Essays

The elephant is the largest animal living today and the strongest too. It has thick legs, huge sides and back, large hanging ears, small tail, little eyes, long white tusks and above all long nose called the trunk. The trunk is the elephant's peculiar feature, and it puts it to various uses.

It draws up water by it and can squirt it all over its body like a shower bath; picks leaves from the trees and puts them into mouth. Elephants look very clumsy and heavy.

Elephants are found in India and Africa. The African elephant differs in some respects from the Indian; it is larger, stronger, with longer tusks and bigger ears.

The elephant is a very intelligent animal and its intelligence and strength makes it a very useful servant to man. In olden days, elephants were used in battles and armies had their regiments of trained fighter elephants. They still have their places in state processions.

Many elephants are caught alive to be tamed and trained. But catching elephants alive is a difficult and dangerous work; for, though the elephant is a shy, wild animal when left alone, it can be a dangerous enemy when attacked.

Elephants are very useful for men and his work. But in few places elephants are hunted mainly for their tusks, which are made of ivory and are very valuable.