Wan's World

Elephant Memories

In 1986, Peter Davies was on holiday in Kenya 
after graduating from Louisiana State University .

On a hike through the bush, he came across 
a young bull elephant standing with one leg 
raised in the air. 

The elephant seemed distressed, 
so Peter approached it very carefully. 

He got down on one knee, inspected the elephants 
foot, and found a large piece of wood deeply 
embedded in it. 

As carefully and as gently as he could, Peter worked 
the wood out with his knife, after which the elephant 
gingerly put down its foot.

The elephant turned to face the man and with a 
rather curious look on its face, stared at him 
for several tense moments. 

Peter stood frozen, thinking of nothing else 
but being trampled. 

Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned 
and walked away. 

Peter never forgot that elephant or the events 
of that day.

Twenty years later, Peter was walking through 
the Chicago Zoo with his teenaged son. 

As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of 
the creatures turned and walked over to near where 
Peter and his son Cameron were standing. 

The large bull elephant stared at Peter, lifted its 
front foot off the ground, then put it down. 

The elephant did that several times then trumpeted 
loudly, all the while staring at the man.

Remembering the encounter in 1986, Peter could 
not help wondering if this was the same elephant. 

Peter summoned up his courage, climbed over the 
railing and made his way into the enclosure. 

He walked right up to the elephant and stared back 
in wonder. 

The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk 
around one of Peter legs and slammed him against 
the railing, killing him instantly.

Probably wasn’t the same elephant.