The precarious elephant

n 1986, Peter Davies was on holiday in Kenya after graduating fromNorthwestern University.

On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing withone leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Peter approachedit very carefully.He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot and found a largepiece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could,Peter worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephantgingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with arather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Peter stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually theelephant trumpeted lou dly, turned, and walked away. Peter never forgot thatelephant or the events of that day.

Twenty years later, Peter was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teenagedson. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned andwalked over to near where Peter and his son Cameron were standing. The largebull elephant stared at Peter, lifted its front foot off the ground, then putit down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted lou dly, all thewhile staring at the man. Remembering the encounter in 1986, Peter couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant.

Peter summoned up his courage, climbed over the railingand made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant andstared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk aroundone of Peter legs and slammed his stupid ass against the railing, killing himinstantly.Probably wasn't the same elephant