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NATURE

nearer the fence. Each time Nana charged.
Towards the end, Lawrence just stood his
ground at the fence, calling her name.

One morning, he found Nana waiting
for him at the fence. She was very calm.
He moved, very slowly, within touching
distance, and found himself looking up at
her enormous form towering above him.
Then, “Nana’s trunk snaked through the
fence, carefully avoiding the electric
strands, and reached my body. She gently
touched me. I was surprised at the wetness
of her trunk tip.”

She stood and looked at Lawrence for
a few moments before turning back to
the herd, 20 metres away, where Frankie, The herd visiting at the house fence
her closest companion, greeted her with his imminent return and travel miles to Francoise describes how the calf was
apparent excitement. Lawrence decided wait at the house to greet him. He called hurriedly anaesthetised using a drug
that the following day he would release it ‘spooky’. Francoise, in her own book, dart. To fully appreciate how narrow the
them. When he arrived at dawn they describes something spookier. gap is between elephants and humans
were crowded at the fence “as if they when living in cordial circumstances, it is
anticipated something special was about After Lawrence’s death, rangers spotted important to visualise the trauma involved
to happen”. a new-born, very emaciated calf, its trunk in this operation and its remarkable
and face deeply cut into by a thick wire aftermath.
He let them out.
snare. It was unable to suckle. When Vusi,
Francoise's right-hand man, went to see Rangers cut away the wire and applied
One day, Mnumzane, the disoriented male what could be done he spotted the herd antiseptic salve and then injected a fast-
orphan of the previous matriarch and through binoculars, but no calf. It was late reaction recovery drug before rapidly
now an almost fully-grown bull, charged afternoon. He sat in his vehicle and was withdrawing. From a distance, they
Lawrence with murderous intent. Nana surprised to see the herd coming towards watched the agitated herd rush towards
stepped between them. Mnumzane him. They stopped metres away and Vusi the calf as it unsteadily wobbled towards
eventually left the herd, as is the habit of spotted the calf below its mother’s belly. its mother.
mature males, and became an affectionate The mother was stroking its head, but the
friend of Lawrence’s. But that’s another baby was unresponsive. Francoise says, “Freed from the snare, his
story – a very moving one.
trunk curled up against her belly and his
The only solution was to wait till dawn little mouth searched hungrily for her
Indeed, there are so many stories.
and bring in a veterinarian by helicopter teat” . . . there was silence among those
and then, using two vehicles, drive the watching.
If Lawrence went overseas or to another elephants off and isolate the calf.
part of the country, the herd would sense
The team departed to allow the herd
to disappear deep into the bush, which
they were expected to do for days -
perhaps even weeks. That evening,
Francoise invited the rescue team to a
sunset champagne celebration a couple
of kilometres from the lodge. When she
stepped out of her house ready to go,
“who should be at the entrance of the
lodge to meet me? The entire herd!”

Incredibly, after the racket of the helicopter,
after the panic; after the stampeding and
the trumpeting of the distressed cow
forced to abandon her calf . . . there they
were, “every single one of them. They
stayed with us for hours . . . who knows
what they were thinking?”

Was it gratitude? Did they want to say
something? Of course, they did.

One day, I believe, we’ll find a way to
communicate with another species. And
one day we’ll crack the code and speak
with elephants.
Nana and Family

30 INTRA MUROS JULY 2020