Zoo Rant: A tale of Two Elephants

I was walking down the street in Jhalakthi, Bangladesh, when an elephant asked me for a dollar bill.

The elephant's snout was smeared with red paint and two smiling locals sat atop his back.  The crowded streets managed to make way for the elephant. Kids smiled and pointed. Rickshaw drivers piled on the sidewalk.

They all stared at me.  The tiny proboscis at the end of the elephant's trunk wiggled with anticipation.

I reached into my pocket, pulled out some money, and the elephant ever so gently pi