It was midnight in the forest. The light of the full moon peeked out through the clouds from the horizon, and the smell of the monsoon rain was in the air. Tonight was a special night. Serenity, an African pygmy forest elephant, was going to be a mother for the first time. All the animals in the area had gathered around to witness the birth. The elephant herd formed a protection circle around Serenity, and the male elephant’s ears flapped in excitement. The elders of the herd filled the air with low echo sounds to show their approval. It was time!
A new life was always cause for celebration and the animals were all curious by nature.
Monkeys snuck glances from the tree branches above. Frogs hopped closer, their feet suctioned to large elephant ear-shaped leaves that swayed gently in the wind. Even with such a dark night upon them, the animals awaited the newborn calf.
Thunder clapped loud above them, followed by a large streak of light that lit up the sky. The clouds were illuminated in a brilliant flash as they rolled and churned faster with the wind. A steady stream of rain began to fall, and the group of elephants surrounding Serenity tightened their circle to protect her from the heavy flow of water. Boom! The sky lit up again as another loud crack of thunder rang out. At that very moment, the baby elephant emerged from the safety of its mother’s belly and splashed into the water beneath him. His mother nudged him closer to the edge of the pond.
“That’s right,” Serenity said gently. “Come out you.” She smiled as she helped him stand on solid land.
Suddenly, the elephant herd began to rumble their feet against the soggy ground. Serenity puffed her chest out with pride as the herd, in unison, lifted their trunks to loudly trumpet their jubilation. A few of the males dipped their trunks into the pond to shower the new arrival and his mother. This was a time for celebration. They all had been blessed with a new life.
Serenity wrapped her trunk around the calf’s waist to steady him on his feet. “That’s it,” she said gently. “Almost there.” As he stood up, the ground beneath his feet started to tremble and a hush fell over the crowd of animals, before excited murmurs traveled through them. One of the female elephants addressed Serenity, “You should call him Thunder.”
“Thunder?” Serenity ran her trunk over his head and her smile grew. “I like it. What do you think, Thunder?”
The baby elephant looked up at his mother adoringly and gave a small trumpet from his trunk and moved his unsteady feet again. When the ground shook again, the herd of elephants cheered. Serenity moved closer to Thunder and he snuggled up against her.
In a few short years, Thunder grew into a fine young elephant, and Serenity was very proud of her son.
In the early morning light, the sun peeked through the clouds. A rainbow brushed its colors against the sky landing into the recess of the Central African Rainforest, where the world was buzzing with life. An African grey parrot named Penelope soared high above the forest canopy as she surveyed the world around her.
A green tree frog jumped onto a bamboo branch and settled in for a bite. His long tongue zapped an insect from the shoot and gulped it down noisily. When his hungry belly was satisfied, he bounced away onto his next adventure.
The leaves rustled and branches swayed from the squawking birds that were perched at different intervals. Penelope zoomed over them, her wings almost brushing their heads in the process. She disappeared into the trees.
The rainforest was once a wondrous place filled with life forms unimaginable to most. The crushing reality was that life was no longer what it used to be. The lush rainforest, once a thriving, peaceful kingdom of creatures, great and small, had shrunk in size as civilization encroached its boundaries. Thousands of species lost, and the lungs of our great planet gasped for air.
Balance between the animals and those that they called Uprights was no more. In the beginning, the land had an agreement with the Uprights, that man and animal would find a way to live in harmony. But the humans got greedy and lost their way. Now, there were only a few places left where the natural world remained pure and where its inhabitants still enjoyed the lives they were meant to have.
Today was like any other day. An elephant herd came lumbering out of the thick canopy. Four female adults were followed by four calves that were chatting away to each other about the water hole they had just come from. The grown-ups shook their heads at the playful children and smiled to each other.
The green tree frog jumped over Thunder’s head and he turned to look at him. “Did you see that, Mama?”
“Yes, Thunder,” answered Serenity. She had not really seen the frog, but Serenity had already answered that exact same question a dozen times on their trek back from the pond. By now, the young elephant really did not need an answer, just an acknowledgement of the curious way his mind worked. The elephants continued to walk as the youngsters bantered back and forth.
They did not see the two silverback gorillas sitting on the hill that overlooked the jungle. Harold and Neville both watched the elephants in awe as the young ones played near the watering hole.
Even the gorillas respected the tall treasures that the elephants were. These pachyderms that now searched for safety and space to roam in a receding landscape were innocent, smart, and joyful creatures. Nature had given them long lives and close bonds—when left alone that is.
Even a curious little calf like Thunder was one of only a few, if not the last, generation of gentle giants who had much to teach the uprights.