The Eager Elephant

Zoe gasped, her heart thudding in her chest. Bertie had waded even further into the lake – and now he was struggling to stay above the water. The little elephant was in big trouble…

Chapter One

Meep Gets into Mischief

Zoe Parker wrinkled her nose and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. “Aaaa-chooo!” she sneezed as dust went up her nose. “Aaaa-chooo!”

Zoe was raking up the minty-smelling leaves in the koala enclosure at the Rescue Zoo. All around her, tall green trees stretched up from the dusty, pebbly
ground. Every time Zoe moved her rake, a small cloud of dust puffed into the air – and straight up her nose!

As the branches above her head shook, Zoe glanced up. Perched in the tree was Matilda, one of the koalas. Zoe thought she was one of the cuddliest animals at the Rescue Zoo, with her soft grey fur, cute black nose and big fluffy ears. But right now Matilda didn’t look at all cuddly – she looked cross!

The koala gave a noisy chatter, and a tiny creature scampered out of the leaves and shot down the tree trunk. He stuck his pink tongue out at Matilda before leaping on to Zoe’s shoulder.

“Meep!” Zoe said, grinning at the little mouse lemur. Meep was her very best friend. He was so small he could easily
ride on Zoe’s shoulder, and he was
always
getting into mischief!

The koala chattered again crossly, and Zoe looked up in time to see her fluffy bottom disappear further up the tree. Zoe giggled. Being with all the animals was her favourite thing about her zoo home, even when they were cross!

Zoe was very lucky – because she
lived
at the Rescue Zoo! Her Great-Uncle Horace was the zoo owner, and knew almost everything about animals. Zoe didn’t see him very often, because he spent lots of time travelling around the world, looking for animals that needed help. Whenever he found an animal in trouble or without a home he brought them back to live at the Rescue Zoo! Zoe’s mum, Lucy, was the zoo vet, and she and Zoe lived in a cottage on the edge of the zoo.

Matilda shook her furry head and chattered crossly again at Meep, and Zoe smiled. “You’re right, Matilda,” she replied. “Meep is the naughtiest lemur I’ve ever met, too.”

Living at the Rescue Zoo was the first
exciting thing about Zoe, but the second thing was
even
more special. Zoe knew a very big secret: animals can understand what people say, and talk to them all the time! But only a few lucky people can talk back to them. Zoe was one of these special people. Ever since her sixth birthday she had understood every growl, grunt, squeak and roar the animals made! But she could never tell anyone the animals’ secret – not even her family.

“What were you doing this time, Meep?” said Zoe as the lemur snuggled into her shoulder.

“I wasn’t doing anything naughty, Zoe,” Meep complained grumpily. “I just wanted to try one of Matilda’s special leaves. They look so green and juicy, and they smell so nice. But I had one tiny bite
and then I spat it straight out. It tasted horrible!”

“Oh, Meep!” Zoe sighed. “Those are eucalyptus leaves, and they’re poisonous to most animals! They would have made you
very
sick. Matilda can eat them because koalas have special tummies that protect them. She was just trying to help you.” She smiled up at Matilda. “Thank you,” she told the koala gratefully. “No wonder you were upset with cheeky Meep!”

Matilda nodded her furry head and quickly chattered back.

“No, I’m sure he won’t do it again!” Zoe replied. “Will you, Meep?”

Meep’s big golden eyes were wide as he shook his head. “I’ll stick to bananas from now on. And apples. And maybe nuts too … and sunflower seeds…”

Zoe giggled as Meep started listing all the foods he liked. Meep was a little animal with a big appetite!

Up in the tree, Matilda suddenly gave an excited squeak and began chattering eagerly.

“What is it?” Zoe asked curiously.

“Let’s go and see!” chirped Meep, bounding nimbly back up the tree. Zoe quickly grabbed the lowest branches and pulled herself up to where Matilda was sitting. She wasn’t as good at climbing as the koalas, or Meep, but she was still the
best in her class. She had lots of practice playing with her animal friends!

Peering through the leaves over the top of the wooded enclosure, Zoe saw a bright-yellow jeep rumbling slowly through the zoo gates. It was very dusty, with big muddy wheels, and looked like it had travelled a long way. The back of the jeep was open and flat, without a roof or any seats, and a large wooden crate was strapped on to it.

Around her, Zoe heard lots of noise as the other zoo animals spotted the jeep. The grizzly bears growled curiously. The turtles swam to the edge of their lagoon enclosure. And Oscar, the friendly African elephant, lifted his big trunk in the air and gave a noisy trumpet.

As the jeep got closer, Zoe could see something through the dirt on the door. There was a familiar logo painted there – a hot-air balloon, the symbol of the Rescue Zoo! Zoe’s heart gave a big thump of excitement. “It’s Great-Uncle Horace!” she gasped. “He’s back from his safari trip. And he’s brought a new animal for the Rescue Zoo!”

Chapter Two

A Safari Surprise

Climbing down the tree and waving goodbye to the koalas, Zoe dashed out of the enclosure and raced towards the cottage. Meep scampered along the path next to her. “Goo’s back! And there’s a new animal to play with!” he squeaked excitedly.

They reached the big yellow jeep just
as the door opened, and a huge bird with glossy blue feathers and a curved beak flew out. She swooped straight into the air, happily stretching her wings.

“Kiki!” Zoe grinned as she saw the beautiful hyacinth macaw. Kiki and Great-Uncle Horace were best friends, just like Zoe and Meep, and Kiki travelled everywhere with Great-Uncle Horace.

Then a man with untidy white hair and twinkling eyes stepped out. He wore a crumpled safari hat and jacket, and when he saw Zoe his face broke into a cheerful smile.

“Great-Uncle Horace!” exclaimed Zoe, rushing forward.

“Zoe, my dear! Goodness me, you’re getting so big!” cried Great-Uncle Horace, scooping her up for a hug. “I’ve
been having all sorts of exciting adventures in Africa, but it’s splendid to come home and see you! I’ve missed you so much. And you too, Meep!” he added, chuckling as Meep eyed the big wooden crate. “I see your inquisitive friend wants to know what’s inside!” he said, winking at Zoe. “You’ll both find out soon, I promise. Ah, here’s everyone else!”

A crowd of zookeepers rushed down the path, calling out greetings to Great-Uncle Horace. Then Mr Pinch, the grumpy zoo manager, arrived. His face was like thunder as he spotted the crate.

“Another new animal to make lots of mess! Don’t I have enough to do already?” Zoe heard him mutter grumpily.

Zoe’s mum, Lucy, arrived next, her face pink from running across the zoo. “Welcome home!” she said warmly, reaching up to kiss Great-Uncle Horace’s cheek. Then she saw the crate and grinned. “And who have you brought home this time?”

“A friendly young fellow, who I think will be just right for the Rescue Zoo,” said Great-Uncle Horace, beaming. “In
fact, let’s show him his new home now. I’ll need a few helpers to put the wooden crate right outside Oscar’s enclosure, please. Careful though – it’s rather heavy!”

As a group of zookeepers began moving the crate, Zoe glanced at Meep. The little lemur looked as puzzled as she felt. The new animal was going to live with Oscar? But Oscar was a huge elephant – and the crate was only the same size as Zoe! There couldn’t be another elephant inside, could there?

Then Zoe gasped. “Unless,” she whispered to Meep, her eyes shining, “it’s a
baby
elephant!”

Meep gave a squeal and leaped on to Zoe’s shoulders so that he could see better.

“Excuse me, please – coming through.”
An elderly man in a zookeeper uniform rushed over to help.

“If it
is
an elephant, David will be so happy!” Zoe whispered to Meep.

David the elephant keeper had worked at the Rescue Zoo for as long as Zoe could remember, and he was one of her favourite keepers. He had white hair, a deep, gentle voice and kind, grey eyes. Zoe knew that David had always wanted Oscar to have an elephant friend.

Zoe held her breath as David stepped forward and opened the latch on the crate door. The door clattered to the ground and there was a moment’s silence. Then there was a high, excited trumpeting sound. The crowd gasped, and David gave a happy cheer. Zoe couldn’t help jumping up and down. “It
is
a baby
elephant!” she cried.

The tip of a little trunk poked out first, sniffing the air. Then there was a happy squeal and the baby elephant tumbled excitedly out of the crate. He stopped when he saw the crowd, staring curiously at everyone with big brown eyes.

Zoe giggled as he took a few wobbly steps. “He’s the cutest thing
ever
!” she said, grinning.

“Baby elephants can start walking on
the day they’re born, but this chap needs some practice,” Great-Uncle Horace explained. “Normally, the rest of his herd would have helped him to learn, but he was separated from them when he was just a few hours old. He was all alone and very upset when Kiki and I found him. We tried to find him a home at the local elephant orphanage but they didn’t have room for a new baby. That’s why I decided to bring him back to the Rescue Zoo.”

The little elephant flapped his ears happily as he spotted Great-Uncle Horace. He plodded over, raised his trunk, and before Great-Uncle Horace could say a word, the baby elephant reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a custard cream! Zoe and Meep burst out
laughing as he popped it into his mouth and started crunching happily.

“Albert discovered my favourite biscuits on the journey back from Africa,” explained Great-Uncle Horace, chuckling.

“Albert? That’s a very grown-up name for a baby,” laughed Lucy.

“Maybe we could call him Bertie for short?” suggested Zoe.

Great-Uncle Horace’s eyes lit up. “Yes, Bertie suits his cheeky little character perfectly! Well done, Zoe.”

Zoe grinned as she reached out and stroked Bertie’s head. Usually the animals told her their names when they arrived, but sometimes they were so small when Great-Uncle Horace rescued them that they didn’t even have a name yet!

“He looks very healthy and happy,”
Lucy said. “Although I wish he’d stay still long enough for me to have a proper look at his ears,” she added with a chuckle as Bertie galloped off through the crowd excitedly, lifting his trunk to sniff every single person. “I’ll give him a proper check-up later.”

“Is he going straight inside his new home?” asked Zoe, glancing at Oscar. The gentle giant had put his huge head over his enclosure fence and was watching curiously.

“We’ll have to do it carefully,” said David. “Elephants are very kind creatures, but Oscar isn’t used to living with a baby. He could squash Bertie accidentally.”

Meep gave a worried squeak, and Zoe stroked him soothingly. She knew she could talk to Oscar and tell him to be
extra careful around the new arrival, but she couldn’t tell David and the other keepers that!

As the grown-ups started talking about the best way to introduce Bertie to Oscar, Zoe quickly glanced around. No one was looking, so she whispered very quietly to Meep. “We’ll have to talk to Oscar as soon as we can …” she began.

But Meep wasn’t listening. “Look, Zoe!” he giggled, pointing a tiny finger.

Zoe turned to see what Meep had spotted, and her face broke into a relieved smile. “Mum! David! Great-Uncle Horace! I don’t think there’s anything to worry about,” she called. “I just know Oscar’s going to take really good care of Bertie. Look!”

Everyone turned. Oscar was reaching
his long trunk right over the fence, and Bertie was standing underneath, holding his own little trunk up so that they touched. Zoe listened as Oscar trumpeted.

She grinned. Oscar was so pleased to meet Bertie! The other keepers were all smiling too. Only Zoe could understand what the elephants were saying, but everyone could see how happy they were!