The Elephant Whisperer: Learning About Life, Loyalty and Freedom From a Remarkable Herd of Elephants

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This book gave me a more in depth look at their family structure, their intelligence and how they conducted themselves in many situations, while also detailing the issues that Anthony faced on a daily basis with the care of these strong wild mammoth creatures. He was an international member of the esteemed Explorers Club of New York and a member of the National Council of the Southern Africa Association for the Advancement of Science, South Africa's oldest scientific association.

The message comes through loud and clear, that to truly protect any life form is to protect all by living in respectful coexistence with all life forms in the natural world model of life fueled by life. Fascinating memoir of the adventurous life of wildlife conservationist Lawrence Anthony, head of Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand, Kwa-Zulu Natal province, South Africa. It covers interactions with a wide range of other wildlife, including the leopard, hyena, kudu, lion, rhino, cape buffalo, crocodile, and more. The audio narration by Simon Vance is wonderful, and earned a Audie Award for Biography/Memoir in 2014.Lawrence describes various other wildlife like crocodiles, vultures, rhinos, cobras, buffalos, cheetahs etc. The refusal to anthropomorphize the animals brings the story to the reader in a realistic way - nature can be beautiful and ugly, and it is certainly amoral. I read that the author of this book recently passed away and that the elephants he interacted with for many years instinctively traveled a very long way on foot over many, many miles to come and visit him at the place where he passed away. His previous title, Babylon's Ark, about his involvement in saving the animals in Baghdad Zoo, is being made into a major film.

Following his death, there were reports that some of the elephants he worked to save came to his family's home in accordance with the way elephants usually mourn the death of one of their own. Okay, part of this book with learning about the intelligence of the elephants And how much they cared for they're own. When you’re feeling down and out and defeated and ready to give up, read this inspiring book and share it widely with others. It shows how humans and animals can form close bonds and how animals communicate in ways we do not always understand. Through low rumblings in the stomach they not only communicate with the immediate herd, but the sounds can also travel through their feet into the ground and send signals to other herds, up to 10 kilometers away, telling them where a watering hole is located, for example.Reading this book provides food for thought in every chapter, though some will stop the reader cold. For example, there are stories of trying to herd a mfezi (Mozambican spitting cobra) out of his and his wife’s bedroom and an escaping cape buffalo that chases one of the reserve staff around a vehicle.

This is the story of how he developed a special relationship with these animals to help them get over their belligerent dealings with humans. Yet, in this book I was also amazed by the cognitive processes of the wildlife, especially the elephants.A model citizen, husband and friend to both animal and humans, this is a must read if care about humanity. If he refuses the request, all the elephants will be killed as they are causing lot of damages to the owner. They key to both Anthony's success is raising this herd and in writing this book is that he does not anthropomorphize these animals that he loves. This is a beautifully written story of perseverance, patience, understanding, loyalty, and love that is hard to put down.