ENDANGERED: Fine Art & Photography Contest 2018 Submission.

Allomothers are individuals that tend to infants that are not their own. In elephant society allomothers are immature females usually between two and eleven years old. This behavior is beneficial for all: the calf is well taken care of, the mother gets a chance to feed and rest (just what a lactating female needs) and it prepares the young females for rearing their own young. Families with many allomothers have higher calf survival rates than those that don't. This sculpture depicts a five-year-old calf looking after a one-year-old.

More ENDANGERED: Art4Apes submission on | Instagram | Twitter | Website