Rumors of a lion

The excitement of having elephants in town is tempered by rumors of a lion. Let me explain.

You’ll recall when the elephants arrived. At that time, there had been a lot of rain, and some flooding, and I speculated that these elephants had been moved to avoid floods. It is now evident that they are here as part of a menagerie.

There are five elephants. Four of them are now in a large paddock behind the park. A big tusker stays in in nearby field, where he has recently been eating a lot of banana leaves. A few of my usual running routes bring me back into town on a back road that passes right by the elephants. I say a few words to them as I pass: “how you doing big guy, getting enough food today?”

From the park, one can sometimes see the elephants getting a bath.

There seems to be more to this menagerie than just elephants, however. The other morning a deer escaped into the park and was grazing right below our balcony. That escape raises some concern about the enclosures at the menagerie.

I mention the concern about enclosures because there is also a rumor about a lion. Now when I hear elephant trumpeting from that direction, I sometimes wonder if it isn’t more of a roar.