R
Rotax Robert
Guest
The Elephant
An elephant never forgets - very touching story
In 1986, Mkele Mbembe was on holiday in Kenya after
graduating from Northwestern 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 Mbembe approached it very
carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the
elephant's foot, and found a large piece of wood
deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as
he could, Mbembe worked the wood out with his hunting
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.
Mbembe stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but
being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted
loudly, turned and walked away.
Mbembe never forgot that elephant or the events of
that day.
Twenty years later, Mbemb 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 Mbembe and his son were
standing. The large bull elephant stared at Mbembe,
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, Mbembe couldn't
help wondering if this was the same elephant. Mbembe
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 Mbembe's legs and slammed him against the
railing, killing him instantly.
Probably wasn't the same elephant.
An elephant never forgets - very touching story
In 1986, Mkele Mbembe was on holiday in Kenya after
graduating from Northwestern 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 Mbembe approached it very
carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the
elephant's foot, and found a large piece of wood
deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as
he could, Mbembe worked the wood out with his hunting
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.
Mbembe stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but
being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted
loudly, turned and walked away.
Mbembe never forgot that elephant or the events of
that day.
Twenty years later, Mbemb 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 Mbembe and his son were
standing. The large bull elephant stared at Mbembe,
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, Mbembe couldn't
help wondering if this was the same elephant. Mbembe
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 Mbembe's legs and slammed him against the
railing, killing him instantly.
Probably wasn't the same elephant.