Elephants are very special creatures. During years of extensive research and observation, scientists have discovered that elephants’ mourning pattern is very similar to that of humans.
Speaking to National Geographic, George Wittemyer, a Colorado State University conservation biologist who has studied elephants for a long time, said, “Elephants have respect for their dead, but their interaction with their dead is not something we fully understand.”
He added that these creatures act upon emotion when a member of their herd dies, which is truly fascinating and speaks of their emotional inteligence.
Twitter user Parveen Kaswan shared a video which proved yet again that elephants are able to mourn death. They not only bury the bodies but show respect to the bones later on.
The video shows a number of people and vehicles parked in the middle of the road. The reason why is that a herd of elephants is crossing the street.
What caught the attention of the bystanders was that one of the elephants was carrying something with its trunk. When they took a closer look, they realized that the animal was carrying a dead baby elephant.
The herd then stopped and placed the body of the dead calf on the ground as the rest of the group gathered around it.
“The family just don’t want to leave the baby,” Kaswan wrote in the caption and added that the sight resembled “funeral procession.”
As they continued their journey, another animal took the dead baby with its trunk.
To see the incredible moment go to the video below.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
The Architectural Ingenuity Of Elevated Storage In Vintage Homes
Consider entering your grandparents’ home, where every room had a story to tell and every corner possessed a relic. Of these, the oil lamp shelves placed on the walls to this day will make you feel the warmth that you used to experience while reading under them. These shelves, which were an important part of the early twentieth-century houses, were not just practical – they were a symbol of a time when the light of an oil lamp would unite family members in the evening.
Usually wooden or metallic, oil lamp shelves were commonly located in various parts of the house to ensure the light’s effectiveness. These shelves were frequently located on walls in the living room, bedrooms, and hallways. They were not randomly placed; they were strategically positioned to ensure that there was enough light for activities done in the evening such as reading, sewing or even family meetings.
The form of these shelves or niches was quite diverse, ranging from flat ledges to more complex constructions complete with guardrails to avoid lamp tip overs. In wealthier homes, these shelves may have been elaborately decorated or even incorporated into the design of the room, complete with carved-out niches and fancy trim that matched the rest of the house.
This was because oil lamps presented a fire risk due to the exposed flame. Shelves for oil lamps were therefore intended to keep the lamps stowed away from the everyday activities in the house while at the same time letting in the light. These were usually located in positions that were not easily accessible to children and not close to curtains or any other combustible material. This tactical positioning ensured that risks of fire breakouts were reduced to the barest minimum while issuing adequate light.
The existence of oil lamp shelves in old houses gives us an insight into the lifestyles and the technological advancements that were available at the time. Lighting was an important part of people’s lives before the use of gas and electric lights and this meant that the management of lighting was an important part of the daily routine and architecture. These shelves were an important part of the interior design and showed how people of that time managed to optimize the use of living spaces.
Today, oil lamp shelves in historic homes are kept for both their functionality and their historical and cultural value. In the modern homes where such shelves have been installed, they are used for storing candles, plant among other items to enhance the beauty of the house. This is because preservation measures always aim at preserving the original construction features and the material used in the construction in this case the design of the period.
Therefore, the shelves for oil lamps in old houses are not only practical furniture pieces, but they are also a symbol of the creativity of the previous generations and a link to the tangible world of the past. Such details give us ideas about the changes that were made by our ancestors and make us reflect on how these architectural landmarks should be preserved.
Leave a Reply