Dances with Elephants - An interlude - Continued. 7/19/2006
I just got back from the Elephant sanctuary. We went in Hmax’s car, and picked up the Elephant Man on the way. I immediately went down to the little infirmary to see little Madros, and the little guy made my heart melt when he saw me. He immediately raised his trunk, and shook my hand, when I came close and called his name.
Madros was happy to see me, and the Elephant Man told us that animals can sense when someone is going help them, especially elephants, who are sensitive, and very intelligent.
I was thrilled that the little guy remembered me. I measured him up for his harness, and also began looking at the details of putting the mounting rig in place. What started out as a simple hoist and tackle sketch in my head has now become something a little more sophisticated, and ambitious. There are now plans, after discussions with the sanctuary staff and the Elephant Man, to make the rig transportable for use in the wild when rescuing wild elephants.
This has now resulted in my making detailed amendments to my original design, and to cap it all off, in a continuation from our chat over tea during the run last Sunday, Hmax and I have been invited to tag along for a wild elephant rescue. The real deal. With real wild elephants. And maybe a tiger or two thrown in the mix.
Now I need to go dig out my army boots, and see if my old camoflage fatigues still fit.