African Elephant Crossing at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo: Quiet Giants

This Spring, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo opened its new African Elephant Crossing.  Vast in size and scope, the Crossing, along with feeding and other accommodations, provides a new home for animals that are still endangered for the ivory their horns provide, all the while trained to be humans’ entertainment at various circuses that may or may not know how to take care of these intelligent and emotional creatures.

To witness the elephants in person felt different as earlier this year, for Film Slate Magazine and Cool Cleveland, I interviewed Lisa Leeman and Tchavdar Georgiev, who produced and edited of One Lucky Elephant, a documentary I watched with tears in my eyes this past March at the Cleveland International Film Festival. The  inter-species love story, of David Balding and his adopted and beloved Flora, shed perspective on just how elephants can think, feel and react, yet, all the while, reminding us that even with these human-like qualities, we should never mistaken them for being such. And, while we can love them and take care of them, simultaneous respect for their power and their vulnerability is critical to their longevity. The documentary also left a powerful impression with Oprah, who will be screening the film later this year on her OWN channel.

Here are a few photos from the new habitat. While taking them I wasn’t quite sure if I was watching elephants for the first time or just in a very different light. I forget. I bet they remember.