Man Saved Elephant in London Zoo.

“Elephants love reunions. They recognize one another after years and years of separation and greet each other with wild, boisterous joy. There's bellowing and trumpeting, ear flapping and rubbing. Trunks entwine.”  ― Jennifer Richard Jacobson, Small as an Elephant

I visited Bangalore, India, twice in 2001. In my second visit, I had a chance encounter with a 500- year-old sage who related to me an anecdote about an animal. I vouch that this incident really took place because it involved a world-famous personality. The story goes…

Some time in the 1920s, India gifted an elephant to the London Zoo in England. The elephant was a big draw for the zoo and it attracted huge crowds. For about five or six weeks the elephant behaved well and visitors were even allowed to get close to the elephant to touch it. However, its behavior changed and it became a danger not only to the visitors but also the elephant keeper. The zoo had no choice but to put the elephant down before it killed someone. Instead of simply killing the elephant, the zoo authorities advertised in the papers inviting the public to witness the event. In that way they could also raise money for the zoo. The Indian gomen was duly informed about the decision.

The fateful day came and thousands of people came to witness the event. A speech was made and soldiers held up their guns ready to shoot. At that point, a man rushed forward to stop the shooting: ‘Let me talk to the elephant.’ The crowd roared with aghast. ‘Is that man crazy? The elephant will trample him!’ someone shouted. After listening to the man’s explanation and assurance, the zoo keeper relented. So, this man, who was no more than 158 cm, approached the elephant cautiously. He kept a distance of about 2.0 m from the elephant. The elephant raged and it looked like it was going to break the chains. He muttered a few sentences to the elephant-almost  prayer-like.  The elephant seemed to calm down after that. The man took a few measured steps towards the elephant. The crowd held their breath. The man stepped quite close to the elephant and almost whispered into its ears. Soon after he was able to get close to the elephant and pat its trunk. The elephant wagged its tail happily and trumpeted. It also shed some tears. The crowd burst into thunderous applause!

After that public spectacle, the zoo authorities decided not to kill the elephant.

Here’s a question for you: What did the man say to the elephant?

Answer : 
The Englishman knew the elephant when he was living in India. I don't know what he said to the elephant, but he spoke in Hindi - the language the elephant was familiar with. This man was Rudyard Kipling, the English short story writer, poet and novelist whose works include Jungle Book and Kim.

NOTE:  I read this story many years ago, so there may be some inaccuracies with the dates and some other details.