The story of the Elephant

#KeWildlife – Story 13

Hadithi Hadithi?

In the ancient times when animals inhabited the land, the elephant was the largest mammal on land.
He was big and strong, with so much muscle that no animal ever challenged him. He had thick skin and a large shoe shaped snout for a nose.

One of the elephants had a baby. Curious, this baby elephant liked to explore the land. He went to the plains of the savanna and spotted the giraffes and their spotted bodies and long necks, he saw the snakes on the river banks and wondered about their hissing sound; he even went deep into the forest where other animals lived and was in awe by their existence.
The one animal he never understood was the crocodile. No one liked the crocodile, and the little elephant wondered why.

On one afternoon as he stood a distance from the lake where the crocodile lived, he asked his friend – the African spoonbill – “What does mr croc eat? He spends all day in water alone, and no one ever speaks with him.”
The spoonbill laughed, then suggested “why don’t you go ask him little elephant? You seem curious enough to want to know. No one will tell you better than the crocodile himself.”

Satisfied with the spoonbill’s response, the little elephant trekked to the crocodile’s resting place and waited for the crocodile to approach.
“Hello Mr croc,” he said. “I wanted to know what you eat because no animal comes this way.”

The crocodile laughed and said, “why don’t you come closer so that I can whisper the answer in your ear. You know what I eat is a secret, and I don’t like to tell others!”
The little elephant moved closer, and as he did, the crocodile quickly lurched forward and with his teeth grabbed the elephant’s snout.
The little elephant squealed in pain. The crocodile bit hard and didn’t let go, but the elephant wasn’t going to let the crocodile eat him, so with all his might he steadied himself on the land resisting the crocodile’s pull.

The spoonbill, seeing what was happening, gathered himself and came to the little elephant’s aid. He pulled little elephant’s tail and as they pulled, so did the crocodile. The elephant’s about stretched with each pull, and stretched some more until the crocodile let go. The little elephant no longer had a snout but a trunk.

He didn’t think much about it until a fly landed on his back, and the little elephant automatically swatted the creature with his snout. It was an easy and convenient reflex.
When he needed to drink water, the trunk allowed him to remain upright as it sucked in the water for him. And when he needed to eat, his trunk coiled the thicker of grass and lifted it to its mouth.

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The elephant is a magnificent creature. Although slow, it is still one of the fiercest animals in the kingdom, and among Kenya’s big 5. Roaming freely in Tsavo East National Park, this animal is certainly not one to be toyed with. But perhaps the most remembered elephant is Ahmed – the great and oldest living elephant that roamed the Marsabit National Park, and was protected by presidential decree during Jomo Kenyatta’s reign. When Ahmed died in 1996, it was global news, and today, his remains can be found at the Museums of Kenya. Truly a sight to behold!