Oupoot puts us on the right track

There is one creature which has been keeping its social distance for decades – the elusive Knysna forest-dwelling elephant known as Oupoot.

For years, mystery has surrounded the whereabouts of the huge pachyderm, a female estimated to be about 46 years old. Just when people thought she may have died – and become the last of the forest-dwelling elephants to expire – there would be a tantalising clue … some dung on a secluded path, or a half-image on a camera trap.

With the Knysna forests deserted of most people because of lockdown – except for a few essential workers – Oupoot may be venturing out into the open a bit more.

Rangers in the protected forest areas suspect that scattered planks from a broken hut along the mountainous Outeniqua Trail may have been the work of Oupoot.

Why is this important, especially when the country is mired in one of the biggest crises in its history?

If Oupoot dies, the forest-dwelling elephants are no more.

And another little piece of biodiversity is overwhelmed by humanity. As long as she is around, there is a reminder of different times.

And, perhaps, those memories, those possibilities, are what we need to get through the trauma ahead.

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