Troubled times for a boy named Sue at a local game reserve

There’s an old song by country and western legend Johnny Cash about the trials and tribulations of a boy whose father named him ‘Sue’.

Targeted by mockers and ridiculers, he was forced to fight his way to toughness.

On a game reserve on the outskirts of Empangeni is an elephant that has suffered a similar fate – but without any of the humour attached to the song.

The pachyderm was born in 2014 and was named after Susanne Bandholm Simonsen, a very dear guest and friend of the Thula Thula community.

After having discovered some time later that the female was in fact a male, a decision was made to retain ‘her’ name, Sue.

Like his C&W namesake, the poor elephant has been unable to stay out of trouble not of his own making.

Within the first year of his life, his left ear got caught in a snare.

Thanks to a veterinarian, the snare was removed but half the ear was lost.

The remaining portion healed well but poachers would again strike and this time it was Sue’s trunk that was ensnared.

He lost the tip of his trunk, effectively the ‘fingers’, but again fought through the pain and adversity and learned to adapt.

Today he walks proudly among the herd and, while the vigilant anti-poaching unit appears to have all but limited the dangers of snares, the worry now is the increased number of guns being carried and used by poachers.

• By the way, if you’re not familiar with the song, do yourself a favour and look it up on YouTube: ‘A boy named Sue’.

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