Tale of two mammals
The elephant and the rat may look worlds apart but then opposites attract...
WHAT happens when an elephant meets a rat? It is a common western folk belief that elephants are afraid of mice or rats. Why? Because it is afraid that the rat will go inside its ears!
Starchild readers share with us some tales they spin on The Elephant And The Rat. Here are their interesting stories:
Rini Azwa Zul Bahri, 10, tells a touching tale of how one elephant saved a pack of rats from drowning while the others in his herd ignored their pleas.
The helpful elephant tells the rats: “Jump on my trunk, little brothers, and I will carry you over the river.” Before scurrying home, the rats shouted back: “We are grateful. Someday we will help you, our good friend.”
One day, a herd of elephants which went out to steal sugarcane, fell into some pits set up to trap them. They bellowed for help. The rats heard them and ran from pit to pit. Alas, they found their friend, the helpful elephant. They set to work and pushed dirt into the pit. Soon, the elephant managed to haul itself out of the pit and got away before the hunters arrive.
Who is the new King of the Jungle? “The lion, tiger, king cobra, elephant and rat all wanted to sit on the throne,” writes Sim Tiong Yong, eight. “But they have to fight each other to determine who is more deserving. The lion bit the elephant which used its tusks and won the battle. Next, the tiger pounced on the elephant and used its claws to slash it. Again, the elephant fought back, using its tusks and won. Then, the king cobra tried to kill the elephant but it squashed the cobra. When the elephant fought with the rat, the latter scrambled into the elephant’s ear, gnawing and causing it unbearable pain. The elephant surrendered to the rat which became the King of the Jungle. So the moral of the story is: size does not matter.”
Omm Sri Sudarmani, five, tells of how a crab got stuck in the elephant’s trunk while it was drinking by the river. A rat decided to help the poor elephant. It used a feather to tickle the elephant on its trunk until it sneezed and out came the crab. Since that day, the elephant became a good friend of the rat.
Lauryn Tan Zi Yi, seven, relates the story of the rat which rescued the elephant whose foot was stuck in the net.
“One day, the two friends saw a banana tree with ripe bananas. The rat could not reach the comb of bananas but the elephant used its trunk to pluck it. They both enjoyed eating the bananas. The moral of the story: it is better to be friends than enemies because we can help each other in times of trouble,” she writes. Shahreeq, 10, tells the story of a tiny rat which freed the elephant from a trap. “The rat gnawed at the net and made a hole large enough for the elephant to escape. The grateful elephant thanked the rat and they became best friends,” she writes. “One day, it was the elephant’s turn to return the favour. It rescued the rat from drowning in the lake by throwing a branch. The twosome then decided to build a raft and travel around the world.”
Yeoh Mien Dee, nine, tells the story of a rat which saved the elephant from being shot by a hunter, andnd the two became friends. As the two animals love adventure, they decided to travel around the world. They felt the form
forest was too small and they wanted to see the outside world. They flew on a plane, went underground
hiking, explored underground tunnels and caves, and sailed the seas. They made many friends, including Summer the pink dolphin and Sebastian the seagull.
“Bhuvenraj Ganesh,ganesh six, tells the story of Jumbo the elephantphant and the rat which joined Toylandd Circus.
“Jumbo and the rat came from a poor village. One day, the circus came to town. Jumbo and the rat decidedcided to audicus
audition for the circus and were accepted. Theyy became rich and famous!”
Yikes, the elephant is so terrified of the rat that it scrambled mall up the wall and stuck itselff on the ceiling, says Chiew Yi Ling, Erin,erin 10. But it won’t be long before it brings the ceiling crashing down because of its weight. The ceiling is alreadylready showing signs of stress. Can you see the cracks?
“Elephants are big and rats are small. But the rats can always trielephants
triumph over elephants because they are clever,”r,” writes Vysnawy Thiagarajan, eight.
The mouse deer introduced the elephant to the rat, says Elaine Low, eight. They hit it off and planned to sail around the world. The elephant loves to eat plants, while the rat loves cheese.
The elephant and the rat are the best of friends in a travelling circus, writes Robin Soon Wei Ming, eight. – Compiled by Majorie Chiew ITEM: If you are allowed to keep a dog, which breed would you chose? A basset hound, labrador, great dane, silky terrier, rottweiler, pitbull or chihuahua? Why did you pick this particular a breed? Share some fascinating facts about your favourite type of dog. Do you prefer a big dog or a small one? Do you think your
parents would allow you to sleep with your pet? Would you have time to care for your dog, take it for walks and play with it? What sort of food would you feed your dog? Dog biscuits or a hearty meal of rice with canned dog do food, perhaps? Or would you pamper it with cakes specially made for dogs?
Do you look forward to visits to the grooming shop? Would you like to have a dog trainer to help train your dog, or do you think you are up to the job?
Please include a drawing to go with your contribution. It can be a drawing of your dog or memorable moments shared with your canine pal.
All letters must contain your full name, age (open to children 12 and below only), gender, e-mail, phone contact and address. Don’t forget to write your name na behind the drawing and the topic, Dog Whisperer, on the envelope. All letters let must reach us by
March 8.
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