An elephant never forgets...

my grandfather told me a heartwarming story about a safari ranger an elephant, so I'm here to retell this story to you.

One day, whilst out on patrol, Safari Park Ranger Kobus Du Plessis heard a faint trumpeting off in the distance. To him it sounded distressed, and using all of his years of experience as a Park Ranger, Kobus understood the cry as a cry of a young baby elephant. He knew that this baby wouldn't be alone if something dire was wrong with, unless his herd had fled the area. As soon as this came to mind he revved his engine and drove toward the sound, racing and flying over rocks and stumps, through tall golden grass and past the other animals who lifted their heads in bewilderment.

When Kobus arrived at the scene, he found that he was correct. A baby elephant, no more than a few days old was stuck in a poachers trap. Its leg was bleeding and its foot was out of place, peices of bone protruding from the thick hide. The ranger raced over to it and held its head as he radioed for assistance. Within minutes a helicopter carrying three vets and a hoist decended on his position, their tools and understanding of the animal brought to bear as they worked feverishly trying to free the creature from certain death. Kobus stayed with the creature, stroking its head and cooling it with water he used from his own supply.

After an hour of mending and making arrangements, the hoist was attached to the elephant and the helicopter started its engines. As the blades spun, they whipped up a furious storm of sand and grass, Kobus shielded his eyes with his hand as he watched the crew take it to safety. It would be weeks before he saw the creature again, but when he did, it was standing and walking around, playing with the others elephants which were also abandoned by their herd and needed to be moved to another enclosure. Kobus arrived at the medical centre and walked through the doors, he heard the familar sound of the elephants trumpet, he thought he could discern it from the others and when he walked up to the cage area, sure enough the elephant was there, playing. Amazingly, the moment he walked through the door, the baby looked at him and almost smiled an elephant-y smile, raising its small trunk up and waving with an almost perfect humanity...
Kobus spent the next few months tending the creature, learning its ways and mannerisms, believing himself to be joined, in spirit, with the animal.

When the creature had grown bigger, and stronger, it was transferred to another pen. The vets told Kobus that this pen was used for Zoo transfers and that this elephant was to be shipped off to London Zoo in a couple of days. Although he was sad, Kobus knew that it was for the best, both for the park and for the animal. And so the time came when the people for the London Zoo arrived to take the elephant away... it was a sad day but a necessary one nevertheless.
The not-so-baby elephant was lead through the yard toward the truck it would be transferred in. Kobus walked along side it, patting its side and looking into the eyes of the beast. They say an elephant never forgets, Kobus knew he would never forget this elephant for as long as he lived. As the creature walked up the ramp, it turned its head and gave the same human-like wave with its truck that it had done every time Kobus has come in to visit. A tear ran down his cheek, but the ranger knew it was for the best.

Twenty years past and Kobus had become an older man. the light which flared in his eyes now dimmed and his energy was all but gone. Retirement was all but at his doorstep, and the park wanted to give him something special. So, they paid for him to go to London, all expenses paid from Zimbabwe to London. Kobus knew what he would do there. He knew who he was going to see. The day came and his flight was nearly boarding. He had waited 20 years for this day, and now it had finally arrived.

The flight was long and boring, but Kobus never lost sight of why he was going and when the plane landed the first thing he did was jump in a taxi and yell "London Zoo please!" As fast as it would take him, the taxi sped away. After a few minutes drive the great metal sign "London Zoo" came into view and his youth returned.

Even though he was old, the old Ranger did all he could to run and find his elephant. The paths of the Zoo winded and wove in and out of each different area, from the squawking birds to the howling monkeys and then eventually, finally, he heard it. The familiar sound of his friend the elephant. As he rushed over the old ranger heard it again and his speed increased. The enclosure was a stories drop into the ground, surrounded by a moat and covered in the same golden grasses which Kobus drove through on that fateful day. He leant over the side and saw an elephant, old in the eyes and big in the tusks. He smiled at Kobus, lifting his trunk and waving in an almost human way. Incredible.
the old ranger couldnt help himself, and he jumped into the enclosure, landing in the green water full of algae and elephant faecal matter. he didnt care. Kobus swam through the muck and came upon dry land, breathing heavily. When he got up, he saw that a crowd of people and staff had encircled the enclosure, some with worried looks on their faces, others with anger and walkie-talkies on theirs.

Kobus Du Plessis walked up to the grazing beast. Its eyes were familar and its smell was also. He ran his hand along its side and patted him affectionately. Unfortunately for Kobus, the elephant grabbed him with its large thick truck, picked him up and threw him across the enclosure to the gasps and awe of the crowd. The trumpeting was the last thing he heard before everything went black and dark.

When Kobus awoke in the hospital three days later, he looked at his broken body and sighed to himself... "I guess Elephants DO forget..."