How do you define the conscious state?

When we think of nature on the African plains, we very often associate it with the circle of life a eat or be eaten scenario, where animals are constantly in competition with each other for their spot under the African sun, and although this is true to a certain extent, there is so much more to it.

What we do not often see is the playful side of nature and how animals can indulge in a bit of relaxation.

A while back I managed to capture these shots of two elephants, blissfully frolicking in a river, I am guessing that it was partially because they wanted to escape the heat. Although Elephants are quite accustomed to the African heat, they still like to cool down from time to time, however this was not an excessively warm day.

I think that this was more a celebration of the African rains filling up the rivers and dams than it was merely for escaping the heat.

These elephants were having a ball splashing each other with their trunks and swimming in circles. It was quite entertaining to watch, and even more so it was thought provoking. You see, the majority of animals, if you take the time to sit and watch them, can be very playful if the mood strikes them, and it always leaves me wondering how they must experience life. Humans are considered to be conscious beings that are aware of their emotions and moods, but are animals far behind in relation to that, or do they simply process the same events in a different, yet not in a lesser manner?

Elephants for example are known for their great memory, they have been known to grieve their dead, show sympathy towards the members of their community, and form structural support groups when it comes to raising their young and caring for their elderly. Their communications skills range from the audible vocal sounds to rolling vibrations as well as body language. So how can we believe that they are not conscious beings then? Is it because they rely on nature and not a greater governance, or, because they follow the cycles of nature and not a structured religion? Maybe because they live in each and every moment in stead of contemplating what the future holds or overthink what the afterlife has in store.

Personally I think that in some cases animals hold a great deal more humanity than we as humans do on a regular basis, and I find it strange that we as humans consider ourselves superior to animals, when our planet based existence remains codependent on theirs.