Lightkeeper
Well-Known Member
I heard that supposedly elephants have a ritual of putting someting in their trunks and raising the trunks to the sky. Some have interpreted this to being a spiritual practice. Do you think animals are spiritual?
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Do Animals Have Spiritual Practrices?
- Thread starter Lightkeeper
- Start date
Druidus
Keeper of the Grove
I know that it is believed that dolphins practice a form of philosophy.
I also know that dogs have special howls for special occasions. For instance, when another dog they are close to dies, they have a death howl, and most dogs will always try to die while facing in a certain compass direction, I can't remember which. We could never find out unless we could truly understand them.
I also know that dogs have special howls for special occasions. For instance, when another dog they are close to dies, they have a death howl, and most dogs will always try to die while facing in a certain compass direction, I can't remember which. We could never find out unless we could truly understand them.
painted wolf
Grey Muzzle
with the elephants its the remains of the dead... they are well reserched on thier attitudes tword the death of and the remains of other elephants.
they 'mouth' the bones of dead elephants... ie they put the bones in thier mouths without eating them. 'mouthing' is a common form of elephant social nature, they mouth the trunks of familiar elephants in a form of greeting and simply as a social bonding ritual.
Some elephants have been known to carry remians of the dead with them for several days. Elephants never ignore the remains of a dead elephant no matter how old they may be.
Elephants have also been observed to try to get a dying or recently deseased back on thier feet, perhaps in hopes of keeping them alive. The elephants in questin tried for hours to keep an old cow from first lying down and later from saying on the ground. Once it was certen that she was dead every member of the herd spent the rest of the day carressing and mouthing the body before moving on.
Unfortunatly I don't know if the reserchers had sub-sonic listening devices to record the elephants 'talk'... 90% of elephant communication is at frequencies below human range. These sub-sonic calls let diffrent elephant herds communicate from several miles away.
wa:do
they 'mouth' the bones of dead elephants... ie they put the bones in thier mouths without eating them. 'mouthing' is a common form of elephant social nature, they mouth the trunks of familiar elephants in a form of greeting and simply as a social bonding ritual.
Some elephants have been known to carry remians of the dead with them for several days. Elephants never ignore the remains of a dead elephant no matter how old they may be.
Elephants have also been observed to try to get a dying or recently deseased back on thier feet, perhaps in hopes of keeping them alive. The elephants in questin tried for hours to keep an old cow from first lying down and later from saying on the ground. Once it was certen that she was dead every member of the herd spent the rest of the day carressing and mouthing the body before moving on.
Unfortunatly I don't know if the reserchers had sub-sonic listening devices to record the elephants 'talk'... 90% of elephant communication is at frequencies below human range. These sub-sonic calls let diffrent elephant herds communicate from several miles away.
wa:do
godischange
Member
I think animals can be as spiritual as people, but they don't divide themselves among their religion, they probably embrace it for guidance, like those select few "enlightened ones." Animals are so different from people, but they require the same basic needs so it seems logical that they could have some of the same sort of practices as people. AS for the elephant thing, I think it's more of respect for the dead than a spiritual practice.
Feathers in Hair
World's Tallest Hobbit
I remember the story of a female elephant that was trying to rescue a baby rhino from a river. Apparently, it was quite well documented, and I just wish I could recall where I read it. The elephant had become aware that this baby was in trouble and started going about trying to save it. The baby's mother, near-sighted, did not realize that its child was in danger, so kept charging the elephant, trying to keep it away from it's baby. The elephant would get chased away, only to come back to keep raising the child further out of the water.
All I remember for certain was that the baby made it out okay due to the efforts of a creature that had no interest in it as something to snack on.
I'm starting to think that elephants, whales, turtles and other creatures have a higher sense of compassion than many humans. If compassion isn't a spiritual practice, it should be.
All I remember for certain was that the baby made it out okay due to the efforts of a creature that had no interest in it as something to snack on.
I'm starting to think that elephants, whales, turtles and other creatures have a higher sense of compassion than many humans. If compassion isn't a spiritual practice, it should be.