0

Leo’s Wild Animal Adventures Leo Turley-Cichon Michael Cichon

1

Limited Edition for Friends and Family by LTC Private Publishing, London, February 2021 © Leo Turley-Cichon and Michael Cichon, 2021 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the copyright holders, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact michaelcichon2012@gmail.com Text: Leo Turley-Cichon and Michael Cichon Illustrations: Leo Turley-Cichon with support from Ben Turley Editors: Bernardette and Irmgard Cichon

2

To my family, cousins and friends Leo Turley-Cichon London, January 2021

3

Contents

Chapter One: Leo, his family and the farm ........................................................................ 4

Chapter Two: Professor Rat ............................................................................................. 10

Chapter Three: Leo, the lazy lion ..................................................................................... 21

Chapter Four: Red and Blue ............................................................................................. 32

Chapter Five: Betsie, Elsie, the long-necked giraffes and Judy, the cool elephant .......... 45

Chapter Six: Salto, the Saltopus ....................................................................................... 59

Epilogue ........................................................................................................................... 75

4

Chapter One: Leo, his family and the farm

Leo is a 5 year old boy. He lives with his baby sister and his mummy and daddy on a farm. The farm is in a special place, a place like no other. It is in the middle of the Kruger Park, a huge park in South Africa. It’s almost as big as a country.

5

Most living things in Kruger Park are animals, wild animals. And there are lots of them: lions, elephants, hippos, rhinos, zebras, buffaloes, leopards, wild dogs, and many others. There are a few farms and guesthouses in the Park where tourists can go and watch the animals. In the mornings and in the evenings they are driven around by rangers in green

6

four-by-four open buses to watch the animals at their watering holes or at other meeting places. The wild animals ignore the tourists as long as they stay in the cars. But if they leave the cars they - particularly the hungry lions - might try to chase them….. So most people just in their cars. Leo’s farm is different from the others. Actually, it is not a real farm. It just used to be a farm, but it’s now a veterinary clinic. Leo’s parents are vets who look after the animals in the Park. They drive around in a Toyota pick-up truck and treat sick animals. If necessary, they put them into a cage on the back of their truck and take them to the farm to recover in peace. The local people call the farm Ukuziqhelanisa neZilwanyana, or Ukuzikwe for short. That means something like veterinarian practice in the local language. The nearest neighbour, a camp for tourists, is about an hour away by car. That is where Leo’s best friend Saoirse lives. It is so far away that he can’t see her as often as he would like, but they often talk on facetime, or Saoirse stays over when it gets too late to drive her back to her camp. Leo also has other friends. They are all animals. But more about that later.

7

Leo’s school is also about an hour away by car. It is in the next village just outside of the Park. Leo doesn’t mind, because he thinks that a school can never be too far away. And besides, the long journey gives him one hour every morning and evening to watch the animals from the car, many of whom he already knows. From a very young age Leo sat next to the cages with the sick animals, talking to them and listening to their stories. You think that is not possible? Well, it is. Leo has a special gift. It’s not so much “talking”, it’s more that he can understand some of the noises they make and that he knows what the animals are thinking He can read their minds and they can read his and that is how they communicate. Leo often tries to tell his mummy and daddy what the animals are thinking. For example, he might say “The zebra says it feels pain in the stomach!” His parents usually first shake their heads and examine the animal before they have to admit that Leo is right. His parents don’t really believe that Leo can “talk” to the animals because none of the many books they have in their big library says anything about people being able to talk to animals. So, they think that Leo just has the gift to observe the animals very closely and then understands what their problem may be. Leo often thinks that the older people get the more they lose the ability to believe. But luckily not all of them: Sometimes some of the trackers from the other farms come to see

8

Leo and ask about a special sound that an animal makes and Leo translates it for them if he knows it. They believe him. They know that some people have special gifts just like they have: They can read footprints of animals, and they know where they are going or coming from and who they are chasing or running away from. Leo has two good animal friends on the farm. One is an old donkey, called Otto, the grumpy donkey. Leo’s daddy found Otto abandoned in the park and brought him to the farm. The park can be a dangerous place for an old donkey like Otto. So many months ago, Otto had decided to stay. But he doesn’t like to admit his weakness and often tells Leo “I could have easily lived out there, I could have fought all the wild animals, but I like it here”. Leo then turns his head away so that Otto, the grumpy donkey, cannot read his thoughts and see him smiling. He knows that the grumpy old donkey likes the free food and the electric fence around the farm that keeps the scary wild animals out. Nevertheless, Leo always pretends that he believes him. The other friend is Mia, the meerkat. Mia was attacked by a snake and was bleeding when Saoirse found her in the Park. She put her into a box, as she was very afraid of her sharp teeth and got her mum to take her to Leo’s parents’ clinic. Saoirse, just like the trackers, believes in Leo’s special gift. Leo’s parents operated on Mia’s throat and she made a quick recovery.

9

But she did not recover completely. After the operation, Mia could no longer make the high-pitched whistling sounds needed to warn friends and family if an enemy appears. She could now only make noises that sounded a bit like a trumpet and were useless for warning her friends. So she too decided to stay on the farm and now spends her days arguing with Otto about all sorts of things, which keeps them both entertained. At night she sometimes leaves the farm and visits her family. But she never tells Otto, because she knew that he would worry about her safety. Before Corona, the farm gate used to be open during the day and the two of them could go out on walks together. But nowadays, in Corona times, Otto and Mia think it’s best to stay home and just eat, sleep and argue, and to avoid any unnecessary contact with other animals… particularly the wild scary ones….. The Park isn’t the only place in the world where Corona is a problem. Even Leo’s grandparents on the other side of the world are in lockdown. They love hearing about Leo’s animal adventures and also believe in his special gift, so Leo often facetimes them in the evenings and tells them stories about his animal friends, how he met them and their adventures. We tell you some of these stories in the next five chapters.

10

Chapter Two: Professor Rat It was the middle of the night. The Park and the farm were almost pitch black. The only light on the farm came from the dim lamps above the front door and the farm gate. The electric fence had been activated and the front gate of the farmyard was closed and locked. So nobody could enter. Leo’s parents didn’t want to be visited by uninvited wild animals in the middle of the night. Because some of these animals, lions or the leopards for example, might eat the chicken, the sheep, Otto, the old grumpy donkey, Mia, the meerkat, or any of the other animals who were living on the farm. Also, the animal patients who were recovering here needed protection before they could go back into the wilderness after their treatment at the UkuZiKwe veterinarian clinic.

11

12

Leo’s parents always said it was just safer that way and Leo was happy that they were so careful. He was actually more afraid of the poachers than of the wild animals. Poachers are people who chase wild animals, kill them and sell their fur or the horns of rhinos, for example, to people who are stupid and rich enough to buy them. That is very bad. The rangers and the trackers are chasing the poachers all the time. Leo’s parents always get very angry when they find an animal in the Park that was killed by the poachers. But recently the government had sent more rangers and the poachers had almost disappeared. That night Leo was awake for a long time. He lay on a mattress that was a little too small for him on the floor of his bedroom. He slept on the floor because Saoirse, his friend, was sleeping over and she was sound asleep in Leo’s bed right next to him. Leo felt good that he had given his bed to his friend. Saoirse and Leo had played chess all evening. They were a little young for that but with some help from Leo’s daddy and mummy, they did OK. Leo’s mummy and Saoirse had won - as nearly always. Of course, that was because Leo’s daddy never really concentrated on the game. So, although Leo had been thinking so hard, they had lost again. Leo had been a little upset. He did not like to lose. His daddy had laughed and said, that it was good to learn early to lose sometimes. Otherwise he would never learn it.

13

It had gotten too late to drive Saoirse home to the guest farm where she lived and so she had stayed over. Leo was quite happy to have her here. They would play with the animals outside the next morning right after breakfast. They could probably play for hours. On a Saturday morning nobody would be in a rush. He had opened the window and listened. He liked to listen to the Park at night. The night out in the Park was full of sounds and noises. He could hear the elephants passing by in a distance and if you touched the wooden floor of the farmhouse, you could feel that the big heavy animals made the earth and the building tremble lightly. He could hear a lion. He or she grunted, so was possibly calling a partner, or some cubs. Then he heard some heavy steps probably from passing giraffes. Leo was happy. He was also happy because he knew that his friends, Otto and Mia, and all his other animal friends were safe inside the farm fence. Each evening when he was listening he tried to stay awake till dawn. He knew that then more and more animals woke up and there were more and more interesting sounds in the bush. This was like a quiz for Leo. He tried to recognize all the animals behind the different sounds and noises. Unfortunately, however, life on the farm was so exciting and Leo was always so tired, that he never managed to stay awake till dawn.

14

And so, this night, too, he had finally fallen asleep, with a big smile on his face. His best friend was sleeping next to him, his animal friends were safe and tomorrow would be a good day. The world was perfect. Or so he thought….. But then a hand shook his shoulder. “Leo, wake up. Something is going on…” Leo had just dreamt of freshly made ice cream and lemonade, for breakfast! Just imagine! So he did not want to wake up and turned around. But the hand did not give up. It now really shook him. Annoying. “Wake up, something is going on…” And then he heard it, too. Saoirse was already at the window and tried to look into the darkness but could not see much beyond the cone of light of the door lamp. Leo heard the excited hee-haw of Otto and an even more excited trumpeting of Mia. He got up immediately. His friends had a problem and needed his help. He quickly put his jeans on and took his flashlight out of the drawer of his wardrobe. “I’ll go and have a look,” he said quietly but trying to as important as he possibly could, “you stay here, it could be dangerous, “he said to Saoirse. She just looked at her. Leo knew that look well.

15

“No way, Leo, I am coming with you, “she said and was ready to go. Leo sighed. Very quietly they sneaked down the wooden staircase and out of the farm. Otto and Mia were at the farm gate and looked out, angrily it seemed. “What happened? “asked Leo. “An intruder!!!” growled Mia. “An intruder!!!” repeated Otto. Leo was happy that he understood that word. He had just learned it at school. He turned around to explain to it Saoirse. “I know,” she just said and Leo sighed, again. “A thief, dangerous and huge.” Mia trumpeted through the gate. “Huge! Indeed,” said Otto. “He tried to steal my apple…!” Mia almost couldn’t breathe. She was so excited. What a crime! She loved her Friday night apples, a once a week treat. They were a nice change from the usual menu of insects that Mia had to live on. And then that huge monster had come and tried to eat it, her apple! “I kicked him and he ran off, through the gate,” she was a little proud of herself. “It can’t have been that big, if it got through the holes in the gate’s grid,” Leo was in doubt. “Or maybe it jumped right over the gate…!” Otto suggested. “Did you see… it, Otto?”

16

“Not really, I only woke up, when Mia needed my help.” “Help, for what?” “He is still out there and he’s trying to get back in, I can hear him sneaking around.” “Me, too, and I will protect her,” said Otto. Leo knew that Otto did not hear that much anymore but didn’t say anything. “So, we should now all be very quiet and just listen. When we hear that monster coming, I will suddenly switch on my flash light, and then we will see who that monster is,” whispered Leo. “But then it will then run away, the thief!” Mia said,” We want to catch him!” “Most animals can’t move anymore when they are in a beam of light! That’s is how the poachers hunt at night!” said Leo. Saoirse nodded. Mia and Otto decided to believe her. They waited. It must have been a long time, five minutes or so, when they heard a little sneaking noise outside at the gate. Very close, though. Mia trembled with excitement and could barely stop herself from trumpeting. Leo switched on the flash to a full strong beam, and they saw…. … A little rat. A funny looking rat. It wore sliver rimmed spectacles, with thick glasses that reflected the beam. The rat did not move.

17

“Is that the monster?” Leo asked Mia. Mia was a bit embarrassed. “It looked bigger on the porch, when it tried to steal my apple!” She insisted. “Maybe,” said the rat without being asked, “I can offer an explanation here?” “Who are you? “asked Saoirse, hoping that Leo would translate it for the rat, but the rat understood. “I am Professor Rat,” the rat said proudly, “I live under the kitchen. I have been living there for years! Can I….?” “What is a professor? “asked Leo. “A very smart person, who normally only teaches adults at a university! By the way, can I …?” “Where do you teach now?” “I teach everybody who wants to know what I know, and that is - in all modesty - a lot, of course. A lot. Can I….?” “What do you want? “ “I would like to come back in, if you don’t mind. It is not safe out here for an old rat. Too many carnivores out here, hungry carnivores, I hasten to add.” “Shall we let that …monster … back in?” Leo asked his friends. “Ah right, “said Professor Rat.” I wanted to offer an explanation, or a hy-po-the-sis, why our friend, the meerkat might have seen a big monster. But, first, I would like to step in, please.”

18

Leo could hear the grunt of a hungry lion, not too far away. He understood that it made the funny little rat nervous. “What is a hy-po-the-sis?” “A possible scientific explanation of a phenomenon, that is based on good thinking but has not been proven yet.” “Do we need that sort of thing?” Leo asked. Saoirse nodded. “So, do we let him back in?” “First, he should tell us his hy-po-the-sis?” Mia was still embarrassed that she had been afraid of a rat. That animal was so tiny, not even half her size. “Well,” Professor Rat glanced over his shoulder. One could tell that he was in a hurry. ” I think she only saw my shadow in the light of the door lamp, and shadows are always much bigger than the real person or in this case, the rat!” “Yes, “said Mia and she felt a lot less embarrassed.” That must be right, it was a huge black shadow. Huge!!!” she almost liked this smart animal already. “Yes, that shadow must have been huuuuuuge! “said Otto. “But, first you tell me, why you wanted to steal my apple?” Mia insisted. “Oh, I haven’t eaten at all today, could not find anything suitable, so I got very hungry and careless…and the apple looked so delicious!”

19

“Ok, “said Leo, “Come in, we need to talk.” Professor Rat quickly sneaked under the gate. “Thank you so much for saving my life.” “Where did you learn all the things you know?” asked Saoirse. “In the University-of-Life.” “What is that?” “Well, I learn from listening and talking to other people wherever and whenever I can.” “Smart” said Saoirse. “But some people are not smart. How can one learn from them?” said Leo and mischievously glanced at Otto, who gave him a prompt kick with his back hoof. “True, but they, too, have their story as a famous poem says…,” Professor Rat had fully recovered from his fear and stood upright and looked over his glasses. “Most of what I know, I know from listening to your parents at night, when they talk about animals and nature…and then I talk with my friends about it and we discuss. That way I learn. ” Leo nodded. That was also where most of his information came from too. Except that he also learned some things from school, he had to admit, even if reluctantly. The University-of-Life. He liked that idea. He would mention that to his parents next time he didn’t want to go to school. Mia now really liked the smart little rat.

20

“Tell us, Professor, what is the most important thing you have ever learned?” she asked. “Leo’s mother once told that a professor once gave her a very important piece of advice when she left her university.” “And what was that?” “The professor had said: You have two ears and one mouth. That means that you should listen double as much as you speak. And you should always eat your salad…” “But not my apple!” Mia added and she pretended to chase the smart little rat.

21

Chapter Three: Leo, the lazy lion

22

Leo sat on the steps of the porch of UkuZiKwe farm. It was already dark. It had been a nice spring day and dinner would be ready any time now. Leo was taking his big heavy duty boots off before entering the farm house. He had been playing in the farm yard with his friends all day. They had been unusually quiet. Normally, Mia, the meerkat chatted all day. Grumpy Otto, the old donkey, only spoke when necessary and that wasn’t very often. Something was bothering them. But Leo did not ask. They would tell him when they were ready. Leo was tired and all he wanted was a bath, dinner and a good night’s sleep in his bed. He took the boots into the house. It was forbidden to leave them out at night. Snakes or bugs could hide in them and hurt him when he would put them on next morning. So he brushed off the dust, or at least most of it, and was ready to go into the house when suddenly Mia sat down next to him. “We need your help, I think,” she said. “Why?” “Hm,…you know…,” she hesitated. “I didn’t want to tell you, as it might get you worried.” “Worried about what?” “Well, I used to sneak out at night and go for a run…every now and then, in the Park. “ “You, shouldn’t do that!”

23

“Well, I know but I need some exercise or see my family,” the meerkat was a little shy. Leo could tell. “Family, or a boy-friend?” Leo asked and laughed. Mia looked the other way, so that Leo couldn’t read her mind. She didn’t answer. But that was enough of an answer for Leo. He was a little sad. He knew that Mia probably would want to live out in the Park again, if she had found herself a boyfriend and then he wouldn’t see her often. But Leo also knew, that that was how nature worked. But it didn’t mean that he liked it. He would have liked to have Mia around forever, or at least a long as he lived on the farm. “They are your friends, they come and go, as they please, you don’t own them. They have to be free. Don’t be selfish,” his mother always reminded him. “Well, we hear some strange noises every night, now. A noise, we do not know. It sounds dangerous and it is very close. So I don’t dare to go out and Otto also thinks it would be better if I stayed in. “ Leo thought, that Otto probably had the same reason as him to keep Mia in the farm. “How does it sound?”

24

“Well, it starts as a slow and a very low grumble, then it gets slowly louder, and ends in a very loud noise before it stops. Then there is silence and sometimes it starts again a few minutes later. Very strange and dangerous. Must be coming from a huge animal and it sounds close.” Leo had no idea. He thought he knew most of the sounds at night. ”Did you ask the Professor?” Mia nodded. “He does not seem to know either, but he said he would think about it. That was three nights ago. I haven’t seen him since. He’s probably still be thinking. But I want to go out for… a run, you see. It feels like another Corona lock-down to me.” Leo knew all about Corona lock-down. Even here in the Park, he was not allowed to see his friend Saoirse until the end of the month. He could only talk to her on facetime. But that was not the same thing. They had tried to play chess by video chat, but Saoirse had found out that Leo was getting secret help from Professor Rat sometimes. She thought that was unfair…Leo liked her very much, but that was no reason to let her win all the time, so he had decided to get all the help he could get. And since his mother wouldn’t help him cheat and his daddy was useless at chess, he had asked Professor Rat. But Saoirse had found out and now he was in bit of trouble, she was very mad at him … “So what can I do?” asked Leo.

25

“Oh, you can go out at night with me and Otto and maybe the Professor and we can try and find out what the problem is…” suggested Mia. “At night?” “Yes. “ Leo thought about it. It was strictly forbidden to leave the farm at night. But on the other hand this sounded like a good adventure and it looked like he would not have to go very far. So after his bath and dinner, he went up to his room, opened his window and waited till Mia was calling him to come back after his parents were asleep. He talked to Saoirse over the tablet. She was still a bit mad, but didn’t want Leo to go out. Leo promised that he would talk to her a soon as he got back from his adventure. When he heard Mia trumpet, Leo took his big flashlight, the biggest he had and sneaked down the staircase. He met Mia on the porch. Professor Rat was sitting next to her. “I went out last night and I heard the sound as well. It’s a sound unbeknownst to me, I dare say,” he said with his important voice. He liked to use words that Saoirse and Leo did not know. That made him sound even smarter. ” But may I offer a hy-po-the-sis?” “OK,” said Leo. “I think it’s not a normal sound. The animal must be sick or injured, and so the noise it makes is different from the normal one.” “That would make the animal dangerous. Injured animals often are, right?” Leo asked.

26

The professor nodded. “But maybe the animal needs help, “said Leo. “Maybe,” Professor Rat said. “Then he or she should come here to the gate and ring the bell of the Clinic, as every sensible, normal animal, who needs help, would do.” Otto said. He clearly did not want to leave the farm at night. He knew that life out there could be dangerous for an old donkey who couldn’t run very fast anymore. He knew perfectly well that animals don’t normally ring bells at gates. Except Judy the young elephant, who had grown up on the farm and said hello every now and then. But we’ll tell you more about Judy in chapter five. “OK, we will go out carefully, and we leave the gate ajar so we can run back in quickly if need be.” Leo decided. He opened the gate just wide enough to let Mia, Otto, Professor Rat and himself out. They stood still and listened. And there it was again. The loud noise. Starting slowly, then getting louder. A very loud growl. Then suddenly stopping. Then silence. And then the whole thing started again. „May I offer a hy-po-the-sis?” whispered Professor Rat. “You may, “said Leo who had never heard a noise like that. It ever so slightly reminded him of something but as much as he tried he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. “I think, “Professor Rat said and wanted to continue.

27

“I think, “said Otto, “we need to leave. You can think afterwards, this sounds dangerous…” “I think,” said Mia, “Otto may be right. It sounds huuuugely dangerous.” Leo just switched his flashlight on. And what did he see? About 10 metres away from them was a young lion. And the young lion was … snoring. Very loudly. Leo just laughed. That was a mistake, the young lion started to stretch and woke up. Mia and Otto had already turned around and ran towards the gate. Leo also turned around, grabbed Professor Rat by the neck, as he was too slow, and then ran towards the gate. He heard the lion trod after them. Otto stood in front of the gate and waited for them. He was trembling with fear and anger. He let Leo and Professor Rat pass into the farmyard and stood in front of the young lion. And then he yelled the loudest hee-haw- that Leo, the lion, had ever heard and t showed his big yellow teeth. The young lion stopped in his tracks. He had never been attacked by a donkey before. Otto moved backwards into the farmyard and Leo closed the gate. Just seconds before his father came running down the stairs and out of the farm house. “What is going on?” he asked. “There is a young lion in front of the gate!” said Leo trying to hide that he was out of breath. “I can hear that,” said his father and looked at Leo’s flashlight that was lying outside of the fence.

28

“How do you explain that?” he asked Leo. “He sounded as if he needed help, so I went out and looked,” Leo said and looked down. His father was angry. Leo knew he was in trouble…. “How does a lion sound when he needs help,” his daddy asked. “He snores. Louder than you,” said Leo with a little smile. His father took his own torchlight and looked at the lion who now sat squarely in front of the gate and tried to growl. “May I offer a hy-po-the-sis?” Professor Rat whispered into Leo’s ear. He was sitting next to him, so that Leo’s father couldn’t see him. Leo nodded. “Maybe, there is something stuck in his throat, and he cannot breathe properly.” The lion got up quietly and turned around. He seemed sad. “He probably has a breathing problem,” his dad said, “He won’t go very far. Your mother and I will take the vet’s ambulance tomorrow and look for him. And you,” he looked at Leo, “you go to your room and we will think what we do with you tomorrow morning.” Otto had withdrawn to the far corner of the farmyard, pretending that he had nothing to do with all this. Mia sat under the porch, out-of-sight, and kept quiet. The Professor had joined her. He was very happy that his hy-po-the-sis had proven to be right. Leo went up the stairs and he heard his father put a new chain round the gate with a new lock. Nightly outings were impossible for the time being.

29

“It was stupid, to lose the flashlight,” he thought. He called Saoirse over facetime and told her the story. “But it was nice of you, to save my life, “he heard Professor Rat say, who now sat next to his bed. “You could only either carry me or the heavy flashlight! I came to thank you. I would have been far too slow and that wild animal could have eaten me. And that, I dare say, would have been a pity!” Early in the morning Leo heard his parents get up. It was still dark. The sun would only come up in half an hour or so and it was still very cold. They had brought the animal ambulance to the gate. Leo stood at his window and looked at them sadly. He heard his parents talk, while his daddy took the new chain off the gate. They were going out to look for the sick lion. Probably without him. He would have to stay behind. But then he heard his father whistle on four fingers. He waived at Leo. Leo ran down the stairs and across the yard. “You can come with us, “said his daddy. His mummy smiled. “But as of late this morning you are housebound for at least a week. We will discuss that later. Now you may learn something. Whatever happens, you stay in the car. “ They left. It was still dark. Joe, the tracker, who sat next to his father had his eyes fixed on the ground and he read the traces of the young lion that had been sitting in front of

30

their gate. Leo sat right behind Joe, hoping to learn something. And then suddenly they saw him, the young lion, panting under a tree. He could hardly breathe. His father took a rifle and shot an arrow with a tranquilizer at the lion. He hit the lion’s tummy and the lion fell asleep almost immediately. His daddy, Joe and his mummy pulled the young lion into the cage of the animal ambulance and went back to the farm, and there they operated on him all morning. It was late afternoon when they finally put the lion into one of their guest cages. He woke up at night but said nothing, just went back to sleep. And he slept for almost a full week. The same week that Leo had to stay home, for leaving the farm at night. The young lion could hardly eat anything. There had been a bone stuck in his throat and it felt sore. All he could eat was porridge and muesli. At the end of the week Leo was allowed to go see the lion. “What’s your name, lion?” “I am Leo, the lion, “said the lion. “I am Leo, the boy,” said Leo and both of them had to smile. “Are you dangerous?” asked Mia, the meerkat. “I wish,” said Leo, the lion,” I can’t run very fast, I don’t like to eat animals and I don’t like to hunt. I like your muesli much better …Can I stay here?”

31

“And what exactly, if I may ask,” asked Professor Rat, who had also joined them,” would you like to do here?” “Oh, “said Otto, “he can help me protect the farm…and the clinic. I am getting a bit old as I found out the other night.” “How can a lion who is not dangerous, and too lazy to hunt, protect the farm?” asked Professor Rat. Leo, the lion, turned his head back and let out a very wild roar that could be heard for about 10 miles in the bush. “I can sound dangerous,” he said “and that is all it takes.” “Oh,” said Professor Rat, “that’s right. It is called the principle of de-ter-rence.” “Ha? What? ”asked Leo, the boy. “That is, if you look so ferocious, that nobody really wants to test whether you are dangerous or not, whether you are ready to bite or whether all you do is just roaring!” “That sounds like an easy job,” said Mia. “But not everyone can do it,” said Leo, the proud, lazy lion. And from then on, Leo, the lazy lion, was protecting the farm and the clinic.

32

Chapter Four: Red and Blue

A colourful little creature strolled down to the river. Actually the river looked more like a

lake as there was a natural dam of stones and old trees behind the bend where the river

changed direction. So the water built up to a lake where the elephants and other animals

would come for a bath at sunset or a good drink and a chat.

But now it was midday and it was hot. The little creature was thirsty, so it ran towards the

sandy banks of the lake and without a second thought it started to drink. And it drank a

lot. Then it looked up. Just enough it see a strange animal - in front of its own nose -

staring back at it. The little creature saw itself, but its own mirror image in the water

scared it. There was an animal that had at least four colours, white, brown, black and

some red around the nose. It had thick fur, much too thick for the African sun. And it had

sad brown eyes as it stared into the brownish water.

At first, it thought there was another animal in the water but then it remembered that it

had seen something like this in his water bowl at home. But home was far away now. The

little animal felt lonely. It was hot out here and he had not eaten in at least a day, it just

had been running around, or rather it had been running away from thousands of strange

and dangerous sounds that were everywhere in this dry bushland.

33

34

Suddenly, there was a deafening roar coming from the middle of the lake. The little

creature jumped back, frightened and curious at the same time. It could only see the top

of a huge head, with relatively small ears and two eyes that sat in little hills on the big

head.

“Huh, you frightened me…,”the little creature stammered.

“Naturally, I am a hippo and this is my lake. Everybody who wants to drink here needs my

permission!”

“Sorry, sorry, Mr. Hippo, I did not know that!”

“It is, Mrs. Hippo, you funny creature!!! What kind of animal are you?”

“I… I don’t know, nobody ever mentioned it to me. But I am not from here. I came with a

big flying thing together with the people I used to live with. They drove around here in a

car and lost me…and never looked for me. That must have been yesterday,” the little

animal responded and it shivered. The big grey head came closer and closer. So the little

animal moved further and further back. But not very far. There was a different roar

somewhere behind him which sounded dangerous as well.

So the little creature thought that since it could not run away, with the hippo in front and

the dangerous roar in the back, it was probably better to engage the big hippo in a friendly

35

conversation. “It must be smarter to try and make it a friend, than an enemy,” it thought

“and besides I do not seem to have a choice.”

“And you’re still alive?” asked the big grey-brown hippo that by now had almost reached

the riverbank and was already standing in the low waters.

”There are so many dangerous and hungry animals around that I’m surprised you’re still

alive? You must be a smart animal, or just lucky.” The hippo was huge.

“Lucky probably …Could you stay where you are. I am so scared of you. You must be the

biggest animal here!”

”An elephant may be a little bigger, but hippos are the most dangerous animals in the

Park. We chase off and kill more people, who come too close to us than any other animal

in the whole Park. Except mosquitos, maybe. Most people and animals are scared of us,

and rightly so,” the hippo said proudly.

“Are you trying to eat me?” asked the little creature watching the hippo coming closer.

Now the little creature was ready to run away, regardless of the sound behind it.

“I am herbivore…vegan. I eat grass, kilos and kilos of it…I only rarely eat meat,” the big,

greyish hippo said, now a little friendlier.

36

“That means, you eat…salad all day? That must be …Ah… very healthy,” the little creature

said and it was little surprised. How could such a big animal be vegetarian? But apparently

that was possible.

“Oh, yes, but it is also hard work,” said the hippo, “for most of the rest of the day I have

to work on getting it digested. That is very tiring, so I need a lot of naps during the day

and most of the night.”

“Poor thing,” said the little animal not knowing what “digesting” meant but it sounded

like hard work, indeed.

“So what are you? You look like a dog, but you have too many colours, you could also be

a young hyena, but your back is too straight and your eyes are too friendly.”

“I don’t know, and I don’t even know my name.” The little animal sounded very sad.

“Oh,” said the hippo,” that can easily be fixed. I will just give you a name if you would like

one. “

The hippo sounded much less dangerous now. It actually seemed to be pleased to give

the little creature a name.

“Oh, yes, please…I would like a name. Then I would feel like somebody, not like

something…,” said the little creature.

37

“I am called Blue,” said the hippo, “Leo, the boy from the farm with the veterinarian clinic

gave me the name. He felt it sounded important and big. Like the Blue Nile, one of the

biggest rivers in Africa where a lot of hippos live.”

The little animal could tell that the hippo was very proud of her name. Hews now a lot

less scared of the big hippo that stood just about 10 yards away from it.

“I am calling you Red. Like one of your colours on your nose. The brown looks almost red

there. . It also sounds important. Or better, it will sound important when you grow up!”

“Red!!!” The little animal liked the name. “Red!” But then it heard that low but very

dangerous growl right behind it again. There must be a very big animal very close.

“Red, “said the hippo.” Stay where you are. I will come out and stand right next to you. If

you don’t then you will not need your name much longer …Lullaby Leopard, as we call

him, is right behind you in the bush. Don’t move! Trust me!”

Blue rolled herself out of the water and stood next to Red. Red shivered with fear. Trusting

a big hippo, is not an easy thing to do, when you’re very young and small. And – in

particular - when you are not so sure that big hippos really are vegetarians. But he also

wanted to show that he could help scaring away other animals and managed to let out a

growl. Blue looked surprised.

38

“ When that growl grows up, it could be really something ..., ” she said”…that leopard is

very slow, for a leopard, so we called him Lullaby, which means he can only catch young

slow animals and he does. You cannot stay here. Let me think.”

And Blue thought. It took a while. Hippos are not used to thinking fast, especially when

they are digesting their salads. But then she said: “Close your ears if you can, I will call for

help.”

Red lay down and put his paws over his ears. Blue, the hippo, threw her mighty head up,

drew a long breath and let out a roar that sounded like a thunderstorm. And another

one. And another one. Three roars was the sign she had agreed on with her friends. It was

a sign that she wanted help or had something important to tell them. These sounds

travelled for miles in the bush. Red was impressed. He had never heard a noise like that.

Blue, his new friend was calling somebody. And Lullaby, the leopard, withdrew slowly into

the bush. He pretended that he wasn’t scared, but he wanted some distance between

himself and the mighty hippo. He knew that hippos can run very fast once they get

started. And Lullaby was one of the slowest leopards in the Park. It was better to be safe

than sorry, he probably thought.

39

A good two kilometres away, Leo, the boy and Saoirse were sitting on the steps of the

porch of the veterinarian clinic and talked about their home learning. They were not really

planning to do it immediately…. They merely talked about planning to do it eventually.

When they heard the three roars, they jumped up and ran towards their mountain bikes.

“Take Leo, the lion, for protection…” shouted Leo’s father from the door of the clinic. He

had heard Blue, too.

“Leo, lazy lion…,” shouted Leo, the boy.” We have got to go and see Blue…”

“Oh no, “Leo, the lion yawned,” I just started my afternoon nap.”

“You have to come now, you have to earn your daily muesli…” Saoirse said, while she was

already on her bike riding out of the farm onto the red dirt road that led to the river and

the lake where Blue would normally be. So Leo, the lion, got up and trotted next to the

two mountain bikes. Whenever he saw and heard another animal he growled, as

menacingly as he possibly could, just to make sure that nobody came too close to the two

kids on their bikes.

“I can hear the leopard, that slow Lullaby, not far away,” he panted as he was trotting

along,” he is probably up to no good. He always is. And I hear a few hyenas, also no good.”

40

“Then let’s go even faster…”Leo shouted and switched into a higher gear.

“Oh, no “thought Leo, the lion and also sped up.

When they arrived at the lake they saw the big hippo next to a shivering little creature.

A colourful little creature, brown, a little red, white, and black.

“What’s the problem, Blue?” asked Leo, the boy, trying to catch his breath and trying to

sound as adult as he could.

“This is Red, a little animal, and he is at risk of being eaten by some of the other land-

based animals around. He needs to be brought to the farm, or somewhere, where he is

safe.”

“What is it?” asked Saoirse and knelt down and took the shivering animal into her arms.

The little thing let it happen and slowly stopped shivering. “This feels good,” Red thought.

“This is a stranger, a migrant or a refugee,” Blue said. He sounded as if he had deeply

thought about it.

41

“He is not from here. I have no clue, what animal it is. All I know is that he will be eaten if

he stays here by himself.” Leo nodded. He wished Professor Rat were here, so he could

ask what the words “migrant” or “refugee” meant. All he understood was that this animal

needed a safe place, like everybody does.

“It looks like a dog, but I have never seen a multi-coloured dog like that,” he thought

aloud.

“It smells like a dog!” said Leo, the Lion, who was not too pleased to see this new animal

on the farm. He feared that when it was grown up, it would take his job. He would

probably be a mighty dog and would probably be able to bark as loudly as he, the mighty

lion, could roar.

Saoirse hugged the little dog and lifted it into the basked at the handle bar of her bike.

Leo, the boy and Leo, the lion, were a little jealous. Saoirse was so sweet and caring with

the dog. But Leo, the boy, pretended not to see it. He thanked Blue, the Hippo, gave her

a good armful of dry fresh grass and even gave her a quick pat on the mighty shoulder.

Blue, shook her muscles in response, which meant as much as: “I like this, but don’t tickle

me.”

“It is a young St. Bernard dog. They are a Swiss race and they are used to rescue people

when they are lost in avalanches of snow. They are very strong and friendly dogs once

42

they are fully grown up. I wonder how he got here. He must be very hot. His fur is thick.

But it might get thinner after his first warm winter here.” Leo’s father said when he

examined the animal.

“Can he…?”Leo started to ask, when Saoirse said “can he come with me? To my home?

He can be my best friend.” Leo looked down, a little sad.

“Oh no, my second best friend, of course, “said Saoirse and gave Leo a quick kiss. His

father nodded.

“He is also a good watchdog. He will take good care of you, if your parents agree.”

They called Saoirse’s parents on the phone and they said “We would love to have him but

a big dog on a guest farm, even if he is friendly, may not be such a good idea. Some of our

guests may not feel at ease if he roams the Camp, and we would not want to lock him

into a cage for most of his life.”

Saoirse was very sad. She even cried a little. Leo was happy to keep the dog at the farm,

but at the same time, he was sad when he saw that Saoirse was so sad. He put his arm

around her shoulder.

43

“He can still be your best friend …um I mean your second best friend, even if he stays

here. He can be with you …um, us…all the time when you are here,” Leo said generously.

But Saoirse was still sad. She put her head into Red’s fur.

“He can still belong to you, even if he has to live here,” Leo said being even more

generous.

“We will always call him Saoirse’s dog,” said Leo’s father,” that also means that you have

to come here even more often and train him, because he will need training.”

“Brilliant solution,” said Leo the lion and Otto the grumpy donkey from the far end of the

farm. Professor Rat and Mia the meerkat agreed from under the porch. None of them

really liked dogs much and they would have preferred to have him miles away, but Saoirse

was a good friend and they wanted her to be happy. After a while, Saoirse nodded.

“That’s second best…,” she said and still sobbed a little.

“Many good things on life, start out as second best, and the turn out to be wonderful,”

said Otto, the grumpy donkey.

“Shouldn’t we try and find the people who lost him first?” asked Leo’s mother.

44

“People who take a puppy to a dangerous place like the Park, where dogs aren’t allowed,

and then lose it, do not deserve to have it,” said Leo’s dad. He was firm. Leo’s mum agreed

and so did Leo.

“I am a St Bernard, my name is Red. I have new good friends. I am a lucky dog.” Red, the

dog thought happily as settled on the porch for the night. He looked at the stars and found

them beautiful. He listened to the sounds around him, the wind, the sounds of the animals

in the Park and on the farm, the snoring of Leo, the lion, and Otto, the grumpy donkey,

and the low trumpeting of Mia in her dreams. And he found these sounds beautiful, too.

He felt safe among his friends and behind the electric fence around the farm. Life was

good.

45

Chapter Five: Betsie, Elsie, the long-necked giraffes and Judy, the cool elephant

“Huh…,” Leo, the boy, and Saoirse woke up suddenly. Red, the dog stood on Leo’s mattress. He gently pushed Leo and Saoirse with his wet cold nose. Saoirse slept in Leo’s bed, as always when she slept over on the farm with the veterinarian Clinic Ukuzikwe. Leo looked at his watch. It was just 5 o’clock and it was still dark outside. There was still half an hour or so until sunrise. There must be a reason why Red, the St. Bernard, had woken them up. Normally Red slept on the porch. He enjoyed the relatively cool nights outside. Only when Saoirse came to visit and slept over, he insisted in sleeping in their room. He liked Saoirse very much and he tried to follow her around all day. He was Saoirse’s dog, after all. Then Leo heard a subdued low trumpet noise outside. A bit like Mia’s trumpeting, but much deeper and longer. He ran to the window. In the lights hanging above the closed gate, he saw Judy, the young elephant standing in front of the farm. She trumpeted just loud enough to wake Red and some of the other animals up, but not Leo’s parents. Leo and Saoirse put on their shoes on and went outside to see what Judy’s problem was.

46

Judy was an orphan. Her mother was killed by poachers who were after the ivory of her tusks. Many elephants were killed by poachers in the Park each year. That was very sad, but thankfully things have become better recently as rangers are arresting more and more poachers every year. Judy had grown up on the farm until she was big enough to live alone and Leo’s parents had decided that he should return to the wilderness. And Judy had found a herd of elephants that had welcomed her. But still she came by every now and then to say hello and play a bit of football with the trackers or with Leo. They used to play football with her every day when she was living on the farm. The reason for that was easy: Playing ball was the easiest way to get her to move her around playfully and thus keep her fit. None of the trackers had wanted to jog with her through the bush for hours and miles to prepare her for the life in the wilderness. So they started to play ball with her, and she always enjoyed it. She like it so much that she still showed up once in a while to play with them. Elephants have a good memory and remember both good and bad things. In the kitchen Leo grabbed a few older apples to give them to Judy. He knew that she liked them, and she always expected to be given a sweet treat when she was visiting. When she saw the two kids her tail swished happily. Red, understood that the elephant was happy to see them. His tail was swishing also but he kept his distance from this big animal. And big Judy was, even though she was not yet fully grown. Red, was still learning to

47

understand the wild animals and he didn’t want to make a mistake that could be painful for him.

48

Leo gave the apples to Judy and said softly: “Judy, what is it?” Judy looked friendly but first chewed her apples – slowly and with great pleasure. Only when the apples had gone, she started to talk to Leo through a series of elephant sounds. Leo looked quickly at Saoirse. She nodded as a sign that she understood the elephant well. By now, Saoirse could understand and talk to the animals almost as well as Leo could. Leo had taught her. He was a good teacher and Saoirse was a fast learner. “Elsie sent me,” Judy said. Elsie was one of two older giraffe ladies who had been roaming the bushland together for years. They were good friends and didn’t need a big herd. At almost 5 metres tall, they were big enough to frighten off most other animals. They could also still run much faster than most of their enemies. They were usually very quiet and just walked majestically through the bushland – constantly looking for food. They preferred to eat fresh green leaves from the top of the trees. Judy told them that Betsie, the other giraffe, was in serious trouble. A few days ago, Betsie had reached for a green branch way too high and had twisted her long neck. Now she had to hold her head in an angle that did not allow her to look straight ahead. So many of the animal in the park had just laughed at her. Seeing a giraffe who ran forward and looked sideways was indeed a funny sight. The nights were very painful for Betsie as she had trouble keeping the head up, so finally she had hooked her head into a branch fork of a very old Baobab tree, to release the weight on her twisted neck and to get the few

49

minutes of sleep that even a giraffe needs. She had hoped to take some of the big strain off her neck. That had looked even funnier. But it had seemed like a good idea to Betsie at the time. She was sure that the problem would go away by itself. She could have gone to the farm, but she never liked to ask for help which had turned out to not be such a good idea. But when she tried to pull her head out of the tree she couldn’t do it, she was trapped in the branches of the Baobab tree. Elsie had tried to help her move out but couldn’t free her friend. The branches that had snapped around Betsie’s neck were too strong. Leaving Betsie alone to go and get help from other giraffes wasn’t an option. Normally, giraffes are fast enough and strong enough to fight off lions, who are their most dangerous enemies, but in this situation with her head trapped in the tree, Betsie would be an easy prey for lions. So Elsie had called Judy and asked whether the elephants could help, but Judy didn’t think that the elephants would be able to reach Betsie’s head with their trunks. Finally, Judy had taken the decision to ask her friend Leo, the boy, and possibly his parents for help. Betsie was already very weak and probably wouldn’t be able to stand on her legs

50

for much longer. She needed water and some food. She was also in a lot of pain and another problem was that her low whining sounds alerted many predators. So Judy had trotted off to the farm. Leo woke up his parents and told them what the young elephant had told him. Leo’s father still couldn’t quite believe that Leo had understood all this, but his mother believed him and so they packed some medicines into the animal ambulance and Leo, Red, Saoirse and Professor Rat climbed into the truck. Professor Rat was insisting that he should come along. One never knew how useful one could be. And Professor Rat could not think of a situation where he possibly would not be useful. Leo’s other friends, Otto,

51

the grumpy donkey, Leo, the lazy Lion and and Mia the meerkat had to run as they did not fit into the cage on the back of the ambulance. Then the whole expedition set off. Guided by Judy, they arrived at the Baobab tree a few minutes later.

52

“She needs water urgently and we need to give her an injection into the neck muscle, just below her head to stop the pain and help the muscles relax,” decided Leo’s dad,” and then we need to get her out of the tree very fast. The injection will make her drowsy.” He was wondering how he could possibly get up 5 metres high through the dense branches. “We need to push her back immediately, to get her head out of the branch fork, because she might lose consciousness. She is weak and might fall down within a minute after the injection,” he continued. “Oh, I can climb up with water and a saw and cut her out of her trap,” suggested Leo whilst his father was still thinking how to get up there without a ladder. “And I can climb up her long neck with a syringe and give her the injection. That is the most direct way up,” said Professor Rat. “Taking up water and a saw at the same time is too difficult, and giving her water and sawing down the branch that traps her would take too long”, said Saoirse, “so I suggest that I go up with water and Leo goes up with the saw,” said Saoirse. Leo translated Professor Rat’s suggestion to his parents. They looked doubtful but did not have a better idea. After some discussion between them they agreed and gave the syringe to Professor Rat, the water bottle to Saoirse and a heavy duty tree-saw to Leo. “Climbing up takes much too long,” said Elsie,” I have a much better idea. She just gabbed Leo’s leather belt at his back with her strong mouth and lifted him up about 5 metres. She

53

then carefully put Leo onto a branch as close to Betsie’s head as she could. Betsie looked very exhausted. Her eyes were already half closed. She was close to collapsing, which would be very dangerous with her head still stuck Leo gave her a quick cuddle but then had to move very quickly. Every second counted. “We are here to help”, he said and padded her head gently. Then he started to saw off the big branch that blocked Betsie from moving out of the tree. Elsie had already moved her head out of the dense mesh of branches and immediately lifted Saoirse up the same way she had done with Leo. Saoirse immediately started giving water to Betsie. Betsie drank only slowly at first but then got a little stronger and her eyes opened a little further. Leo was sawing …Zig…Zag….Zig…Zag….Zig…Zag. It was slow work because the branch was thick and old, possibly hundreds of years old like so many of the Baobab trees. Sawing through a big branch at a very big height was hard work for a boy of five years. Leo wouldn’t have admitted it but he was feeling quite nervous. After she had emptied the water bottle Saoirse grabbed the other end of the tree-saw and helped Leo with the branch. Shortly, before they were finished, Leo shouted: “Professor come up, quick, we are almost done.”

54

The professor with the syringe in his left claw almost ran up Betsie’s neck and arrived seconds later just below her head. He was completely out of breath. He was gently touching the top of the neck looking for the right spot to push the syringe in. “Just do it!” said Leo fearing that Betsie would faint. “I have to look for the longisssimus, only there can I put the injection,” the professor responded a little irritated. Leo and Saoirse had finally removed the big branch behind Betsie’s head. “The long ... what?” asked Saoirse. “The longissimus, it’s the biggest muscle in the neck that normally helps her keep her head up straight.” The professor responded and jammed in the big syringe with both claws into Betsie’s big muscle right under the head and then leaned his whole little body on the top of thy syringe to pump the medicine in. She screamed but then calmed down quickly. Professor Rat pulled the syringe out and installed himself between Betsie’s two short horns to use that commanding position to guide her head down. He felt like the captain on a big ship, or perhaps an airplane given the enormous height he was at. “Now quick”, he said exhausted, “time is of the essence, she shouldn’t lose consciousness before we get her out of here!” “Move her back!” Leo yelled down. His parents, Otto and Elsie tried to push her back. Nothing happened. The animal was too big to be pushed around easily.

55

“Move back, move your head back”, the professor yelled into Betsie’s ears standing between her two short horns, holding on tight to one of them. She was very slow to react. She was very weak. Mia watched them carefully. Everybody pushed, shoved, shouted and was excited, and Betsie got drowsier and drowsier. If she fell asleep before she could move back, there was a big risk that she would be hurt herself. . “By hook or by crook…,” Mia shouted, moved under Betsie’s huge tummy and jumped up. Just enough to tickle her belly. Betsie was very drowsy already but not too drowsy to feel ticklish. “Huh, Hi, stop “she yelled, shuddered, shook and pushed herself back very suddenly. Her head came free and crashed through the branches with a big noise as she sank. First she sank to her knees and then on to her belly. Her head fell forward to the ground. Professor Rat was whirled around, and had trouble holding on to her horns during the wild ride. “This must be what it is like to be on a roller-coaster!” he thought. He was still dizzy, when he climbed off Betsie’s head. Betsie passed out after she hit the ground. Leo’s mother took out her stethoscope and listened to her heartbeat. “She is OK,” she said finally, “she’s just sound asleep. The medicine works. She might stay asleep for a few hours. ”

56

“Normally, we only sleep a few minutes at a time,” Elsie said. “She is very exhausted, and this was our strongest medicine. We needed to stop the pain immediately,” Leo’s father explained. They were ready to get back into their truck, when they heard Saoirse and Leo shout at the top of their voices. “Hey, we want to get down, did you forget about us? Do you want us to camp out here tonight? That’s not very nice. It stinks up here.” Leo’s mother laughed. She knew that the flowers of the Baobab’s really smelled bad. She looked at Elsie. Elsie pushed her head up through the mesh of branches and plucked first Saoirse and then Leo - like ripe fruit - from the big tree. Both were happy to be on firm ground again. “Betsie should come to the farm and stay with us for a few days, since she is too weak to stay out here,” said Leo’s mother, “and she needs time to recover at a safe place.” “Can I come with her?” asked Elsie, “I also need time to recover. I feel much stressed.” Leo nodded. His mother guessed what Elsie had asked and nodded as well. “You can be her private nurse.” Saoirse said to Elsie. Elsie was happy. “So, is it all done? Sorry, that I couldn’t do much. But nobody asked for my help,” Leo, the lion, said and sounded a bit miffed. “Oh, your part comes now.” Leo, the boy, said,

57

”the most important part of all.” Leo, the lion stretched and held his head up high fully aware of his importance. “What important part?” “Betsie will be very weak, and it will take hours before she can get up and walk to the farm. During that time she is in great danger. Very big danger. Other animals like lullaby leopard might try to attack her now that she is so weak and can’t run away or fight. You and Elsie will have to guard her until she can walk. And then you need to escort her to the farm. “ Leo, the lion, nodded graciously. He understood. He was important and that was important for a lion. “OK,” he said to Elsie and laid down next to Betsie. “I will take my nap. You can keep watch. You don’t sleep much anyway. Just wake me up when you need my wild, ferocious, frightening roar….” and he dozed off immediately placing his head on Betsie’s belly. “Some people earn their money while they sleep…” Elsie thought and was a bit envious. But she kept watch. “I will stay here with you and make sure that this wild, ferocious, muesli eating animal wakes up when needed,” said Red, the protective dog. Elsie was grateful. Judy the young elephant walked back with them. She stayed for an hour and played some relaxed football with Leo and Saoirse as she had done when she was a baby. She did not

58

seem to be in a hurry. Only when they saw the two giraffes and the lion walk slowly towards the farm about two hours later, she was ready to go back to her herd. Betsie was still shaky on her long legs. In fact, she walked a bit like a baby giraffe. Judy trumpeted as she left the farm. It was a happy, boisterous noise. It could be heard for miles in the savannah. It also had a message. She told her fellow creatures what she had learned today. Which was that it is important to ask for help when in trouble, and that a good team is important even when great danger looms and things look desperate.

59

Chapter Six: Salto, the Saltopus It was early afternoon on a lovely summer day. Saoirse and Leo sat in the shadow of the porch of the farm house and played a round of chess. This time they were trying to do it alone without the help of Leo’s parents. It did not work so well yet, so they had asked Professor Rat to sit next to the chess board and give them advice when necessary. Leo’s parents had left the farm with the animal ambulance to check on a litter of wild dog pups who had been born a few days ago. Leo and Saoirse hadn’t joined them. Leo wanted to stay at the farm. He felt that today, for the first time he could probably beat Saoirse at chess. He had never won before. He did not look right or left. He fully concentrated on the game. Saoirse couldn’t concentrate. Mia, the meerkat was running up and down the yard and was constantly looking at them and making her strange trumpet noises. As Leo didn’t bother to look at her, she came closer and closer and jumped up and down even faster. She was excited and wanted to tell them something. Something important to her. That much was clear. But Leo refused to look. He only had eyes for that chess board and was

60

listening to the advice that Professor Rat was offering to him. He was in a different world. Mia trumpeted again. Finally she decided to call on Professor Rat. “Professor!” “What is it? Don’t you see that we are in the middle of an important stage of this game?” “Is that urgent? Does that game run away if you listen to me for a second?” “Not really, I suppose….Is your problem urgent, Mia?” asked Professor Rat. “She probably has a new boyfriend!” Leo grumbled. “What is it, Mia?” Saoirse asked. She felt pity for the excited little meerkat. “How big is a crocodile egg?” Mia asked. Everybody was surprised. Even Leo looked up from his chessboard. “Not much bigger than a duck’s egg, I would think,” said Professor Rat. “Hm, how big is an ostrich’s egg, then?” Mia was deep in thought. “That’s a big egg. Like this.” The professor showed with his hands a size that was about the same size as Leo’s shoes. “That big? “asked Mia. The professor nodded. “That big.” “What is the size of a tortoise egg, then?” “Smaller than that of a hen,” said Leo now watching the excited meerkat – who still hopped up and down in front of the porch – with much greater interest. “Are all the eggs white?”

61

“Probably…more or less, sometimes a little creamy yellow, perhaps,” said Saoirse but was not quite sure. “Have you ever seen a blue green egg with red dots?” “Only at Easter time,” Leo laughed, “Did you find an Easter egg?” “Do you think I am stupid?” Mia sulked and hopped away. Leo and Saoirse turned back to their chessboard and Saoirse was about to admit that she had lost for the first time, when Mia came hopping back. She just couldn’t keep her secret to herself. “OK,” said Saoirse, she put her King down, as a sign that she had lost. ”Tell us, Mia. I have never seen you that excited.” “I visited my family last night.” “Aha?” said Leo. He expected that she might also have visited a new boyfriend, but that was OK. Mia was free to come and go as she pleased. And he knew that Mia often left, only to come back a few hours later. Red, Saoirse’s St. Bernard, had slept through the entire conversation. Dogs tend to sleep if they have nothing else to do. But now he woke up. “You shouldn’t go alone,” the protective dog said. “I know my way around, “said Mia.

62

”You are a stranger, a greenhorn, and you have to learn a lot before you are as safe outside in the Park as I am.” Red sighed and nodded. There was so much to learn. And learning made him so tired, all the time. So he went back to sleep. “I had just arrived at our cave when we heard very loud whistles from a neighbouring tribe that warned us. A big snake was coming. It is unusual that they hunt at night, she must have been very hungry. “Mia hopped up and down even more excitedly. “Some snakes hunt at night!?” said the Professor and looked worried. “Well, anyway, we crept deeper and deeper into our cave. Deeper than we have ever been before. Suddenly the small tunnel opened into a big cave hall and here …” “What? “ “We saw, on a lonely rock, a blue egg with red dots, a little bigger than a hen’s egg.!!! Actually, we only saw the colours after we cleaned it. It was very dusty and must have been there for a very long time.” “OK, we will have to come and take a look!” Leo suggested. “You won’t be able to get in there, you are much too big,” Professor Rat thought – as clearly as he always did. “But Mia and I can, of course. And as this is of scientific interest, I think I should go. I already have a hy-po-the-sis as to what it might be.”

63

“What could it be then?” Saoirse asked. “I prefer to keep this to myself until I have seen and examined the exhibit,” said Professor Rat in his most scientific tone, “there are too many of us scientists, who cannot hold their water till they are sure of their theories!” he shook his head in disapproval. Leo and Saoirse wondered what “exhibit” was, but did not ask, just to annoy the Professor a bit, who was probably waiting for the question and ready to give a lofty answer. He liked to show off that he knew so much. “Is it cold down there?” asked Professor Rat when the question did not come. “Oh, yes, nice and cool like in a refrigerator!” said Mia, slightly shivering as she remembered. “That is ideal,” Professor Rat had taken his glasses off and looked up as if deep in thought. “For what?” asked Otto who had come to join them. “Eggs can stay fresh forever, when they are in a cold and safe place. We should go there now.” He looked at Leo, the lion, who was sleeping in the middle of the farmyard in the shadow of a big tree with all his four paws up in the air. “Leo my friend, can I catch a ride with you?” “With me….? “ Leo, the lazy lion, woke up and yawned. “Yes, to Mia’s burrow?”

64

“In the middle of my afternoon nap? I need my sleep. I have to look and sound dangerous all night again and that will be exhausting.” Leo, the boy, wondered what was so exhausting in looking and sounding dangerous at night but he did not want to argue with the lion. He always felt much safer with him around when he went into the Park on foot or on his mountain bike. “Yep. Urgent scientific expedition,” Professor Rat sounded very important. “Nothing can be that urgent that it cannot wait till tomorrow.” Leo, the lion was still hesitant. But Otto gave him a slight shove with his big mouth, so the lion got up and Professor Rat climbed into his mane and held on to its thick hair. “Ready!” he said and the expedition left the farm: Saoirse and Leo were on their mountain bikes, Mia was hopping and Otto and Red trotting along. After 20 minutes or so they arrived at the entrance of Mia’s cave. Mia sat down and talked to her family. She needed their permission to go into the cave with a stranger. And not only a stranger, with a rat in particular. They all looked skeptical. They did not like to see the rat in their cave. Rats were normally not good neighbours and they did not like them. Professor Rat also spoke them. For a long time it seemed. “Could you hear what he said? “asked Otto, who was a little deaf.

65

“Yes,” said Leo, “some of it. He told them that this could be a world sensation. Because nobody had ever heard of a coloured egg. An old coloured egg. That did not help.” “Why not?” asked Leo, the lion, who was looking for a spot to continue his nap. “Because the meerkats want a quiet place to hide and live, not a world sensation, where probably hundreds of visitors would show up.” “Smart,” said Saoirse. “And Rat is probably making all this up…He is making a mountain out of a molehill again…” But meerkats in general are not only very careful, they are also very curious animals. So Mia’s family also wanted to know what kind of egg they had discovered last night. In the end they agreed to let Mia and Professor Rat into the cave. Exceptionally, they said, only this one time. They all wanted to come along and see what the funny Professor Rat was going to do down there. So all 10 or so of them went with Professor Rat and Mia into the cave. Before they left they made sure that Leo the Lion would guard the cave’s entrance while they were down in the cave. Just in case… Some of their enemies could come while they were all deep in the cave and then they would be trapped. “OK,” said Leo the Lion and simply put his big belly down in front of the entrance of the meerkat burrow closing it completely. Nobody could get in or out as long as Leo, the lazy lion, lay there. Leo, the lion, put his back comfortably against the rock behind the cave’s

66

entrance and immediately closed his eyes. Leo, the boy, Saoirse and Otto went into the shade of an old Baobab tree and waited. And waited… Nothing happened for a long time, except that once – without a warning – Leo the Lion’s big paw slowly went up in the air and came down really fast. He hit a big snake and since he didn’t want to eat her, because he was worried she might be as poisonous as her bite, he threw her towards Otto, who immediately understood the game, and before the snake hit the ground, Otto’s back legs went up and kicked her up in the air. The snake flew about a hundred meters and landed on a rock. She would probably lay there, knocked out, for the rest of the afternoon. “Perfect shot!” Otto praised himself, since nobody else did. Then they waited again. It again felt like a long time. Leo the Lion went back to sleep. And Leo and Saoirse had trouble staying awake in the afternoon heat. Suddenly, Leo the Lion laughed loudly and jumped up. Somebody had tickled his belly from inside the cave. He stepped aside and the professor and Mia came out. The professor very carefully carried a blue-greenish egg with red dots. He was a little out of breath. The egg was heavy and it was a deep and steep cave. “Do you know what it is? What animal lays eggs like that?” asked Leo, the boy.

67

“What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it?” asked all the ten curious members of Mia’s family tribe - one after the other. “I have a hy-po-the-sis, but it is too early to offer it. This is probably a world sensation. And I would require a second opinion in this important case,” Professor Rat said in his most professorial voice. This was a rare exception, normally he did not need a second opinion, as Leo and Saoirse knew very well. So this must be a very special problem. “I told you so, I told you so, I told you so! It is important!” Mia was jumping up-and- down again. “Let us ask my parents,” Leo, the boy, decided and the whole group, Leo, the boy, Saoirse, his friend, Otto, the grumpy donkey, Mia, the excited meerkat, Red, the dog Leo, the lion, with Professor Rat riding in his mane, and the ten curious members of Mia’s tribe went back to the farm. The egg sat safely in the basket of Saoirse’s bike wrapped in Leo’s shirt. “Hm,” said Leo’s mother, “looks like a reptile’s egg. But I have never seen a coloured egg.” “Other than at Easter,” said his father and tried to remove the colour from the egg but it did not come off. “Do you think, what I think?” Leo’s mother asked his father. “Well, probably, but it is simply impossible.” His father said. Then he took his stethoscope, held it on the egg and gently shook the egg. “I think this is almost impossible. There is something inside.”

68

“That is what I thought, too,” Professor Rat confirmed and Leo translated it for his parents who knew animals very well, but couldn’t read their minds like Leo and Saoirse could. His parents looked at Professor Rat, still surprised that he had made it into Leo’s circle of friends. But as veterinarians they knew of course that rats in general were very clever. “Can you tell us what you think?” Leo, the lion asked, getting impatient with all this talk about impossibilities. “The egg has been at an ideal temperature, probably for many years, “said Professor Rat and his voice trembled with excitement. “It may still be possible to hatch it if we can incubate if for a few days or so. But how do we do that? ” “Oh, I know,” said Saoirse, “we have Dorothy, this grumpy old ostrich here in one of the cages. She has a broken foot and nothing else to do. We can ask her to sit on the egg for a few days.” “Brilliant idea!” said Leo’s mother and carried the egg to the cage with the grumpy old ostrich who had not sat on an egg for a very long time. Dorothy immediately agreed do it. For the first time in long while she actually seemed happy. Now all she had to do for the next few days or even weeks was sitting on the egg, keep it warm and Leo and Saoirse would have to feed her whenever she felt hungry. She wouldn’t have to move at all. Other than to go for a pee, perhaps. That to her was a perfect life.

69

Every morning Leo, the boy, went out to see Dorothy and asked whether anything happened during the night. Days went by, one after the other, and nothing happened. It felt like weeks or even months went by. Leo got tired of feeding the lazy bird and wanted to give up. But Professor Rat insisted that they wait. “Scientific experiments take time and patience,” he said every morning and went back to his quarters under the porch to pursue his studies. One Friday night, Saoirse was sleeping over at the farm, and she and Leo discussed what to do with the egg if nothing was happening during the next week or so. Suddenly they heard a big triumphant honk that woke up everybody on the farm. It was Dorothy. All animals and people ran to Dorothy’s cage. She was standing there and looked down proudly on the egg. It had a little crack and it shook a little. Dorothy was delighted. Then the shell cracked open and a little beak came out. It looked like a miniature crocodile jaw. Then came a lean little head, followed by a tiny body with two small arms. The creature shook and the whole egg cracked open and out came two long legs and a big tail. It shook itself and squinted at the light of the big torch that Leo held. “Impossible!” said Leo’s mother. “Apparently not,” said Professor Rat. Leo was speechless, but everybody looked at him. “You are the expert!” said Saoirse.

70

Leo was very excited. As excited as he had never been before. He jumped up and down, almost like a meerkat. “I think,” his voice sounded coarse “this is a dinosaur.” Leo’s father and mother nodded. So did Professor Rat. Leo ran back to his room. He almost fell on the stairs but he grabbed his dinosaur book from the British Natural Museum that he had been given for Christmas and ran back. He flipped through the pages. He knew what he was looking for. His hand trembled. He showed them a picture. Everybody nodded. “That must be it, he said. It is a Saltopus. Probably the smallest dinosaur. Very rare. So far only one skeleton was found in Scotland. They have been extinct for 65 million years.” “Apparently not, or no longer,” said Otto, eying that funny creature. Dorothy was caressing the little dinosaur with her old head. She gently helped him to get to his feet. She was very careful. The little dinosaur looked up to her and tried to make some sounds. But nothing came out yet, other than a little hiss. “He thinks that she is his mother.” Saoirse had tears in her eyes. “And she thinks the same,” said Leo’s mother as Dorothy was picking up some dead insects left over from her last meal and fed it to the little dinosaur.

71

“We need to notify the scientific community around the world,” said Professor Rat, “this is a very important event, a singularity, almost a wonder, and a sensation…it has not happened in over 60 million years.” They stood in a circle around the little dinosaur, Leo’s parents, Saoirse, Leo, the boy, Leo the lazy lion, Otto the grumpy, donkey, Mia the excited meerkat, and Red, the colourful dog. Everybody was deep in thought. “Salto,” said Saoirse and knelt down and wanted to caress the little dinosaur. “Don’t touch it,” said Leo’s father “we don’t know whether she or he can cope with our modern times bugs. Let it grow up and get used to our world first.” So nobody, other than smiling old Dorothy touched the dinosaur. But it had a name now. Its name was Salto.

72

73

“I am not sure, that we should report him to the scientific world,” said Leo’s father. “They would show up here in droves, examine the animal, over and over again, take blood and skin samples, millions of photos, try to x-ray it and probably will take it away. And all of them would want to write the first paper about it. That’s - after all - what they like to do, writing papers that will make them famous.” “Yes, “said Professor Rat, “it is a pity that I cannot write. I would like to become famous. I truly deserve it.” “And after the scientists, the tourists will come, busloads full of tourists and they will trample all over the place. And at night the poachers will come and try to steal Salto to sell it to some rich people who would probably lock it up in some fancy private garden zoo in America or so,” said Leo’s mother. “I think this is a he,” said Leo after he had looked at the animal more closely, “and I think we should not report him.” Leo’s mother and Saoirse nodded. “I think he should grow up here peacefully believing that he is a funny looking ostrich. We could say that he is just a very special aberration of nature from a normal reptile if anybody asks…He is just a reptile with too strong hind legs. He can live with us and Dorothy, as long as he wants. ” Leo said very slowly, he was determined. “It is more important to keep him happy, than make him and us famous….” Saoirse said. “Well put, Saoirse,” said Leo and was proud of her and a little of himself.

74

“Wise kids,” Leo’s parents said at the same time, “and welcome, Salto, strange little reptile. “ “Sic transit gloria mundi.” Professor Rat sounded a little disappointed. But when everybody looked at him confused, he added smugly “That is Latin, and means “Thus passes worldly glory.” He sighed and added. ”I hope everybody can keep a secret.” Everybody nodded. And Salto, the reptile with the strong hind legs and long tail, grew up happily on the farm believing that he was an ostrich. And when he ran with his mother Dorothy through the bushland he was soon almost as fast as her. ***

75

Epilogue

76

Dear reader, These adventures were told and written down during the 2020/21 Corona lock-downs by Leo and his Opa. They are as true as you want them to be. Leo, the boy, and his parents; Saoirse, his best friend; Otto, the grumpy donkey; Mia, the excited meerkat, Red, the dog; Leo, the lion; Professor Rat; Elsie and Betsie, the long-necked giraffes; Blue, the hippo; Judy, the elephant and Dorothy, the old ostrich, and her son Salto, the strange reptile with the strong hind legs might still be living happily in Kruger Park. If your imagination allows them to live on that is.

77

It is certain, however, that they lived through many more adventures during the Corona story telling times. Everyone who reads this book can think of even more stories. For example Leo’s little sister Aila and his cousins Tian, Sya, Raphaël with his sister Charline and his brother Benjamin, April and Jacob as well as all his second cousins in all parts of the world and all of their friends can easily invent new adventures. All the stories you tell will be as true as the ones in the book. At least in part. The characters, for example, and what they think and feel will always be true. The characters will live in the Park as long as you can see them when you close your eyes at night and you need a story to fall asleep to. Believe us. Just try. Leo, the boy, and his grandfather might also tell a few new stories at some point. But that depends on how long the COVID pandemic will last. If it is over soon, which is what they hope, they will first play soccer in nearby parks around London, ride their bicycles together on narrow cycle paths in Germany or the Netherlands, visit foreign countries, build dinosaur reservations in Leo’s garden, swim in the lakes of Switzerland, walk on the beaches of Wexford county or buy and eat lots of ice-cream and licorice – when Leo’s

78

parents aren’t looking, that is. We hope that you all will do similar normal things after Corona when the sun shines even brighter again every morning. But until then, just keep dreaming. Your dreams - just as ours - are full of wonderful adventures. That is one thing that the Corona virus cannot change.

79