Tamba and Michael
Michael Patterson was graduated from college and looking for a job after he had experienced the death of both of his parents. He found one with the Oregon Zoo. One of Michael’s duties was taking care of the elephants. In the building they had an orphaned elephant named Tamba who was very isolated and remote from people and elephants. Tamba’s family had been killed by poachers in Africa when the animal authorities found the baby he was standing next to the body of its mother and would not leave. the African folks pulled Tampa away and took him to a sanctuary in Kenya. From Kenya, Tamba was sent to the Oregon Zoo and lived isolated because, still traumatized he would not mix with the other elephants. Michael related very well to Tamba behavior with that simpatico Michael decided to sleep on the concrete floor of the elephant house outside the Tamba’s cage. Michael slept there for two nights before Tamba very early in the morning, while it was still dark, came to the bars of the cage and extended his trunk out towards Michael.
You can see in the first video below: Michael heard the noise got up and saw the extension and started to touch the trunk like a handshake between the species. As time progressed Michael and Tamba became regular friends and among other things Michael learned that Tamba enjoyed harmonica music so Michael played the harmonica for Tamba most days when he was working at the zoo and in fact Tamba grew so social that eventually the elephant was doing paintings twice a week as a public demonstration for the zoo as a fundraiser. Then the Oregon Zoo ran out of money, Michael was laid off and even was in tears as he had to leave Tamba alone. Over the next 15 years Tamba grew up, and was supposed to go to the Tennessee elephant sanctuary but ended up being taken by a circus and abused and finally American animal people rescue saved Tamba from the circus and sent him to the Tennessee elephant sanctuary.
So 15 years later after Michael had attained a teaching job at the university and got married he decided that he would follow up on Tamba and go visit the elephant at the Tennessee Sanctuary. Michael worked with one of the trainers that had been overseeing Tamba who while with several other elephants in one area Tamba was rather anti-social and withdrawn. Michael came to visit and at first Taliban did not recognize him even though Michael talked to him from the fence at the edge of the pasture. Depressed Michael went to his hotel room the first night heartbroken that the elephant friend of his did not recognize him and Michael could not help his elephant friend.
That night at his Tennessee hotel he remembered he had played the harmonica for Tamba and Tamba loved it. The next day Micheal took the harmonica to the field where Tampa hung out in the morning and played the harmonica at the edge of the compound waiting on the fence. It took a couple of minutes, but Tamba recognized the harmonica then came over to the fence and recognized Michael and their friendship and playing hide and seek started all over again. Michael wept that his friend and confidant from the hardest days of his life had been restored to him and Tamba also rejoiced to have his friend back that he could play with and fondle.
Elephants are considered to be one of the most adorable creatures, who win our hearts with their cute and playful antics. They are also exceptionally intelligent and sensitive animals, capable of understanding emotions. The second video below captures a heartwarming, hilarious moment between a TV reporter and an elephant.
Pachyderm puns
Cocaine is an Irish illegal brew that etches holes in steel plate. Old Thomas Flanery after drinking a pint of it saw so many animals in his room that he put a sign on his house naming it the “Zoo.” The local constable Sgt. one day was called to reason with him as was no sooner in and then he was offered a glass of the Mountain Dew, as it is called. When he staggered out 30 minutes later he raised a hand for silence. “It’s all right, then the worst is over, he sold me half the elephants.”
A Norwegian went on an elephant hunt, but had to quit when he developed a hernia from carrying the decoy.
What do you get when you cross an elephant with a rhino?
Elephino.
Q: What do you do with an elephant with three balls?
A: You walk him and pitch to the rhino.