Thank you for the music; I can still hear it now. That sweet trumpet tone: rich, beautiful, sharp-edged with anger (an ex-girlfriend suddenly comes to mind). The rest is a jumble. A looming grey shape in the darkness, growing very large very quickly. A rapid swerve and acceleration. And briefly in the splash of our headlamps, an anxious little elephant.
Thank you for the music; I can still hear it now. That sweet trumpet tone: rich, beautiful, sharp-edged with anger (an ex-girlfriend suddenly comes to mind). The rest is a jumble. A looming grey shape in the darkness, growing very large very quickly. A rapid swerve and acceleration. And briefly in the splash of our headlamps, an anxious little elephant.
We are in the North Wayanad Forest Divison, Kerala, gliding from Mananthavady to Thirunelli on a road as smooth as the local coffee. It has rained earlier in the evening, the air is cool, a thin mist sleeps on the hillsides. A sign flashes by, declaring this the ThirunelliKudrakote Elephant Corridor, warning us that elephants have right of way.
A car coming the opposite way stops; its driver flags us down, tells us about the elephant on the road. We try to give her a wide berth but we are too close for her comfort. Fearful for her calf, she trumpets, and charges.
It is a day book ended by elephant encounters.
THE FIRST METRIC
It is eight o'clock that morning and Sathyan is asking me if I'm ready to run. Sathyan, a forest guard with the Thirunelli Forest Range, B.Com graduate, once a clerk at St. Paul's School, Jaisalmer.
I look at him, confused, then see through a tangle of bushes what he has already heard. There's an elephant about 30 m. away. Zigzag, I tell myself, don't go in a straight line like you did in Pakke (The Forest of Improbable Dreams; Sanctuary Asia, Vol. XXXV No. 4, April 2015). But the elephant surveys us briefly, masticating, flapping its ears, then moves off to join its companions in the clearing below.
Denne historien er fra June 2017-utgaven av Sanctuary Asia.
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Denne historien er fra June 2017-utgaven av Sanctuary Asia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Why Children Are Needed To Help Save The World
On my very first day in India, I encountered many marvelous new customs not practiced in the United States, my home country. But the most curious by far involved trees. Here and there, alongside the roaring streets of Mumbai were rings of marigold wreathed around twisting banyan trunks like dried rays of afternoon sunlight…
Who's Who?
Fact: all toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads! Let’s unpack this...
The Sea Raptor
The White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster is one of the most common raptors along the Indian coastline. Nevertheless, the sight of this soaring, broad-winged, white and black bird of prey is nothing less than majestic
Bringing Up Bob Hoots.
While we were visiting a friend’s farm in the village of Yelachetty, near Bandipur Tiger Reserve, we found Spotted Owlets nesting on the tiled roof… and one of the chicks on the kitchen floor!
Yala, Land Of The Leopard
Yala is not only Sri Lanka’s second-largest, but also the most-visited national park in the island nation.
The Wizards Of Oz!
Australia is not only a country, but also a continent. The land down under, cut-off from the rest of the world has an abundance of unique species of native animals, birds, reptiles, insects and plants.
Scales & Tails
I was really excited and looking forward to the workshop on reptiles and amphibians at Nature’s Nest in Mollem, Goa, between June 24 and 26, 2017. It was my opportunity to meet renowned herpetologist Varad Giri.
Big, Brilliant And Endangered
When one thinks of elephants, the first word that probably comes to mind is BIG! But elephants, while they may be the largest creatures on land, are not just big and powerful, they’re wise and sensitive as well. Recent scientific studies have established that they are among the most intelligent animals in the world.
Earth Manners
Everyday habits matter! Let’s be kind to the planet, animals and ourselves!
World Scan
CHINA’S IVORY TOWNAn explosive investigation by the Environmental Investigation Agency has revealed how criminal gangs originating from an obscure town in southern China have come to dominate the smuggling of ivory tusks poached from African elephants.
