It’s working beautifully. Today, when I drive past the herd, Nana and Frankie may still approach me. I will always have that special relationship with them. Nandi, Mabula, Marula and Mandla and of course ET also still know me; although they acknowledge my presence and still may come forward behind Nana they do so with greater reservation.
But the youngsters ignore me as I do them. Totally. I am an outsider. The relationships I had with their grandmothers will never be repeated. They will have no direct contact with humans whatsoever – not with me, nor my rangers. And that’s the way it should be.
They are going to grow up just as I wanted my original group to. Wild. If there is one thing I disapprove of it’s the unnatural capture and taming of wild animals, whether an elephant or a bird.
To me, the only good cage is an empty cage.
acknowledgements
To Mom for a lifetime of encouragement, Jason, Dylan and Tanny for their care, and for my wonderful grandsons Ethan and Brogan, Gavin, Mandy, ‘The Chosen One’, Jackie, and Laurie and Wilkie from Cambodia. Terrie, Paul, Cameron, and Graham for his insight and skill. The Malby family. Hilary and Grant. Jonno and Stan for fun friendships, and refusing to agree on anything, ever. Nkosi Nkanyiso Biyela for his wisdom, Ben and the Ngubane family for their wonderful friendship, Nkosi Phiwayinkosi Chakide Biyela for his foresight and leadership. Barbara, Yvette and all the Earth Org staff for taking up the challenge. Ian Raper for his leadership. Mehdy and the Zarrabeni family, Dave Cooper the game rangers’ game ranger. Bella. Elmien. Marion Garai. The Bruwer boys. Mabona, Vusi, Ngwenya, Bheki, Bonisiwe, Biyela, Zelda, Brigitte and all the incredible Thula Thula staff. David and Brendan for being there and doing it, and to Peter Joseph, Ingrid Connell, and Lisa Hagan for their confidence and support.
ALSO BY LAWRENCE ANTHONY WITH GRAHAM SPENCE
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Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo
THE ELEPHANT WHISPERER. Copyright © 2009 by Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth
Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
www.stmartins.com
First published in Great Britain by Sidgwick & Jackson, an imprint of Pan Macmillan Ltd
eISBN 9781429986458
First eBook Edition : April 2011
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Anthony, Lawrence.
The elephant whisperer : my life with the herd in the
African wild / Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence.—
1st U.S. ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-312-56578-7
1. African elephant—Conservation—South Africa—Zululand. 2. Wildlife refuges—South Africa—Zululand. 3. Anthony, Lawrence—Homes and haunts. 4. Wildlife conservationists—South Africa—Zululand. I. Spence, Graham. II. Title.
QL737.P98A58 2009
599.67’409684—dc22
2009023815
