Watch and Learn from Animals and Children
December 15th, 2006Over the last couple of years while I have been living in Thailand I have heard many fascinating stories come out of the South East Asian tsunami disaster. It is coming up to the second year anniversary of that terrible tragedy and people have begun talking about it here quite a bit lately as there are many events being organized throughout South East Asia to remember the victims and heroes from Boxing Day 2004. Recently I heard some stories that really made me sit up and take notice.
I was talking to a friend the other day who was telling me about a family he knew who was traveling on a boat that had just left Phuket and was heading towards Phi Phi Island when the tsunami hit. Apparently the first wave was traveling at such an incredible speed that when it hit the boat it caused a severe jolt that was noticed by all the passengers but didn’t cause any damage. However, when the second and slower wave hit, it caused the boat to get dragged along with the current till it eventually rolled over and most of the passengers ended up in the water. He told me that although the family he knew on the boat all survived, they were separated for over 24 hours till eventually they all found each other alive. I was shaking my head contemplating how terrified they all must have been to be separated for such a long time without knowing if the others were alive or dead. At this point he asked me if I had heard about what the elephants on Phuket had done on the day of the tsunami. I had no idea what he was talking about.
In Phuket you can take an elephant ride through the jungle in a large basket that sits on the elephants back. This basket usually fits two adults or perhaps three kids. There was a group of elephants with their mahouts leading a group of families on a jungle trek just as the tsunami hit the coast. The elephants which are normally obedient to the commands of their mahouts suddenly went crazy just before the first wave hit the island and started charging towards higher ground. Although the mahouts tried to calm the animals there was nothing they could do but to follow them up the hill until they finally rested. The families on the backs of these giant elephants were terrified as they fled through the jungle but it was their instinct and their obvious connection with nature that saved the lives of this group of people. My friend told me that one of the families was so impressed by what the elephants had done to save their lives that they set up an environmental fund to protect the elephants on the island. Of course it causes you to wonder how on earth could they have known of this impending danger before it hit the island but obviously somehow they did.
After the first tsunami wave hit Phuket the water suddenly subsided and was then sucked back out to sea and this caused many unaware people to flock towards the beach to see what was happening. It was this curiosity that killed so many. However, there was one little girl on the beach who was perfectly aware of what was happening as she had learnt about tsunamis in school only the week before. She proceeded to inform a lifeguard who, like everyone else, was looking out to sea wondering what had just happened. At first he had some trouble believing that he needed to clear the beach immediately as there was a more devastating wave on its way but he eventually did and many people’s lives were saved as a result of what that little girl knew. I also heard she was even commended by the President of the United States for her quick thinking and paying attention in school.
As adults we often think we know best when a serious situation presents itself but hearing these stories made me realize it’s important to always listen and be aware of all available information that comes your way, even if it’s from a little kid or by observing the out of character behavior of an animal. It’s not the first time I’ve heard of animals and children saving people’s lives and I’m sure it won’t be the last.
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