Some characteristics of the elephant that will shock you

My late grandmother, Nana Yaa Abuakwaa used to tell me that, in most instances individuals pick up characters of people or things they are named after, and a staggering revelation I stumbled upon some time ago about the elephant and the behaviour of yaanom seems to lend credence to this belief.

I am going to bring to light why yaanom behave irrationally: and I am going to do that with microscopic diligence and undeviating exactitude.

Elephants are very interesting. They are the largest of all land mammals and have a lifespan of 70 years; and can smell water three miles away. One other fascinating characteristic of the elephant is its grieving. The mother elephant has been observed to mourn the loss of a deceased child. The morning ritual involves the mother, slumped in stature, trying to revive her child, seemingly in denial of the death. In other cases, elephants have been known to mourn a loved one for years after its death.

In some observations, every time an elephant walked past the place that a fellow herd member died, the elephant would pause for several minutes and even investigate the remaining bones. They never forget and forgive oo. Agyeeiiii, is it the reason why they are vindictive?

Elephants spend 16 hours eating, and they consume 495 pounds of food a day. It has been observed that people who are associated with the elephant have insatiable appetite too. They chop waa waa waa, and would go to any length to satisfy their appetite including looting and selling everything they come across. You can give your own examples oo, I don't want any trouble.

Elephants show excitement in interesting ways: when excited or angry, the elephant will release an oily material by name musth which is produced by a gland between the ear and the eye. The word "musth" also means madness, and usually when the substance is released, the elephant is in a dangerous state.

Hmmm boi, ye boi, no be me dey talk oo, the elephant can easily activate the all-die-be-die and womafunu mode and asugulise oo. Kai, did you see the meaning of musth? Eiwooo, madness paa, please nobody should mention any names oo. I don't want any wahala.

Elephants use trunk-slaps, kicks and shoves to discipline obstinate family members; yaanom have decided to move a notch higher in the way they discipline themselves by acid bathing and beating up recalcitrant members.

The elephant is herbivorous, meaning, it lives on herbs. Chai, does this explains why some of the followers of the elephant live on herbs? I don't want any trouble, is kontomire not a herb? Kikikikikiki, na this be hard fact oo. Abi, this one na be food for thought paa.

My late grandma was absolutely right in her belief that people pick characters of individuals or things they are named after.

Anthony Obeng Afrane