# An Elephant Never Forgets

An episode of [Animal Tales: The Kids' Story Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1644596989), 9 Mar 2026, 16 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/70523525/at476_anelephantneverforgets_mixdown.mp3

A stray dog discovers a little lost elephant. Written especially for this podcast by Alice. If you enjoyed this story, please do leave us a review. And, if you'd like to suggest an animal for a future Animal Tales story, you can do so by emailing podcast@animaltales.uk. We would love to hear from you. Animal Tales Books! Collections of Animal Tales children’s stories are available to buy exclusively at Amazon. Simply search for Animal Tales Short Stories or follow this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CLJQZ9C9?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_sirpi Become a PREMIUM Subscriber You can now enjoy Animal Tales by becoming a Premium Subscriber. This gets you: • All episodes in our catalogue advert free • Bonus Premium-only episodes (one per week) which will never be used on the main podcast • We guarantee to use one of your animal suggestions in a story You can sign up through Apple Podcasts or through Supercast and there are both monthly and yearly plans available. Discover a brand new story every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – just for you! You can find more Animal Tales at www.animaltales.uk A Note About The Adverts In order to allow us to make these stories we offer a premium subscription and run adverts. The adverts are not chosen by us, but played automatically depending on the platform you listen through (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc) and the country you live in. The adverts may even be different if you listen to the story twice. We have had a handful of instances where an advert has played that is not suitable for a family audience, despite the podcast clearly being labelled for children. If you’re concerned about an advert you hear, please contact the platform you are listening to directly. Spotify, in particular, has proven problematic in the past, for both inappropriate adverts and the volume at which the adverts play. If you find this happening, please let Spotify know via their Facebook customer care page. As creators, we want your child’s experience to be a pleasurable one. Running adverts is necessary to allow us to operate, but please do consider the premium subscription service as an alternative – it’s advert free.

## Transcript

[0:12] Speaker 1: Yao. Hello. My name's Josephine, and this is the Animal
[0:18] Speaker 1: Tales podcast, where you suggest the animals featured in our stories.
[0:22] Speaker 1: They are in New Tales to enjoy every Monday and Wednesday,
[0:26] Speaker 1: with a third premium only story every Friday. Please continue
[0:31] Speaker 1: to share Animal Tales with your friends and leave us
[0:34] Speaker 1: reviews where you can. Ellie and Leat are from California
[0:40] Speaker 1: in the USA, and they would like a story featuring
[0:43] Speaker 1: an elephant and a dog. You can learn more about
[0:46] Speaker 1: these creatures in the animal facts after the story. Okay,
[0:50] Speaker 1: are you ready? That's good, then I'll begin. An Elephant
[0:57] Speaker 1: never forgets. Liot was on his way home a bone
[1:03] Speaker 1: held between his jaws. He was feeling good. He hadn't
[1:07] Speaker 1: had a proper meal in days, and the bone was
[1:10] Speaker 1: an excellent find. Liot was a stray dog. He lived
[1:15] Speaker 1: in the hills between a handful of small villages, which
[1:18] Speaker 1: he would visit in search of food. As a stray,
[1:22] Speaker 1: he wasn't always welcomed by the villagers, so he never
[1:25] Speaker 1: stuck around for long. Despite that, he liked his ability
[1:30] Speaker 1: to go anywhere and do anything he pleased, although it
[1:34] Speaker 1: often meant that he was hungry and on his own,
[1:38] Speaker 1: But to day was a good day. Rummaging amongst the waist,
[1:42] Speaker 1: Liot had found the large bone, and now he was
[1:45] Speaker 1: taking it back to his shelter beneath an old and
[1:48] Speaker 1: rusty metal sheet, determined not to let any of the
[1:52] Speaker 1: other stray dogs see his prize, or even worse, any
[1:57] Speaker 1: of the wilder, bigger animals that might be lurking nearby.
[2:02] Speaker 1: Halfway there, Leot heard a strange sound. It sounded like
[2:07] Speaker 1: a very quiet trumpet. He didn't want to investigate it
[2:11] Speaker 1: because he really wanted to get somewhere safe with his bone,
[2:15] Speaker 1: but the odd sound came again. When he heard it
[2:20] Speaker 1: a third time, Leot just had to see what it was,
[2:24] Speaker 1: even though his stomach growled in protest. He hid the
[2:28] Speaker 1: bone beneath some stones, then began to push through a
[2:32] Speaker 1: patch of dense bushes. The trumpeting sound was coming from
[2:37] Speaker 1: a young elephant. She had her trunk in the air
[2:40] Speaker 1: and was walking in circles, her head swinging back and forth.
[2:46] Speaker 1: Leot had never seen such a young elephant on their
[2:48] Speaker 1: own before. Elephants usually traveled in herds. Apart from large males,
[2:55] Speaker 1: they were very social animals that looked out for one another,
[2:59] Speaker 1: so Why was this one here all on her own?
[3:03] Speaker 1: Leot was unsure what to do. His bone was waiting
[3:07] Speaker 1: for him, But this young elephant looked as if she
[3:10] Speaker 1: might be in trouble. Could he really just leave her here?
[3:15] Speaker 1: It was at that moment that the elephant caught sight
[3:18] Speaker 1: of the dog in the shadows of the leaves. She
[3:21] Speaker 1: stopped her marching, dropped her trunk, and spread her ears.
[3:26] Speaker 1: Who are you, asked the little elephant. I'm Leot, replied
[3:32] Speaker 1: the dog. Are you lost? The elephant nodded, making her
[3:37] Speaker 1: trunk bounce. Yep, I've just lost my family. But it's
[3:42] Speaker 1: all right. That doesn't sound all right, said the concerned dog.
[3:48] Speaker 1: Do you need help? Nope, the elephant replied cheerfully. My
[3:53] Speaker 1: mum told me that if I ever got lost, I'm
[3:56] Speaker 1: to meet her at the lake. Oh well, that's good,
[4:00] Speaker 1: said Leot as he emerged into the light. Can you
[4:04] Speaker 1: remember where this lake is? Of course, said the elephant.
[4:10] Speaker 1: An elephant never forgets. Then why are you walking in
[4:16] Speaker 1: circles here and not at this lake? Leot asked. I
[4:21] Speaker 1: was just trying to remember which way to go, said
[4:24] Speaker 1: the little elephant. I think it's called um. It's called
[4:31] Speaker 1: have you forgotten, Leot asked. No, No, insisted the elephant.
[4:37] Speaker 1: It's on the tip of my tongue. This was frustrating,
[4:42] Speaker 1: thought Leot. He wanted to believe the young elephant would
[4:46] Speaker 1: be fine so that he could get back to his
[4:48] Speaker 1: delicious bone. But despite saying otherwise, she didn't seem to
[4:53] Speaker 1: know what to do or where to go. Maybe I
[4:57] Speaker 1: should help, Leot suggested. Dogs are good at finding things.
[5:02] Speaker 1: Maybe I can help you find this lake. Well, I
[5:07] Speaker 1: suppose that would be all right, said the elephant, somewhat reluctantly.
[5:12] Speaker 1: My name's Elli, by the way. Nice to meet you,
[5:15] Speaker 1: said the dog. Now can you remember anything at all
[5:19] Speaker 1: about where you're supposed to go? Past the date palms
[5:24] Speaker 1: to the sleeping giant, said Elly confidently, I just um
[5:29] Speaker 1: can't remember which way that is, sleeping giant repeated Lyot.
[5:36] Speaker 1: Are you sure, of course? Said Elly. The sleeping giant
[5:42] Speaker 1: lies on his back as he looks at the sky.
[5:45] Speaker 1: That's what my mum told me, I remember, And an
[5:48] Speaker 1: elephant never forgets, all right, said Leot. I know where
[5:54] Speaker 1: there are some date palms. You'd best come with me.
[5:59] Speaker 1: The date palms weren't too far away near the river,
[6:02] Speaker 1: but When they arrived, Leot couldn't see anything that looked
[6:06] Speaker 1: like a sleeping giant. On the river's opposite side, a
[6:11] Speaker 1: tall man was walking by, although he wasn't lying down.
[6:15] Speaker 1: Is that the giant? Asked the dog, No, giggled the elephant.
[6:22] Speaker 1: The giant is sleeping. Remember, I haven't forgotten that part,
[6:26] Speaker 1: because an elephant never forgets. What about along the bank there,
[6:32] Speaker 1: said Leot, indicating where a giraffe stood with her eyes closed,
[6:37] Speaker 1: beneath one of the date palms. No, no, Ellie insisted,
[6:43] Speaker 1: that's a giraffe, not a giant. Do you not know
[6:46] Speaker 1: your animals? They walked beneath the date palms along the
[6:52] Speaker 1: river bank until Ellie called out, there, that's the giant.
[6:57] Speaker 1: She was pointing with her trunk to some large rocks
[7:01] Speaker 1: that lined the river up ahead. Leot squinted, but he
[7:05] Speaker 1: couldn't see the giant. I can't see it, he confessed.
[7:11] Speaker 1: Look at the shape of the rocks, Ellie explained. Leot
[7:15] Speaker 1: took another look, and this time he saw it. The
[7:19] Speaker 1: silhouette of the rocks against the sky looked like a
[7:23] Speaker 1: long human body lying on the ground. He could even
[7:27] Speaker 1: make out the shape of a chin, nose, and forehead.
[7:31] Speaker 1: So the sleeping giant was just some rocks. But I
[7:35] Speaker 1: don't see a lake, just the river. That's because that's
[7:40] Speaker 1: just the first part silly, said Ellie, as if the
[7:43] Speaker 1: fact was obvious. Now we crossed the river to the
[7:47] Speaker 1: bird eating tree. A bird eating tree, Leot repeated. He'd
[7:53] Speaker 1: never heard of such a thing. Yes, a tree that
[7:57] Speaker 1: eats birds, Ellie said, Matt to a factly. Well, if
[8:02] Speaker 1: you say so, said the dog. The pair of them
[8:06] Speaker 1: splashed into the water and swam across the slow moving river,
[8:11] Speaker 1: arriving on a muddy bank. There were lots of trees
[8:14] Speaker 1: around them, but none of them looked as if they
[8:17] Speaker 1: ate birds. But there was a track leading into a forest.
[8:22] Speaker 1: I guess we go this way, then, said Leot. Leot
[8:27] Speaker 1: would stop and ask if a likely looking tree was
[8:30] Speaker 1: the one that ate birds, but Ellie would just giggle,
[8:33] Speaker 1: saying no, no, no, that's a regular tree. We need
[8:38] Speaker 1: a bird eating tree. Are you sure you've got this right, Elly,
[8:43] Speaker 1: Leot asked, Of course, I'm sure, Elly said. An elephant
[8:49] Speaker 1: never forgets. How about this one, said Leot, pointing his
[8:54] Speaker 1: nose towards a tree with a large hole in its
[8:57] Speaker 1: trunk way. Above their heads. Hum, said Elly, thinking carefully
[9:05] Speaker 1: as she thought, A colorful looking bird swept out of
[9:08] Speaker 1: the sky to land on the hole's edge, then disappeared inside.
[9:14] Speaker 1: That's it, she cried, the tree that eats birds. Phew,
[9:21] Speaker 1: said Leot. But I still can't see a lake. That's
[9:25] Speaker 1: because we still have to go past the city, of course,
[9:29] Speaker 1: said Elly. A city, he repeated. Ellie, Citi's are dangerous.
[9:36] Speaker 1: They're no place for animals like us, and the nearest
[9:39] Speaker 1: city is a long long way from here. This one's
[9:44] Speaker 1: not dangerous or far, Ellie insisted. Leat couldn't believe his ears,
[9:51] Speaker 1: but he'd come this far. A second path split away
[9:55] Speaker 1: under the bird eating tree, so they took this one
[9:58] Speaker 1: in search for the city. How many live in this city,
[10:03] Speaker 1: Leot asked. I don't know, said Elly. I've never counted them. Millions.
[10:09] Speaker 1: I guess. I can't believe your herd would make you
[10:13] Speaker 1: go through a city, fretted Leot. Are you sure you're
[10:17] Speaker 1: remembering that right? I'm sure, Elly insisted. An elephant never forgets.
[10:26] Speaker 1: I know, I know, Leot sighed. The path took them
[10:31] Speaker 1: up a steep slope through the trees, and at the
[10:34] Speaker 1: top Leot got the chance to see the landscape before them.
[10:38] Speaker 1: He couldn't see a city anywhere. Surely this time the
[10:42] Speaker 1: little elephant was wrong. The view was quickly swallowed up
[10:47] Speaker 1: by the tree tops once more. As they began to
[10:50] Speaker 1: descend the hills far side, Leot's thoughts were turned to
[10:55] Speaker 1: his bone as his belly grumbled. He was just about
[10:59] Speaker 1: to that the search was hopeless when Ellie shouted, that's
[11:04] Speaker 1: the city. Leot burst out, laughing. It was a tall
[11:09] Speaker 1: termite mound, home to several million termites. Their mound of
[11:15] Speaker 1: dirt stood taller than Ellie. Very good, Leot had to admit.
[11:21] Speaker 1: Try not to squish anyone, said Ellie, Treading carefully as
[11:25] Speaker 1: they passed, And there, just beyond the mound, Leot caught
[11:31] Speaker 1: sight of a beautiful lake below them, its surface glistening.
[11:36] Speaker 1: That's it, Leet said, sounding relieved. We found your meeting spot.
[11:43] Speaker 1: But where's my herd? Ellie asked. They rushed down the
[11:48] Speaker 1: path to the lake's edge, but there wasn't another elephant
[11:52] Speaker 1: in sight. I was certain I'd got it right, Ellie muttered.
[11:58] Speaker 1: Unless is this our summer swimming lake? Or are relaxing
[12:03] Speaker 1: after a storm lake? Ellie? Are you, saying you might
[12:08] Speaker 1: have remembered the way to the wrong lake. Leet said softly,
[12:13] Speaker 1: seeing the elephant was becoming upset, I must be right,
[12:18] Speaker 1: she sniffed. An elephant never forgets, but sometimes we do
[12:24] Speaker 1: get a bit muddled. I shouldn't have helped you come here,
[12:30] Speaker 1: said the dog. We should have stayed in one place
[12:33] Speaker 1: and waited for the herd to find you. All he
[12:37] Speaker 1: wanted was his bone, but somehow he'd ended up with
[12:40] Speaker 1: an elephant. Then from around the lake came a familiar
[12:46] Speaker 1: trumpeting sound. Ma'am, shouted Ellie, breaking into a run. The
[12:52] Speaker 1: elephant heard rushed to surround their missing little one, caressing
[12:57] Speaker 1: and touching her with their trunks. Leot kept his distance,
[13:02] Speaker 1: wary of all those large bodies and heavy feet. Thank
[13:07] Speaker 1: you for helping Elly find us again, said Elly's mother
[13:11] Speaker 1: after hearing the tail. I'm glad to have helped. The
[13:15] Speaker 1: dog replied with a smile. Well, we won't forget your
[13:19] Speaker 1: kindness in a hurry. The elephant replied, I know, nodded Leot.
[13:26] Speaker 1: You elephants never forget. Waving their trunks good bye, The
[13:31] Speaker 1: herd moved away, with Ellie shouting I'll never forget you.
[13:36] Speaker 1: This time, Leot was certain that she wouldn't. It was
[13:41] Speaker 1: a long walk back to his buried bone, and he
[13:44] Speaker 1: spent the entire time worrying it had been found and
[13:47] Speaker 1: taken by another animal. But luckily for Leot it was
[13:51] Speaker 1: still there, so later that evening, beneath his old metal sheet,
[13:57] Speaker 1: he got to work on chewing the bone. There's not
[14:01] Speaker 1: a lot of meat on a bone, certainly not enough
[14:04] Speaker 1: to fill the belly of a small brown dog. So
[14:07] Speaker 1: early the next morning Leot was up and out again
[14:11] Speaker 1: in search of food. He found very little, and didn't
[14:15] Speaker 1: do much better the day after that. On the third day,
[14:20] Speaker 1: he returned to his den feeling hungry, miserable, and more
[14:24] Speaker 1: alone than he'd ever felt until he saw the sack.
[14:30] Speaker 1: It was the largest sack of dog food Leot had
[14:33] Speaker 1: ever laid eyes on, and it had been pushed under
[14:36] Speaker 1: the gap beneath the old, rusty tin sheet. Where did
[14:41] Speaker 1: it come from? He whispered to himself. As he crept forward,
[14:46] Speaker 1: his sensitive nose picked up the distinct smell of the elephants.
[14:52] Speaker 1: It must have been them that had brought him this
[14:54] Speaker 1: large reward. The elephants had said they wouldn't forget him
[15:00] Speaker 1: and here was the proof. Animal facts. Stray dogs, sometimes
[15:10] Speaker 1: called free ranging dogs, are dogs that don't live with
[15:13] Speaker 1: a human family. It's thought that in India alone there
[15:17] Speaker 1: are sixty two million dogs living this way. Across the globe,
[15:22] Speaker 1: the total is close to one billion. There are many
[15:27] Speaker 1: animal charities and organizations working to help these dogs and
[15:31] Speaker 1: to stop them from becoming a bigger problem. You can
[15:35] Speaker 1: help the next time you're thinking of getting a dog
[15:38] Speaker 1: by rehoming a dog from a shelter rather than getting
[15:42] Speaker 1: one from a breeder. Baby elephants have a lot of
[15:46] Speaker 1: work to do once they're born. Within just twenty minutes,
[15:50] Speaker 1: their mother will have helped them to stand and they
[15:52] Speaker 1: can be walking in as little as an hour later.
[15:56] Speaker 1: This allows the herd to stay on the move. Thank
[16:00] Speaker 1: you for your suggestions, Ellie and leot. We hope you
[16:04] Speaker 1: enjoyed the story, and thank you to all of you
[16:06] Speaker 1: across the world for listening to it. Remember if you
[16:11] Speaker 1: prefer your stories advert free, then please consider our premium
[16:15] Speaker 1: service through Apple or Supercaste for a tiny fee. The
[16:19] Speaker 1: stories are advert free. Join us next time for another
[16:24] Speaker 1: great animal tell good bye,

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