The Elephant Whisperer (Young Readers Adaptation): My Life with the Herd in the African Wild

By Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence

When Lawrence Anthony was asked to accept a rogue herd of elephants in his reserve in South Africa, it was the last chance for these elephants. If Anthony didn’t take them, they would be shot. But he had no experience with elephants at all. What was he to do?

Take them on, of course!

What follows is an exciting and heartwarming series of adventures, in which Anthony learns about elephants and becomes part of their family. Full of both triumph and tragedy, The Elephant Whisperer, is a fascinating and unforgettable account of living with the majestic elephant.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Oct 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9781627793100

Lawrence Anthony

Lawrence Anthony was a highly-respected conservationist and co-founder of The Earth Organization, an international environmental group. He is the author of The Elephant Whisperer, about his time with a herd of 'rogue' elephants, and Babylon's Ark, about his involvement in saving the animals in Baghdad Zoo, and The Last Rhinos, detailing his involvement in rescuing the remaining Northern White Rhinos in the Congo. He sadly died in 2012.

Reviews for The Elephant Whisperer (Young Readers Adaptation)

[tytania-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Snapshots from his efforts to introduce a small herd of wild "problem" elephants into his South African game reserve. My experiences with "problem" goats had me relating very much to many of these incidents; sympathizing wholeheartedly with members rejected by the herd and babies born deformed; and seeing the same emotions and smarts we attribute to ourselves in our fellow mammals. We're all cut from the same cloth. Anthony's descriptions of 'communicating' with his herd do not devolve into the unbelievable or anthropomorphizing - though many of his brink-of-disaster stories do sound almost unbelievable; still, I feel they were too crazy for someone to have risked making up. His descriptions of the Zulus who inhabit the country with him are fairly even-handed; they are portrayed as individuals, but it's always a fine line, and they do always feel a bit "other".Anthony develops relationships with this herd because they come to him with problems that must be overcome - they need to learn to trust him and accept his reserve as their new home. Ultimately, though, the saddest part of the book is the end where we are reminded rather suddenly that Anthony is really running a game reserve, not a petting zoo. His reserve is a place for wild animals to live wild. Thus, he develops no relationships with the newer additions to the elephant family. Presumably he does not even give names to the new babies anymore. That felt sad, but right.

[shazjhb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book. Love elephants and these were the star of the story. Will visit Thula Thula

[heatherlinc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An inspiring, true-story of one man's determination to save a herd of troubled elephants and set up a reserve where they could roam proud and free, safe from poachers. Having caught a glimpse of this fascinating life earlier this year, I admire Anthony's (and his conservationist friends') commitment to saving Africa's wildlife. This book made me laugh and cry as I read about Nana, Frankie, Mnamzane, baby Thula, E.T. and all the other elephants in the herd. A little slow in places but overall, a wonderful, heart-warming read.

[liscarey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lawrence Anthony (1950-2012) was a South African conservationist and the long-time head of the Thula Thula game preserve. Dedicated to the preservation of all African wildlife, his rescue of a "troublesome" elephant herd that was about to be shot lead to a particularly close connection to elephants.

This book covers the time from that first phone call asking him if he wanted a herd of elephants who kept breaking out of their current home and making trouble. Common sense said he should refuse, but saying no would mean the deaths of all nine elephants. He said yes.

We follow the scramble to get ready for the elephants, the shock of learning that the herd matriarch and her youngest daughter had been shot anyway, the elephants' breakout from their holding pen almost immediately on arrival. Anthony battles crisis after crisis, including the discovery that his own staff of guards are involved in poaching, while slowly and painstakingly building a relationship with the new matriarch, Nana, and getting the traumatized herd to recover and accept their new home. Over the nest several years, there is both success and heartbreak, for Anthony and the elephants.

Anthony tells an absorbing story, with humor and insight as well as the wide-ranging emotions that often accompany dealing with the highly intelligent, badly traumatized, five-ton elephants. This is a story well worth your time.

Highly recommended.

I bought this book.

[tigsw · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a beautiful story acknowledging the wisdom and knowledge of this wonderful herd of elephants but, more broadly, wild creatures in general. It was balanced, never overly emotional, and highly respectful of the animals it was written about.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Audio book narrated by Simon Vance

The subtitle says it all: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild
Opening lines to Prologue: In 1999, I was asked to accept a herd of troubled wild elephants on my game reserve. I had no inkling of the escapades and adventures I was about to embark upon. I had no idea how challenging it would be or how much my life would be enriched.

This is a fine memoir of the author’s experiences. Anthony is a conservationist and works tirelessly to preserve the wild animals on his reserve and elsewhere. I was enthralled by his stories of this time. While the elephants are certainly central to the tale, he also includes details of the Zulu culture in post-apartheid South Africa, information about other endangered species (White Rhino especially), and even a tidbit on his work to save the animals at the Baghdad Zoo as Sadam Hussein’s regime fell. There is plenty of humor as well as harrowing danger, but what really comes across is his deep love of these magnificent animals. The story of Mnumzane (the bull elephant) just about broke my heart. Eight pages of color photographs are included in the paperback.

The audio book is narrated by Simon Vance, who is rapidly becoming one of my favorite audio performers. His facility with various accents, as well as his acting ability really breathes life into the story. I felt as if I were sitting by a campfire in the bush, hearing Anthony recount his adventures.

[cynthiasgarden · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

excellent story, very interesting. Author has wildlife preserve in Africa and took in herd of rogue elephants, learns their behavior and communication ways

[stbalbach_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My initial expectations for The Elephant Whisperer didn't reach beyond a sentimental animal-lover-book (eg. "Marley and Me") super-sized to elephant scale, but it turned out to be much more. Anthony, a native-born (white) African, owns and runs a game reserve and lodge in South Africa. In the book he describes daily scenes and incidents filled with danger and excitement from poachers, restless local tribes, snakes, crocks, storms - and at the center his attempt to bond with a small herd of troubled wild elephants he took in who otherwise would have been shot because of their rogue nature. The "whispering" isn't mystical, Anthony describes how animals communicate through eyes and tone and other methods so it is possible to establish a rapport. His descriptions of Africa to the point I felt transported and became lost in the book, it left a strong impression. I loved the book and was saddened to learn Anthony died in 2012, but look forward to the films (of this book and others) that may be forthcoming. Lawrence Anthony is as rare as the animals he seeks to preserve, the world lost a brave conservationist.

[econnick_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Anthony's story is one that, above all, shows respect for nature. I've always been an elephant lover and this book only reinforced that love. Its descriptions and stories about this herd and their struggles make them feel like family. If anything, it made me want to pack my bags and go exploring in Thula Thula. His persistence and faith in these animals teaches a moral lesson as well. His storytelling and the way he organized the book made me never want to hear the end. While it would be difficult to implement into a Literature class on a large scale, it is a book I would definitely reccommend to students who enjoy travel, elephants, South Africa, etc.

[travelledguy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable book to read.

[splinfo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm just fascinated by elephants and was completely drawn in by Anthony's account of the day to day happenings on the game reserve. Amazing details of becoming acquainted with a rogue herd and understanding their interactions. Definitely recommended to animal lovers and travelers. KH

[katyefk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful book on the connection of humans and elephants in the wild of Africa. Having just returned from safaris and being surrounded by herds of elephants in our vehicles, this book told the story exactly as we experienced the bush.

[mb_622615 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Besides it being a beautiful account of the interaction between the author and the ' difficult ' elephants, it gives you an insight into the life on a game reserve in S.A. I really enjoyed this book.

[ellenh_28 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

loved this book! Anthony's stories of his life after accepting a rouge herd of elephants into his Zululand Reserve are beautiful, frightening and a great read. I'd heard bits of it on Chapter a Day and wanted to read the rest of the story.

[dannn_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An amazing account of one man's relationship with a herd of malevolent elephants. This is a rare insight into the intelligence of animals and how communication can be established between man and beast.I enjoyed this narrative immensely.

[rosies_38 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

educational; pretentious; what was the purpose for writing the book? to bring tourists? did he interact with the elephants for too long?

[debbie13410 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A big hearted South African who loves the animals of the wild buys a wildlife reserve and provides a safe refuge for these animals. The biggest (literally) was a herd of 7 elephants who only wanted to escape. This is there story. Great read.

[bangerlm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful story that demonstrates how much there is still yet to learn about our world. If more people could show the amount of empathy Anthony showed to the elephants, to each other, and to animal kind I think the world would be a lovelier place to live.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Such an incredible story. Parts of it broke my heart, but I have a soft spot for anything with animals. The connection he has with the rescued elephant herd is a powerful thing. I appreciated that he never forgets they are powerful animals, even when they are close.

[tanu · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An amazing read and heartbraking at the end. very inspiring

[librarycin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.5 starsLawrence Anthony bought a game reserve in South Africa and shortly after, rescued a herd of troublemaking elephants. He was able to calm them down and even befriend them. As the elephants become more well-behaved, his reserve grew with more and more wildlife and stories (good and bad, including poaching, a common threat) on the reserve. I loved most of this! I listened to the audio, and did lose interest a few times, mostly during parts that weren’t about the animals, and I ended up sobbing as I walked from my work to the train listening at the end of the book!