Ella and the Gift of Being You

This story is written & illustrated by Naeema, our first participant in our 'Anak Rimba Storytellers' Program.

Once upon a time, in the deep green rainforest lived a small and shy elephant called Ella.

Ella was a Borneo elephant, the smallest elephant in Asia. She had big floppy ears, a long tail and a gentle way of moving. She loved the rainforest’s muddy rivers, shady trees and the sweet smell of the fresh water.

But even though Ella loved the forest, sometimes she felt out of place.

The younger animals were fast and energetic. Miko the monkey could swing through trees and Hazel the hornbill could fly high above the clouds.

Ella wanted to join them, but she was shy. Instead she liked taking peaceful walks along the riverbank, splashing in the mud and watching the fireflies dance.

“She’s too slow for our races,“ whispered Miko.

“She doesn’t say much,“ said Hazel.

“I think she just wants to be alone,“ added a sun bear cub in the distance.

But Ella didn’t want to be alone. She just didn’t know how to fit in.

That morning, Ella had tried to play with the others. She walked over to where Miko and the others were playing and swinging from the vines.

“Can I play too?“ she asked softly.

Miko said “Sure but don’t break the vines.”

But as she pulled a vine with her trunk, it snapped. Miko fell into the mud, and everyone laughed.

Ella‘s ears drooped. She turned away and walked back through the trees, feeling even more out of place.

Before sunrise, the animals were playing as usual, when suddenly they heard a loud cry.

“Help!“ cried a small voice.

They followed the sound and found a tiger cub stuck in a deep hole and he was too small and weak to climb out.

“I’ll swing down!“ said Miko, but the vines weren’t long enough to reach him.

“I’ll fly for help!“ said Hazel but help was too far.

The cub clawed at the muddy walls, trying to pull himself out but he kept sliding back down.

“I can try to pull him out” replied Ella but no one heard her.

The cub whimpered, “I’m scared…” so Ella bravely came out of the corner and was kind enough to take the cub out of the hole. She gently wrapped the cub with her trunk and brought him back to the surface safely.

Everyone gasped.

“You saved him!“ cried Hazel.

“You were so calm and careful!” said the sun bears.

“Wow! I didn’t know trunks could do that!” said Miko.

The cub looked up at Ella and said “Thank you” and gave her a big hug and Ella was touched and proud of herself.

Ella replied and said “You’re welcome baby tiger” and the cub then ran off to his family.

That evening, as the sun set over the river, the animals gathered around Ella. For the first time, she didn’t stand at the edge, she sat right in the middle, playing with her friends in the muddy puddles.

And from that day on, they all remembered:

Ella wasn’t fast like the monkeys, or could fly high like the hornbills, she was thoughtful, strong and kind. She was Ella and that was more than enough.

Because in the forest, just like in life, Everyone is special in their own ways.

Facts on Borneo Elephants

• They are the smallest Asian elephants subspecies. Borneo elephants weigh between 6,500 and 11,000 pounds ( 2,950-5,000 kg).

• They are a little bit smaller than other Asian elephants and stand between 8.2 and 9.8 feet tall.

• They will eat roots, grass, leaves, bananas and sugar cane. They eat 130 kilograms of food daily.

• Borneo elephants like other elephants, enjoy socializing with their herd, bathing and swimming, and foraging for food.

• They have long tails that sometimes touch the ground, relatively large ears and straighter tusks.

• Borneo elephants are unique as they are only found on the island of Borneo, primarily in the Malaysian state of Sabah.

• There are fewer than 1,500 Borneo Elephants remaining in the wild.

• Borneo Elephants are endangered due to habitat loss and fragmentation caused by human activities.