Final answer:
In a fictional story, a young elephant's short nose was stretched into a long trunk after a tussle over water with a monkey. The story draws parallel to the respect for elephants shown in Bharti Kher's artwork and the Cederberg Caves rock art, illustrating the importance of elephants in culture and history.
Step-by-step explanation:
Once upon a time, in a lush African savanna, there lived a young elephant with a very short nose. Unlike other animals, it couldn’t reach the fruits high up on the trees or cool itself with splashes of water. One day, during a scorching drought, a wise old elephant told the young one about a secret spring hidden amidst the rocks. Desperate for water, the young elephant went searching and found the spring guarded by a mischievous monkey. In an attempt to drink, the elephant’s nose got caught when the monkey hastily tried to prevent him, stretching it out remarkably. After the tussle, to the elephant's surprise, the stretched nose became more useful, allowing it to reach high branches, swat flies, and shower itself. The other elephants admired this and soon, they all found ways to elongate their noses, thus giving rise to the trunk we recognize today.
The story mirrors the imaginative works of great artists. In Bharti Kher's The Skin Speaks, a language not its own, the elephant is a revered creature. Similarly, the rock art in the Cederberg Caves depicts a connection between humans and elephants, showing how intertwined animal fables and reality have been through history.