The Elephant Keeper

Aug 29, 2011 Petra X rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Book about a rather nice lady elephant and her pervie keeper. Its one thing to want to love and protect your pet, whatever its size, rarity value and potential murderous temperament, it's another to leave your human beloved for it.

Daft story beautifully told, very enjoyable to read, but daft all the same. Imagine if it had been about a man leaving his girlfriend to live with his unstable pitbull? And then, after the pitbull had lost it and killed someone who wasn't very nice, run away with it!...more

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May 12, 2013 SilverRaindrops rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewstatus-reviewed, favourites-read-2011

I'm actually in two minds about this book.

I adored the first part (the actual "History of The Elephant") and was a bit bored by the second, although I enjoyed the descriptions and the conversations between the noblemen. The third was a bit more interesting, although not much about the Elephant (although she was mentioned quite a lot, I didn't feel her presence as much as during the first two parts of the book), and I was was utterly confused by part 4. My rational mind couldn't follow this part...more

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May 01, 2010 Annie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a lovely surprise of a read, a beautiful story of a boy's love and care for Jenny the elephant through all the twists and turns of their lives in 18th century England. It's not faultless - I was more taken by the first half of the book when the young Tom starts to write his history of the elephant than the second which gets a little dark and tackles wider social issues. And there are slower sections that don't grip the attention as effectively. And much is made in other reviews of the s...more

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Feb 24, 2013 bythelamplight rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Review posted on bythelamplight

“The Elephant Keeper, the story of Tom and the elephants, in Tom's own words, moves from the green fields and woods of the English countryside to the dark streets and alleys of late-eighteenth-century London, reflecting both the beauty and the violence of the age. Nicholson's lush writing and deft storytelling complement a captivating tale of love and loyalty between one man and the two elephants that change the lives of all who meet them.”

The Elephant Keeper is a...more Review posted on bythelamplight

“The Elephant Keeper, the story of Tom and the elephants, in Tom's own words, moves from the green fields and woods of the English countryside to the dark streets and alleys of late-eighteenth-century London, reflecting both the beauty and the violence of the age. Nicholson's lush writing and deft storytelling complement a captivating tale of love and loyalty between one man and the two elephants that change the lives of all who meet them.”

The Elephant Keeper is a novel that I am not quite sure what to say about. I picked up this book because elephants are one of my favorite animals, and so I thought I would give it a shot.

Throughout the first maybe half of the novel, it is a lovely story about well, an Elephant Keeper and his two elephants. Tom Page, The Elephant Keeper, is in charge of the two elephants rescued by his lordship. Naming them Timothy and Jenny, Tom develops a deep bond with both of them. The Elephants grow up to be both loved and feared throughout the town, but during the first part of the novel, their fascinating character definitely shines through to the reader. I loved the interesting stories about the Elephants and learning so much about them; it was a nice, light read for a rainy day.

However, throughout the second part of the novel, I can’t say quite the same thing. The second part seemed like the author was tired of the cute, elephant story and wanted to change things up a bit. Tom Page leaves his family to follow the elephant Jenny, while the elephant Timothy is sold to another buyer. For me, this part of the novel started to drag. I wanted to finish the book, but I admit I skimmed over a few sections. In the second half, Tom’s character also starts to change. At the beginning, you saw an animal-loving, caring protagonist who treated the elephants kindly with love. Although this aspect did not change, Tom starts to make choices that I personally disapprove of. I won’t include any spoilers, but some of the events in the second half of this novel are just weird.

The ending of the novel leaves you hanging. It is gives you two scenarios, and either one of them could have happened. You choose what you want to believe. In my opinion, I thought the ending was different but not in a bad way. I liked that the author gave you a chance to walk down each path Tom and Jenny could have taken.

In conclusion, if you are the kind of person who takes the good with the bad, I do suggest you read The Elephant Keeper. The beginning of the novel is cute and endearing, and I really enjoyed learning about Jenny and Timothy. However, if you are not so much of that kind of person, maybe you should skip over The Elephant Keeper for now. (less)

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Jan 21, 2013 Tiffany rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Elephant Keeper is split into four parts. In the first, it is 1766 and a ship arrives in England. Aboard are two elephants and a rich man, wanting to breed them, buys them and puts them in the care of his groomsman, Tom Page. The piece is written by Tom after he is ordered to write the history of his elephants so it is from his point of view. Tom names the male Timothy and the female Jenny. Not long after, the Timothy is sold and Tom decides to stay with Jenny. Eventually, she too is sold an...more The Elephant Keeper is split into four parts. In the first, it is 1766 and a ship arrives in England. Aboard are two elephants and a rich man, wanting to breed them, buys them and puts them in the care of his groomsman, Tom Page. The piece is written by Tom after he is ordered to write the history of his elephants so it is from his point of view. Tom names the male Timothy and the female Jenny. Not long after, the Timothy is sold and Tom decides to stay with Jenny. Eventually, she too is sold and goes to live in comfort. This is where part two begins and this section is in diary form. Tom witnesses something horrible and begins to think of what separates man from beast and man from his own inner beast. After the death of Jenny’s new master, she is sold and sold and sold, the book skips the details. In part three, Jenny and Tom are living in London, in a terrible zoo-like menagerie where the animals die. He travel back to his original homestead to see if the son of Jenny’s original owner will buy her and is disappointed. Part four is the surprise twist ending in which we find out what may or may not have happened to Jenny and Tom.
The book took some time to get into since the first part is all about people of England getting to know about these exotic creatures none have ever seen. Some of the themes are very heavy like can animals think like we can, are we all just beasts, and what makes us any better? Tom’s relationship with Jenny is strange, he seems to see her as a lover and believes he can talk to her and she will talk back. The ending is very sad because he does something I never expected he could do. It was rather difficult to keep track of all the random characters that didn’t add much to the story. Everyone, except Jenny, seemed very flat. But, because I am an animal lover, I liked the book very much. It was an interesting look into eighteenth century England.
I would probably only suggest this book to an older student who likes to read more adult novels. There is a lot of discussion about animal sex (because the first part is like a natural history piece) and there is also a rape scene. But I think it would be okay, with a disclaimer, for a mature student. Only students who like older literature would enjoy the language of this novel.
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Oct 07, 2011 Wendy rated it 1 of 5 stars

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Jun 07, 2011 Michelle rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I think we can all agree that elephants are charming creatures and should be featured in books more. And the first half of this book WAS charming. A young man in 18th century England, taking care of two elephants, on a manor. Then you start to realize, Wow, Tom (the main character) has really given up a lot for these elephants (which becomes just one elephant about a third of the way through). But you feel okay about it--it's a valid life and career choice. But then, you know, Tom doesn't stop a...more

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May 15, 2011 Ms.pegasus rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: animal lovers, literary fiction readers

Shelves: fiction

Christopher Nicholson combines a mischievous sensibility with a creative imagination in this delicate and satisfying story. Working with a subject that could easily degenerate into either sentimentality or bathos, he tells a nuanced story of devotion, empathy, humanity, bittersweet memories, and conscience.

The voice he adopts in THE ELEPHANT KEEPER is entirely his own. He playfully hints at this in a meditation on the differences between speech and writing. His character, a stable boy, is asked...more Christopher Nicholson combines a mischievous sensibility with a creative imagination in this delicate and satisfying story. Working with a subject that could easily degenerate into either sentimentality or bathos, he tells a nuanced story of devotion, empathy, humanity, bittersweet memories, and conscience.

The voice he adopts in THE ELEPHANT KEEPER is entirely his own. He playfully hints at this in a meditation on the differences between speech and writing. His character, a stable boy, is asked to write a memoir of the elephant he tends. The stable boy's struggle to articulate this story is playfully used by Nicholson to reflect on the struggles of the writer. “In speech they use...words...whereas when they write, they employ a different vocabulary....[One] does not meet an Elephant, but encounters it....There is an entirely different language for writing....” It is a succinct reminder that a story is an intimate link between reader and author's minds.

It is a literary conceit that this story is told by Tom, son of Timothy, head groom to Mr. John Harrington of Somerset, a well-to-do Bristol merchant. Yet, because of Tom's modern sensibility regarding animals, the reader is quickly drawn into this beautifully told tale. We want to believe, and so we do. In a voice that only gradually comes to speak as a bond of trust is slowly forged, Jenny the Elephant speaks in Tom's mind. These consist of non-judgmental observations and commonsense (for an Elephant) questions. As Tom teaches Jenny to count, Tom muses that this will demonstrate to his master that animals and humans are not so different after all. As Jenny accepts a carrot as a reward, he imagines her thinking: “Is it so important? May I have another carrot, please, Tom?” The content is so “elephantine,” but the polite diction so human. This is the gift of Nicholson's storytelling.

The bond between Tom and Jenny is tested as voices around Tom, his mother, and more importantly, his friend Lizzy, argue that the Elephant, being not human, is somehow subordinate to the dominion (and selfish desires) of humans. The characters that people this story are all too human. The ignorant village gossip; the pretensions of the pseudo educated; the boorish attitude of entitlement by the younger generation of gentry; and the occasional goodness of the few who retain both a sense of humility and a connecttion to the land.

There is a nostalgic or perhaps romantic element to this tale. Look at the English landscape paintings of Richard Wilson or George Stubbs. There is a monumental quality bestowed on nature, and a connection to domestic animals that ended when urban life came to overshadow the rural. It is no accident that this is also the period of the Enclosures, when the Commons were being fenced off causing a cataclismic change in English social relations.

It is fitting that Nicholson chooses to tell the bulk of his tale in the present tense. There is a timelessness element to this story which leaves us with the consolation: “Not to take what Life offers would be a great mistake, and taking what Life offers must be one of the secrets of happiness....Is that not what, in her own way, Jenny has taught me? If I remain uneasy, I think, it is perhaps merely because Life seems to offer different people such different things.”(less)

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Jan 23, 2011 Friends of Linebaugh Library rated it 5 of 5 stars

"I asked the sailor what an Elephant looked like; he replied that it was like nothing on earth."

The Elephant Keeper, a wonderful and heartbreaking book, is the story of Tom and two young elephants who, in 1776, arrive at the docks in Bristol, England. They are purchased by a wealthy sugar merchant for his estate, and he hires a young stable boy, Tom Page, to care for them. The story, told by Tom, follows the lives of boy and elephants as they learn to understand each other, and develop a remarka...more "I asked the sailor what an Elephant looked like; he replied that it was like nothing on earth."

The Elephant Keeper, a wonderful and heartbreaking book, is the story of Tom and two young elephants who, in 1776, arrive at the docks in Bristol, England. They are purchased by a wealthy sugar merchant for his estate, and he hires a young stable boy, Tom Page, to care for them. The story, told by Tom, follows the lives of boy and elephants as they learn to understand each other, and develop a remarkable bond of affection and loyalty. Touching and engaging, the story contains wonderful characters, including the elephants themselves. The writing captures the nuances of character, and paints a compelling portrait of the time as it moves from the green fields and woods of the English countryside to the dark streets and alleys of late-eighteenth-century London, reflecting both the beauty and the violence of the age. Nicholson's lush writing and deft storytelling complement a captivating tale of love and loyalty between one man and the two elephants that change the lives of all who meet them.

I was very impressed with this book. It is a beautiful love story. It is believable because of the innocence and compassion of Tom Page. You learn early on that Tom is following in his footsteps of his deceased father, who was also as an animal caretaker, unlike his brother, who goes on to become a wealthy sailor. Tom, however, prefers a simpler life and the company of animals over humans. It soon comes to be Tom’s destiny to manage and care for two elephants that are brother and sister that Tom names Timothy and Jenny. He immediately devotes his life to them, even putting their well-being ahead of his own. There are many heart-warming scenes in which you can feel the connection Tom has with the elephants. They come to almost speak the same language and the lines get blurred between humans and animals. Tom even engages in conversations with Jenny and they almost seem like lovers in Tom’s mind. Tom does have a human love interest as well but his loyalty to the elephants prevents him from further pursuing it. This would seem like a sacrifice but it is actually what Tom wants. It is an easy read that ends too quickly but leaves your heart feeling full and maybe even restores faith in the ability of humans to communicate with animals.(less)

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Aug 27, 2010 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fictional books about animals are in vogue, with Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants, Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain, and Yann Martel's Life of Pi, each experiencing an extended stay on the bestseller list.

Add Christopher Nicholson's The Elephant Keeper to that list. The book cast a spell upon me, and I read it in two sittings, unable to put it down. Set in the late 1700s, the novel tells the tale of young Tom Page, who is tasked by his employer to write a book about the elephant he ha...more Fictional books about animals are in vogue, with Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants, Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain, and Yann Martel's Life of Pi, each experiencing an extended stay on the bestseller list.

Add Christopher Nicholson's The Elephant Keeper to that list. The book cast a spell upon me, and I read it in two sittings, unable to put it down. Set in the late 1700s, the novel tells the tale of young Tom Page, who is tasked by his employer to write a book about the elephant he has been caring for many years.

Tom's father was head groom to John Harrington, a wealthy sugar merchant. Tom loved horses and followed in his father's footsteps. One day, a ship from Africa unloaded on the docks and and two elephants were among the cargo.

No one had ever seen such incredible creatures, and they were disoriented and ill from their long sea journey. Harrington was a shrewd businessman, and after asking Tom if he though the elephants would live, purchased them from the ship's captain.

Tom takes to the elephants immediately and is eager to work with them. At first they were angry and wary of Tom, making several successful attempts to pick the locks of their crates to escape, but eventually they began to trust him.

He names them Timothy and Jenny, although is careful to not share this information with anyone else less they think he is mad. I also think by not sharing their names with anyone else, he keeps them from becoming attached to anyone else; they belong only to Tom.

Tom's relationship with the elephants sadly precludes normal relationships with humans, particularly women. He sleeps in the barn near the elephants, spends all his time with them, and when a lovely young lady named Lizzie wants to become closer to Tom, he spurns her. His responsibility is to the beautiful creatures whom he believes need him.

As the story progresses, the reader is privy to dialogue between Tom and Jenny. Is Jenny really speaking to Tom, or is this an example of Tom sliding into some sort of madness?

Not all goes well with Tom and the elephants, and the twists and turns of this tragic tale are masterfully told by Nicholson. The thought-provoking end to this magical story will be turned over in the mind of the reader for a long time, and I suspect people will either love the ending or hate it. I loved it.
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Aug 09, 2010 Alan rated it 4 of 5 stars

A fictional story about what may have been the first elephants ever to make it to England alive made for an interesting read. "The Elephant Keeper" is a story that provides insights into the life of both upper and lower classes in 18th century England...a time when a person's family and circumstance usually limited their social and professional possibilities.

The main human character of the book, Tom Page, is the son of a groom that worked for a titled English gentleman. Tom accompanied his mast...more

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Apr 30, 2010 Charles rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a wonderful book. It's an account by Tom Page, the elephant keeper of the title, of his relationship with two elephants in 18th century England, and it manages, with no apparent effort, to talk about the nature of love, power structures and their effect on human relationships, notions of the afterlife, landscape gardening and a host of other things. It does so with grace, humour, depth and, above all - perhaps unexpectedly, given that the core of the book describes the love and respect a...more

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Dec 21, 2009 Denise rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Elephant Keeper is the story of a young horse trainer who suddenly finds himself in charge of caring for two young elephants. Its a coming of age story for both the trainer and the elephants and the commonalities and contrasts make for an interesting twist. As the story progress the trainer develops a deep relationship with the female elephant and ultimately is able to communicate with her. I thought this part of the story was well written and I was able to suspend belief and enjoy their int...more

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Aug 16, 2009 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Christopher Nicholson’s The Elephant Keeper is a surprisingly melancholy re-imagining of what is must have been like to introduce exotic animals into late eighteenth century England. The first half of the novel is a sweet mix of coming of age and innocent love story of Elephants and their Keeper, Tom. The second half of the book darkens and depicts Tom’s full blown obsession with his charges. Tom commits his life to the elephant’s care, dissociating himself with human kind in favor of his beasts...more

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Jul 19, 2009 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

The first half of this novel, in which the narrator sets out a "True History of an Elephant" up until the time of writing, is incredibly charming. The author's pastiche of a late eighteenth-century writing style occasionally seems forced, but for the most part one is willing to let it slide, because Tom Page is a likable narrator, and the story of how he met, trained, and grew attached to a pair of elephants is engaging and sweet.

Once the narrative is brought to Tom's "present" it begins to fall...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Erin Newell rated it 2 of 5 stars

I cannot remember where I picked up this book, but someone somewhere mentioned to me that it was a good read. It's set in 18th century England and is clearly about an elephant keeper. It's separated into several books. The first few books were interesting enough, but then things got weird in the 4th or 5th book. I wish I would have stopped before reading on. The first few books are all about this boy turning into a man, and how he takes care of two elephants bought by his "master" when he was yo...more

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Oct 26, 2011 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is a very English style history of animal treatment in captivity, from capturing wild creatures and bringing them to England for profit, living at an estate and finally ending in a menagerie of sadness. through it all though there is the hopeful beauty of friendship and caring between caretaker and elephant that drew me on through what normally would have been a downer. Finally the deeper awareness and intelligence of the elephant that gave the book a solemn tranquility when I might ha...more

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Jun 10, 2011 Bettie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: published-2007, summer-2011, radio-4, zoology, period-piece

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 09, 2009 Trish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, animals, teen

Christopher Nicholson had not registered on my radar before this latest gentle, lumbering, big and somehow soft narrative about two elephants who land at the docks in Bristol, England in the 1700's. The novel is not written like anything that came out of that era, thank goodness, but one gets a feeling of life stripped of its furious pace and all the unnecessary essentials we all find so time consuming now. I laugh quietly to learn on the HarperCollins website that Nicholson is a Thomas Hardy fa...more

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Aug 27, 2009 Melissa rated it 2 of 5 stars

I had to wait a couple of days after reading this book to post the review. It has now been three. And I still don’t know how I feel about the story. Which doesn’t leave a good taste in my mouth.

The story itself flows well. You get emotional about the elephants and how they live their daily lives. But for the main character, Tom, I could take him or leave him. There isn’t much depth into what he is about, and as the story unravels, even less so.

I am at a loss as to what to say about this book. It...more

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Nov 12, 2009 Sandie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-books, historical-fiction

The three books owned by Tom Page in Christopher Nicholson's book "The Elephant Keeper" are A Pilgrims Progress, the Bible and Gulliver's Travels. Like Gulliver, Tom Page has no emotional life (save for his obsessive devotion to Jenny the elephant)and he sees the world strictly in black and white.

Tom is the narrator of this novel and his observations are blunt and factual, more in the style of a news reporter than a novelist. It appears that Nicholson has created his Tom character using Matthew...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Philippa Clair rated it 5 of 5 stars

in interesting read, with some lovely imagery. I found the narrative to be quite different too. I have to say that I enjoyed the first half of the book more, but it was still worth finishing. I like books set in the past, as its such a different world from ours. this shows the life of a young boy caring for the first elephants to arrive in britain, and how they are viewed by their owners, society, but more importantly his relationship with them. some reviews on here have said his love for the hi...more

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Sep 14, 2010 Christy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I bought this book because I like animal stories and because I wanted a sweet, enjoyable read. On the cover of the book it is described as a magical adventure. I don't think the book matched the description on the cover. The writing is good, in fact, I had a hard time putting the book down, but I didn't like the turn of events in the plot. I greatly enjoyed the first half of the book, Tom's writings about the history of the elephant, but afterward that, I feel that the story just kind of fell fl...more

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Dec 16, 2009 Lila rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-it, historical-fiction

I am usually not a big fan of books with animals as main characters. I decided to break away from this pattern and read The Elephant Keeper, especially that the description mentioned it to be 'a magical adventure'. The novel is set in 18th century England and the story is told by Tom Page, a keeper of two elephants he named Timothy and Jenny. By pure accident, Tom found himself to be their main caregiver since the day they arrived in England. The elephants were still pretty much babies and on th...more I am usually not a big fan of books with animals as main characters. I decided to break away from this pattern and read The Elephant Keeper, especially that the description mentioned it to be 'a magical adventure'. The novel is set in 18th century England and the story is told by Tom Page, a keeper of two elephants he named Timothy and Jenny. By pure accident, Tom found himself to be their main caregiver since the day they arrived in England. The elephants were still pretty much babies and on the verge of dying. However, under the careful eye of Tom and his undivided attention, Timothy and Jenny survived. And Tom's life took an unexpected turn as he falls in love with the two animals and slowly but surely removes himself from the world of people.

Sounds interesting, doesn't it? Well, it was okay in the beginning even though the style of writing (Tom's weird grammar with author's attempt to use the language as it may have been used in the times the story was set) took some getting used to. It also took me a while to get interested in the story of raising two elephants, the way Tom recounts his life as elephant keeper seemed emotionally distant to me and therefore I couldn't quite believe that he was all that devoted to Timothy and Jenny. But still, there was something in the story (probably the novelty of reading about elephants) that kept me going. Unfortunately, when I got about half-way through, the relationship between Tom Page and his female elephant, Jenny became just plain weird to me. I don't want to spoil anything for those of you who might want to read it but when a man starts talking to an animal and receives answers and the conversations take on an intimate character, and when that same man starts having sexually suggestive dreams featuring the animal I have to start questioning the sanity of the whole novel. Which by the way, was not pitched as a fantasy but historical fiction. I did finish The Elephant Keeper because when I am already half done with a book I go on until the end, but it left me feeling slightly put off.
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Aug 29, 2009 Jennifer Osterman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I won an ARC of this book and really liked it. I loved the first half of the book in which Tom Page tells the story of how he became the elephant keeper. The second half of the story, in which Tom and Jenny become part of a zoo or menagerie is a much darker story that is only hinted at in the beginning. One isn't sure if it is the elephant keeper who has gone mad, or if he is just being lonely and fanciful. I was very engaged in the characters and in the plot, but I felt that there were two diff...more

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May 06, 2012 Christopher rated it 5 of 5 stars

I want to review this book as it is quite different from the run of the mill novel.

It is, however, difficult to add anything new when there are already many very well written reviews giving plot summaries and praising the book.

I can add, however, that if you enjoyed books such as The Goshawk, or Star of the Sea then you will certainly enjoy this book.(Alternatively, if you enjoyed this book, try one of those!)

It has elements of both yet is unique in the way the story of the keeper and Elephant a...more

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Aug 19, 2010 Jodi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: books-about-england

I am not sure how I feel about this book. At times I really loved the story and couldn't put the book down and at other times, it seemed a little silly and far-fetched. I loved the basic story of how a "strange" animal came to England off a ship from India in the late 1700s and how a young boy immediately fell in love with it. Hearing Tom's story and how he grew to love and care for the elephant he names Jenny, was enjoyable to read but then the book switches and Jenny starts "talking" to him. I...more

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Apr 20, 2010 Donna rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was an interesting story set in the mid 1700's about a young man who becomes the keeper for a pair of elephants. Set in England, we follow the life of the keeper and his love and relationship to the elephants as he begins to write a history of his charges. There are good times and bad as the elephants are separated and sold to sometimes good owners and sometimes not so good circumstances.

Our keeper learns some valuable lessons for Jenny, the elephants he keeps for his whole life. They learn...more

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Jan 11, 2010 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm currently reading this fiction book and find it very informative. Having written a adventure/fantasy series about elephants myself (the first to be published this year), I am learning a wealth of practical information I didn't find researching my books for the last few decades. I'm thinking now that this is a metaphysical book, though I'm just seeing it as conversations in the head of the elephant keeper, and not real ones between the elephant and him--his interpretation of an elephant he kn...more

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Feb 05, 2011 Sandra rated it 3 of 5 stars

I shouldn't have read other reviews of this story before I finished the book. Now I am afraid to move on with it. I am enjoying it because elephants are such fascinating creatures---they are so smart. Now I am afraid to continue because I think something bad is going to happen. It has already been a bit sad because they sent the male elephant away. I know that the female elephant (his sister) feels the loss. I personify animals very easily and because of the elephant's intelligence, I don't thin...more

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