What's going on?

Just the other morning as I was searching for some tasty leaves, something caught my eye. Well, my ears and my nose mostly because they’re pretty big. Behind me, about 10 elephant steps away, there were people – not the usual people in red blankets with sharp spears who inhabit these parts, but new people – men – dressed in trousers and wearing shoes. There were lots of them, making noise but saying very little. Mostly they were concentrating.
Being an elephant around Amboseli is a pretty good life. We have space, food, water (usually) and best of all, we are protected from an elephant’s most feared enemy – the poacher. So when I see people I’m not afraid. They don’t want to hurt me – mostly they just want to watch me, and although it can get on your nerves at times – this lack of privacy – I put up with it. Because these people, tourists they’re called, are really my bread and butter. So long as they come to Amboseli to see us elephants living here (and there are many) we will be protected and our babies can grow up peacefully with their mums.

So who were all these people, ignoring me, concentrating on other things with their shovels and string and tents? Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it never killed an elephant. I needed to find out more …