The Milgis Trust

About a month ago, there was rain up in the southern part of the Kirisia hills, which brought the Laana Nikan Lugga [Seiya] in flood. The carcass of the Elephant that died in the beginning of may in the lugga was swept down stream about a kilometre or so.. I left it for two weeks before I went to check it out, to see if the all the Elephants would change course so as to visit their ‘old friend’, and amazingly enough, they had!! [ ref post 22/7/08] Interestingly the carcass is all most whole still, as the carnivores can not get through the tough skin, that has been baked hard by the sun..

As opposed to the other Elephant that died a few days earlier[post 7/5/08] but under a tree is almost only bones now, and has also been visited by hundreds of Elephants… The carcass is in thick bush, and all around is big open paths to the site, made by many visits of grieving, I suppose?, elephants… But what is very touching is to watch the samburu pay their respects to ‘The Elephant’.. They wait until there is a clean skull, and then they pick pieces of grass, or shrubs and stick them into the holes… In a way a little like when they pass the grave of their father, they will not go by with out sprinkling some tobacco, or leaving some food!!… In fact there is a legend that if they walk past with out leaving something, the food or what ever they are carrying will either burst the bag, or fall to the ground with out explanation.!!!..