amazingthing
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Look how fast I am!
Like the moment when the baby elephant starts running to dad.
But then he stops and turns around and realizes “Oh, crap! I better wait up for mom!”
And then mom and dad see each other and give each other a big hug!
And then mom nuzzles dad’s ear.
And the whole time baby’s like… “Hello, I’m down here! Look at me!”
And then the older sibling shows up late… because teenagers. And they’re one big happy family!
zestysz
Pessimistic me; Mom and baby wagging tail happily. Dad, not so much. MRW “Wonderful, more responsibility!”
LilyAldrin
Elephants are absolutely amazing animals.
lightandsteady
because teenagers
Jansson0499
Dad is clearly a female, most likely the matriarch. Oh, and they can jump too, sorry.
chocolatine
Ba....Babar..?!
SmashleyKK
YES!
nickoftime90
http://imgur.com/nOuiMtL
Zarkary
That's actually the baby's grandmother. The older elephant's mom.
casvalremdeikun
Animals are better at being people than people are at being people.
ABellButton
My reaction if my dad ever comes back.
pehelwan
Brb dying.
calmchowder
elephants are pregnant for 2 years before they give birth. learned that yesterday, felt like sharing.
zxoiqiox
RIP elephants. They face extinction within the next two decades.
TheInternets
ELEPHAWWWW
GingerRedPanda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_P3Zu4AEO98
CorporalCunt
Now that shows a bull calf. Not some poor twisted idea of that daddy is coming home.
Takethatusername
Well the teenager kind of ruins the moment by taking that huge shit...
alepman
00:45 all teenagers act the same
JustSea
Its still a better ending than Twilight.
becauseofreddit
They turned the last part into a picture because the teen instantly starts shitting. Some one decided to leave that detail out.
28days6hours42minutesand12seconds
That was the best part! The cameraman even stayed on the teenager until it finished...
EmptyMySpine
Poaching should be punishable by death, to you and your whole family!
duressian
The issue isn't with the poachers, who are usually in shitty living conditions, but the filthy rich people who buy the stuff. Supply demand.
abnrml
That baby's trunk in that first one is so silly.
gagedlimits
they look like they have big smiles in all the photos and gifs :')
starstuffninja
"Dad" may have no tusks due to genetic variation. This variety is more common now because so many tusked elephants have been killed.
SilenceInAutumn
You can see the breasts of the "father" elephant between the front legs in the last photo. Definitely aunt or grandma.
dennisbatt
Was going to point that out too. The bull African Elephant also has tusks.
Fatbeard
constructivism FTW
nothingIhaventSeenBefore
Elephants and their long memories...
KreigersJazzHands
Elephants never forget so my dick remembers everything
dropkicknanna
That's called a trunk, not a memories.
MistaSmiles
o dear
SamMan
Dad doesn't seem to have a penis, & has been breast feeding (elephant nipples are between their front legs) Tho hard to tell for sure.
OodaLawleeGollyWhattaDay
It's amazing how even the simplest love story can be heartfelt if it's truly genuine
xMcMurphyx
... but it isn't! It's not even a male elephant!
takingthehobbitstoisengard
Still a love story! Baby is still very happy to see Granny/Auntie. :)
MyLadyOfKittyCats
Grandma
R0da
Thanks for refueling my need to hug an elephant, today.
pretzelnugget
Do you often feel the need to hug an elephant?
R0da
They're just so cute. D:
pretzelnugget
I know they are. I know.
t0nyfranda
I reunited a stray dog with her owner today. The owner started crying with joy. It was a shit lot cuter than this. But damn it this is cute.
chainletter
Why does "dad" have no tusks?
CorporalCunt
That and dad isn't trying to out muscle other dads before mounting the free females. Hm, doesn't feel very bull headed male to me.
stutteringbob
Uhhh.. he had an operation later in life..
snzero
My guess is they've been removed to protect against fuckheads that will kill for them. REMOVE THE HUMAN'S LOWER HORN!!
snzero
Or, more likely, just female. :)
Majorgrunt
It isn't dad. It is grandma/aunt/sister/older female friend.
kellovesorangesoda
It's odd to note that in African elephants both sexes are tusked, however there are no tusks in "mom" or "dad" here
Majorgrunt
Females have greatly reduced tusks. And often surgeries are administered to remove the tusks to make them less likely to be poached.
becauseofreddit
I'm also curious about this
Nightblade
And bewbs.
flamingflamingo
It's a female elephant. It's probably the herd matriarch and possible grandmother.
kellovesorangesoda
These are African elephants. Both sexes should be tusked. It's weird that the only tusks seen here are on the juvenile
flamingflamingo
Might be a game reserve. Sometimes they remove the tusks in order to protect the elephants from poachers.
krallisawesome
I have heard that elephants without tusks are becoming more common, since the tusked ones get killed by poachers and thus can't breed. (1/2)
wadeintheshade
Had to sell tusks. Elephant child support payments are really expensive.
Holyshitthisisawesome
Human Beings. That's why.
IsThisTheRealLifeIsThisJustPharmacy
Because sex change.
rainingnickles
I love life. Not mine, mind you but just life.
AIDSINACAN
Agreed.
Spanked84
I concur.
SPAREMEANIBBLE
I like you and your life. Let's be friends.
Pornegranate
I can get behind this sentiment
colorandcontrast
This is me, exactly.
slong
You all I have this thought daily. Even hourly sometimes. And I know that life isn't so unique that I should be amazed, but I love you all.
rainingnickles
I agree. I love the folks at Imgur. It's still a rare place on the internet, and I hope it can stay that way for a while longer.
KingsAndQueens
I like you
Gearwolf
I have a boyfriend.
slong
Me too.
RomeoSniper
Imgur should have a hug button, right next to the upvote.
slong
As comments cumulate, I genuinely think that we should all get together for drinks.
JessykaPlacebo
San Diego :) imgur drinks!
colorandcontrast
I agree. I don't suppose you're anywhere near Nova Scotia, hey?
MyMiddleNameIsAllen
Minnesota? =)
rainingnickles
First round is on me!
YourGodCreatedMeToo
nope. On me : i'm Belgian and we know & have beers for every occasion
peanutbutterandjellyfish
TIL cumulate is a real word
Ialmostgaveaneven
This comment, I like that shit.
Inferno747
Eloquent, concise, accurate. +1
MrsNedRyerson
It is like we are the same person.
MyPieBringsAllTheDeansToTheYard
I love life, mine included. I just don't love myself.
SPAREMEANIBBLE
this. this is really hard. i feel the same often times.
AsAnAlaskan
I made halibut tacos.... you want one?
TopComment0nReddit
Weird, I just made cod tacos. Let's share and be friends
AsAnAlaskan
Depends... what kind of cod?
TopComment0nReddit
I believe it was wild-caught Pacific cod. They were out of mahi mahi
MyMiddleNameIsAllen
I really like tacos, ESPECIALLY fish tacos, and I ESPECIALLY like halibut. Wow. May we cross paths soon.
AsAnAlaskan
I have lots of halibut, whenever we meet, I'll cook the fish, you chop the veggies
MyMiddleNameIsAllen
You aren't in Seattle, are you? I'm flying to Seattle tomorrow.
AsAnAlaskan
kinda close! Alaska.
Holysoks
Yeah, I think you speak for a lot of people. :)
ThatGuyYouMetOnTheBus
I still don't forgive you, mother elephant.
Jerkov
OH my WORD. That could not have made me any happier!! I'M SO HAPPY FOR THOSE ELEPHANTS I HAVE TO YELL!
halfpint42
but... baby elephants in the wild live in matriarchal herds not with a nuclear family of mom, dad and 2 kids.... yes, I am 'that guy'
MyCatsNameIsNinja
i thought the dad was passing by in a male herd and just happened to meet up with the mother in the passing female herd.. that could happen
ILostIt
http://imgur.com/IW8simF
wandergeist
Exactly. Many -- probably most -- wild elephants have never met their fathers and wouldn't know them if they did.
flamingflamingo
And if they DID meet them, bull elephants are assholes and it probably wouldn't be pretty.
tacoyakicat
yeah, i can tell there is no penis on that other elephant. you are NOT the father!
meepmerp
agreed ... became suspicious when i noticed both adult elephants lacked tusks...
BDSMBlooddoll
I was thinking that, too.
Iamyourmothersisterdaughter
Or Auntie elephant.
HappierThanASlinkyOnAnEscalator
don't worry about being that guy, i just learned something!
Ikillmiceforaliving
This. Yes
icouldntpickmyusernamesoimrantingtotheinternet
I can dream, Harold!!
icookfoodandfightfire
it was the grandmother...they saw the video and probably assumed it was dad
8hourgamer
Yeah, I'm thinking that could be grandma
MistressTacoPants
It is. This was actually on TV earlier this evening, haha.
MakingplansforNigel
Damn that makes it even cuter!!!
chainletter
As another that guy who is way in to animals, that's what I was thinking.
casinosonthemoon
I absolutely agree. Bulls are more solitary and the mommas take care of everybody. Still super cute despite inaccuracies though :)
rocasocks
Pretty sure it's the baby elephants aunt, grandma or older sister.... bull elephants have tusks and are quite a bit bigger than females.
cossettetape
Now I am doing research on this, this is at Addo National Elephant Park in South Africa. Trying to find out if they remove the tusks or not.
Imdonedoingthisrubbish
During the 1800s hunters shot the animals with the largest tusks. The recessive gene of elephants is now dominant. Few females have tusks.
aloha611
Iʻm no expert, but I think it is a male. My safari guide explained that males have a more prominent hump on the forehead.
Lyrabelle
Adult males roam solo--it's more likely a female, but it's entirely possible things work a little differently at that Elephant Park.
kickliquid
maybe it's a "progressive" elephant couple... giggity
NoUsernamesAreAvailableAtAll
party pooper
lyinginbedmon
Plus, we can see the "dad"'s teats in the last photo
pecc
Elephant teats are located between the front legs, we can see them in pictures 3, 5, 6.
PhilMcBuckoL
Teats or tiny penis?
lyinginbedmon
A blessed man is he for having two of them
cossettetape
I actually think that's the elephant that was on the right side in all the other pictures/gifs
lyinginbedmon
The "dad" elephant is taller than the "mom" elephant, that's the dad elephant on the left.
barryhalls
It could be any reunion, but some governments and parks remove the tusks, to stop poachers from killing, and 'he' is a bit bigger.
DeadGodJess
More and more elephants are born without due to natural selection + poaching.
ibearbadnews
This is why you are alone.
rocasocks
iwanttobeapenguin
Animal sexes are easy to tell apart sometimes, so teaching is good so that we know.
madchiller
except when they're removed by the living devil poachers
[deleted]
[deleted]
polkadotstripeysocks
Actually, most African elephants don't have tusks anymore. They are evolving to not have them as poachers are killing out the ones who do.
pmmedemboobies
False. Evolution is making them get smaller, not gone all together.
Phishouttawatta
funfact: this is causing them to act more aggressively...rhinos are receiving the brunt of their aggression
FunFingersMcGrabbyHands
Is "evolving" is the right word? If elephants with tusks are being removed from the gene pool by poachers, can you call it evolution?
Proboscidea
The population would technically be evolving because there are drastic changes in allele frequencies. Plus, over more generations, (1/2)
Proboscidea
there are more tuskless elephants. (2/2)
FunFingersMcGrabbyHands
Excuse the extra "is" - now I can't unsee it and it will forever haunt me.
BruceGodDamnWayne
Higher threat from predators because of a certain trait results in directional selection for individuals lacking that trait. 'Tis evolution.
FunFingersMcGrabbyHands
Right, but elephants without tusks already existed. Feels more like natural selection (if you could call it that) than evolution.
FunFingersMcGrabbyHands
I don't claim to be an expert though.
cossettetape
From a review site: The Mystery of the Tuskless Female Elies
While on a guided tour, I asked our driver why some elephants at Addo are (1)
cossettetape
tuskless and some have small tusks compared to those at Kruger, for example. He said that the original eleven survivors where females (2)
cossettetape
and they did not have tusks, possibly being the very reason why they were not shot. Not having tusks saved there lives! The tusklessness (3)
cossettetape
was passed on to their daughters. Today, there are only five females with tusks, representing 5% of the female population. (4) TMYK