“Even though female elephants stay with their mothers for life and males until their early teens, the first step in training elephants to perform tricks is to break the bond between babies and their mothers. When they are 18 to 24 months old, calves are roped by all four legs and tied by the neck to an “anchor elephant” that leads them away from their mothers. The frantic moms are restrained by having all four legs chained to the wall while the babies try to run away and fight having the ropes put on.”
“The babies take one last look at their mothers and are dragged away” (Petra).
Violation
Dear reader, this imagery has me weeping: the violation of the mother and baby bond is diabolical. The vulnerability of the newly born is such a precious and precarious time for parents and it is a sacred trust from God. Socializing of the young is supremely important, as parents model what it looks like to freely frolic and play; eat and sleep under the comforting care and safety of adoring adults. Playing with their peers as they grow is crucial too: unhampered relationship is our only true treasure.
If only I were brave
- If I were brave, I would share more with you, about the breaking of the spirit of the baby elephants; what trainers do to make the young comply with the cruel demands so that they perform according to the wishes of those that subject them to unnatural ways of being
- If I were brave, I would share with you how crushed these young innocent lives are, when they cry out for their mothers and are denied the loving godly guidance only parents and guardians can provide
- If only I were brave enough, to share the devastation and the unnatural order that comes from being tethered and trapped and giving up, finally submitting to tyranny and a life of utter restriction: I would share what it actually looks like for these barred babes
I cannot, I am not brave enough; I invite you to read for yourself, and learn what men are capable of doing for their own satisfaction, financial gain or power hungry urges. Perhaps, if you will take my lead, you will watch the movie Sophie’s Choice: the scene in this movie that reveals Sophie’s choice, has haunted me for years.
In the mean time dear one, I bid you to ask yourself these questions:
- Will trainers, handlers, take my babies away too?
- Will they tether them, break their spirit, and force submission to tyrannical rule?
- Will I willingly continue to bar my babies, at the command of an unruly, duplicitous ruler, from frolicking, playing, and being sacredly socialized?
More questions:
- Am I willingly handing over my freedom and modelling the same for my young, those that look up to me with trust in their eyes and believe I can do no wrong?
- Am I tethering my own young?
Circus Act
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| Modelling is vitally important |
Mother elephants, captured and contained, have no choice against cruel and commanding men that rob them of their young to turn them into a circus act, cutely complying for the applause of a crowd.
Parents of children though, have the gift of free will and it is not to be curtailed by anyone. Stolen freedom is the vilest violation of human rights and is a crushing blow to the human spirit. Worse than this, dear reader, is willingly giving our freedom away, and my fear, my shame and blame (more so if I were to remain silent), will be watching as children are led away by handlers, by trainers, who command them because of the complacency of parents that refused to see that they were tethered by invisible ankle bracelets, and chains that do not exist.
Scripture is clear
“He brought them out of darkness; the utter darkness, and broke away their chains” (Psalm 107:14).
I leave you to consider this last bit of wisdom from The Bible:
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
