Years
ago when I was traveling in the middle part of Thailand, near a town called Kanchanaburi. I made a visit to a National Park there famous for its wild
elephants. I went out in a Jeep late one night with a small group of folks and a big spotlight, and we came upon a herd
of wild elephants hanging out at a watering hole…or maybe it was a salt lick. I forget. No matter. The point is that
this was an intensely thrilling moment. There we were in great unfenced place watching wild elephants cavorting and
hanging out.
And when one of the elephants took offense to having the light shone directly into its big
yellow eyes, it charged us. Even though he was a good 30 yards away, when the driver put the Jeep in reverse and the
pissed-off pachyderm got closer and closer, why, my heart pounded in my chest like a percussion grenade. One of the
other travelers in the Jeep, a Brit if I recall correctly, even wet himself. (He denied this, but the evidence was
plain for all to see). Elephants, despite their appearance as big. laid back mammals, can actually be very mean, very
dangerous. They will stomp you into pulp if you are not careful.
In fact, soon after having this perilous
experience, I read an article in the Bangkok Post about a photographer who went to with a Buddhist who was known for
taming elephants. He’d approach them and put his hand on their massive foreheads, perhaps uttering a soothing
"oooohhhm" as he did so. Well, the article described how the crushed remains of both Buddhist and
photographer were fond in the grass of this very same park, and right beside them was found a camera. The last photo on
the roll was a picture of the Buddhist reaching out with his open palm, placing it on the elephant’s forehead. The
flash had just gone off and the look of angry shock in the animal’s eyes was very much like that of the animal that
charged us that night. Apparently he didn’t like having his photo taken.
All of this leads me to the new
research revealed
in this article, which suggests that elephants can not only kill, but they can do so with a degree of vengeful
intent. Yes, elephants seek revenge. I provide the link so that if you should find yourself out in a national park
where wild elephants roam, make sure that they can’t recognize you. Wear a mask, or at least make sure the Brit
in the Jeep with you is holding the light.