10 photograph

In 1954, there were only about 26 elephants counted at the park. Today, you can see at least that many in a few hours at a waterhole! Etosha's elephant population today numbers at least 2,500 – and it's in Namibia's best interests to keep protecting these elephants.

Hopefully, poachers should not be too interested in them, because due to their arid environment and the minerals in the dry soil, the tusks of the Etosha elephants splinter and break before they become very large and valuable. They can also use their tusks to dig for water in the dry soil, which also contributes to breaking them – but helps all species in the area.

These elephants are studied by scientists, with research being done on their communication, the distances they travel, and even...their feet! Elephants can detect distant sounds through their feet – the rumbling of another herd travelling many kilometers away, for example. Etosha's elephants have evolved wider feet, to be able to walk softly on the dry ground – and perhaps to “hear” better?

Elephants Meeting, 8x10 Photograph

Article to be continued tomorrow...

click HERE for part two

Before you do...

Want to learn more about elephants ?

One of my favourite charities, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya rescues orphaned baby elephants and rhinos, in order to hand-raise them until they are old enough to return to the protected wilderness: http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/

In Thailand, a wonderful sanctuary exists for overworked and abused Asian Elephants:

http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/

And even in Tennessee, USA, you can find a home for rescued elephants:

http://www.elephants.com/