Searching for Tata Junior
When it came to locating elephant sanctuaries, George the elephant researcher took the lead. He pulled up a map on his tablet and pointed to a spot.
"I figure we should start here—at Reteti Elephant Sanctuary."
"Reteti? You mean the one in the Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy?"
Reteti Elephant Sanctuary sat within a wildlife conservancy run by the Samburu people, dedicated to rescuing orphaned elephants, raising them, and eventually releasing them back into the wild.
Kwak Suho asked George if that was the place he had in mind.
"That's the one. And after that, we should check Ian House—named after the founder of Save the Elephants."
George found Ian House on the tablet map and circled it in red. He mentioned a few other places as well.
"Thanks, George."
"Don't mention it. Doctor Lee's the impressive one for even thinking of this."
At the words "Doctor Lee," Lee Jun chimed in.
"George, I keep telling you—just call me Jun."
"Ah, well, you're such an extraordinary person, I just can't quite manage it."
"What are you talking about? You're the one doing the truly remarkable work. So please, call me Jun. We're going to be traveling together from here on, after all."
"Just call him Jun. George, you've said how much you wanted to get closer to Lee Jun how many times now? When are you going to get a better chance than this?"
"Well, that's true, but..."
Kwak Suho let George's hesitant words slide right past him and turned to Lee Jun.
"Jun, I think George respects you so much he just can't bring himself to use your first name."
"Respect? Why would he respect me?"
"Because every animal you meet just follows you around like you're their best friend."
"Well, if that's the reason, I've got nothing to say."
Lee Jun clicked his tongue, conceding the point.
"Because it's true. George here loves animals more than anything."
"That's why he became a zoologist, then."
"Exactly! Can you imagine how jealous he is? He was blown away by what happened with Tata earlier. The moment he got close, she radiated nothing but hostility—but with you, she made eye contact. She even talked."
That was when Go Gi-jin cut in.
"Eotta, hyungnims, y'all're jabberin' away in Korean, so poor George here's dyin' of curiosity! Translate a bit, would ya?"
"Ah, crap—sorry, sorry."
Kwak Suho apologized to George, then gave him a quick rundown of the conversation.
"That's right. I was truly astonished. To communicate like that with Tata, of all elephants! It's remarkable. I really am envious."
George seized Lee Jun's hand as he spoke, then pressed on before Jun could even register his surprise.
"Thank you, truly. You have no idea how happy I am that Tata is going to receive treatment."
George's face was lit with genuine joy.
"That's actually why I'm a little worried. I made such a big, bold promise to Tata that I'd find her calf..."
What if they couldn't find the baby? What if, just as Tata had feared, the little elephant had already died? Lee Jun couldn't bring himself to say it out loud, and his words trailed off.
"We'll find the calf. The network out here is so tightly woven these days that if a baby elephant is spotted wandering alone, they rescue it immediately."
"You're right. I'd be more productive out there looking than sitting here worrying."
"Exactly. Come on—it's late, but let's go get dinner."
Night had already fallen completely, and the three of them followed George to the dining hall.
The next morning, five-thirty a.m.
Lee Jun and his companions stood in front of the jeep—the same one that had carried them from Jomo Kenyatta Airport all the way to Samburu the day before.
"I think I'm starting to get attached to this jeep."
Lee Jun said it with a laugh. Kwak Suho looked between him and Go Gi-jin and shot back.
"You two look like students stuck in a crash tutoring course."
"Tutoring?"
"Well, aren't you? You're going to be riding this thing all day again. And not just today—we might be in it for days. By tomorrow afternoon, you two will probably be sleeping in this jeep. You'll feel right at home."
At Kwak Suho's words, Lee Jun's face went stiff.
"Ah. Right. I hadn't thought of that."
"That's what I'm sayin'. I was so busy thinkin' about goin' to find Tata's baby, I never even thought we'd have to ride this thing again."
Go Gi-jin's face clouded with worry, the brutal ride from the airport clearly coming back to him. But the moment passed, and Lee Jun spoke with a look of resignation.
"What's more important—my backside, or finding Tata's calf? Besides, looking at George, riding this thing doesn't seem to have done him any harm."
"That's true enough. George and Suho-hyungnim both look just fine, so I reckon we'll survive. And besides—we're goin' to see elephants!"
Unlike Lee Jun, Go Gi-jin's face had brightened right up.
"Yeah. Better to think of it that way. You'll adapt faster."
As the three of them chatted, a few people approached: George, Jerome, and three veterinarians who worked alongside Jerome. Jerome asked Lee Jun's group,
"Aren't you exhausted? You traveled for so long, didn't even rest, and went straight to Tata. On top of that, you can't have adjusted to the time difference yet."
"I slept pretty well on the plane, so I'm actually fine."
"Same here. We had a comfortable trip, so we're good. Besides, these guys and I—we fall asleep the second our heads hit anything flat. Jet lag doesn't stand a chance."
With both Lee Jun and Kwak Suho insisting they were fine, the four men's smiles deepened.
"We're grateful to hear that. Still, we're sorry to send you off on another long journey."
"Don't be. Tata needs to get better as soon as possible. The surgery—you can't do it right away, can you?"
"That's right. We'll treat the infection first, then proceed with surgery. We need to build up her condition while we handle the inflammation."
"I heard the surgery takes over four hours?"
"We're estimating a minimum of four hours. But I suspect it could take considerably longer."
"Sustaining anesthesia that long would be too much for her in her current condition."
"I'm afraid so."
"If we bring her calf back, her strength might recover faster."
"It would. We're counting on you."
"Don't worry. Who do you think I am? Observation is my specialty. We'll be back before you know it."
"When it comes to observational skills, nobody beats Suho."
"That's right. All right, everyone—let's go."
Kwak Suho climbed into the vehicle as he spoke, and the others followed.
"We'll be back."
As the jeep pulled away, the four men waved. Lee Jun, Kwak Suho, and Go Gi-jin waved back until the figures disappeared from view. Within moments, the animal hospital had vanished behind them.
Lee Jun gazed out the window as he spoke.
"Tata's baby... Ah, you know, it feels a little off to keep saying it that way. Let's call the calf Junior. Tata Junior."
"That's a real nice name, ain't it?"
"Yeah, that works."
"Right? I hope we find Tata Junior soon. The first place we're going is Reteti, wasn't it? I hope the calf is there."
"Eotta, that'd be just wonderful. We'll find the little one in no time and bring 'em right back. How badly they must miss each other."
"They must. Tata must be longing for her baby, and Tata Junior must be longing for Mom."
Perhaps it was the memory of Tata's desperate face, but unlike the day before, Lee Jun barely noticed the jeep's bone-jarring rattle.
The jeep rolled over roads that kicked up little dust, roads that kicked up a great deal of it, and roads that rattled every bolt in the chassis. Inside, Lee Jun, Go Gi-jin, and Kwak Suho kept their eyes constantly moving.
Gone were the Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin who had gasped in wonder at every animal the day before. Gone, too, was the Kwak Suho who had sketched as they drove. All three had binoculars pressed to their eyes, scanning the landscape beyond the windows, unable to shake the thought that Tata Junior might never have made it to a sanctuary—that the calf might still be out there, somewhere.
If that were the case, they had to find the little one. They had no other choice.
Staring through the binoculars, Lee Jun spoke.
"If Tata Junior is anywhere nearby, the calf would catch this scent, right?"
The scent in question came from the clothes Tata had held against her body the day before—the ones she had even licked with her tongue. Lee Jun had cut the garment into several pieces with scissors. One of those scraps now hung from the grab handle on the jeep's rear ceiling. A clump of elephant dung hung there as well. Outside the jeep, of course.
"This should be more than enough for the calf to catch the scent, don't you think?"
"It should be. If Tata Junior happens to be somewhere like that, I hope the little one smells Mom and comes running."
Lee Jun said this while looking toward a distant cluster of trees. Then he immediately corrected himself.
"No—I take that back. The calf shouldn't be out here. Tata Junior should be safe in a sanctuary."
"That's right. Safe, drinking formula, playing with friends. That's where the little one belongs."
"That's the truth. That little one shouldn't be out in a place like this. That aside, though—there's one thing about this country I really, truly like."
"What's that? The way they all live out on these wide-open grasslands?"
Lee Jun asked, still scanning the surroundings through his binoculars.
"Well, sure, seein' 'em live like that is wonderful too. But what I meant was they can't use plastic bags here."
Kenya had the strictest Plastic Bag Ban Law in the world. It had begun in 2007 with a ban on plastic bags thinner than thirty microns, and on August 28, 2017, the country declared a total prohibition. Not only was their use forbidden—manufacturing and selling them were banned as well. After a grace period, enormous fines had been levied on violators starting in 2019.
There had been no shortage of complaints and complications, but the government had pushed through with unwavering force, and the result was the disappearance of the roughly twenty-four million plastic bags consumed every month. Some people still used them in secret, but the vast majority of Kenyans no longer used plastic bags at all.
"That's right. It's a real blessing. Plenty of people would say, 'What's the big deal about a scrap of plastic?'—but I think it's wonderful. You don't see plastic anywhere. No animals swallowing the stuff."
Kwak Suho, picking up where Go Gi-jin had left off, looked thoroughly satisfied.
"That really is great."
"Yeah, and that's not all—the drainage ditches don't get clogged, either."
"Drainage ditches?"
"Yeah, apparently plastic bags used to clog the drains all the time. There are plenty of other benefits too, though it has created more smugglers."
"Smugglers?"
Go Gi-jin's voice turned menacing. He had mistaken the word for traffickers—the kind who smuggled ivory and wild animals. Guessing at the misunderstanding, Kwak Suho clarified.
"Not wildlife traffickers—smugglers. People sneaking plastic bags into the country."
"Ah, those folks? Eotta—look over yonder! Ain't that the one? Them ears are huge!"
"Really?"
"Where?"
Every pair of eyes swung toward three o'clock, where Go Gi-jin was pointing. George, who had been driving, stopped the jeep and turned his head as well. But a moment later—
"Haa... that's not it."
"Yeah, it's not."
"Eome. I must've seen it wrong. I didn't even notice there was a mama elephant over there."
The disappointment that the elephant wasn't Tata Junior was far outweighed by the relief that the calf was with its mother. That was why the sigh of relief had come so naturally.
Vroom. As the jeep started moving again, Lee Jun spoke.
"Those ears really were big, though."
"They were. But there was only one big fold. Below that, maybe ten or so smaller wrinkles. And the face was a little less chubby, too."
"Kwak Suho, you observed all that in that short a time?"
"Observe? You just look and you know."
"Hey, how do you even catch that much detail in a split second? Seriously, your observational skills are insane. Absolutely insane."
"That's why when hyungnim sketches so fast, all the features just pop right out, y'know?"
"That's true. Honestly, how many elephants has this guy drawn on those feed sacks? And not a single one of them looked the same."
"That's right. Hyungnim, you oughta exhibit those. They were downright adorable."
"Exhibit what?"
"The elephant drawings, of course."
"Exhibit? Tata's got them all wrapped up in her trunk."
"That's even better. Drawings so good even Tata knows their true worth! That's how you advertise, right there."
"You're ridiculous!"
The three of them believed they would find Tata Junior. But they also considered the vanishingly small chance that they wouldn't. They soothed those anxious hearts with chatter.
Time passed that way, and the jeep arrived at Reteti Elephant Sanctuary. A staff member who had already been notified of their visit came out to greet them.
"Good heavens—Doctor Lee?"
Lee Jun's eyes widened at the staff member who had gasped at the mere sight of him. George laughed.
"See, Jun? I told you—you're a hugely famous person."
An embarrassed Lee Jun could only smile.
A short while later, they were led by the staff member to meet the baby elephants.
"Eome, every last one of 'em is just too precious."
Go Gi-jin's mouth hung wide open in a grin he couldn't seem to close. His eyes curved into crescents as he gazed at the elephants. That didn't mean he had forgotten why they had come. Even as he smiled, he studied the elephants before him, searching for Tata Junior's distinctive features.
Lee Jun, too, watched the elephants with a hawk's eye. He also looked for any emotion in the calves' eyes beyond mere curiosity.
Is there an elephant here that's interested in Tata's scent?
A scrap of cloth was tucked in the hip pack Lee Jun was wearing. There was also a pouch containing Tata's dung—a cloth pouch, of course. Did it feel gross? Not in the slightest. All three of them—no, George as well—had packed the cloth scraps and the dung pouches as naturally as anything.
Having already scanned the group once, Kwak Suho began photographing the elephants one by one.
"Tata might be able to look at these and find her baby."
They might see Tata Junior and walk right past without realizing it. This was to have a record ready, just in case. Once he had finished taking photos, Kwak Suho switched to video—footage that captured not only their gait but their cries as well. If Tata watched the video, she would recognize her calf with even more certainty. That was the thought in his mind.
"They all seem really close, though. I guess kids make friends fast no matter the species."
Just as Lee Jun said, the elephants seemed to get along wonderfully. Elephants play-wrestling with their trunks. Elephants bounding around in a pack like puppies. Elephants walking side by side with their trunks entwined. They were impossibly adorable. Even as they scanned the group with sharp, searching eyes, looking for Tata Junior, the sheer cuteness of these elephants washed over them in waves.
"Ain't that the truth. Every last one of 'em is just precious. And so sweet, too. Elephants really are animals whose social skills develop somethin' fierce from the time they're little."
"There's that, and also the fact that they've all been through something similar. They've all lost their mothers. That's why they get even closer."
At Kwak Suho's words, Lee Jun and Go Gi-jin had nothing to say. The atmosphere suddenly grew solemn. The two of them studied the elephants without finding any words, their gazes now carrying even more affection than before.
That was when it happened.
From among the baby elephants, one calf came tromping toward Lee Jun's group. Lee Jun startled—and yet the corners of his mouth lifted on their own. Could it be? Was this calf coming because it had caught Tata's scent? But another thought occurred to him at the same time.
"Huh? But those ears don't look all that big..."
The words left his mouth the instant the thought formed. Kwak Suho picked it up.
"Five folds, too. And the trunk looks a bit short."
"I-is that so? Then why is it coming over?"
"That's what I'm wonderin'. Maybe that little one likes elephant dung too?"
They watched the approaching calf with wide eyes. The elephant kept coming, straight as an arrow—then walked right past Lee Jun and made a beeline for Go Gi-jin beside him.
"Uh, uh—why, why's it doin' that?"
Go Gi-jin's words said one thing, but his mouth was smiling. Whether he was smiling or not, the elephant threw itself at him. Not attacking—clinging, asking to be held.
Caught completely off guard, Go Gi-jin caught the elephant in his arms and toppled over backward.