Author and legendary conservationist Lawrence Anthony died on the 2nd March 2012. His family tells of a solemn procession of elephants to his compound in the Tula Tula Game Reserve. From miles and miles away, two herds of elephants came to honour and pay respect to this man whom they sensed was their friend and had now passed on.

These were no ordinary elephants. They were rescued and rehabilitated by Anthony.

When they arrived, these elephants were wild, violent and hated humans. Anthony found himself fighting a desperate battle for their survival and their trust. A snippet from his book The Elephant Whisperer reads: “It was 4:45 a.m. and I was standing in front of Nana, an enraged wild elephant, pleading with her in desperation. Both our lives depended on it. The only thing separating us was an 8,000-volt electric fence that she was preparing to flatten and make her escape. Nana, the matriarch of her herd, tensed her enormous frame and flared her ears. ”Don’t do it, Nana,” I said, as calmly as I could.”

This article tells the story of the wild elephants’ gathering.

Comments Rabbi Leila Gal Berner: “If there ever were a time, when we can truly sense the wondrous ‘interconnectedness of all beings,’ it is when we reflect on the elephants of Thula Thula. A man’s heart stops, and hundreds of elephants’ hearts are grieving. This man’s oh-so-abundantly loving heart offered healing to these elephants, and now, they came to pay loving homage to their friend.”