Saving Places - I Thought I Saw

I do not know if i am supposed to write this text, and so I will answer the questions very short.
We have been given the task to think about the poem Saving Places - I Thought I Saw. When i see the poem I think that the writer use objects and animals humanity like and appreciate(?) today. I am reffering to "I thought I saw a proud elephant" and "I thought I saw the mighty buffalo". By using this way of writing to get compassion and focus, wich is important in poems.