Essay on Elephant for Students and Children

500+ words essay on elephant.

Elephants are quite large animals . They have four legs which resemble large pillars. They have two ears which are like big fans. Elephants have a special body part which is their trunk. In addition, they have a short tail. The male elephant has two teeth which are quite long and are referred to as tusks.

an essay on elephant

Elephants are herbivorous and feed on leaves, plants, grains, fruits and more. They are mostly found in Africa and Asia. Most of the elephants are grey in color, however, in Thailand, they have white elephants.

In addition, elephants are one of the longest-lived animals with an average lifespan of around 5-70 years. But, the oldest elephant to ever live passed away at the age of 86 years.

Furthermore, they mostly inhabit jungles but humans have forced them to work in zoos and circuses. Elephants are considered to be one of the most intelligent animals.

Similarly, they are quite obedient too. Usually, the female elephants live in groups but the male ones prefer solitary living. Additionally, this wild animal has great learning capacity. Humans use them for transport and entertainment purposes. Elephants are of great importance to the earth and mankind. Thus, we must protect them to not create an imbalance in nature’s cycle.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Importance of Elephants

Elephants come in the group of most intelligent creatures. They are capable of quite strong emotions. These creatures have earned the respect of people of Africa that share the landscape with them. This gives them a great cultural significance. Elephants are tourism magnets for mankind. In addition, they also play a great role in maintaining the biodiversity of the ecosystems.

Most importantly, elephants are also significant for wildlife. They dig for water in the dry season with their tusks. It helps them survive the dry environment and droughts and also helps other animals to survive.

In addition, the elephants of the forest create gaps in the vegetation while eating. The gaps created enables the growth of new plants as well as pathways for smaller animals. This method also helps in dispersal of seeds by trees.

Furthermore, even elephant dung is beneficial. The dung they leave contains seeds of plants they have consumed. This, in turn, helps the birth of new grasses, bushes, and even trees. Thus, they also boost the health of the savannah ecosystem.

Endangerment of Elephants

Elephants have found their way on the list of endangered species. Selfish human activities have caused this endangerment. One of the biggest reasons for their endangerment is the illegal killing of elephants. As their body parts are very profitable, humans kill them off for their skin, bones, tusks, and more.

Moreover, humans are wiping out the natural habitat of elephants i.e. the forests. This results in a lack of food, area to live, and resources to survive. Similarly, hunting and poaching just for the thrill of it also cause the death of elephants.

Therefore, we see how humans are the main reason behind their endangerment. In other words, we must educate the public about the importance of elephants. Conservation efforts must be taken aggressively to protect them. In addition, poachers must be arrested to stop killing of the endangered species.

FAQs on Essay on Elephant

Q.1 Why are Elephants important?

A.1 Elephants are important not only to humans but wildlife and vegetation too. They provide sources of water for other animals in the dry season. Their eating method helps in the growth of new plants. They maintain the balance of the savannah ecosystem.

Q.2 Why is endangerment of elephants harmful?

A.2 Human activities have caused endangerment of elephants. Extinction of these animals will create an imbalance in the ecosystem gravely. We must take steps to stop this endangerment so they can be protected from extinction.

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Writing an Essay on Elephant

Elephants are animals that belong to the Elephantidae family (which includes mammoths) and can be found all over the world. Elephants are one of the world's largest land animals, with populations spanning Asia and Africa's forests and deserts. Elephants are known to be highly intelligent and social animals, similar to primates and humans, and are regarded as the most lovable creatures and valued by various cultures around the world.

Long Elephant Essay in English

Animals of different forms can be found all over the world. Some are quite large, while others are quite small. The elephant is the world's largest and most powerful mammal.

It has thick legs, massive sides and back, large hanging ears, a short tail, small eyes, long white tusks, and, most notably, a long nose known as the trunk. Elephants have the biggest brain of any terrestrial animal, measuring four times the size of a human brain.

On the head and back, an elephant's skin can be as thick as 2.5-4 cm. The skin is greyish black in colour. On the forehead, top section of the trunk, and ears, there is depigmentation. The skin is silky and supple while being dry due to the lack of sweat glands. To compensate for evaporative heat loss, the heavily wrinkled skin absorbs water and helps keep surface moisture. This is especially important during droughts.

Elephants have 1.5-2 inch length and 1-inch broad eyes. Because of the location of the eyeball, the existence of the trunk and ear, as well as the short neck, the field of vision is limited to just 30-50 metres. When an elephant detects danger, it alternates its body movements from side to side to see behind it rather than travelling straight forward. However, this is offset by exceptionally strong olfactory and hearing abilities.

Elephants have six sets of teeth during their lives. At any one time, there are four teeth in the mouth, two in the lower jaw and two in the upper jaw. If two teeth in the same alveolar pocket are visible at the same time, the front one is the worn-out old tooth and the posterior one is the new tooth. Elephants are the only mammals to migrate their teeth in this way; in other species, the milk teeth are shed as the permanent teeth sprout.

The elephant's trunk is a unique characteristic that it employs in a variety of ways. The trunk is the upper lip that has been changed. It may be used to drink, dress food, and even as a snorkel. The food is also grasped by the trunk, which transports it to the mouth for mastication. Because the tongue cannot be protruded, the food is placed on the tongue by the dextrous trunk. In elephants, the trunk also serves as an olfactory organ, which is a highly evolved mode of communication. By touching the object and inserting the tip into the mouth, it may be used to test different odours. Threatening gestures and play fighting are also done with the trunk. It spreads its trunk forth during pretend charges, but it keeps its trunk tucked in during real charges. An elephant foal can lift roughly 4.5 per cent of its weight with its trunk, whereas an adult elephant can lift about 270 kg. It draws water up by it and can squirt it all over its body like a shower bath, and it collects leaves from trees and eats them. Elephants have a clumsy and bulky appearance.

Elephants can be found in India and Africa. Most zoologists identify two elephant species: the Asian elephant and the African elephant, both of which live on different continents and have distinct characteristics. According to National Geographic, African elephants can be found in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and West African rainforests, and Mali's Sahel desert. Scrub forests and rainforests are home to Asian elephants in Nepal, India, and Southeast Asia.

The African elephant is heavier, tougher, and has longer tusks and larger ears than the Indian elephant. The two are thought to be separate species.

They live in herds in the jungles of both countries, are shy, and avoid people. The elephant is a highly intelligent species of animal, and its strength and intellect make it a valuable companion of humans. It can be taught to serve in a variety of capacities. The trained elephant will kneel, use its tusks to raise a heavy log of wood, bring it to the desired spot, and position it precisely in place.

African elephants, both male and female, are known to have large tusks and two "fingers" at the end of their trunks to assist them in picking up objects from the ground or trees. At the end of their trucks, Asian elephants just have a single "finger." Only male Asian elephants have big tusks, and only a few females and males have smaller tusks that don't often develop outside the mouth.

Elephants are also used to hunt tigers. On the back of the elephant, the hunter is in the ‘howdah,' which is pushed and led by the driver, ‘Mahawat.'

Elephants were used in wars in the past, and armies had their regiments of trained warrior elephants. They can still be seen in state processions. A large number of elephants are captured alive to be tamed and trained.

According to a Scientific American article, elephants are among the most intelligent animals on the planet, and they have been found to have varying degrees of problem-solving abilities, as well as the capacity to display and experience empathy, mourning, and self-awareness.

However, capturing elephants alive is challenging and dangerous work because, while the elephant is a shy, wild animal but when left alone when threatened, it can be a dangerous opponent.

The Asian elephant is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Although the exact population of Asian elephants is unknown, experts believe that the population is declining.

According to the IUCN, the African elephant is considered endangered, and its population is growing. According to the African wildlife Foundation (AWF), there are about 415,000 wild African elephants.

Elephants are extremely beneficial to men and their employment. Elephants are hunted in a few areas mostly for their tusks, which are made of ivory and are extremely valuable. The hunting of elephants is forbidden by statute. To maintain a balanced world, we must protect them.

Short Essay on Elephant

Elephants are the world's biggest and most magnificent land animals. They seem to be both gigantic and modest. Elephants are my favourite animal because they are both grounded and overly sweet. No other animal comes close to resembling them with their snake-like long noses or trunks, big, floppy ears, and thick trunk-like legs.

Tusks are large, deep-rooted teeth-like structures that evolved to help elephants dig, raise, gather food, and defend themselves while also protecting their trunks. Elephants can have either right or left-tusked tusks, similar to how humans can have either left or right-handed tusks.

Elephant herds have a matriarchal system, with the eldest female in charge. Herds are made up of 6 to 20 members, depending on the food source, and consist mainly of female family members and young calves. Herds also break into smaller groups that remain in the same region when the family becomes too large.

They eat soft green grass, grains, bread, bananas, sugar cane, flowers, and the stem of the banana tree, among other things, since they are herbivores.

An adult elephant spends nearly sixteen to eighteen hours a day, or nearly 70% to 80% of their waking hours, feeding. And they consume between 90 and 272 kg of food per day.

Depending on their size, they need approximately 60 to 100 litres of water per day. An adult male, on the other hand, can drink up to 200 litres of water per day.

The African female elephant has a gestation period of 22 months, while the Asian elephant has a gestation period of 18 to 22 months, depending on their lifestyle.

Elephants often pay careful attention to the protection and well-being of all members of their herd and will do everything they can to protect and care for vulnerable or wounded members.

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FAQs on Essay on Elephant

1. What is the Normal Lifespan of an Elephant?

Wild elephants have a longer lifespan than their zoo counterparts. In the wild, Asian elephants can live up to 60 years while African elephants can live up to 70 years. Elephants in zoos have the lowest lifespans. Pachyderms in European zoos die far sooner than those in protected wildlife reserves in Africa and Asia, according to six-year research. Captivity, according to researchers, has a major negative impact on elephants' mental health, to the point that stress can lead to early death.

2. How Much Does an Elephant Eat?

It is said that an elephant eats 100kg of food per day. They can drink up to 100 litres of water on average. This is commensurate with the body mass of an elephant, which, for an adult Asian male is 4000 Kg and for an African male is 6000 Kg. Elephants have been known to eat for up to 16 hours a day. In the wild, a single animal may devour up to 600 pounds of food in a single day, however, the average is 250–300 pounds. A normal adult elephant in a zoo may consume 4-5 bales of hay and 10–18 pounds (4.5–8 kg) of grain per day. This equates to more than 29,000 kg of hay and 2700 kg of feed for each animal per year. The average daily water usage per animal is 25–50 gallons (100–200 litres). Elephants only digest their food at a rate of less than 50%. Because of the large amount of food consumed and the inefficiency of the digestive system, there is a lot of manure - a lot of manure. An elephant defecates 12 to 15 times each day, resulting in a daily volume of 220 to 250 pounds.

3. How Many Bones are there in an Elephant's Trunk?

Even though the trunk is the most versatile part of an elephant’s body used for smelling, breathing, grasping, lifting, touching, and making sounds, it is to be noted that there are no bones in it. It consists of 40,000 plus muscles! The elephant's skeleton accounts for around 16.5 per cent of its entire body weight. There are 282 bones in an adult female Asian elephant. The cranium, which is dimensionally huge and weighs 52 kilograms on average, is not as hefty as it appears due to the vast number of sinuses present. It consists of 51 bones, each of which is aerated by sinuses. The vertebral column is made up of 61 bones, with the longest rib reaching a length of 96.5 cm.

The elephant's cervical bone is relatively short. This is why elephants can't bend their necks and gaze backwards, making them uncomfortable when something approaches from behind. They can stand for lengthy periods and sustain their massive body weight because of their nearly vertical limbs. The bones are aligned in a straight line, like a pillar, giving strong support for the massive body. Elephants cannot jump due to the vertical position of their feet, although they may hop and leap. On particularly small sections of land, they can also move forward and backwards. The thigh bone is the body's biggest bone. The femur of an adult animal is 114.3 cm long (thigh bone).

4. Why are Elephants Endangered?

Poachers kill about 20,000 elephants every single year for their tusks, which are then traded illegally in the international market to eventually end up as ivory trinkets. This trade is mostly driven by the demand for ivory in parts of Asia. The biggest threat to Asian and African elephants is the same for all species throughout the world: habitat loss and fragmentation. However, many elephants suffer additional threats, including direct and indirect human conflict. Humans are encroaching on elephants in both Africa and Asia, but the impact on Asian elephants is highly problematic. Agriculture, logging, highways, and construction for residential or commercial usage are all reducing and fragmenting their habitats. Elephants are migratory creatures that require wide, contiguous areas to survive, and this tendency deprives them of essential resources such as food and water. By separating communities from one another, it can also decrease genetic diversity. Last century, many elephant populations declined as a result of excessive poaching, fueled mostly by a desire for their ivory tusks. While the International Convention on the Trading in Endangered Species (CITES) prohibited international ivory trade in 1989, authorized ivory markets have persisted in several nations, aided by a growing black market and well-armed poaching gangs. Elephants are threatened practically everywhere, but according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the majority of illegal ivory presently originates from African elephants, where poachers murder hundreds of elephants each year.

5. Are Elephants Intelligent Species?

Elephants are a highly intelligent species as they have been seen performing well in problem-solving abilities and protecting their herd from dangers. Conventional knowledge believes that elephants are among the most intellectual, socially expressive, and emotionally complex non-human creatures. This widely believed belief is founded on both mythology and decades of scientific inquiry. Elephant intelligence remarked on captive elephants' astonishing capacity to work with minimal training as well as their ability to operate as a team. He regarded elephants with the capacity to predict what would happen if they pushed and dragged big logs into a vehicle, for example, because of their exceptional balance and synchrony.

6. What are the Elephant Tusks?

Their teeth structures are made of ivory which is deeply rooted and has evolved to help elephants in cutting and protecting their trunk. Tusks are the lateral incisors of an animal that continue to develop throughout its life. They appear on the sides of the trunk's base. Nearly half of the tusk, starting at the base, is hollow, containing tusk pulp. It's formed of dentine and has a shiny white enamel finish on the outside. Tusks are utilised for digging, transporting burdens, debarking trees, fighting, and displaying behaviour. Female Asian elephants do not have tusks, but instead have tushes, which are smaller and tougher than the tusks. Male Asian elephants are also known as makhnas since they lack tusks. Almost all elephants have different tusk appearances. They grow 15-20 cm in length each year on average.

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How To Write An Essay On The Elephant For Lower Primary Classes

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  • Key Points To Note: Essay On The Elephant

10-Line Essay On The Elephant For Kids

Paragraph on the elephant in english, short essay on the elephant for children, long essay on the elephant for kids, importance of elephants for the environment, what will happen if elephants go extinct, interesting facts about elephant for kids, what will your kid learn from this essay.

Elephants are the largest animals on land. They have fabulous memory too! Your kids will love to write an essay on an elephant. Writing essays is a very important activity for children. The earlier they start to write essays, the better it is. The act of writing also develops your little one’s fine motor skills. Let us help your little one write an essay for grades 1, 2, and 3 on these beautiful tuskers.

Key Points To Note: Essay On The Elephant 

There are a few essential points that your child needs to remember while writing an essay. Let us help your child how to write an essay on an elephant:

  • The first step is to let your child structure the ideas (in the head) they want to write about elephants.
  • In the second step, let your child note the ideas to form an outline to cover all the points while composing the essay.
  • They will form easy-to-read short and simple sentences from the pointers in the third step.
  • Encourage your child not to get too deep describing any single idea. It will help them to stick to the count of words.
  • Help your child write with the rhythm, making them enjoy writing the essay.
  • Your child can write about how an elephant looks, its special features, eating habits, etc.
  • Elephants are the largest animals on land.
  • Elephants have huge bodies.
  • They have wide legs like pillars.
  • Elephants are grey in colour.
  • Elephants have large floppy ears like fans.
  • They have a large trunk.
  • They grab food and suck water with their trunk.
  • They can also lift heavy weights with the help of the trunk.
  • Elephants’ tusks are teeth.
  • Elephants are herbivores.

Elephants are the largest animals on land. They have a huge body with wide legs that look like pillars. Their tusks appear when they are around two years old. The tusks keep growing throughout their lives. They have thick skin that helps them maintain water in the body. The long trunk of elephants helps them in many ways. They can suck in water with their trunks and use it to grab food. Elephants also use their trunk as a snorkel while swimming and can also lift heavy weights with their trunk. Elephants are very intelligent and shy, but they turn dangerous when they feel threatened.

Essay on Elephant For Children - 10 Lines, Short and Long Essay

Elephants are special in many ways. They have a huge body with four legs that are so wide that they look like pillars. The ears are large and floppy. The two tusks we see are the two front teeth. They have 26 teeth in total. The tusks help elephants dig mud, shovel heavy logs of wood, etc. Their thick skin allows them to maintain water in the body. The trunk is a unique physical characteristic of elephants. An extension of their nose fuses with their upper lip and modifies into this long structure. Elephants use the trunk to grab food, suck up water to drink, trumpet, greet, caress baby elephants, etc. The elephant’s trunk is the most sensitive organ found in any mammal.

Elephants are the largest animals on land. They are huge mammals living on Earth for millions of years. They weigh a few thousand kilos. Even newborn elephants weigh around 120 kilos. The four legs of elephants are so vast, that they look like trunks of trees. Their ears are large like fans and help them stay cool. The tusks of elephants are the two front teeth that start growing when an elephant is two years old. They have 26 teeth in total. Elephants use the tusks to dig mud, lift objects, to strip the bark of trees so that they can eat the fibrous inner part. They also use the tusks as a defence.

The trunk is another unique feature of elephants. It is the extension of the nose, and it fuses with the upper lip. Elephants use it in many ways. They suck in water and drink it with the help of the trunk. They also use it to put food into their mouth. They also use the trunk to trumpet and warn other elephants when they sense any danger. The trunk is the most sensitive organ found in any mammal. An elephant can use it to pick a nut, shell it, blow the shell out and eat the nut. Elephants also use the trunk as a snorkel while swimming. They have thick skin, which helps with maintaining moisture. Elephants live in herds. They are calm by nature, but they become aggressive when threatened. These animals are full of emotions and have deep family bonds. They even cry. Sometimes when baby elephants cry, the other elephants in the group caress them with their trunk to comfort the baby elephant.

Elephants spend most of the time eating and creating gaps in the vegetation. The gaps help grow new plants and create pathways for smaller animals. Elephant dung is also beneficial for the environment, and the waste contains seeds of plants they have consumed. As a result, it gives birth to new plants, bushes, and trees.

Humans engage in illegal activities concerning elephants. They kill them for ivory. Baby elephants are illegally taken away and sold or gifted to temples where they are kept as captives all their life. If elephants go extinct, the whole ecosystem will stop flourishing and, in some places, collapse entirely.

  • A baby elephant weighs as much as 90-100 kilos.
  • The trunk of elephants is the most sensitive organ among all mammals. It can pick up a nut, shell it, blow it away, and eat it.
  • Elephants have a very strong memory. They can remember things for tens of years, sometimes their whole lifetime.
  • Elephants hug each other with their trunks when they face tough times.

When your child writes a composition on an elephant, they will learn about this beautiful and graceful animal. They know about the physical characteristics of elephants. Also, they learn about the mental and emotional speciality of these huge animals. 

We hope the above write-up on elephants will help your child write a beautiful essay on elephants. We have made sure to keep the language simple for the little ones to understand.

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Essay on Elephant for Students and Children [100,150,200 Words]

Essay on Elephant in English

Essay on Elephant: Elephant is the biggest animal on earth. In this article, you are going to learn how to write an essay or paragraph on elephant in English. We’ve included 3 essays (100, 150, 200 words) on elephant in this post. These essays will be helpful for the students as well as children. So, let’s get started.

Table of Contents

Essay on Elephant: 100 Words

The elephant is one of the largest animals. Its natural habitat is thick jungle. Most of the elephants are found in the deep forests of Africa, Burma (Myanmar), India etc. But tamed elephants are very useful to man.

It has thick legs, a huge body, large ears, small eyes, great white tusks, a long trunk and a small tail. It uses its trunk like a hand. The elephant picks things up with its trunk and puts them into its mouth. It sucks water with its trunk. They are trained to draw heavy loads and to do many other useful works.

Essay on Elephant

Essay on Elephant: 150 Words

The elephant is declared the heritage animal of India. This is a just appreciation of the largest of all animals in India. This honor is also due to this animal for various reasons.

First, in Indian religion and legendary accounts, this is highly honored. Elephant’s head forms the head of lord Ganapati who is worshipped before all other deities.

Moreover, this is perhaps the largest of all animals and quiet by nature. In Indian legends, elephants are also described as effectively used on battle-fields. In a good many parts of the land, this is tamed and made to work to please and serve human needs.

Even a dead elephant is costly enough. Its ivory tusks are very valuable. Its strong bones are used to form costly combs, buttons and other luxury goods. In fact, this animal is held in our land as a symbol of love and friendship. Preservation of this species is an urgent necessity.

Essay on Elephant

Elephant Essay in English: 200 Words

The elephant is the strongest and biggest animal on earth. It is dark gray in color. It is one of the most intelligent animals. Elephants can live up to 70 years. They travel in family groups called herds. Elephants can be trained and used for various purposes.

The eyes of the elephants are very tiny. They have two enormous ears, two strong and sharp white tusks, four legs, a long trunk, and a short tail. Elephants use their long trunks to suck up water and squirt it into their mouth. They also use their trunk for breathing, smelling, touching, feeding, lifting objects, etc.

An Elephant is a herbivorous animal. An elephant eats leaves, grass, nuts, fruits, and bark of trees. Male elephants are called bulls and female elephants are called cows.

There are two types of elephants, Asian and African. Asian elephants are smaller than Africans with smaller ears and tusks. Asian elephants live in India Nepal and southeast Asia in Rain forests. African elephants   are found throughout the savannas of Africa, the rainforests of Central and West Africa.

As the largest of all land mammals, African elephants play an important role in balancing natural ecosystems. Unfortunately, elephants are disappearing fast due to habitat loss, poaching etc. The tusks of elephants are made of ivory for which Elephants have always been hunted. It is our duty to protect our heritage animal.

the elephant essay in english

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an essay on elephant

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Essay On Elephant

Elephants are the biggest land animals found on the planet Earth. They are one of the most intelligent and socially evolved mammals. Elephants’ brains are four times larger than the human brain. Hence, elephants are considered the most intelligent species compared to other terrestrial animals. The life span of an elephant ranges between 6-75 years. Below are a few sample essays on “Elephant.”

Essay On Elephant

100 Words Essay On Elephant

Elephants are faithful to humans as well as other creatures. However, they can become fierce and cause harm if they sense a threat to their habitat. Elephant teeth are commercially considered to be of extremely high value. Elephants are usually grey and are eye candy for artists and wildlife photographers. Their four legs resemble pillars, and their tail is called a ‘tusk’. In many cultural parks, such as those in Rajasthan, elephant rides are a popular recreational activity. The elephant belongs to the “Elephantidae” family. They are herbivorous and feed only on plants. They are the strongest animals used for carrying and lifting weights during the war.

200 Words Essay On Elephant

The mighty Elephant is the national animal of Thailand and is also the world’s largest terrestrial mammal. The species commonly finds its adobe in forests and is classified as an Indian and African Elephant. The jungles of Assam, Mysore, and Tripura in India are home to thousands of elephants.

Helpful To Humans | Elephants for long have also been used as an object for entertainment. They are captured, trained, and used as pets in circuses. This is done to attract kids and make money.

Elephants are also used as means of transport and carry loads. Heavy timber is carried on the elephant's back for long distances. Thus, elephants help human beings in various ways.

Need To Protect | For ages, it has been observed that elephants are the smartest and the most social animals found on the earth. However, this social animal is rapidly decreasing in number. While the African elephants have nothing to be scared of, the number of Indian elephants is going down daily. This might be happening because of deforestation, which leaves elephants homeless. Regardless, it is a matter of concern and should be looked upon.

An animal so useful and compassionate should be treated with love and care and protected before they become history for us to talk about but never to see.

500 Words Essay On Elephant

Elephants are associated with the family Elephantidae and belong to the order ‘Proboscidea’. Their tail, known as tusks, help them as a weapon in unfavourable conditions. Their ear flap helps them in retaining normal body temperature. Elephants are fond of water and play a central role in conserving the environment. They live in a horde of animals, thus forming a fission-fusion ecosystem. They move on recurrent migration in search of food, water, and mates and travel about 15 -20 km per day, due to which their sleep routine is about 3 to 4 hours per day.

Importance Of Elephants

The importance of elephants can be explained as follows:-

Elephants are believed to be the most intelligent animals, capable of feeling strong emotions. Elephants are tourist magnets, attracting tourists from various places to their habitats.

Elephants also play a significant role in wildlife conservation. They help dig for water in dry seasons with their tusks, which helps in the survival of other wildlife.

In addition, elephants in forests contribute to creating a path for smaller animals by creating a gap in vegetation. This gap also paves the way for the growth of new plants.

Furthermore, elephant dung has its uses. It consists of seeds of plants elephants consume. This helps grow new plants, grasses, trees, and even shrubs. They play a significant role in boosting the health of the Savannah Ecosystem.

Elephants: The Compassionate Species

It is a real-life story of how an elephant saved a kid from drowning. I belong to Kerala and lived half of my life at the seaside. I love reading and trying to find a peaceful place where I can be in solitude. It has been my habit to sit in a corner against a tree at the seaside, reading a book daily.

Fall Of The Kid

One such day when I was reading, I saw a few kids playing volleyball at a distance. This was their daily routine, just like mine was reading. At a little distance from the kids, an elephant was eating bananas. He lived here and was a pet to someone who lived nearby. As the kids were playing, one boy kept moving back to avoid the ball or else the other team would gain a point. While moving back, the kid didn’t see behind and his foot slipped, landing him in the water. The sea was deep, and the kid didn’t know how to swim. He started to panic and drowned in the sea. The rest of the kids panicked too and started to shout for help.

Elephant To The Rescue

Meanwhile, the elephant moved into the sea and made the kid climb onto his back. It swiftly carried the boy and moved out of the water and towards his friends. The kids were overjoyed that their friend was safe and surrounded the elephant hugging him. I was a silent spectator to the entire scenario and was amazed at the animal's compassion. I still feel blessed to have witnessed such a heartwarming scenario.

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Short Essay on Elephant [100, 200, 400 Words] With PDF

In today’s lesson, you will learn how to write short essays on elephants in exams. Here will be three different sets of essays on the same topic covering different word limits. 

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Short Essay on Elephant in 100 Words

An elephant is one of the most important herbivorous animals. It has a mighty and huge body with giant limbs and a long trunk, a tail, and tusks. Elephants generally thrive on plants, fruits, vegetables, bamboos, and also sugarcane. It is a wonderful carrier of both materials and humans from one palace to another. An elephant is a quiet animal, and hence an easy preference for human utility.

Elephants are found in several parts of the world, especially Asia, Africa, and also parts of Europe. Elephants are markers of companionship and strength as well. In Hindu mythology, the most prominent gods like Ganesha and Lord Indra are associated with this animal. On auspicious occasions signs of elephants mark virtue. As a wild yet peaceful animal, an elephant is thus important.

Short Essay on Elephant in 200 Words

An elephant is a widely known herbivore found in almost every part of the world. They generally live in herds consisting of a large number of members of their family. The forest is their best habitat. It thrives well on plants, sugarcane, bamboo, and other fruits and vegetables. The physical structure of the elephant is more magnificent, It has a huge ash-coloured body, with thick and strong limbs, and long trunk, two tusks, and a tail. The trunk enables it to drink water and also tear fruits from trees. In Asia, Africa, and also parts of Europe, elephants are abundant.

Presently the number of elephants has declined due to excessive hunting. Elephant skin and tusk have great demand in markets for making many luxurious products which bring ample money to the poachers. But this aggression of people has resulted in the steady decline of the animals. There are hardly any elephants left in the forests. Also, many elephants are dying every day for the railways constructed mid-ways through their forest pathways.

Human gluttony to have more capitalist gains has destroyed all forests and no habitat is left for these innocent animals. Thus today we can observe how the balance of the ecosystem is getting hampered due to the liss of one of the most important components of the food chain. Elephants are marks of prosperity and hence we must preserve them in parks, forests, and zoos.

Short Essay on Elephant in 400 Words

We have often seen how Lord Ganesha has the face of an elephant and Lord Indra uses the elephant as his vehicle. Questions arise as to why the elephant is such an important creature to consider it even as an object of worship. The answer lies in the physical magnanimity and the active participation of an elephant in several tasks it can perform for humans.

An elephant is a widely available wild animal found in several parts of the world like the forests of Asia, Africa, and also parts of Europe as well. It is a herbivore generally feeding upon plants, fruits, vegetables, bamboos, and sugarcane. The body of an elephant is huge with strong limbs, a long trunk, and two tusks. The elephant uses the trunk to drink, feed itself, and also carry logs for longer distances.

Elephants are mainly used for carriers and are the best ride for tourists to visit the forests. On several counts, elephants are regal animals, whereas, in the olden days, kings used to take rides on their backs and go hunting. In fact, elephant tusks are great sources of ivory. As an important component of the food chain, elephants balance the ecosystem. 

In Hindu myths, the usefulness of an elephant is widely renowned on several accounts. Lord Ganesha has the head of an elephant, Lord Indra rides on the elephant’s back. The Mahabharata was composed of the tusk of an elephant that Ganesha severed from his face, the goddess Laxmi is assisted by two elephants as the immediate markers of prosperity, Goddess Jagadhatri carries an elephant at her feet to suppress all evils and vices. Thus elephants are auspicious figures for Hindus, who keep small murals of them to bring in prosperity and peace. An elephant is not seen as a ferocious beast but more as a timid animal that can be easily domesticated. 

But presently, due to excessive hunting and unbridled poaching of elephants, their numbers have rapidly declined. The cost of elephant tusks and skin are of immense value in the indigenous as well as the foreign market. They bring huge profits to the sellers. Also due to excessive human desire to increase urbanization, railways are being constructed for connections and tremendous deforestation is taking place.

Thus many elephants are losing their lives and their habitats as well. So they are entering into human localities and are getting killed for their helplessness. Due to this preservation of elephants is taking place in zoos, parks, and forests as well to keep the wildlife intact. It is our duty to preserve every ounce of the ecosystem safe so as to continue the life cycle properly on earth.

If you still have any queries after going through this session, kindly let me know through some quick comments. Keep browsing our website to read more such sessions. 

Thank you. 

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Essay on Elephant

Students are often asked to write an essay on Elephant in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Elephant

Introduction.

Elephants are large mammals known for their distinctive features such as long noses or trunks, tusks, and large ear flaps. They are found in Africa and Asia.

Characteristics

Elephants are the largest land animals. They have grey skin, a trunk used for communication and handling objects, and tusks for digging and fighting.

Elephants live in diverse habitats including savannahs, forests, deserts, and marshes. They are usually near water and plants which they eat.

Elephants are social creatures, often seen in groups. They communicate through touch, sight, and sound.

Conservation

Sadly, elephants are endangered due to habitat loss and poaching. Conservation efforts are crucial for their survival.

Also check:

  • 10 Lines on Elephant
  • Paragraph on Elephant

250 Words Essay on Elephant

The majestic elephant.

The elephant, a majestic creature, is the largest land mammal on Earth. With its remarkable size and strength, it is a symbol of power and wisdom in many cultures.

Physical Attributes

Elephants are distinguished by their long trunks, used for communication and handling objects, and their large ears, which help regulate body temperature. These creatures can reach up to 13 feet in height and weigh up to 6 tons. They also have thick, wrinkled skin, which protects them from the harsh sun and insect bites.

Species and Habitat

There are three elephant species: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. Each species has adapted to its unique habitat, from the African savannah to the dense Asian rainforests. Unfortunately, habitat destruction and poaching have led to a significant decline in their population.

Social Behavior

Elephants are highly social creatures, living in matriarchal family units. The matriarch, usually the oldest and largest female, leads the herd and teaches the younger elephants vital survival skills. Elephants also display complex emotions, including empathy and mourning.

Conservation Efforts

Despite being listed as vulnerable or endangered, elephants continue to face threats from human activities. Conservation efforts include habitat preservation, anti-poaching initiatives, and public education about these magnificent creatures.

In conclusion, elephants are not only a symbol of strength and wisdom but also a testament to the intricate balance of nature. Their conservation is an urgent responsibility, lest we lose these magnificent creatures forever.

500 Words Essay on Elephant

The elephant, a majestic creature of significant cultural, ecological, and economic importance, is a fascinating subject of study. Known for their intelligence, emotional depth, and complex social structures, elephants are among the most intriguing animals on Earth.

Physical Characteristics

Elephants are the world’s largest land animals. There are three recognized species: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. The African bush elephant is the largest, reaching heights up to 4 meters and weighing up to 7 tonnes. Elephants are distinguished by their long trunks, or proboscis, which they use for communication, feeding, and various other functions. They also have large, fan-like ears that aid in thermoregulation, and their tusks, which are actually elongated incisor teeth, are used for digging, stripping bark, and in social interactions.

Social Structure and Behavior

Elephants exhibit complex social behaviors. They live in matriarchal societies, with older females leading herds of related females and their offspring. Male elephants, or bulls, typically live solitary lives or form small bachelor groups. Elephants are known for their remarkable memory and their ability to form lasting social bonds. They mourn their dead, demonstrating a depth of emotion that is rare in the animal kingdom.

Ecological Importance

Elephants play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity in their habitats. They are considered ‘ecosystem engineers’ as their feeding habits control vegetation, shaping the landscape and influencing the types of plants that grow. Their dung provides essential nutrients for the soil and is a food source for a variety of insects. Elephants also create water holes used by other animals, contributing to the overall health of the ecosystem.

Conservation Challenges

Despite their importance, elephants face numerous threats, primarily from human activities. Habitat loss due to deforestation and expanding human populations is a major concern. Poaching for ivory, despite international bans, remains a significant threat to elephant populations. Climate change also poses new challenges, affecting the availability of food and water resources.

Elephants are more than just the largest land animals; they are intelligent, emotional beings that play a vital role in their ecosystems. Their plight highlights the broader challenges of biodiversity conservation in the face of growing human pressures and climate change. As we continue to study and understand these magnificent creatures, it becomes increasingly clear that their survival is inextricably linked with the health of our planet. In preserving the elephant, we are, in essence, preserving ourselves.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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Essay on Elephant for Students and Children in 1000 Words

May 15, 2020 by ReadingJunction 1 Comment

Essay on Elephant for Students and Children in 1000 Words

In this article, we have published an Essay on Elephant for Students and Children in 1000 Words. It includes introduction, structure, importance, use its types, and 10 lines about elephants.

Table of Contents

Introduction (Essay on Elephant – 1000W)

The largest land mammal and animal is the Elephant. It is very smart and known for its sharp and keen memory. In some countries, people treat elephants as the form of God.

Structure of Elephant

The Elephant might have skin color gray and black. We regard them as descendants for an extinct species named mammals.

The Elephant has an enormous body, four thick or large legs that help preserve stability and balance. It also has two large ears for an outside pinna and an audiot meatus.

Yet the eye or tails of an elephant are short. It has a long trunk, in which their nostrils (just Elephant breathes from all these nostrils), an elephant may fill water from its trunk.

Importance and use of Elephant

We all understand the animals were all useful. Also, the elephants are of great utility to nature. They have the largest body across from all the animals and can take a forest tour, often when the tourist came to a forest.

The forest guide often uses the Elephant as an automobile even though the Elephant is among the biggest animals that other animals even don’t attack and for its big and tall bodies, neither of the animals will attack travelers.

Many use the Elephant’s trunk to grab, eating food, and can also be used by it to break down long branches of a tree. In short, a trunk for an elephant works like some human hand. An elephant was furnished with enamel tusks next to the trunk. Such tusks look such as enormous canine teeth, and they do not.

This elephant’s tusks are used for original purposes, such as ornamental, cosmetic, designing and so on. The items that are made from either the Elephant’s tusks were highly valuable or costly.

But elephants are now being exploited though for the highly priced market price. It should be discontinued, or else the existence will end.

Humans must respect elephants. In India , people worship elephants throughout the form of lord Ganesha, who gives them intense love, care, and respect from such a person of the country.

Elephants are an essential part of this environment. They must be protected and cared for but not for selfish reasons murdered and hunted.

Calm mind of Elephant

Usually, an elephant seems to be a calm animal who loves harmony and peace, but it may be the most hazardous creature on earth if it becomes assertive because of some other irritating stimulation. Also, after their death, they’re beneficial to humans.

Only a few creatures have a calm mind when we talk about animals. An elephant is one of those animals. They’re very calm yet still. They always ensure they don’t hurt any innocent person and don’t interfere in some other company they provide, they stay with their group.

If somebody messes with Royal Forest Animal, there’s no doubt which his chance of survival is less than 1%. This is because whenever you visit some forest and zoo, you do not even believe unless the Elephant fears why he fears you. Here, elephants wait for the right time.

Types of Elephants

Elephants were discovered mostly in Africa and also in India. The African elephants are more significant than the Indian elephants. African elephants, respectively male, and female have a trunk with a tight grip compared to India and the Elephant to Asia.

Asian elephants are very or smaller than the African elephants, only the grip of Indian elephants isn’t so powerful than that of the African elephants.

Elephants are found often in deep African and Asian forests — notably India, Thailand, Cambodia, or Burma. Elephants were discovered in Assam, western Bengal, Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram of India.

Elephants love to go swimming in streams and rivers. In ancient time Elephants were used in wars during most of the olden days. They are basically ridden on for great wars. That animal is powerful and also very intelligent at the same period. Elephants were herbivores, feeding on the vegetation-long branches of the tree, foods, bamboo, leaves, and so on. 

Male and Female Elephants

An elephant group comprises two viz: men and women. Once they are adults, male elephants get divided; it is their own choice to be separated from their families.

Not once do the female elephants get distinct when viewed from close. They prefer to remain in the elephant group. Elephants really can hear the voice of all the other Elephant from within 5 miles. Elephant’s listening power is extreme, owing to their very long ears.

10 Lines on Elephant

  • The Elephant is a living creature of vast size on earth.
  • The Elephant is a rather smart, obedient creature. 
  • The Elephant’s legs are four, two small eyes, two large ears, a trunk, and a small tail.
  • The Elephant’s four legs are very thick.
  • The eyes of the elephants are tiny compared with their body.
  • The ears of the Elephant resemble big wings.
  • The trunk of the Elephant is useful.
  • Elephants use the trunk to eat and drink.
  • The Elephant seems to be a creature with a calm nature.
  • But they become very violent when they feel slighted.

For significant distances, even a person can ride on the back of an elephant. As a pet, they should give extreme care because of its exceptional size. In contrast, a wild elephant is far more harmful than a pet.

They often keep an elephant throughout the zoo, in which visitors and spectators came to watch it. This animal is also part of a circus group, in which it plays a lot of talented displays to entertain the audience. This tells us that elephants can be effectively trained, and it can understand all. I hope you liked this essay on elephant.

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an essay on elephant

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  • Paragraph On Elephant

Paragraph on Elephant - Check Samples for 100, 150, 200, 250 Words

Elephants are the biggest land animals found on the planet. They exist in dense forests and are popularly found in the forests of Asia and Africa. Elephants are known to be one of the most socially evolved mammals in the world. Among all the terrestrial animals, elephants have the biggest brain, four times larger than a human’s brain; therefore, they are highly intelligent. This article will help you learn more about elephants and also how to write a simple paragraph on elephants.

Table of Contents

Paragraph on elephant in 100 words, paragraph on elephant in 150 words, paragraph on elephant in 200 words, paragraph on elephant in 250 words, frequently asked questions on paragraph on elephant.

Elephants are the biggest terrestrial animals. They are found mostly in dense forests and are always found in groups. The elephants are black in colour with a small tail, two big ears, thick legs, a trunk, and two little eyes. The teeth of elephants are very costly and are referred to as tusks. Elephants eat twigs, leaves, fruits, etc. and are herbivores. In ancient times people used elephants in wars, for lifting heavy logs from grounds, for felling trees, etc. Elephants are the strongest and most intelligent animals and are, therefore, very useful to human beings.

Elephants are considered to be the largest land animals on earth, with enormous black bodies and white tusks. The legs of the elephants are like pillars, and the two big ears are like fans. Elephants have two small and beautiful eyes and a small tail. The trunk is the longest body part that helps the elephant eat, pick things, etc. It also works as an olfactory organ for them. Elephants are mostly found in herds in dense forests. They are herbivores and eat twigs, leaves, fruits, etc. Many people tame elephants and feed them with bread, bananas, etc. Elephants are the strongest animals and are highly intelligent. Therefore, they are good companions to human beings as well. Elephants can be a man’s best friend and are the most dangerous ones at times.

Elephants are the largest terrestrial animals that are found in the dense forests of Asia and Africa. Elephants are wild animals that are always found in herds. They are very intelligent and social animals. They never leave their herds, and if any one member is lost, they give all their efforts to find the missing friend. Elephants have huge black bodies with tiny tails. Elephants have two small and beautiful eyes and two big ears which keep moving like big fans. The legs of elephants are like pillars of a building, and the most interesting part is their trunk which helps them in drinking water, bathing, eating, smelling, etc. They can pick heavy logs and push and break trees with the help of the trunk.  They are considered to be very faithful and friendly animals to human beings.

Do you know which animal is considered the national animal of Thailand? Well, it is the all-mighty ‘elephant’.  Elephants are considered to be the world’s largest terrestrial mammals, commonly found in the deep forests of Asia and Africa. They are therefore classified as Asian elephants (commonly known as the Indian elephant) and African elephants. Asian elephants are comparatively smaller in size than African elephants. Elephants are among the smartest and most social animals on the planet. They never leave their herds, and if one of them goes missing, they make every attempt to locate it. Elephants are herbivorous animals; they eat leaves, twigs, fruits and vegetables. If you look into the number of elephants found all around the world, you will see a rapid decrease. While the numbers of African elephants are mostly unaffected, the number of Asian elephants is coming down day by day. In order to protect endangered species, various laws have been passed regarding the possession and rearing of elephants for various purposes. There were places where people domesticated elephants and reared them as pets. This, however, is not accepted anymore. Elephants, from the very beginning, have been helpful in transporting heavy goods and people from one place to another, which is also not encouraged or allowed anymore. It is each and every individual’s responsibility to make sure that these animals get to live their lives in their natural habitats and not how human beings decide.

How are elephants important?

Elephants are not only beneficial to humans but also to other animals and the environment. Human beings used elephants for transportation, lifting heavy objects, wars, etc. previously.  They also help maintain the ecological balance.

Why are elephants endangered?

Elephants are endangered due to illegal killing, train accidents, etc. There are laws that have been imposed to bring this into control and save the endangering species, which has now led to a decrease in such cases.

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Interesting Literature

A Summary and Analysis of George Orwell’s ‘Shooting an Elephant’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘Shooting an Elephant’ is a 1936 essay by George Orwell (1903-50), about his time as a young policeman in Burma, which was then part of the British empire. The essay explores an apparent paradox about the behaviour of Europeans, who supposedly have the power over their colonial subjects.

Before we offer an analysis of Orwell’s essay, it might be worth providing a short summary of ‘Shooting an Elephant’, which you can read here .

Orwell begins by relating some of his memories from his time as a young police officer working in Burma. Although the extent to which the essay is autobiographical has been disputed, we will refer to the narrator as Orwell himself, for ease of reference.

He, like other British and European people in imperial Burma, was held in contempt by the native populace, with Burmese men tripping him up during football matches between the Europeans and Burmans, and the local Buddhist priests loudly insulting their European colonisers on the streets.

Orwell tells us that these experiences instilled in him two things: it confirmed his view, which he had already formed, that imperialism was evil, but it also inspired a hatred of the enmity between the European imperialists and their native subjects. Of course, these two things are related, and Orwell understands why the Buddhist priests hate living under European rule. He is sympathetic towards such a view, but it isn’t pleasant when you yourself are personally the object of ridicule or contempt.

He finds himself caught in the middle between ‘hatred of the empire’ he served and his ‘rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make [his] job impossible’.

The main story which Orwell relates takes place in Moulmein, in Lower Burma. An elephant, one of the tame elephants which the locals own and use, has given its rider or mahout the slip, and has been wreaking havoc throughout the bazaar. It has destroyed a hut, killed a cow, and raided some fruit stalls for food. Orwell picks up his rifle and gets on his pony to go and see what he can do.

He knows the rifle won’t be good enough to kill the elephant, but he hopes that firing the gun might scare the animal. Orwell discovers that the elephant has just trampled a man, a coolie or native labourer, to the ground, killing him. Orwell sends his pony away and calls for an elephant rifle which would be more effective against such a big animal. Going in search of the elephant, Orwell finds it coolly eating some grass, looking as harmless as a cow.

It has calmed down, but by this point a crowd of thousands of local Burmese people has amassed, and is watching Orwell intently. Even though he sees no need to kill the animal now it no longer poses a threat to anyone, he realises that the locals expect him to dispatch it, and he will lose ‘face’ – both personally and as an imperial representative – if he does not do what the crowd expects.

So he shoots the elephant from a safe distance, marvelling at how long the animal takes to die. He acknowledges at the end of the essay that he only shot the elephant because he did not wish to look like a fool.

‘Shooting an Elephant’ is obviously about more than Orwell’s killing of the elephant: the whole incident was, he tells us, ‘a tiny incident in itself, but it gave me a better glimpse than I had had before of the real nature of imperialism – the real motives for which despotic governments act.’

The surprise is that despotic governments don’t merely impose their iron boot upon people without caring what their poor subjects think of them, but rather that despots do care about how they are judged and viewed by their subjects.

Among other things, then, ‘Shooting an Elephant’ is about how those in power act when they are aware that they have an audience. It is about how so much of our behaviour is shaped, not by what we want to do, nor even by what we think is the right thing to do, but by what others will think of us .

Orwell confesses that he had spent his whole life trying to avoid being laughed at, and this is one of his key motivations when dealing with the elephant: not to invite ridicule or laughter from the Burmese people watching him.

To come all that way, rifle in hand, with two thousand people marching at my heels, and then to trail feebly away, having done nothing – no, that was impossible. The crowd would laugh at me. And my whole life, every white man’s life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laughed at.

Note how ‘my whole life’ immediately widens to ‘every white man’s life in the East’: this is not just Orwell’s psychology but the psychology of every imperial agent. Orwell goes on to imagine what grisly death he would face if he shot the elephant and missed, and he was trampled like the hapless coolie the elephant had killed: ‘And if that happened it was quite probable that some of them would laugh. That would never do.’

The stiff upper lip of this final phrase is British imperialism personified. Being trampled to death by the elephant might be something that Orwell could live with (as it were); but being laughed at? And, worse still, laughed at by the ‘natives’? Unthinkable …

And from this point, Orwell extrapolates his own experience to consider the colonial experience at large: the white European may think he is in charge of his colonial subjects, but ironically – even paradoxically – the coloniser loses his own freedom when he takes it upon himself to subjugate and rule another people:

I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys. He becomes a sort of hollow, posing dummy, the conventionalized figure of a sahib. For it is the condition of his rule that he shall spend his life in trying to impress the ‘natives,’ and so in every crisis he has got to do what the ‘natives’ expect of him. He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it.

So, at the heart of ‘Shooting an Elephant’ are two intriguing paradoxes: imperial rulers and despots actually care deeply about how their colonised subjects view them (even if they don’t care about those subjects), and the one who colonises loses his own freedom when he takes away the freedom of his colonial subjects, because he is forced to play the role of the ‘sahib’ or gentleman, setting an example for the ‘natives’, and, indeed, ‘trying to impress’ them. He is the alien in their land, which helps to explain this second paradox, but the first is more elusive.

However, even this paradox is perhaps explicable. As Orwell says, aware of the absurdity of the scene: ‘Here was I, the white man with his gun, standing in front of the unarmed native crowd – seemingly the leading actor of the piece; but in reality I was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the will of those yellow faces behind.’

The Burmese natives are the ones with the real power in this scene, both because they are the natives and because they outnumber the lone policeman, by several thousand to one. He may have a gun, but they have the numbers. He is performing for a crowd, and the most powerful elephant gun in the world wouldn’t be enough to give him power over the situation.

There is a certain inevitability conveyed by Orwell’s clever repetitions (‘I did not in the least want to shoot him … They had seen the rifle and were all shouting excitedly that I was going to shoot the elephant … I had no intention of shooting the elephant … I did not in the least want to shoot him … But I did not want to shoot the elephant’), which show how the idea of shooting the elephant gradually becomes apparent to the young Orwell.

These repetitions also convey how powerless he feels over what is happening, even though he acknowledges it to be unjust (when the elephant no longer poses a threat to anyone) as well as financially wasteful (Orwell also draws attention to the pragmatic fact that the elephant while alive is worth around a hundred pounds, whereas his tusks would only fetch around five pounds).

But he does it anyway, in an act that is purely for show, and which goes against his own will and instinct.

Discover more about Orwell’s non-fiction with our analysis of his ‘A Hanging’ , our discussion of his essay on political language , and our thoughts on his autobiographical essay, ‘Why I Write’ .

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8 thoughts on “A Summary and Analysis of George Orwell’s ‘Shooting an Elephant’”

Absolutely fascinating and very though provoking. Thank you.

Thanks, Caroline! Very kind

One biographer claimed that the incident never took place and is pure fiction created to make the points you mention. Is there any proof that it actually happened ?

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Circuses – it still goes on, tragically. https://robinsaikia.org/2021/04/04/elephants-in-venice-1954/

Hmm now I make another connection here. A degree of the hypocrisy of human society. In a sense, the Burmese were ‘owned’ by their imperial masters – personified by Orwell – but the Elephant was owned by the Burmese. the Burmese hate Orwell for being the imperialist and yet they expect him to shoot their elephant who is itself forced into a role it clearly didn’t like. I know it is all very post-modernist to consider things from a non-human point of view, but there seems a very obvious mirroring here.

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Essay on Elephant in English for Children and Students

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Elephants are the largest land animals with distinct body parts. Unlike other mammals, elephants don’t have nose, instead they breathe through a long trunk. They have huge fan like ears and long extended teeth called tusks. Because of their distinct tusks they are often called tuskers.

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Elephants are wild animals; though, they are also domesticated by humans to mainly perform laborious tasks. Colossal body parts give the elephants tremendous physical strength over humans, thus they are tamed and made to perform strenuous and challenging tasks. Elephants have a distinct social structure displaying feelings of compassion, love and care for the family members.

Long and Short Essay on Elephant in English

We have provided below various essay on elephant in order to help students.

Now-a-days, essays and paragraphs writing are more common strategy followed by the teachers in the schools and colleges in order to enhance student’s skill and knowledge about any subject.

All the elephant essay given below are written using very simple words and easy sentences under various words limit. Students can select any of the essays given below according to their need and requirement:

Elephant Essay 1 (100 words)

Elephant is a very big animal. It lives in the forest however it is a pet animal also. Some people keep it at home as a pet animal in order to earn money through circus. It is also kept in the zoo in order to enhance the glory of zoo as well as interest of kids. It has a big body with four legs like pillars, two fan like ears, a long trunk, a short tail and two small eyes. A male elephant contains two long white teeth called as tusks. It can eat soft green leaves, plants, grains, etc. It is very useful animal to the man and proved to be a good friend to mankind as it performs many functions such as earns money, carries heavy loads, etc. It has long life span and lives around one hundred years.

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Elephant Essay 2 (150 words)

Elephant is a biggest animal on the land. It is also considered as the strongest animal on the land. Generally it is a wild animal however can live as a pet animal after proper training in the zoo or with human being at home. It has been proved a useful animal for the humanity. It is an animal with big body generally found in the grey color.

It’s all four legs looks like a pillar and two big ears just like a fan. Its eyes are quite small in comparison to the body. It has a long trunk and a short tail. It can pick up a range of things very easily through its trunk such as a small needle and very heavy trees or loads. It has two long white tusks on each side of trunk.

Elephants live in the jungle and generally eat small twigs, leaves, straw and wild fruits however a pet elephant can also eat bread, bananas, sugarcane, etc. It is a pure vegetarian wild animal. Now-a-days, they are used by the people to carry heavy loads, in the circus, lifting logs, etc. In the ancient time, they were used by the kings and dukes in the wars and battles. It lives for long years (more than 100 years). It is very useful animal even after death (bangles are made of bones and tusks).

Elephant Essay 3 (200 words)

Elephant is a largest animal on the land. It lives in the forest however can be a pet after proper training. It can be more than eight feet in height. Its big and heavy body is supported by the strong pillar like legs. It takes help of its long trunk in eating leaves, plants, fruits or trees. Generally two types of elephants are found on land African (scientific name is Loxodonta africana) and Asian (scientific name is Elephas maximus).

Its big hanging ears looks like a fan and legs like a pillar. It has a long trunk attached with mouth and two tusks each side. The trunk of an elephant is very flexible and strong and known as a multi-purpose organ. It is used for feeding, bathing, breathing, expressing emotions, fighting, etc by the elephant.

African elephants are little bigger is size and darker in color than the Asian elephants. They have more prominent ears also. Elephants are commonly found in India, Africa, Sri Lanka, Burma, and Siam. They generally like to live in a herd and become very fond of water. They know well about swimming. Because of being an herbivorous animal, they depend on plants in the forest in order to meet their food need. They move to villages and other residential places in the lack of food in forest or because of deforestation. It is known as an intelligent animal and benefits man in many ways.

Elephant Essay 4 (250 words)

Elephant is a strongest and biggest animal on the earth. It is quite famous for its big body, intelligence and obedient nature. It lives in jungle however can be trained and used by people for various purposes. Its peculiar features are four pillars like legs, two fan like ears, two small eyes, a short tail, a long trunk, and two long white tusks. Elephant eats leaves, stem of banana trees, grass, soft plants, nuts, fruits, etc in the jungle. It lives more than hundred and twenty years. It is found in India in the dense jungles of Assam, Mysore, Tripura, etc. Generally elephants are of dark grey color however white elephants are found as well in the Thailand.

Elephant is an intelligent animal and has good learning capacity. It can be trained very easily according to the use in circus, zoo, transport, carry loads, etc. It can carry heavy logs of timber to a long distance from one place to another. It is an animal of kid’s interest in the zoo or other places. A trained elephant can perform various tasks such as delightful activities in the circus, etc. It can be very angry which create danger to the humanity as it can destroy anything. It is useful animal even after death as its tusk, skin, bones, etc are used to make costly and artistic items.

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Elephant Essay 5 (300 words)

Elephant is a very huge wild animal lives in a jungle. It looks quite ugly however mostly liked by the kids. It has big heavy body and called as royal animal. It can be more than 10 feet in height. It is found in coarse dark grey color with very hard skin. In other countries, it is found in white color also. Its long and flexible trunk helps in feeding, breathing, bathing and lifting heavy loads. Its two big ears hanging like big fans. Its four legs are very strong and look like pillars. Elephants are found in the forests of India (Assam, Mysore, Tripura, etc), Ceylon, Africa, and Burma. Elephants like to live in groups of hundreds (lead by a big male elephant) in the jungle.

It is very useful animal to the humanity whole life and after death also. Its various body parts are used to make precious things all over the world. Bones and tusks of elephant are used to make hooks for brushes, knife-handles, combs, bangles including other fancy things. It can live for many years from 150 to 200 years. Keeping elephant at home is very costly which an ordinary person cannot afford.

It has very calm nature however on teasing it can be very angry and dangerous as it can destroy anything even kill people. It is known as intelligent and faithful animal because it understands every sign of the keeper after training. It obeys its keeper very sincerely till death.

There are two types of elephant, African and Indian. African elephants are quite bigger than Indian elephant. Both, male and female African elephants have tusks with wrinkly gray skin and two tips at the end of trunk. Indian or Asian elephants are quite smaller than African elephants with humped back and only one tip at the end of trunk.

Elephant Essay 6 (400 words)

An elephant is very clever, obedient and biggest animal on the earth. It is found in the Africa and Asia. Generally, it is found in grey color however white in Thailand. Female elephants are used to live in groups however male elephants solitary. Elephants live long life more than 100 years. They generally live in jungles however also seen in the zoo and circus. They can grow around 11 feet in height and 13,000 pounds weight. The largest elephant ever has been measured as 13 feet in height and 24,000 pounds in weight. An individual elephant can eat 400 pounds of food and drink 30 gallons of water daily.

Elephant skin becomes one inch thick however very sensitive. They can hear each other’s sound from long distance around 5 miles away. Male elephant starts living alone whenever become adult however female lives in group (oldest female of a group called as matriarch). In spite of having intelligence, excellent hearing power, and good sense of smell, elephants have poor eyesight.

Elephants look very attractive to kids because of its interesting features such as two giant ears, two long tusks (around 10 feet long), four pillars like legs, a huge trunk, a huge body, two small eyes, and a short tail. It is considered that tusks are continued to grow entire life. Trunk is used to eat food, drink water, bath, breathe, smell, carry loads, etc. It is considered as elephants are very smart and never forget any event happened in their life. They communicate to each other in very low sound.

The baby of an elephant is called calf. Elephants come under the category of mammals as they give birth to a baby and feed their milk. A baby elephant can take almost 20 to 22 months in getting fully developed inside its mother womb. No other animal’s baby takes such a long time to develop before birth. A female elephants give birth to a single baby for every four or five years. They give birth to a baby of 85 cm (33 inch) tall and 120 kg heavy. A baby elephant takes almost a year or more to learn the use of trunk. A baby elephant can drink about 10 liters of milk daily. Elephants are at risk of extinction because of their size, prized ivory tusks, hunting, etc. They should be protected in order to maintain their availability on the earth.

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Elephant Essay

Elephants are the largest land animals with distinct body parts. Unlike other mammals, elephants don’t have nose, instead they breathe through a long trunk. They have huge fan like ears and long extended teeth called tusks. Because of their distinct tusks they are often called tuskers.

Elephants are wild animals; though, they are also domesticated by humans to mainly perform laborious tasks. Colossal body parts give the elephants tremendous physical strength over humans, thus they are tamed and made to perform strenuous and challenging tasks. Elephants have a distinct social structure displaying feelings of compassion, love and care for the family members.

Long and Short Essay on Elephant in English

We have provided below various essay on elephant in order to help students.

Now-a-days, essays and paragraphs writing are more common strategy followed by the teachers in the schools and colleges in order to enhance student’s skill and knowledge about any subject.

All the elephant essay given below are written using very simple words and easy sentences under various words limit. Students can select any of the essays given below according to their need and requirement:

Elephant Essay 1 (100 words)

Elephant is a very big animal. It lives in the forest however it is a pet animal also. Some people keep it at home as a pet animal in order to earn money through circus. It is also kept in the zoo in order to enhance the glory of zoo as well as interest of kids. It has a big body with four legs like pillars, two fan like ears, a long trunk, a short tail and two small eyes. A male elephant contains two long white teeth called as tusks. It can eat soft green leaves, plants, grains, etc. It is very useful animal to the man and proved to be a good friend to mankind as it performs many functions such as earns money, carries heavy loads, etc. It has long life span and lives around one hundred years.

Elephant

Elephant Essay 2 (150 words)

Elephant is a biggest animal on the land. It is also considered as the strongest animal on the land. Generally it is a wild animal however can live as a pet animal after proper training in the zoo or with human being at home. It has been proved a useful animal for the humanity. It is an animal with big body generally found in the grey color.

It’s all four legs looks like a pillar and two big ears just like a fan. Its eyes are quite small in comparison to the body. It has a long trunk and a short tail. It can pick up a range of things very easily through its trunk such as a small needle and very heavy trees or loads. It has two long white tusks on each side of trunk.

Elephants live in the jungle and generally eat small twigs, leaves, straw and wild fruits however a pet elephant can also eat bread, bananas, sugarcane, etc. It is a pure vegetarian wild animal. Now-a-days, they are used by the people to carry heavy loads, in the circus, lifting logs, etc. In the ancient time, they were used by the kings and dukes in the wars and battles. It lives for long years (more than 100 years). It is very useful animal even after death (bangles are made of bones and tusks).

Elephant Essay 3 (200 words)

Elephant is a largest animal on the land. It lives in the forest however can be a pet after proper training. It can be more than eight feet in height. Its big and heavy body is supported by the strong pillar like legs. It takes help of its long trunk in eating leaves, plants, fruits or trees. Generally two types of elephants are found on land African (scientific name is Loxodonta africana) and Asian (scientific name is Elephas maximus).

Its big hanging ears looks like a fan and legs like a pillar. It has a long trunk attached with mouth and two tusks each side. The trunk of an elephant is very flexible and strong and known as a multi-purpose organ. It is used for feeding, bathing, breathing, expressing emotions, fighting, etc by the elephant.

African elephants are little bigger is size and darker in color than the Asian elephants. They have more prominent ears also. Elephants are commonly found in India, Africa, Sri Lanka, Burma, and Siam. They generally like to live in a herd and become very fond of water. They know well about swimming. Because of being an herbivorous animal, they depend on plants in the forest in order to meet their food need. They move to villages and other residential places in the lack of food in forest or because of deforestation. It is known as an intelligent animal and benefits man in many ways.

Elephant Essay 4 (250 words)

Elephant is a strongest and biggest animal on the earth. It is quite famous for its big body, intelligence and obedient nature. It lives in jungle however can be trained and used by people for various purposes. Its peculiar features are four pillars like legs, two fan like ears, two small eyes, a short tail, a long trunk, and two long white tusks. Elephant eats leaves, stem of banana trees, grass, soft plants, nuts, fruits, etc in the jungle. It lives more than hundred and twenty years. It is found in India in the dense jungles of Assam, Mysore, Tripura, etc. Generally elephants are of dark grey color however white elephants are found as well in the Thailand.

Elephant is an intelligent animal and has good learning capacity. It can be trained very easily according to the use in circus, zoo, transport, carry loads, etc. It can carry heavy logs of timber to a long distance from one place to another. It is an animal of kid’s interest in the zoo or other places. A trained elephant can perform various tasks such as delightful activities in the circus, etc. It can be very angry which create danger to the humanity as it can destroy anything. It is useful animal even after death as its tusk, skin, bones, etc are used to make costly and artistic items.

Elephant Essay 5 (300 words)

Elephant is a very huge wild animal lives in a jungle. It looks quite ugly however mostly liked by the kids. It has big heavy body and called as royal animal. It can be more than 10 feet in height. It is found in coarse dark grey color with very hard skin. In other countries, it is found in white color also. Its long and flexible trunk helps in feeding, breathing, bathing and lifting heavy loads. Its two big ears hanging like big fans. Its four legs are very strong and look like pillars. Elephants are found in the forests of India (Assam, Mysore, Tripura, etc), Ceylon, Africa, and Burma. Elephants like to live in groups of hundreds (lead by a big male elephant) in the jungle.

It is very useful animal to the humanity whole life and after death also. Its various body parts are used to make precious things all over the world. Bones and tusks of elephant are used to make hooks for brushes, knife-handles, combs, bangles including other fancy things. It can live for many years from 150 to 200 years. Keeping elephant at home is very costly which an ordinary person cannot afford.

It has very calm nature however on teasing it can be very angry and dangerous as it can destroy anything even kill people. It is known as intelligent and faithful animal because it understands every sign of the keeper after training. It obeys its keeper very sincerely till death.

There are two types of elephant, African and Indian. African elephants are quite bigger than Indian elephant. Both, male and female African elephants have tusks with wrinkly gray skin and two tips at the end of trunk. Indian or Asian elephants are quite smaller than African elephants with humped back and only one tip at the end of trunk.

Elephant Essay 6 (400 words)

An elephant is very clever, obedient and biggest animal on the earth. It is found in the Africa and Asia. Generally, it is found in grey color however white in Thailand. Female elephants are used to live in groups however male elephants solitary. Elephants live long life more than 100 years. They generally live in jungles however also seen in the zoo and circus. They can grow around 11 feet in height and 13,000 pounds weight. The largest elephant ever has been measured as 13 feet in height and 24,000 pounds in weight. An individual elephant can eat 400 pounds of food and drink 30 gallons of water daily.

Elephant skin becomes one inch thick however very sensitive. They can hear each other’s sound from long distance around 5 miles away. Male elephant starts living alone whenever become adult however female lives in group (oldest female of a group called as matriarch). In spite of having intelligence, excellent hearing power, and good sense of smell, elephants have poor eyesight.

Elephants look very attractive to kids because of its interesting features such as two giant ears, two long tusks (around 10 feet long), four pillars like legs, a huge trunk, a huge body, two small eyes, and a short tail. It is considered that tusks are continued to grow entire life. Trunk is used to eat food, drink water, bath, breathe, smell, carry loads, etc. It is considered as elephants are very smart and never forget any event happened in their life. They communicate to each other in very low sound.

The baby of an elephant is called calf. Elephants come under the category of mammals as they give birth to a baby and feed their milk. A baby elephant can take almost 20 to 22 months in getting fully developed inside its mother womb. No other animal’s baby takes such a long time to develop before birth. A female elephants give birth to a single baby for every four or five years. They give birth to a baby of 85 cm (33 inch) tall and 120 kg heavy. A baby elephant takes almost a year or more to learn the use of trunk. A baby elephant can drink about 10 liters of milk daily. Elephants are at risk of extinction because of their size, prized ivory tusks, hunting, etc. They should be protected in order to maintain their availability on the earth.

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  • Shooting an Elephant

Read our complete notes on the essay “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell. Our notes cover Shooting an Elephant summary and detailed analysis.

Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell Summary

The narrator of the essay starts with describing the hate he is confronted with in a town in Burma. He says that he is a sub-divisional police officer and is hated by the locals in “aimless, petty kind of way”. He also confesses to being on the wrong side of the history as he explains the inhuman tortures of the British Raj on the local prisoners.

After describing his conditions, he starts telling a story of a fine morning which he considers as “enlightening”. He is told on the phone about an elephant which has shattered his fetters and gone mad, intimidating the localities and causing destructions. The mahout i.e. went in the incorrect way searching for the elephant and now is almost twelve hour’s journey away. The Burmese are unable to stop the elephant as no one in their whole population has a gun or any other weapon and seems to be quite helpless in front of the merciless elephant.

After the phone call, Orwell goes out to search the elephant. While asking in the neighborhood for where they have last sighted the elephant, he suddenly hears yells from a little distance away and immediately follows it.  Going towards the elephant he finds a dead labor around the corner lying in the mud, being a victim of the elephant’s brutality. After seeing the dead labor, he sends orderly to bring him a gun that should be strong enough to kill an elephant.

In the meanwhile, Orwell is informed by the local people about the location of the elephant that was in the paddy field. After seeing the gun in Orwell’s hand, a large number of local people start following him, even those who were previously uninterested in the incident. All of them are only interested and getting excited about the shooting of the elephant. In the field, Orwell sees the elephant calmly gazing and decided not to kill it as it would be wrong to kill such a peaceful creature and to kill it will be like abolishing ‘a huge and costly piece of machinery’.

However, when he gazes back at the mob behind, it has expanded to a thousand and is still expanding, supposing him to fire the elephant. To them, Orwell is like a magician and is tasked with amusing them. By the first thought, he realizes that he is unable to resist the crowd’s wish to kill the elephant and the right price of white westerner’s takeover of the Position is white gentlemen’s independence. He seems to be a kind of “puppet” that is guaranteed to fulfill their subject’s expectancy.

Consequently, Orwell decides to shoot the elephant or in another case, the crowd will laugh at him, which was intolerable to him. At first, he thinks to see the response of the elephant after slightly approaching it, however, it seems dangerous and would make the crowd laugh at him which was utterly humiliating for him. To avoid undesirable awkwardness, he has to kill the elephant. He pointed the gun at the brain of the elephant and fires.

As Orwell fires, the crowd breaks out in anticipation. Being hit by the shot, the elephant bends towards its lap and starts dribbling. Orwell fires the second shot, the elephant appears worse but doesn’t die. As he fires the final gunshot, the elephant shouts it out and falls, fast-moving in the field where he was placed. The elephant is still alive while Orwell shot him more and more but it seems to him that it has no effect on it. The elephant seems to be in great agony and is “helpless to live yet helpless to die”. Orwell, being unable to see the elephant to suffer, go away from the sight. He later heard that the elephant took almost half an hour to pass away and villagers take the meal off its bone shortly after its death.

Orwell’s killing of the monster remained a huge controversy. The owner of the elephant stayed heated, but then again as he was Indian, he has no legal alternative. The aged old people agreed with the Orwell’s killing of the elephant but for the younger one, it appears to be unsuitable to murder an elephant as it killed a coolie– a manual labor. For them, the life of an elephant was additional worth than a life of a coolie. On the one hand, Orwell thinks that he is fortunate that the monster murdered a coolie as it will give his act a lawful clarification while on the other hand, he wonders that anyone among his companions would assume that he murdered the elephant just not to look a fool.

Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell Literary Analysis

About the author:.

George Orwell was one of the most prominent writers of the twentieth century who was well-known for his essays, novels, and articles. His works were most of the times focused on social and political issues. His work is prominent among his contemporary writers because he changed the minds of people regarding the poor. His subject matters are; the miseries of the poor, their oppression by the elite class, and the ills of the British colonialism.

Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell is a satirical essay on the British Imperialism.

The story is a first-person narrative in which the narrator describes his confused state of mind and his inability to decide and act without hesitation. The narrator is a symbol of British colonialism in Burma who, through a window to his thoughts, allegorically gives us an insight into the conflicting ideals of the system.

The essay is embedded with powerful imagery and metaphors. The tone of the essay is not static as it changes from a sadistic tone to a comic tone from time to time. The elephant in the story is the representation of the true inner self of the narrator. He has to kill it against his will in order to maintain the artificial persona he has to bear as a ruler.

The narrator has a sort of hatred for almost all the people that surround him. He hates the Burmese and calls them “evil spirited beasts”, he hates his job, he hates his superiors, he hates British colonialism and even hates himself sometimes for not being able to act according to his will.

On the surface, the essay is a narration of an everyday incident in a town but represents a very grave picture on a deeper level. Orwell satirizes the inhumane behavior of the colonizers towards the colonized and does so very efficiently by using the metaphor of the elephant.

The metaphor of the elephant can be interpreted in many ways. The elephant can also be considered to stand for the job of the narrator which has created a havoc in his life (as the elephant has created in the town). The narrator wants to get rid of it through any possible way and is ready to do anything to put an end to this misery. Also, the elephant is powerful and so is the narrator because of his position but both of them are puppets in the hands of their masters. Plus, they both are creating miseries in the lives of the locals.

Yet another interpretation of this metaphor can be that the elephant symbolizes the local colonized people. The colonizers are ready to kill any local who revolts against their rule just as the narrator kills the elephant which has defied the orders of its master.

Shooting an Elephant Main Themes

Following is the major theme of the essay Shooting an Elephant.

Ills of British Imperialism:

George Orwell, in the narrative essay Shooting an Elephant, expresses his feelings towards British imperialism. The British Raj did not care for anything but for their own material wealth and their ruling personas. The rulers were ready to take the life of any local who dared to stand or speak against their oppression. This behavior of the rulers made the locals full of hatred and mistrust. Therefore, a big gap was created between the colonizers and the colonized which was bad for both of them.

This theme strikes the reader throughout the essay. For instance, the narrator talks about “the dirty work of the empire”. He narrates the conditions of the prisoners in cells who are tortured in an inhumane way. This shows the behavior of the British Raj towards those who dared to stand against their oppression.

The narrator also uses bad adjectives for the locals like “yellow-faced” and even expresses his wish to kill one of them. He does on purpose i.e. to reflect on the point that the colonizers considered the colonizing low humans or probably lower than humans.

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Shooting an Elephant

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Researchers decode how elephants form "sentences," lending insight to their complex communication

A new study explores multimodal communication tools employed by elephants, underscoring their unique intelligence, by matthew rozsa.

African savannah elephants ( Loxodonta africana ) are the world's largest living land-based animals, reaching a height between 10 and 13 feet (roughly 3 to 4 meters) and weighing between 4 to 7 tons. One in particular, Doma, is the most dominant male in his group. Yet he seems to have developed this superiority as much through charisma and kindness as from sheer girth. All the other elephants in his herd run to him at the first sign of trouble; during calmer times, they willingly present him with their rumps in a seeming sign of submission.

"I could feel the rumbles echoing in my body and smell the elephants (and even secretions!) so close."

One day Doma's popularity's with a particularly playful female led to a special moment for a human — Vesta Eleuteri, a PhD student at the University of Vienna's Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, who witnessed a Doma moment of courtship quite intimately.

"I found myself a meter away a greeting between Doma and Kariba and could feel the rumbles echoing in my body and smell the elephants (and even secretions!) so close," Eleuteri told Salon. "It felt like it was easier for me to feel what they were feeling in that moment."

Eleuteri has learned quite a bit about what elephants feel and think, thanks to the research she and a group of fellow scientists performed on semi-captive elephants at the Jafuta Reserve in Zimbabwe. In the study , published this month in the journal Communications Biology, Eleuteri's team determined that elephants communicate with each other in complicated ways using "multimodal communication" and specific to who happens to be in their audience.

As they rumble, flap their ears, rub their trunks, release sex pheromones and engage in other silent visual, audible and tactile gestures, the massive animals are not engaged in chaotic nonsense behavior, as some previous scientists have argued. Instead, they are putting together sophisticated "sentences" to express detailed thoughts.

"We also found that elephants greet by appropriately targeting visual, acoustic and tactile gestures at their audience depending on the audience's state of visual attention," Eleuteri said. "For example, if we're in a noisy bar and I want to tell you 'let's leave' and you are looking at me, I might use a visual gesture, but if you are not, I might touch you. The ability to target visual gestures was previously shown from captive elephants towards a human. So finding this capacity between elephants, although quite expected for people who know elephants, was also novel."

Just like humans use verbal, written and body language to communicate, animals across species use different senses to send messages. A large number of primates use a mixture of senses — sight, sound, touch, taste, smell and so on — in order to communicate. Birds and crickets are known to do this for courtship rituals, while squirrels and insects do so to ward off predators. There are some species of flies that use a combination of vibrations, chemical signals and visual and acoustic displays in order to mate, while some chimpanzees employ specific syntheses of vocal expression and gesture to get attention.

Yet even within the diverse spectrum of animals that communicate with more than one sense, elephants are something altogether special. Dr. Paula Kahumbu, CEO of the charitable organization Wildlife Direct and star of the Disney+ series "Secrets of the Elephants,"  told Salon last year that she recalled seeing herds of elephants suddenly stop walking and freeze "still as statues" for seemingly no reason. Yet there would in fact always be a good cause, as indicated that one elephant might be waving its ears.

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"I still have hope that elephants will manage to survive and there are amazing people working hard for elephants and their future."

"What is happening when they stop and they all stand still is they're all listening," said Kahumbu. "They'll be listening with their feet. They'll be listening with their trunks, which they rest on the ground. They'll be listening with their ears. Then they will rumble. Some of their rumbles we cannot hear because it's happening in a sound frequency that we cannot detect. The matriarch or the biggest bull will make a decision about what to do next."

She added, "It could be we're gonna go left, we're gonna go to that mountain, or we're gonna wait."

Elephants have such complex communication that they may even have names for each other , as Salon has previously reported. A study published last August, though not peer-reviewed, comes from eight researchers across the U.S., Kenya and Norway and offers promising insight into how non-human species communicate with conspecifics, or other members of the same species. “Here, we show that wild African elephants address one another with individually specific calls,” the authors wrote .

Although they possess impressive intelligence, elephants are still quite vulnerable as a species. Roughly 10 million African elephants roamed that continent at the turn of the 20th century, but only 400,000 are left in Africa today. They are threatened by ivory poaching, habitat loss,  climate change and other ecological problems humans have created for them. Elephants that have had bad interactions with humans than go on to develop further negative relationships with local communities. It is increasingly difficult for conservationists to protect the species in the wild. But Eleuteri refuses to give up hope about the elephants' future.

"Despite the dire situation, I still have hope that elephants will manage to survive and there are amazing people working hard for elephants and their future," Eleuteri said. "I think it's important to raise awareness on how special, ecologically important, and how threatened elephants are to reach a wider group of people who can help them directly or indirectly."

Does decoding elephant language bring us one closer to someday being able to talk directly to elephants? Probably not, Eleuteri explains.

"Well, humans already communicate with elephants in a similar way they do with dogs," Eleuteri said. "Whether we will be able to decode their communication and use it to communicate directly with them is something I am not sure about. I like to think that some things will remain a mystery."

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Matthew Rozsa is a staff writer at Salon. He received a Master's Degree in History from Rutgers-Newark in 2012 and was awarded a science journalism fellowship from the Metcalf Institute in 2022.

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Understanding elephant communication

NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben speaks with biologist Vesta Eleuteri regarding a study she authored about elephant communication.

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This Memorial Day, Ask Me About My Brother

an essay on elephant

B efore my brother Ben was killed in Afghanistan in 2009, Memorial Day was one of my favorite holidays. It meant parties with friends and family, all of us excited by a long weekend and the promise of summer ahead. The fact that Memorial Day was also about violent and traumatic loss was a more abstract and theoretical concept—until the year those losses included my big brother with the contagious giggle and the drive to serve.

For the first few years after Ben’s death, Memorial Day made me angry and indignant. We’re honoring my brother’s death with mattress sales and BBQs? I thought to myself. Nevermind that my brother enjoyed nothing more than barbequing and a good nap. He loved Memorial Day and all its contradictions. He could hold grief and joy together in a way that seemed effortless.

I began to dread attending the Memorial Day events I once enjoyed with him. Would people say anything to me? And did I want them to? Siblings are often asked questions that no one would dare ask a bereaved parent. Questions about how he died. How he really died. “What exactly happened that day?” “What happened after?” “How are your parents doing?” It’s amazing how many questions people can ask about your sibling’s death without ever stopping to ask about their life.

But which is worse: having someone say something or not? I’ve learned that being at that barbeque, knowing everyone else is aware of your loss and its connection to the day but receiving no acknowledgment at all is perhaps the worst outcome of all. I would be left feeling like the elephant in the room, trying to act like everything is fine when it most certainly was not.

The loss of a sibling is a unique form of grief that can be deeply traumatic at any age, and its long-term impact can be seen in every aspect of who we are. Siblings are supposed to be one of our longest shared relationships, and when that is cut short—as it always is when war is involved—siblings are left to pick up the pieces within their nuclear family and support grieving parents and loved ones. Many surviving siblings diminish their own grief so as not to further burden their already broken families, and find themselves struggling to address their loss even years later.

Studies have shown that surviving siblings have increased rates of depression and somatic symptoms, a lower sense of meaningfulness and benevolence in the world, and lower perceived self-worth. Siblings are also more likely to experience complicated grief or prolonged grief disorder, a form of intensified grief that often includes difficulty accepting the loss, preoccupation with the circumstances surrounding it, and a painful combination of bitterness, anger, yearning, and longing. What’s more, siblings grieving on Memorial Day in particular have experienced a violent loss which increases the likelihood that they’re experiencing traumatic grief ; a powerful grief and PTSD cocktail that can rewire your brain and leave you feeling unsafe and utterly alone in the world.

Surviving military siblings, especially, find ourselves dealing with the trauma of war without the sibling we expected to grow old with, our parents grieving so deeply we have nearly lost them, too. Gina Moffa, a trauma-informed grief therapist in NYC and author of the book Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go, explained to me that “people often don't understand how re-traumatizing anniversaries can be for someone who experienced a military loss. While people are having a barbecue or enjoying a long weekend, surviving siblings are dealing with the symptoms of trauma as if they've just heard the news again for the first time.”

Read More: My Brother Was Killed in Afghanistan. He Became Real to Me Again in Quarantine

So what if you haven’t lost a loved one to war, but you’re celebrating Memorial Day with someone who has? Trickier still: What if it’s someone you don’t know well? Social support is one of the strongest antidotes we have to the loneliness and isolation that thrive alongside grief. It breaks the isolation and denial that allows traumatic and complicated grief to flourish.

What if Memorial Day wasn’t about how our siblings died, but about how they lived? Let me talk about my brother’s love of grilled meat in any form. Let me recount our sibling hijinx while we cut the berry cobbler. Instead of asking me to recount his murder, let me tell you about the time he and cousin Steven bought a turkey fryer a few days before Thanksgiving and attempted to deep fry everything in Aunt Jane’s kitchen.

I know this conversation is not easy for anyone involved. Grief and loss is an incredibly complex topic, and if I hadn’t been through loss myself, there’s no way I’d know how to approach someone that's grieving in moments like this. I’m a deeply curious person and I’d probably be ask too many detailed questions. But that also might make me the perfect person to give some advice here. Curiosity is valid and, more than anything, it’s human. But that’s also what Google is for; don’t put someone on the spot asking about their trauma. If you meet someone at a Memorial Day celebration this year who has lost someone in the military, store that info away to Google later and in that moment, focus on life. Ask, “What was your brother or sister’s name?” “Is it helpful to talk about them?” And if yes, “What were they like?”

Your simple question can bring a surviving sibling back to life during an otherwise traumatic day. As Moffa explains, “when somebody checks in and they're compassionate, patient, and supportive; when they just sit with us no matter how long it's been, we feel tethered again. We are tethered to something that can make us feel alive and open the space for joy and life again. It brings us back to ourselves. That check in can be a life saving experience.”

Supporting someone who is grieving this Memorial Day doesn’t mean canceling your plans and spending the day at the cemetery or ignoring all those things you want to do on your day off. It simply means reaching out and checking in, including them in your plans, and making sure they feel seen and heard on that day.

This Memorial Day, you have the power to heal. You have the power to reframe the day from one that memorializes a violent death to one that opens up the door to conversations about life.

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A black-and-white photograph shows a rock formation on a rugged coastline resembling the head of an elephant with its trunk in the water.

So Close to Sicily, So Far From the Crowds

Pantelleria is a seductive idyll of mud baths, romantic ruins and secluded swimming coves. It’s also rocky and wind-whipped, making it quieter than its big-sister island next door.

Visitors can get close to the rock formation known as Arco dell’Elefante, a lava arch that resembles an elephant drinking water, when touring Pantelleria by boat. Credit...

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By Amy Tara Koch

Photographs by Paolo Pellegrin

  • May 29, 2024

For years I had been hearing about the island of Pantelleria, the craggy, hard-to-get-to Eden with middle-of-nowhere tranquillity that sits 89 miles southwest of the island of Sicily and about 50 miles east of Tunisia. Luca Guadagnino’s 2015 film “ A Bigger Splash ” painted a seductive idyll of mud baths, romantic ruins and secluded swimming coves. Celebrities like Madonna, Sting and Julia Roberts visited, drawn to the striking, Africa-meets-Italy ambience, along with Giorgio Armani, a part-time resident since 1980. The fact that nobody was impressed by them added to the allure.

“We always tell newbies that you will either love it or hate it,” said the fashion stylist Sciascia Gambaccini, who has owned a vacation home on the island for 33 years. “This is not Capri. We don’t have Chanel. There aren’t fancy resort hotels. There is constant wind. The beauty is in the slow pace and the wild landscape.”

In a black-and-white photograph, the intersection of two narrow stone streets is shown, with a bell tower in the distance.

The absence of white-sand beaches is worn like a badge of honor. Locals schlep their own gear to the jagged lava rock perches that line the coast and cannonball into the turquoise sea. The old-fashioned pasticceria and dingy olive stalls in Pantelleria Town, bestow it with “Godfather”-like charm.

And the wind, well, it’s part of the package. As locals will tell you, nature is in charge here, and when a sirocco hits, you have to go with the flow.

A fragrant, otherworldly landscape

Thousands of years ago, farmers on rocky, wind-whipped, fresh-water-free Pantelleria figured out how to cultivate crops.

They built terraced walls from porous lava rock that blocked the wind and irrigated the fruits and vegetables with dew. These steep terraces undulate throughout the island, lending a primordial texture to the bluffs of lava rock. Ubiquitous lava stone dwellings called dammusi also lend to the otherworldly landscape.

Pantelleria’s topography completely shifts as you move from one part of the 32-square-mile island to another. As I zipped along the narrow main road and unpaved side routes, the scenery moved from lush caldera-formed valleys to barren plateaus tufted in Mediterranean scrub to hilltop villages festooned in pink bougainvillea, and up to woodsy mountains. Flowering cactuses and caper bushes with purple stamens grow with abandon, as do herbs. When the wind blows, it smells of wild oregano.

Reminders of Pantelleria’s ancient roots are everywhere.

In Mursia, the bar Sesiventi overlooks Bronze Age burial monuments. In Nikà, I thought of the Romans as I plopped into the burbling thermal baths that they carved into the stone. Pantelleria Town is dominated by a castle begun in the Byzantine era, Norman additions and a bell tower built later by the Spanish.

That Pantescan vibe

The island is not easy to reach. The Danish airline DAT , the Spanish carrier Volotea and the Italian ITA Airways fly there from within Italy, but only on certain days. After the high season, which runs from the end of May through the end of September, it becomes more challenging with one-off flights or an overnight ferry option from Trapani on the main island of Sicily. (Pantelleria is part of the region of Sicily.)

I flew from Palermo last June, and after the jolt of landing on a volcanic speck in the sea, I felt the siren song of slackerdom. It was hot. And the wind/cicadas combo was like an island lullaby. My late-afternoon arrival coincided with aperitivo hour, which has its own format in Pantelleria. People climb to the roofs and sit on pillows to watch the sun slip into the sea. I experienced this tranquil rooftop scene, or anti-scene, at different restaurants, hotels and homes throughout my week on the island.

Of note, there was no blaring music. Nature was the main event, and it was treated with reverence. Tesla? Mercedes? Land Rover? Not a chance. Everyone drives beat-up cars, the Fiat Panda being the most popular. When a friend picked me up in this toylike contraption, I learned why. Their tiny size and light weight make it simple to wedge into tight parking spots and navigate oncoming traffic on single-lane roads, a maneuver that often involves pulling over into bushes or onto a narrow precipice.

While there may not be beach days, there are certainly swim days that unfold upon lava outcroppings. Balata dei Turchi was my favorite, partly because it was such an adventure to get to this bay beneath approximately 800-foot lava cliffs. It involved negotiating steep, unpaved terrain in my friend’s decrepit Panda, bouncing over boulders as plumes of dust clouded the windshield. After parking, it was a 10-minute descent down the rocks on foot. We placed towels on the black rocks and plunged into the sea. A thick rope affixed to the rocks helped swimmers pull themselves back up.

Some days, the swim was spontaneous. After a wine-soused lunch at La Vela in the Scauri port, I ditched my clothes (I learned to tuck a swimsuit into my tote) and waded past sea urchins into the crystal clear sea. Around me, sunbathers were reading (real books) and children snorkeled and played (real) games. It felt like 1985.

A boat tour offers the best perspective of the island. But with the wind, one had been tricky to schedule. Finally, the gusts receded, and I set out with a lithe, Speedo-clad skipper to explore the lava-formed grottoes accessible only by sea. We motored into the Grotta delle Sirene and then Sataria , the sponge-encrusted grotto where legend has it that Odysseus was bewitched by the sea nymph Calypso. We got up close to Arco dell’Elefante , a lava arch that resembles an elephant drinking water. Then we anchored in front of the caves of Punta Spadillo for a panini lunch before diving into the green-blue, parrotfish-rich sea. We saw one only other boat, which departed as we arrived.

Vino e capperi

If people know Pantelleria, chances are they will mention its two most famous exports: passito, a sweet wine made with the zibibbo grape, and capers. It is no easy feat to produce wine on an arid, fresh-water-free island. Vines were trained to grow horizontally to avoid the wind. To self-irrigate, they were planted in hollows so dew could drip into the roots at night. This centuries-old practice is recognized by UNESCO as an “intangible cultural heritage.”

All of the island’s 22 winemakers produce their own version of amber-hued passito, and each winemaker speaks poetically of how harsh conditions yield this “vino de meditazione,” or meditation wine, to be sipped slowly after dinner. “When you drink it, you can feel the people and land behind the flavor,” said Antonio Rallo, the fifth-generation co-owner of Donnafugata vineyards and president of the Sicilia DOC wine consortium. “It could never be made anywhere else besides this island.”

Sun, wind and mineral-rich volcanic soil are also the secret to Pantelleria’s capers, whose exceptional sweetness makes them prized throughout the gastronomic world. As most vineyards grow grapes and capers, wine tastings include foods that showcase both flavors.

Emanuela Bonomo , a rare female winemaker here, explained how the wind created a concentrated flavor of lava minerality and salt in both her produce and small-batch wines. At the vineyard she served fried zucchini with mint and oregano; caponata; and cheese topped with dried zibibbo grapes alongside fig jam, and huge lemons, sliced and drizzled with oil. Everything was layered with aromatic capers. Ms. Bonomo also wanted to make sure that I understood that everything was “fatto a mano”: She and every other farmer still harvest by hand.

At Mr. Rallo’s vineyard, guests can walk past centuries-old olive trees and gardens and through a natural amphitheater of stone walls to examine the gnarled, low-to-the-ground vines and caper bushes. There are multiple tasting options, the most exciting being an under-the-stars dinner that pairs wines with classic Pantescan dishes.

Wellness, volcanic-style

On top of inspiring the rugged terrain, geothermal activity has fashioned the island into a spa playground with hot springs and natural saunas. Near Mr. Armani’s compound in the fishing village of Gadír is a small marina with tubs hewed into the stone. I followed the locals’ lead and submerged myself in a slightly slimy tub (the water is between 104 and 131 degrees Fahrenheit) for about six minutes, then cooled off in the adjacent harbor. Never mind the egg smell. The sulfur and mineral content is why the waters are effective at alleviating aches and pains.

On my boat day, I swam to the Sataria cave, which has three algae-laced hot spring holes with water temperatures progressing from tepid to medium hot. The island’s largest hot spring, Specchio di Venere (Mirror of Venus), is an aquamarine-colored lake that sits in a volcanic crater bordered by mountains and vineyards. On top of gurgling 104 degree water , the draw is a therapeutic (and stinky) mud that bathers slather all over their bodies. Does it work? Well, the heat rash on my arms and chest stopped itching, and my travel-tight back relaxed.

The springs were lovely, but I was most excited to detox in a natural stone sauna tucked into a mountain grotto. I trekked up the western slope of Montagna Grande for about 10 minutes and knew that I had arrived at Benikulá Cave , or Bagno Asciutto, when I saw puffs of steam filter out of a slit in the rocks, and then an older man emerge in a very slinky Speedo. Inside, nine people sat on piping hot stones and the ground (bring a towel!), shvitzing in vapors that can reach 104 degrees. Afterward, everyone relaxed on shaded benches with sweeping views of the Piana di Monastero valley.

Thanks to volcanic cliffs and verdant valleys, there is excellent hiking to counteract the effects of pasta and wine: 80 percent of the island is a national park, Parco Nazionale dell’Isola di Pantelleria, with 63 miles of paths across the Mediterranean scrubland, and up to the forests on Monte Gibele and Montagna Grande.

At every turn, I kept expecting the tourist scrum I had seen in Rome earlier in the month. But it never happened. Not at Dispensa Pantesca , an aperitivo hot spot; not at La Nicchia or Il Principe e il Pirata , the “it” restaurants; and not at Allevolte , a fashion boutique stocked with the kinds of silk caftans and crisply tailored linen trousers that travelers dream about nabbing on an Italian holiday.

If Sikelia , my chic, 20-room hotel, had been in Amalfi, dressed-to-the-nines guests would have been jockeying for selfies amid the fireball sunsets. Not here. “This island is bewitching. But it’s not for everyone,” said the hotel’s owner, Giulia Pazienza Gelmetti. “Getting here is challenging. Getting to the sea is challenging. It attracts a specific type of person. For those who get it, the payoff is huge.”

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

An earlier version of this article misstated the town on Pantelleria with old-fashioned pasticceria and dingy olive stalls. It is Pantelleria Town, not Scauri. It also referred incorrectly to Sicily, it is a region, not a province.

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  1. Essay on Elephant for Students and Children [100,150,200 Words]

    an essay on elephant

  2. Essay on Elephant for Students and Children [100,150,200 Words]

    an essay on elephant

  3. Essay on Elephant For Classes 1 to 5 in English

    an essay on elephant

  4. Short Essay on Elephant [100, 200, 400 Words] With PDF

    an essay on elephant

  5. The Elephant Essay

    an essay on elephant

  6. Elephant Essay In English 10 Lines

    an essay on elephant

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  1. The Elephant. Essay writing

  2. 5 lines on elephant 🐘 in english

  3. #Elephant Essay #

  4. Essay the elephant #elephant #essay #shorts #viral

  5. The elephant essay in English, Essay Elephant, paragraph Elephant, Elephant paragraph

  6. hathi par nibandh/essay on elephant in hindi

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  1. Essay on Elephant for Students and Children

    500+ Words Essay on Elephant. Elephants are quite large animals. They have four legs which resemble large pillars. They have two ears which are like big fans. Elephants have a special body part which is their trunk. In addition, they have a short tail. The male elephant has two teeth which are quite long and are referred to as tusks.

  2. Essay on Elephant For Students in English

    Elephants have the biggest brain of any terrestrial animal, measuring four times the size of a human brain. On the head and back, an elephant's skin can be as thick as 2.5-4 cm. The skin is greyish black in colour. On the forehead, top section of the trunk, and ears, there is depigmentation. The skin is silky and supple while being dry due to ...

  3. Essay on Elephant in English for Classes 1,2,3 Students: 10 Lines

    10-Line Essay On The Elephant For Kids. Elephants are the largest animals on land. Elephants have huge bodies. They have wide legs like pillars. Elephants are grey in colour. Elephants have large floppy ears like fans. They have a large trunk. They grab food and suck water with their trunk.

  4. Elephant Essay for Students and Children in English

    Long Essay on Elephant in English 500 words. Elephant essays is usually helpful for students in classes 7, 8, 9, and 10. They are asked to write these essays for assignments and exams. Elephants are the world's largest mammals living on land. The African male elephants are roughly 10-11 ft tall, while the females are about 8 ft tall.

  5. Essay on Elephant: Samples for Class 1, 3, and 5 in English

    Essay on Elephant for Class 3. 'Elephants are the largest animals living on land. Elephants are identified by their large and black body, two enormous and elongated tusks or teeth (incisors), a small tail, and a pair of large ears. Elephants do not harm other animals or humans and can live in their natural habitat and with humans.

  6. Essay on Elephant for Students and Children [100,150,200 Words]

    Elephant Essay in English: 200 Words. The elephant is the strongest and biggest animal on earth. It is dark gray in color. It is one of the most intelligent animals. Elephants can live up to 70 years. They travel in family groups called herds. Elephants can be trained and used for various purposes.

  7. Elephant Essay

    200 Words Essay On Elephant. The mighty Elephant is the national animal of Thailand and is also the world's largest terrestrial mammal. The species commonly finds its adobe in forests and is classified as an Indian and African Elephant. The jungles of Assam, Mysore, and Tripura in India are home to thousands of elephants. ...

  8. Short Essay on Elephant [100, 200, 400 Words] With PDF

    Short Essay on Elephant in 100 Words. An elephant is one of the most important herbivorous animals. It has a mighty and huge body with giant limbs and a long trunk, a tail, and tusks. Elephants generally thrive on plants, fruits, vegetables, bamboos, and also sugarcane. It is a wonderful carrier of both materials and humans from one palace to ...

  9. Essay on Elephant

    500 Words Essay on Elephant Introduction. The elephant, a majestic creature of significant cultural, ecological, and economic importance, is a fascinating subject of study. Known for their intelligence, emotional depth, and complex social structures, elephants are among the most intriguing animals on Earth.

  10. elephant

    Elephants are the largest living land animals. There are three species, or kinds: the African savanna elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They make up the elephant family of mammals . Mammoths and mastodons also belonged to this family, but they are now extinct.

  11. Essay on Elephant for Students and Children in 1000 Words

    The Elephant's legs are four, two small eyes, two large ears, a trunk, and a small tail. The Elephant's four legs are very thick. The eyes of the elephants are tiny compared with their body. The ears of the Elephant resemble big wings. The trunk of the Elephant is useful. Elephants use the trunk to eat and drink.

  12. Paragraph on Elephant

    Paragraph on Elephant in 150 Words. Elephants are considered to be the largest land animals on earth, with enormous black bodies and white tusks. The legs of the elephants are like pillars, and the two big ears are like fans. Elephants have two small and beautiful eyes and a small tail. The trunk is the longest body part that helps the elephant ...

  13. A Summary and Analysis of George Orwell's 'Shooting an Elephant'

    By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) 'Shooting an Elephant' is a 1936 essay by George Orwell (1903-50), about his time as a young policeman in Burma, which was then part of the British empire. The essay explores an apparent paradox about the behaviour of Europeans, who supposedly have the power over their colonial subjects.

  14. Shooting an Elephant

    1936. " Shooting an Elephant " is an essay by British writer George Orwell, first published in the literary magazine New Writing in late 1936 and broadcast by the BBC Home Service on 12 October 1948. The essay describes the experience of the English narrator, possibly Orwell himself, called upon to shoot an aggressive elephant while working as ...

  15. Essay on Elephant in English for Children and Students

    Elephant Essay 4 (250 words) Elephant is a strongest and biggest animal on the earth. It is quite famous for its big body, intelligence and obedient nature. It lives in jungle however can be trained and used by people for various purposes. Its peculiar features are four pillars like legs, two fan like ears, two small eyes, a short tail, a long ...

  16. Long and Short Essay on Elephant in English for Children and Students

    Elephant Essay 4 (250 words) Elephant is a strongest and biggest animal on the earth. It is quite famous for its big body, intelligence and obedient nature. It lives in jungle however can be trained and used by people for various purposes. Its peculiar features are four pillars like legs, two fan like ears, two small eyes, a short tail, a long ...

  17. George Orwell: Shooting an Elephant

    The elephant was standing eight yards from the road, his left side towards us. He took not the slightest notice of the crowd's approach. He was tearing up bunches of grass, beating them against his knees to clean them and stuffing them into his mouth. ... — 'Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays'. — 1950. — 'The Orwell Reader ...

  18. PDF 'Shooting an Elephant'

    Elephant" has to say is important to know. We have read, and we continue to read, "Of Studies," "Of Friendship," of roast pig, of cats and manners and the ocean depths-essays critical, impression-istic, and what we call "personal." These are worth reading. But "Shooting an Elephant" is a different experience. It is essentially a political essay ...

  19. Shooting an Elephant

    George Orwell 's "Shooting an Elephant" first appeared in 1936. The British public already knew Orwell as the socially conscious author of Down and Out in London and Paris (1933), a nonfiction study of poverty, homelessness, unemployment, and subsistence living on poorly-paying menial jobs, and Burmese Days (1934), a novel of British ...

  20. Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell Summary & Analysis

    To avoid undesirable awkwardness, he has to kill the elephant. He pointed the gun at the brain of the elephant and fires. As Orwell fires, the crowd breaks out in anticipation. Being hit by the shot, the elephant bends towards its lap and starts dribbling. Orwell fires the second shot, the elephant appears worse but doesn't die.

  21. "Shooting an Elephant" Summary & Analysis

    The elephant lies on the ground, breathing laboriously. Orwell waits for it to die, but it continues to breathe. He fires at its heart, but the elephant hardly seems to notice the bullets. Orwell is distressed to see the elephant laboring to die, clearly in agonizing pain, so he fires his smaller-caliber rifle into its body countless times.

  22. Exploring the science of Asian elephants: Interview with Sanjeeta

    The findings of her research, which involved analyzing elephant dung, highlight the importance of context, experience and personality in understanding elephants, stressing that results from one ...

  23. Researchers decode how elephants form "sentences," lending insight to

    African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana) are the world's largest living land-based animals, reaching a height between 10 and 13 feet (roughly 3 to 4 meters) and weighing between 4 to 7 tons ...

  24. Understanding elephant communication : NPR

    The video was captured during a study of elephant behavior. And with us now is the study's lead author, Vesta Eleuteri. She's a Ph.D. candidate in behavioral and cognitive biology at the ...

  25. This Memorial Day, Ask Me About My Brother

    This Memorial day, pass the ketchup, and asked surviving military siblings about our loved ones, writes Annie Sklaver Orenstein.

  26. So Close to Sicily, So Far From the Crowds

    Visitors can get close to the rock formation known as Arco dell'Elefante, a lava arch that resembles an elephant drinking water, when touring Pantelleria by boat. So Close to Sicily, So Far From ...