Elephants, mammoths and kids, By Chris Kavanaugh

Samantha 'Sam' Hober and I have something in common - we both like elephants. Sam fed JoJo a baby elephant sugar cane in an open air Thai market when she was 2 an exciting event that she has not forgotten.

I once helped an Indian elephant that was purchased by the Hare Krishna’s from a bankrupt circus and then rescued by a sanctuary when they failed to feed it.

I simply arrived on scene with 5 bales of alfalfa for my horses and a bag of ripe cantaloupe melons.

Years later I got to see 'my' elephant and they truly never forget; the greeting was one of immense pleasure for us both.

But sadly, most of my elephant adventures are the less lively finding of the fossils of ancient California Mammoths. I get called because people think archaeologists dig up dinosaurs.

Mammoths do fall in our study when hunted by ancient people. The last one was discovered in the bottom of an excavation for a swimming pool. I'm not sure what Sam will make of me years from now trying to explain I found a prehistoric mammoth in a southern California swimming pool!

For now I found a marvelous web site www.elephantcountryweb.com/Ellies3.html

The elephant stories section has something for our Sam's and others for grownups to ponder.