Leading on the Frontline

22Intuition

How elephants became my greatest teachers in post-tsunami Thailand

We had reached the beach now and everywhere we saw the ugly toll the tsunami had taken. I looked along the debris-strewn strand and paused, placing a hand on my new friend Judd’s arm.

‘Look — over there. Elephants!’

As we drew closer, we saw that some were clearing rubble or transporting heavy cutting equipment while others were carrying sheet-wrapped corpses tied to their tusks. It brought tears to my eyes to see these gentle giants going about their work with such grace and care.

‘Did you know that not one animal bone was found post-tsunami,’ Judd said. ‘No dog or cat bones. They knew the wave was coming hours before it arrived. The elephants’ owners were astonished when for no apparent reason, three hours before the wave hit, they pulled up their stakes and slowly started to walk up the mountainside.’

I had always heard that animals have a sixth sense, some sort of vibrational awareness, that humans have long since lost.

Trusting a gut feeling didn’t come easy to me at the start of my aid career. I’ve no doubt that frequently finding myself in volatile situations fast-tracked the honing of my faith. Experience taught me that conscious reasoning often just got in the way. No proof or evidence was needed. When I felt that overwhelming urge to move, to act, to call, to ask, I did it, without question or hesitation. That sixth sense has saved my life a few times!