The Elephant Whisperer

ET is ecstatic to be with the herd, though her inclusion means that Lawrence cannot get as close as usual, as ET goes ballistic when she sees him. Mnumzane, on the other hand, is bemused by the easy inclusion of an outsider while he himself is on the periphery. Lawrence is now his closest friend, which is concerning and unnatural: Mnumzane needs other bull elephants to bond with, but Thula Thula has no space to accommodate another bull, as per KZN Wildlife rules.

Lawrence gets a call that Penny, his bull terrier, is missing. He searches the lodge to no avail and eventually arrives at the waterhole on the reserve to discover that Penny has been dragged and drowned by a crocodile. Lawrence retrieves and buries the body and returns to the waterhole the next day to divine what really happened. Signs around the space indicate that Penny stalked the crocodile rather than the other way around. Lawrence concludes that the dog spotted the crocodile, identified it as a threat, and attacked—she was loyally protecting and guarding her territory.

Lawrence reflects on how good or bad things usually happen in triplicate, and in a second instance involving the dogs, Max gets into a fight with a bush pig close to the house.