Almost saw an Elephant!

Last weekend I traveled back to the hospital from Libreville and on that trip ALMOST saw an elephant!

Keir and Joanna Thelander and their kids Luke and Sara were with me in the car when we came to an area on the road where we saw about 15-20 men, one with a rifle and the others with machetes knives! Now, let me explain. People walk in the forest with a machete knife in case they see a snake so it was not strange to see a man with one but there were 15-20 men with them!!! I stopped the car to ask what was going on and they said that there were elephants in the forest and that these elephants were trying to get across the road. They had trampled the gardens of these villagers and the day before had destroyed a house. It is against the law to kill an elephant unless they come too close to the villages and start to do havoc in the plantations. These men were on an elephant hunt!

Some of us (not the kids) got out of the car and started to gaze into the forest, along with the men. We (Joanna and I) stood there for about fifteen minutes, watching the trees move, hearing the elephants (there were three I'm told). The elephants never did come towards the road and we had to keep going on our ten hour drive home so ..... I almost saw an Elephant! You realize I have lived in Gabon since 1977 and have never seen an elephant here. Maybe another day I will!