Elephant On Parade

I remember when I first saw an elephant in the wild. It was 1998, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania. I was on safari and we'd stopped near some trees when all of a sudden a small herd of elephants just wandered out. For such big animals they have an uncanny ability to just appear as if from nowhere. Well I was smitten and they have been one of my favourite animals ever since, even though later on the same trip (but in a different part of the country) we were almost charged by an angry mother with her cub after she took offence at our stalled Jeep blocking her path. Luckily the driver got the engine started again and we made a hasty retreat.

Then a couple of years ago I came across another herd in a most unexpected place. I was wandering around Amsterdam Schiphol airport waiting for a connection when I spotted hundreds of brightly decorated pachyderms...Elephant Parade.

Of course I had to get one and this is the little chap I chose.

So if you're ever passing through Schiphol keep an eye out for the painted heffalumps. Even if you don't buy one just checking out all the different desings is a great way to kill time while waiting for your flight.

www.elephantparade.com