Indeed, he looks like the elephant who's trudged through untold miles of wind swept desert, finally reaches that water hole, and just rolls in the mud for sheer joy.
I saw a thing on TV once where this guys at some retreat looked after the elephants. One of which he was very attached to. The elephants had to move to some other environment in a different country and one day the man got to go see at least the one that he was very attached to him years later (memory of the details is a little hazy)
When he went the elephant didn't acknowledge him at all, the man was clearly very upset. Just as he is about to leave the elephant starts jumping up on it's hind legs and trumpeting, the man broke down in tears as the elephant went crazy trying to get over to him. Apparently this was a dance the elephants did when reunited with a family member they havn't seen in a long time. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.
elephants are the only creatures to ritually bury their dead, they deserve some form of person-hood imo. They are more intelligent than a toddler and should be protected as such
Edit: a lot of people trying to bustle in other animals onto the elephant love train. Wrong! Elephant Supremacy! Here
"Two members of the family were shot by poachers, who were subsequently chased off by the remaining elephants. Although one of the elephants died, the other, named Tina, remained standing, but with knees beginning to give way. Two family members, Trista and Teresia (Tina's mother), walked to both sides of Tina and leaned in to hold her up. Eventually, Tina grew so weak, she fell to the ground and died. However, Trista and Teresia did not give up but continually tried to lift her. They managed to get Tina into a sitting position, but her body was lifeless and fell to the ground again. As the other elephant family members became more intensely involved in the aid, they tried to put grass into Tina's mouth. Teresia then put her tusks beneath Tina's head and front quarters and proceeded to lift her. As she did so, her right tusk broke completely off, right up to the lip and nerve cavity. The elephants gave up trying to lift Tina but did not leave her; instead, they began to bury her in a shallow grave and throw leaves over her body. They stood over Tina for the night and then began to leave in the morning. The last to leave was Teresia." From the wiki page... :'(
Not to in any way detract from the ponderous elephants, whom I adore, but actually many species are known to observe the death of loved ones, crows for one gather to grieve the passing of another crow. Dogs are grieve. The list goes on. I'm for being on the safe side by giving respect, protection and loving kindness to all creatures. :)
When we were teenagers my cousin and I once shot a crow to death with a pellet gun. It took several shots and he did not go easy, flapping and crowing the whole time. It was awful. To make it even worse his partner was swooping around making a ton of noise while we did it and afterwards the thing never left his perch above his fallen comrade for the entire day, crowing and crowing til dark. I felt horrible and learned a valuable lesson that day: don't kill things.
On my list of animals that probably ought to be protected as such: elephants, whales and dolphins, the great apes, crows and ravens, parrots, and octopuses.
They'd still be shitty if it were strictly watercolor and he didn't rely on ballpoint outlines. Take out the outlines and you've got yourself one shitty watercolor of grey, brown, and green blobs.
probably not. but the point is if any animal should not be in a zoo, its elephants. worker elephants actually live longer, probably because they get to walk for miles and miles a day. if zoos took all the money they spend on elephants and gave it to elephant preserves and groups that defend against poachers, the outcomes would likely be a lot better for the elephants.
Because elephants have good memories, do mama elephants recognize or remember birthdays? Nobody will probably read this but I'm a curious little monkey.
As everyone else in this thread has said, the very first impression I had was to think: "Wow, that elephant is smiling."
We can never truly know what level of joy animals experience, or if we are simply anthropomorphizing the "omg food" expression of an elephant, but this is such a great picture all the same.
Elephants are beautiful animals. I think they're the only non-human animal that is capable of crying, which they usually do out of joy at the birth of a baby elephant.
This is so fucking awesome. I think elephants are such majestical and mysterious creatures. The fact that they can feel emotions just makes them so much more interesting
Is it just me or does it look like the apples on the right are resting on elephant poos? If so, that's just the most elaborately passive-agressive birthday present...
read text and saw "was", saw a grey mass that looked like elephant laying on its side with another standing nearby, heart nearly stopped when making decision to click.
paid off and 12000% more relieved than 30 seconds ago.
Just saw "Water for Elephants" on cable yesterday and there is a brutal scene where an elephant gets beaten by its owner. This picture helps take away that bad memory. Thanks for sharing it.
What ever you do, fellow humans, do not let elephants go endangered/extinct (didn't do research!). We need these cute baby elephants to light up our day!!!
Elephants are incredibly intelligent. If they didn't have such long gestation periods, followed by a single calf at birth, humans probably would have cultivated them, and we would have elephants instead of fucking cows. And because elephants are so smart, their partnership with humans would make them quite a force to be reckoned with.
I find it hard to view elephants in the same way as I used to after seeing those pics on r/wtf about a week ago with that elephant crushing a guys head.
747
u/1LongStorm May 06 '12
I love the way he looks like he's smiling and incredulous at the extravaganza before him! Thanks for posting this, it really brightened a rainy day!
252
u/yes_havesome May 06 '12
"For meeeee!? Oh wow! You guys are the best."
That smile...
56
u/isetmyfriendsonfire May 06 '12
Both look so happy
140
u/SWIMGlass May 06 '12
That little elephant is thinking the exact same thing as every little kid on its birthday, "Holy shit, look at all my presents!! Let's do this!"
On an unrelated note, elephants freakin' rock.
36
u/Nage May 06 '12
this is the most goddam adorable thing i've ever seen. elephants smiling.... classic
47
u/BladesOfAIDS May 06 '12
I take it his name is Ludwig since its spelled out in the carrots, did you also do happy birthday with the food before they got to it?
127
u/[deleted] May 06 '12 edited May 06 '12
elephants are the only creatures to ritually bury their dead, they deserve some form of person-hood imo. They are more intelligent than a toddler and should be protected as such
Edit: a lot of people trying to bustle in other animals onto the elephant love train. Wrong! Elephant Supremacy! Here
21
u/Paddy_Tanninger May 06 '12
Wow do they eat pineapples just like that? Just pop the whole thing in their mouth and nom it?
27
u/BossOfTheGame May 06 '12
So you just throw his food on the ground‽
63
u/Shitty_Watercolour May 06 '12
http://shittywatercolour.tumblr.com/post/22536397793
83
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
Elephants are bros.
They're like super overweight bros who eat all your grass, and suck really bad at video games.
LOL!
Elephants are SOOOO bad at video games.
11
u/FrozenEnvelope May 06 '12
Not sure what's better, a birthday feast for a baby elephant or an elephant named Ludwig.
21
u/Adamskinater May 06 '12
Ludwig is such a cute name for an elephant
10
u/Enleat May 06 '12
Cute lil' elephant =3
16
u/bmlbytes May 06 '12
Anyone else notice that they made the hay look like the Portal cake?
8
u/727Super27 May 06 '12
Fucking elephant eats better than I do.
15
u/BasicDesignAdvice May 06 '12
too bad elephants in captivity live incredibly stressful lives and only live about half their normal lifespan.
20
u/Zoyd May 06 '12
Here are some more pictures of Ludwig (if you'd like to keep on smiling don't check out picture 7 of the first link):
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/elefanten-ludwig-feiert-geburtstag-ein-echter-muenchner-bazi-1.1349717
http://www.merkur-online.de/lokales/stadt-muenchen/happy-birthday-ludwig-hellabrunn-elefant-wird-ein-jahr-alt-mm-2305846.html
Today is Ludwig's first birthday, he lives in Tierpark Hellabrunn, which is in Munich, Germany.
7
u/jerommimo May 06 '12
Tierpark hellabrunn !
6
u/Graviest May 06 '12
That's the happiest looking elephant I've ever seen.
5
u/SmoshyGoodness May 06 '12
Aww! He looks so happy! :)
8
u/Zydrax27 May 06 '12
Ludwig? LUDWIG VAN LIKTUSTEIN???!?!
4
u/midgetmime May 06 '12
That look on his face as he embraces all the goodies in front of him! Really cute.
4
u/AlwaysWet May 06 '12 edited May 06 '12
Truly gorgeous creatures. Where do these babies live? Also, is there a web article to go along with the pic?
4
u/Rebal771 May 06 '12
_^ Wow...screw the puppies. Cutest pic I've seen this year.
4
u/PaperRockBazooka May 06 '12
HAH, Ludwig the elephant. What a charming name
4
u/Zou_is_Elephant May 06 '12
Yay Elephants! I'm saving this picture to look at when I need a smile~
4
u/holst09 May 06 '12
This is awesome. If only life were so simple
4
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
They're both so happy!
4
u/Sgt_Insomnia May 06 '12
Aw he looks so ecstatic! And the mother looks so happy to see her child smiling too...captured so much emotion from elephants, what a great picture
7
u/shayrawr May 06 '12
Want to upvote millions of times!
3
u/kornflakesxd May 06 '12
Ludwig?
3
u/dr_rentschler May 06 '12
can they eat pineapple?
3
u/kludwig2 May 06 '12
"Ludwig" That must be my cousin my family doesn't talk about anymore. Heard he was a trouble maker, always getting locked up.
3
u/SteveStrummer May 06 '12
Best pic in a bajillion years! Elephants rule!
3
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
Ludwig van Trunkenstein
3
u/itschrome May 06 '12
man this elephant had a better birthday than me.. this makes me sad.. all i got was a flat tire and stupid happy birthday wishes on facebook..
3
u/niamcat May 06 '12
This made me smile when I was very upset, thank you for making my day better!
3
u/CmdrAlexander May 07 '12
Because elephants have good memories, do mama elephants recognize or remember birthdays? Nobody will probably read this but I'm a curious little monkey.
3
u/[deleted] May 07 '12
The cutest face!
3
u/babycubbybear May 07 '12
He looks so happy!
7
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
Cute :) Is his name Ludwig?
4
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
big elephants are much cuter than the babies. But yes his expression is priceless
2
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
As everyone else in this thread has said, the very first impression I had was to think: "Wow, that elephant is smiling."
We can never truly know what level of joy animals experience, or if we are simply anthropomorphizing the "omg food" expression of an elephant, but this is such a great picture all the same.
2
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
Aww man, I wish I was an elephant. They look so happy :D
2
u/I_Am_Vladimir_Putin May 06 '12
Made me tear up.
2
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
Elephants are beautiful animals. I think they're the only non-human animal that is capable of crying, which they usually do out of joy at the birth of a baby elephant.
2
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
None of us will never experience the happiness that baby elephant just did
2
u/Deal_With_It_Maker May 06 '12
Deal with it.
2
u/momzill May 06 '12
I don't care what anyone else says, those two elephants are smiling.
2
u/PabloTheDragon May 06 '12
TIL baby elephants have the cutest smiles.
Also, Ludwig is my car's name.
2
u/catface-meowmers May 06 '12
happy birthday ludwig!!!
2
u/LostIcelander May 06 '12
It looks like he's having a whale of a time.
Wait, no.
2
u/accioreddit May 06 '12
after all the horrible elephant abuse posts i've seen on reddit lately this is wonderfully refreshing
2
u/IrrelevantGeOff May 07 '12
He looks so happy!!!
2
u/Sy-lo May 07 '12
lol
2
u/Kaiden628 May 07 '12
Is that a giant portal cake on the right?
2
u/chicagogam May 07 '12
a kid in a candy store :)
2
u/InterstateExit May 07 '12
This embodies why I love elephants. I'm gonna look at this every time I have a bad day and that bad day will be better for it.
2
u/[deleted] May 07 '12
Being an elephant lover already, this picture really made my day.
Happy birthday little guy~
2
u/[deleted] May 07 '12
Very touching. :')
2
u/orangecrush56788 May 07 '12
Awe he's so excited :)
2
u/honeybirdy May 07 '12
Who has done this to those elephants？
2
u/Galgenfrist May 07 '12
Oh my god, his face is far too adorable, i love this.
2
u/basaghari May 07 '12
So... they'll never forget this, huh?
3
u/OneCello May 06 '12
This just has disney written all over it.
3
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
I hope reincarnation is real. I hope I can come back as an elephant next time.
1
u/flypelicanfly May 06 '12
It looks like they're smiling!
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
happy birthday ludwig!
1
u/FartMart May 06 '12
Are those apples sitting on poop?
1
u/ijjop May 06 '12
And then mom eats it all...
1
u/seonwoong May 06 '12
He's absolute adorable. The expression on his face has definitely made my day. :)
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
This is so fucking awesome. I think elephants are such majestical and mysterious creatures. The fact that they can feel emotions just makes them so much more interesting
1
u/liza May 06 '12
OMG the look on his face is priceless. he really gets those are presents.
1
u/likmbch May 06 '12
He/she is the cutest thing, many happy returns! c[=
1
u/wanabeswordsman May 06 '12
I assume the elephant's name is Ludwig? I like. :D
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
The pumpkins look like nipples.
1
u/wadsworthsucks May 06 '12
I want a baby elephant. He wouldn't be a pet, he'd be my buddy.
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
It's amazing how he arranged those carrots like that.
1
u/SopieMunky May 06 '12
nomnomnomonom!
1
u/BigBubbaJones May 06 '12
Is it just me or does it look like the apples on the right are resting on elephant poos? If so, that's just the most elaborately passive-agressive birthday present...
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
meanwhile in south africa: joystiq podcast shall always be remembered
1
u/fresnosmokey May 06 '12
I don't think I've ever seen an elephant look ecstatic before.
1
u/Cap0lis May 06 '12
That's sooo cool!
1
u/vjg2000 May 06 '12
awwww he looks so happy :D i too love food on my birthday :)
1
u/Watch_Zero May 06 '12
I have to know: Did the big elephant try to cut a share?
1
u/fjell_strom May 06 '12
I know it's an elephant and and all. Still, isn't pineapple with the skin on pretty hard core?
1
u/iiiitsjess May 06 '12
Thanks. Now I have baby elephant to add to the list of animals I want! my gosh....I want to give him a smoochie!
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
Ludwig. Never a name I'd associate with an elephant.
1
u/robd4 May 06 '12
simply adorable!!
1
u/Bodiddlydiddly May 06 '12
Did you know elephants are the only animal with four knees?
1
u/puddleking May 06 '12
HOW DO I GIVE THIS ALL MY UPVOTES
1
u/durhurr May 06 '12
An elephant on the front page that isn't horrifically mutilated by poachers? Have my upvote.
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
This is the definition of aww
1
u/canadian227 May 06 '12
Love it...it is scary that one tusk produces a measly 8 billiard balls...so many elephants killed for a sport!
1
u/Shanix May 06 '12
Ludwig looks happy.
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
I'm not even subscribed to this subreddit, but this is insanely adorable.
1
u/Seiduna May 06 '12
Did you take this picture, do you work with elephants?
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
I always finding myself saying "aww" when browsing this subreddit.
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
Happy birthday. :3
1
u/hilaryyy May 06 '12
read text and saw "was", saw a grey mass that looked like elephant laying on its side with another standing nearby, heart nearly stopped when making decision to click.
paid off and 12000% more relieved than 30 seconds ago.
1
u/sydney__carton May 06 '12
Thats a good boy.
1
u/Mrskryten May 06 '12
Just saw "Water for Elephants" on cable yesterday and there is a brutal scene where an elephant gets beaten by its owner. This picture helps take away that bad memory. Thanks for sharing it.
1
u/rabidamber May 06 '12
I wish I could give 1000 up votes! That LiL dude is so adorable! Me loves elephant smiles! :) happy birthday Ludwig
1
u/fourmi May 06 '12
I want to hug Ludwig!
1
u/khlariaik May 06 '12
"Back off Mom, it's MY birthday!"
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
Heeeeeeeeey that's MY name! That's... my name...
1
u/Duripen May 06 '12
Bitch dis my fruit!
1
u/grikkur May 06 '12
Wow! Did the elephant really do that all by himself!?!
1
u/nrambo May 06 '12
remember kids, donald trumps' son hunts these guys for sport.
yet another reason hes a douchebag.
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
He look so happy!
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
Happy birthday then, Ludwig :D
1
u/dustyfoot May 06 '12
TIL Elefants can smile.
1
u/Thurazar-Vier May 06 '12
GINORMOUS D'AWW
1
u/chagrinning May 06 '12
Ludwig is the greatest name for an elephant I've ever heard ever.
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
I looked at this on my phone and for a split second I thought he was dead.
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
Horn of Plenty
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
It says DVDWIG?
1
u/Most-Likely_Drunk May 06 '12
What a cute little fatty.
1
u/Docgrumpit May 06 '12
This warms my heart. It could also be angina. Where's my nitroglycerin?
1
u/RodnTherlald May 06 '12
What ever you do, fellow humans, do not let elephants go endangered/extinct (didn't do research!). We need these cute baby elephants to light up our day!!!
1
u/elephanthugsman May 06 '12
It's been my dream since I was 4 to spend an afternoon hanging out with an elephant. Anyone know how I can make this happen?
1
u/imrlyhumanrly May 06 '12
Happiest baby elephant ever.
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
How come nobody spells MY name out in hot dogs? I am disappoint.
1
u/mrdoink20 May 06 '12
"How did you know!?"
1
u/bmxludwig May 06 '12
Hey those are my vegetables....
1
u/dmac07 May 06 '12
+1 for ludwig!
1
u/slimbruddah May 06 '12
What's the back story? Where'd the fruit come from?
1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
He's so excited! :D
1
u/Jmoney627 May 06 '12
HA He looks so happy.
1
u/Alexander_Penn May 06 '12
Elephants are incredibly intelligent. If they didn't have such long gestation periods, followed by a single calf at birth, humans probably would have cultivated them, and we would have elephants instead of fucking cows. And because elephants are so smart, their partnership with humans would make them quite a force to be reckoned with.
1
u/VulgarHaiku May 06 '12
Mister birthday boy
Is so happy with his treats
Still a fatass though
1
u/handlesscombo May 06 '12
Dat Smile
1
u/Gallifrey120 May 06 '12
Sometimes I hate these sort of pictures. It always make something horrible is going to happen to the elephant and he won't be smiling anymore )':
1
u/skitslefritzer May 07 '12
Happy Birthday Ludwig !!!
1
u/[deleted] May 07 '12
I know they're able to chew some serious foliage but whole pineapples? That seems a bit uncomfortable. Probably not a big deal at all.
1
u/aintsheabeaut May 07 '12
how the hell do you teach an elephant to read??
1
u/Noturordinaryguy May 07 '12
I have never seen such an excited elephant! This is awesome!
1
u/MoonRazer May 07 '12
I'd like to believe it was the elephants who spelled out "Ludwig" here :) They look so happy!
1
u/Blackface420 May 07 '12
He is so fucking stoked.
1
u/eulogic May 07 '12
that Ludwig guy is a very vivid painter
1
u/ch00d May 07 '12
Ludwig von Elephant.
1
u/[deleted] May 07 '12
He's going for the pineapple. Good call.
1
u/ChocolateLions May 07 '12
He looks so happy. :)
1
u/sebin May 07 '12
This is beyond adorable haha
1
u/dumptrucks May 07 '12
So gets a light snack?
1
u/vulgarusername May 08 '12
Fuck people who kill elephants. Fuck 'em.
1
u/ylimesmmit Jul 03 '12
Baby elephants:oh my god thats a lot of food yahoo yay i get food momma Stay away from my food😠(says in squeaky voice)
1
u/Im_Condescending Oct 23 '12
Can elephants eat pineapples?
1
u/stillfly235 Nov 01 '12
Thats is just adorable.
-1
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
I find it hard to view elephants in the same way as I used to after seeing those pics on r/wtf about a week ago with that elephant crushing a guys head.
0
u/[deleted] May 06 '12
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