象語者

n 2nd March， 2012， Africa lost Lawrence Anthony， an ardent conservationist who died of a heart attack. He is perhaps known best as the Elephant Whisperer， but he was also a founder of the Earth Organization in 2003. He talked to Ugandan war rebels in the Congo， to protect the white 1）rhinoceroses， he also fought to save crocodiles and other species.

In the mid 1990s， he bought one of South Africa’s largest private game reserves called 2）Thula Thula. Elephants were not part of the plan， but in 1999， he was offered nine elephants and told should he not take this troublesome herd， they would be shot.

Unfortunately in the round up， one of the females and her baby was shot trying to evade capture. When the herd arrived， they had to be 3）sedated until they calmed down. When the side door opened the 4）matriarch emerged， followed by her baby bull， three females and an 11-yearold bull. Last off was the 15-year-old son of the female who was shot. He 5）flared his ears and with a 6）trumpet of rage he 7）charged， just stopping short of the fence.

Nana， the matriarch was an escape artist 8）of note and had worked out how to break through electric fences. That night， the two females， worked together to fell a tree which pushed down the fence. They had somehow found the generator and trampled it like a tin can. They then headed north， luckily they managed to find them and bring the herd back to Thula Thula.

Lawrence Anthony fought a desperate battle for their survival and trust.

That first night back again in the Reserve， he awoke to see the elephants facing the fence， Nana ready to break it down and make another escape. At 4：45 a.m.， Anthony stood in front of this violent， wild female elephant， with her calf. A more dangerous combination is hard to find.

She tensed her enormous 9）frame and flared her ears.“Don’t do it， Nana， ” he said as calmly as possible， “Please don’t do it girl， this is your home now.” Anthony said， that as he continued talking to her， the rest of the herd froze and Nana’s eyes 10）bored into him. “They’ll kill you all if you break out， this is your home now， you have no need to run. Stay here.” Anthony said that， in a flash， it came to him， he would live with the herd， be with them day and night.

She took another step forward， and Anthony could see her tense up again， ready to go through the fence， and he was directly in her path. Then there was suddenly some spark of recognition flared and Nana turned and melted into the bush， the rest of herd following.

Later he was offered another troubled elephant named ET， who was alone， as her herd had been either sold or shot. The inimitable Nana saved Lawrence’s life， when ET charged him. Lawrence said he had no idea how Nana moved to so quickly stepped in front of Lawrence， and place herself broadside to the charging ET. ET stopped， looked at Nana， then turned and walked away. Nana 11）nonchalantly carried on eating， quite unaware of how shaken and grateful Lawrence was to her.

All the severely 12）traumatised elephants settled down， and two separate herds grew and stayed happily within 5000 acres of Thula Thula.

The remarkable part of this story， is that on Lawrence Anthony’s death， two herds of wild South African elephants slowly made their way through the 13）Zululand bush， a journey which must have taken them at least 12 hours， until they reached the house of the late Anthony， the man who had saved their lives. The former violent， traumatised elephants who were once destined to be shot as pests， rehabilitated by Anthony， arrived and stayed at his rural 14）compound， on the vast game reserve to say goodbye to the man they loved.

No one knows how they knew Lawrence had died in Johannesburg， over 600 kilometers away.

Both herds arrived at the family home， which they had not visited for a year and a half. They all hung around for a couple of days before making their way back to the bush. Extraordinary proof of animal sensitivity and awareness that only a few humans can perceive， Lawrence being one of them.

If there were a time， when we can truly sense the wondrous interconnectedness of all beings， it is when we reflect on the elephants of Thula Thula. A man’s heart stops， and elephants’ hearts are grieving. This man’s loving heart offered to heal these elephants， and now they came to pay loving homage to their beloved human friend.

2012年3月2日，勞倫斯·安東尼因心臟病發作去世，非洲就此失去了這位自然資源保護論者。他大概是作為電影《象語者》的原型而最為人熟知，他還于2003年建立了“地球組織”。他曾為保護白犀牛，在剛果與烏干達戰爭的反政府武裝組織對話；他也曾為拯救鱷魚及其他物種作斗爭。

1995年前后，他買下了南非最大的私人動物保護區之一，其名為圖拉圖拉。大象并不在其保護計劃中。但在1999年，有人向他出售九頭大象，并稱如果他不接管這群麻煩的大象，它們就會被射殺。

不幸的是，在圍捕群象的過程中，一頭母象和她的小象在企圖逃脫時被射殺。當象群抵達（圖拉圖拉保護區）時，人們要給它們服用鎮靜劑讓它們冷靜下來。當側門打開時，母頭象掙脫出來，緊跟著的是她的公象寶寶、三只母象和一只11歲的公象。最后出來的是一頭15歲的小公象，他的媽媽之前已被射殺。他撲扇著耳朵，憤怒地嘶吼著沖出來，在撞到籬笆之前停住了。

母頭象娜娜是有名的逃脫大師，她已經想好沖出電圍欄的方法。那晚，兩頭母象合力弄倒一棵樹把圍欄推倒。不知怎么地，她們還找到了發電機，像踏易拉罐一樣踏扁了它。然后她們向北行進，所幸人們成功找到了她們并把她們帶回了圖拉圖拉保護區。

為保證象群的生存，取得象群的信任，勞倫斯·安東尼曾殊死一搏。

事情要從象群到保護區的第一夜說起。安東尼醒來發現大象們在圍欄跟前，娜娜準備把圍欄推翻，再一次逃出去?！?br>