Text and photos by Melanie Radzicki McManus
September, 2013, Vol. 17, No. 12
She had me at the first wave of her trunk. Slightly anxious, slightly excited, Khuan (pronounced Kwahn) was ready to get the show on the road. She knew she was about to meet her new handler for the day — and, more importantly, get to snack on some tasty bananas, sugar cane chunks and tamarind balls dusted with salt — and she really didn’t want to wait. I didn’t blame her one bit. Khuan was pregnant. Really pregnant. After more than two years toting around a bull calf, she was allowed a little impatience.