Page 68 - Dark Matter Women Witnessing

So I did not have high expectations. It seemed unlikely they would welcome

close human presences. Additionally, we learned that our guide, Chris, was

afraid of elephants. As a young boy, he had witnessed an elephant stalking a

man who had undoubtedly done him harm. The man ran to the church for

protection. When he felt safe, he ran out toward the nearby school, but the

elephant, who had been waiting for him, scooped him up on his tusks and killed

him. Elephants remember those who do them harm. Do they only remember

individuals or the species?

I wondered on the last day whether the young bull elephant who slammed his

tusks down on the hood of the truck knew Chris’ story or his fear. But Chris did

not start the truck to retreat. Because relationships with animals are silent, they

must be transparent and so are intrinsically truthful. One cannot deceive an

animal; she or he is always reading your heart. And so the little elephant read

our souls’ intentions and went on. Despite my concerns, the elephants allowed

us near them and often exhibited curiosity about who we were. We went closer

to them than the other tourists and stayed a long time, listening and present; this,

we believed, encouraged a bond between us.

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