Learning from Elephants

I've just read with great pleasure (and deep sadness, at the end) The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild by Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence, adapted for young readers by Thea Feldman.

Here's a quote that resonates:

"The 'eureka' moment with Nana [matriarch elephant] really drove home to me the essence of communicating with any animal. Whether it is a pet dog or a wild elephant, communications is not so much about the reach as it is about the acknowledgment. It's the acknowledgment that does it. In the animal kingdom, communication is a two-way street, just as it is with humans. If you are not letting them know that their communication has reached you, if you don't acknowledge it somehow, there can be no communication. It's as simple as that."