Page 130 - Devotion Among Animals Revealing the Work of God

DEVOTION AMONG ANIMALS

Another mammal that gets—and gives—assistance during
labor is the elephant. One of the other females in the herd always as-
sists a pregnant elephant when she gives birth. The mother hides
skillfully in the bush and together with her assistant, protects the
newborn and cares for it for many years to come. When the female
has her young with her, she is considerably more on guard and ag-
128
gressive.
How do elephants and these other animals communicate with
one another? How can the female assistant know the time of birth,
and that the pregnant one needs her help. No animal has either the
intelligence or the awareness to grasp all this just by itself. Elephants
everywhere on earth help each other out in this way. This is true for
dolphins and all other animals as well, proving that they are all cre-
ated by the same Creator and they all are under His control.

Creatures that Look After One Another's Offspring
Mammals usually form strong family bonds. A typical wolf
pack consists of one male and female, their newly born pups, maybe
one or two of their previous season's offspring, and often the aunts
and uncles of the newborns. All adult members defend the offspring.
Sometimes one female of the pack stays behind in the den through
the night to "pup-sit" the young. In this way the mother can hunt
and feed with the rest of the pack.
African hunting dogs live in similar packs of approximately ten
members. Males and females share the responsibility of protecting
and feeding their offspring. They even compete to care for them.
When the pups are ten weeks old, they start to go hunting with the
pack. After they bring down prey, adults will form a circle around it
129
to keep hyenas at bay, and the young are the first to feed.
In baboon families, the dominant male usually helps the sick or
injured. Adult baboons will adopt orphaned young animals. They let
the orphans accompany them and stay with them at night. When the

128