In the '70's I lived on many tea estates in South India with my husband, a tea planter. The estates he helped manage were enormous, often thousands of hectares in length and width. Beautiful green rolling hills, covered in a carpet of flawless green tea bushes.........Surrounding every field were the virgin jungles. Huge ironwood trees, jackwood, bamboo on lower slopes, and much much more. These were the wind belts that protected the tea bushes during the heavy, stormy SW monsoons. More important to us wildlife enthusiasts was the food and shelter they provided the herds of wild elephant that came up from the Kerala plains during the dry summer months.
We soon recognized one herd in particular. The largest female had a twisted tail. She was older than the rest. There were about seven of them, including a young male, who was just beginning to sprout tusks!
One night it was very misty on the winding path back to our bungalow. Inspite of strong headlights, we could see barely 5 feet ahead of the car. As the road began to climb up to an open patch, we realized there were elephants about. Their steaming dung was everywhere! Peering through the mist we couldnt see a thing. All of a sudden a huge grey backside came into view. It was the old aunt elephant with the twisted tail! 8 feet away bang in the middle of the road!
"Dont blow your horn, or switch your headlights off!" we had been advised. Instead, we let the engine of the car gently hum, and switched the headlights to low. A few tense terrifying moments!Within minutes the old elephant herded her family off the road, and on to one side. Then she stood with her back to us, as if to say "I trust you, go in peace!" She was just 10 feet away and could have swung round and whacked us with her trunk, but she didnt budge. Just her ears flapped in slow motion as we drove quietly by.
The old Lady and her herd coexisted with us for as long as we were in those hills.
We soon recognized one herd in particular. The largest female had a twisted tail. She was older than the rest. There were about seven of them, including a young male, who was just beginning to sprout tusks!
One night it was very misty on the winding path back to our bungalow. Inspite of strong headlights, we could see barely 5 feet ahead of the car. As the road began to climb up to an open patch, we realized there were elephants about. Their steaming dung was everywhere! Peering through the mist we couldnt see a thing. All of a sudden a huge grey backside came into view. It was the old aunt elephant with the twisted tail! 8 feet away bang in the middle of the road!
"Dont blow your horn, or switch your headlights off!" we had been advised. Instead, we let the engine of the car gently hum, and switched the headlights to low. A few tense terrifying moments!Within minutes the old elephant herded her family off the road, and on to one side. Then she stood with her back to us, as if to say "I trust you, go in peace!" She was just 10 feet away and could have swung round and whacked us with her trunk, but she didnt budge. Just her ears flapped in slow motion as we drove quietly by.
The old Lady and her herd coexisted with us for as long as we were in those hills.
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