The Elephant Whisperer - Book Review

One of the books that I wanted to read this year was The Elephant Whisperer - My Life with the Herd in the African Wild. Lawrence Anthony, the author, was asked to accept a rogue herd of elephants on Thula Thula, his reserve in South Africa.

If he did not take the elephants, they would be shot. Yet, he didn't have experience with elephants - much less with ones with behavior problems.

He ended up taking the elephants, and dealing with a variety of experiences - from challenges; triumphs and progress; new life; and death.

This books gave me a lot of insight into the minds and personalities of elephants; their sheer strength and determination; and the bond they have as a family and with humans they trust.

The start of the book started a bit slowly. However, as the story progressed and the elephants were beginning to trust Lawrence, it was interesting to learn about their personalities, interactions with one another, and how they accept (or don't accept) humans based on their intentions.

One of the many interesting chapters dealt with how the elephant herd dealt with a fire at the reserve. The matriarch of the herd led them all to a watering pool which they waded in to stay cool and safe as the fire approached them. They would take up water in their trunks and spray their bodies to stay cool. The author was checking on them and followed the matriarch's lead. By following her behaviors, he and his dog also were able to make it through the fire.

Like people, elephants have a certain "personal boundary space" around them. Each elephant's space is different. The smaller the elephant, the less confident they are and, therefore, they demand more space around them. A mother and a newborn baby need the most space of all.

When they each, they pluck up grass in clumps and then tap it on their knees to dislodge soil from the roots. They are fussy about what they eat; and will check the scent of each plant before deciding if they want to eat it.

Elephants communicate with their eyes, trunk, rumblings, subtle body movements, and attitude. As the author said, "Whether it is a pet dog or a wild elephant, communication is not so much about the reach as it is about the acknowledgment....If you are not letting them know that their communication has reached you, if you don't acknowledge it somehow there can be no communication."

An elephant's trunk pulses with about fifty thousand muscles. I had no idea there were that many in the trunk!

There were two especially sad parts in the book. One was when a baby elephant's feet had been deformed when it was born. Despite the encouragement and persistence of the herd, there was nothing they could do to help it. The staff was able to intervene and progress looked promising. However, it was not meant to be. The baby elephant died. The author said, "The elephant's cheerful ways and her refusal to surrender until the end had inspired everyone. She had shown us how life could be joyous, despite pain. How it could be meaningful even if it was short. Thula had shown us how life should be lived for the moment."

The author died in 2012 and the elephants continue to bring their babies to an area near where he lived even though he no longer is alive.

His legacy is that  he changed people's perception of elephants outside the perimeters of conservation. He encouraged people who said, "I can't" that they can. He believed that people should get involved, join conservation movements that actually do something rather than relying on media gimmickry; lobby local government officials; and plant trees. Most important, just go outside and look and breathe.

As Graham Spence, who wrote the postscript in the book said, "Wilderness is not somewhere out there. It's in your soul."