When I was a baby, my family knew how much I loved animals from the very beginning. Instead of Barbies, my favorite toys were stuffed animals. At the zoo, while other kids would chase and scream at the birds, I would gingerly try to pick them up.

Growing up, I lived with my grandparents in 'Alewa Heights. Grandpa loved gardening. In his backyard, there were bonsai trees, lilies and pagodas. The plants attracted many insects, which made it such a fun place to be.

At a year old, Grandpa and I went "mushi hunting" (mushi means 'insect' in Japanese) every morning. To my delight, we would see ladybugs, grasshoppers and butterflies. As soon as I'd see a bug, I'd point and scream "mushi," causing Grandpa to laugh because he knew how much I loved spotting them. Thinking back, he looked forward to our daily "mushi hunting" as much as I did.

Grandpa and I share a special story about "Toto."

My mother loves to tell the story of Grandpa and I going to Star Market daily at the Kamehameha Shopping Center to see a baby elephant.

I was only 2 and Grandpa and I went every day to the market to see the baby elephant. I called the elephant "Toto" and from then on, Star Market was affectionately called "Toto Market" even when I got older.

Even as an adult, Grandpa would reminisce, smiling, "You insisted to see Toto every day so I would make up an excuse to go the market."

Looking in The Advertiser's archives, there was actually an elephant on display at Star Market for a short time. In a July 1966 story, The Advertiser reported the Thai elephant was only 6 months old and 3 feet tall. She drank 16 quarts of milk per day and would wave palm fronds at visitors.

The baby elephant was eventually given as a gift from Star Market to the zoo in a public ceremony.

She was named "Hokulani" by 9-year-old Suzanne Chun-Ming, who won the right to name the elephant in a contest.

If I had a chance to name this elephant, her name wouldn't be Hokulani.

Animal lover Leslie Kawamoto has been with the Advertiser for 18 years, or 133 in dog years. Check out her blog at http://HonoluluAdvertiser.com/Blogs.