Down In The Dumps
“[The elephant] was particularly weak and particularly ill,” explained Karen Trendle, one of the rehabilitation and crisis response specialist who treated Ellie. She went on, “He wasn’t showing much interest in doing anything. He was very lethargic, very disinterested.” What could be the reason for the behavior Ellie was displaying? It is true that Ellie was improving in the physical sense and constantly showered with love, but the young elephant still felt downtrodden, lonely, and withdrawn. This was when the caretakers came to a realization that would break their hearts.
Down In The Dumps
Suffering From Emotional Trauma
It is no secret that elephants are highly social animals that rely on animals of their kind out in the wild. After experiencing something so traumatic early in life, Ellie appeared to be dealing with the psychological repercussions of his situation. The lonely African elephant was experiencing trouble adapting to a life without his herd. Although he was improving physically, his psychological state appeared to be in decline. The orphanage staff did not want to witness the elephant suffer some more, so they had to do something drastic that would change the life of the baby elephant under their care. What did they do?
Suffering From Emotional Trauma
