The little 6 year old elephant at our zoo died unexpectedly yesterday. Her name was Hansa. She was born the same year Girlfriend was. The two grew up together, in a sense.
Hansa was quite a character. She was charming to watch and clearly had a kid energy about her. One of my favorite stories is about the time she was learning from her aunt how to fling dirt on her back (to cool her down or something). But, she didn’t have her technique down, so she mainly flung bits of grass and weeds all over herself. It was hilarious to watch because the weeds and grass would be hanging from her ears and trunk. And her aunt would pick off all the vegetation each time (like you hope your best aunt would) and teach her to do it again.
She loved getting baths (she got carrots as a reward). She ran around just like any kid would–probably driving her mom and her aunts crazy. She was joy to watch. And now she’s gone. Very sad. When I told Girlfriend this morning she sobbed and sobbed. She just can’t understand how a 6 year old “kid” could die. I explained that she was sick and that they didn’t realize how sick she was. But, of course, it doesn’t really make sense.
So, goodbye Hansa. We’ll miss you. You were definitely a ray of sunshine in our often grey city.
Such sad news here at our house, too. my daughter was just 1 when Hansa was born, but I felt like they grew up together, too. That little elephant brought such fun to our house and to all of the city. Kathleen (Julianna’s mom)