In 1972, Joe Miller was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Tulsa Junior
College.

On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with
one leg raised in the air.  The elephant seemed distressed, so Joe
approached it very carefully.  He got down on one knee, inspected the elephants foot, and
found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it.  As carefully and as gently
as he could, Joe worked the wood out with his knife, after which the elephant
gingerly put down its foot.

The elephant turned to Joe, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared
at him for several tense moments.  Joe stood frozen, thinking of nothing else
but being trampled.

Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away. Joe never
forgot that elephant or the events of that day.

Thirty years later, Joe was walking through the Tulsa Zoo with his family.  As
they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked
over to near where Joe and his family were standing.  The large bull elephant
stared at Joe, lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down.  The
elephant did that several times, then trumpeted loudly, all the while
staring at the man.

Remembering the encounter in 1972, Joe could not help wondering if this was the
same elephant…  Joe summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing, and
made his way into the enclosure.  He walked right up to the elephant and stared
back in wonder.   

The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of
Joe’s legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.

Probably wasn’t the same elephant.