An Elephant Never Forgets

When they reached the main road to Colombo, the driver accelerated and the van sped along. Amy and Mich were petrified since he appeared to narrowly miss hitting the other vehicles on the road. ‘Oooh,’ squealed Mich. ‘Are you sure he’s a good driver?’ she whispered to Akki. ‘Oh, yes, dear,’ said Akki comfortingly. ‘Whoa, we just missed another car,’ said Amy, clutching Rohan’s arm as the van swerved to avoid oncoming traffic.’ ‘Don’t worry, ladies,’ said David. ‘In the west the driving is relatively tame, but if we aren’t aggressive here, it’ll take us all night to get to Colombo – which is only 25 kilometres away. The driver’s good – we missed all the cars on the way out and, I’m sure we’ll miss them on the way home, too.’ ‘Er … okay,’ said Amy. She added, apologetically, ‘In Canada, we drive on the other side of the road and they … er … drive rather differently here, don’t they?’ ‘That’s what I would call the understatement of the century,’ teased David. ‘Let’s tell you why the others couldn’t meet you,” said Akka, hoping to distract the Larkin girls. ‘Yeah, what happened?’ asked Anu. ‘Are they okay?’ ‘They’re fine,’ said Akki, ‘but a wholly unexpected situation arose on the Conservation. Perhaps David would like to explain, since he has the gift of the gab.’ ‘Sure, Akki, abuse me every time,’ grinned David. ‘Right! But first, how much do you know about elephants?’ ‘A fair amount,’ said Nimal. ‘Tell me what you know and then my beloved cousins won’t accuse me of being a “teach”.’ ‘Okay, I’ll start,’ said Anu. ‘They’re the largest land mammals and, like homo sapiens, live in social communities. They also care for their young. Gina, please continue.’ ‘Ephalunts cry when they’re sad; they try and help each other and sometimes other creatures – and they have a great sense of humour.’ ‘Mich?’ said Anu. ‘The babies are adorable and their trunks often get in their way until they get used to them. They get jealous, angry, throw tantrums and are very competitive.’ Amy continued, ‘In wild herds, the older elephants maintain discipline and ensure that the smaller elephants aren’t bullied. I read an article, which mentioned that babies, in particular, needed discipline – they’re extremely mischievous and will “push” their caregivers to see how far they can go. They don’t realize their own strength and it takes them a while to understand the word “no”. In a “Baby Elephant Orphanage”, caregivers use a wagging finger while saying “no”, and when the infant is obedient, a treat is forthcoming. If it misbehaves, the treat is withheld – apparently, they learn very quickly with treats. Your turn, Rohan.’ ‘I read the same article, and the infants are only reprimanded as soon as the incident occurs,’ continued Rohan, ‘never retrospectively, and once a baby has been punished, shortly afterwards the caregiver will comfort it, so that it knows it’s forgiven for doing something wrong. A baby ephalunt needs to feel secure and loved. ‘It’s also fascinating that they often live in matriarchal societies. Female units stay together for life, led by the oldest member – called the matriarch – who makes all decisions for the family. Young males, when they grow up, join a herd of bulls, who have their own codes for living. They’re awesome – you next, Nimal,’ said Rohan. ‘I adore them, too,’ said Nimal. ‘They have the same average lifespan as homo sapiens – three score and ten – and a similar rate of development. They’re the only creatures, other than humans, who mourn their dead and even bury them – often covering the body of a loved one with sticks and leaves to ensure no predators have access – and they return to the “burial” spot, now and then, for many years. They make friends, are extremely loyal, and remember both animals and people who have been kind to them. I guess that’s where the saying “An elephant never forgets” comes from. They also remember those who have hurt them, or their family, and if they come across them again, will definitely attempt to seek revenge. ‘They communicate telepathically, and over long distances they communicate via a medium called infrasound which humans can’t hear. They rely mainly on their senses of hearing and smell, which are extremely acute.’ ‘And so,’ concluded Anu, smiling, albeit a little sheepishly, ‘you can see that we have a fair knowledge of ephalunts and love them dearly. Sorry for the long saga.’ ‘Not at all,’ said the three adults. ‘I’m impressed at your knowledge,’ said Akka. ‘Even I didn’t know that much about elephants.’ ‘Or “ephalunts” as you JEACs like to say,’ said David. ‘I’m thrilled at the extent of your knowledge. However, unfortunately, there’s always a problem in humans and animals living peacefully together, and that’s the cause of the current situation.’ ‘What happened?’ said Nimal. ‘If it’s okay with you, I’ll tell you after dinner,’ said David. ‘We’ll be reaching Neeka’s house soon.’ ‘No problemo,’ said Nimal.