this is touching

This is touching - get out the tissues...

While on holiday in Kenya and walking through the bush, a man came across an elephant standing with one leg raised in the air.

The elephant seemed distressed so the man approached very carefully.

He got down on one knee and inspected the bottom of the elephant's foot, only to find a large thorn deeply embedded.

As carefully and as gently as he could, he removed the thorn and the elephant very gingerly put its foot down. The elephant turned to face the man and, with a rather stern look on its face, stared at him. For a good ten minutes, the man stood frozen - thinking of nothing else but being trampled.

Eventually the elephant turned and walked away.

For years after, the man often remembered and pondered the events of that day.

One day, the man was walking through the zoo with his son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the elephants turned and walked over to where they were standing at the rail.

It stared at him and the man couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant.

He climbed tentatively over the railing and made his way into the enclosure.

He walked right up to the elephant and stared back at it in wonder.

Suddenly, the elephant wrapped its trunk around one of the man's legs, picked him up and swung him wildly back and forth along the railing, instantly killing him.

Probably wasn't the same elephant...