Serengeti

This blog entry differs strongly from my previous ones. It’s personal, not political. It’s also humorous so you may want to read it even if you didn’t know my father.
I came upon this letter recently, more than 10 years after it was written and 9 years after his death. I just had to giggle reading this story. He did have a strange sense of humor and I think mine is not that different.

Email written by my father, Carlos Hagelberg, on Friday, Aug. 1st, 1997 to my brother John Serengeti Let us look at the Serengeti Plain. A herd of elephants is being led by the dominant male to water. In that watermelon sized brain rests the wisdom of the ages. He knows every spot of water within a thousand miles. They come upon a dry riverbed and he leads them to a low spot where he digs a hole and down one foot is water. The herd is saved. Now we see storm clouds gathering and a few drops fall on the cracked mud. Presently a flash flood of mud pushing a thicket of debris comes upon them and a lake is formed. The elephants now grown to a hundred play, no, frolic in the muddy water. We see a baby's trunk above the water with mother watching over. The elephants leave and then the big cats, the gazelles, wildebeests, and wart hogs and all arrive in turn. There is no hunting, no fighting, no competition, just drinking. And the last to come is the regal giraffe. He seems to want to avoid wetting his feet. He stands close to the edge and spreads his legs so they and the ground form an equilateral triangle. Even then he must kink his knees a little to get his snout in the water. One is struck by the ease with which the elephant can drink and the difficulty facing the giraffe Can something be done? Being an engineer and the consummate problem solver, I have designed a twenty gallon elevated water trough. It stands eight feet, four and three quarters of an inch high and is filled by a small electric pump, powered by a photovoltaic solar panel. At the base of the stand is a small basin which collects the overflow water and is one foot above the ground. It will serve mammals of lesser stance including man. One hundred of these units will be required, strategically placed throughout the plain. They can be manufactured for $489.00 each. I see no way to fund this project but to go to the people. I have therefor created a nonprofit foundation called "Save the Giraffe". I am very dedicated to this project and have decided to volunteer as its director for a fee of one dollar per year. I will supervise the construction, testing, delivery and installation of these units. In addition, I will determine appropriate sites and obtain the necessary permits from the local governmens. Five Land Rovers with a crew of twenty will be required to determine the sites and perform the installations. The entire project will require 18 months and cost $246,000.00. I see no insurmountable problems and the appeal to save the giraffe is undeniable. The urgency of this action must be apparent to all, so get out your checkbooks. Make your contributions payable to "Save the Giraffe Foundation" 3129 Via La Selva, Palos Verdes Estates, California 90274.