Elephant story

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Fnaar

Smutmaster General
Location
Thumberland
man-with-elephant.bmp

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.

 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
You got this on facebook too huh?
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
A uni colleague of mine trained as a vet and did work experience at Belfast zoo. He told a story that was told to him...

Back then, the zoo used a local vet, and had a habit of slipping in extra little jobs whenever they called him out for something simple or routine. One time, at the end of a day, they said "Oh, while you're here, can you look at the elephant, he's limping...."

So he looked and found a splinter under one toenail. Now, anaesthetising an elephant is a risky business, as once they are lying down they can start to accumulate fluid on the lungs and all sorts of complications. He weighed up the dangers, and thought to himself, well, elephants are very intelligent, it knows I'm trying to help it, and once that splinter is out, it'll have instant relief. I'll just pull it out.

He did, and woke up from the coma 6 months later.
 
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