A SURPRISE READ

This book was a surprise.   I wasn't going to read it because the interest did not lie within me.   Elephants in South Africa?    Who would want to learn about such a thing in a place I have no curiosity about?   Or an animal that in no way intrigues me?    I soon found out the writing became spectacular and the fascination of an elephant became captivating.

The elephants in this book live in a reserve called Thula Thula run by Lawrence Anthony in Zululand.  "They have broken out of their prior homes numbers of times and have been deemed unruly and dangerous".   Lawrence takes up residence with the elephants and the matriarch of the herd, Nana, begins to trust him.

The herd breaks out of the reserve which Lawrence then decides to forge ahead with methods to rehabilitate the traumatized and mistrustful elephants.   He becomes their friend and the book describes their relationship and the poaching  problem that is presented.   

I looked further into African elephants, finding astonishing facts about them:
1) They evolved about 80 million years ago.
2) Their eyesight is relatively poor and they can only see short distances.
3) Despite a heavy body, they can run at speeds of over 25-40 kph.
4) They have the best hearing capabilities in all the animal kingdom.
5) Elephants get sunburned easily, so they protect themselves with sand.
6) They usually sleep 3 to 5 hours daily.
7) There are no natural predators to these animals except humans.
8) Their ears help them to cool down in hot climates.
9) Elephants have been known to learn up to 60 commands.
There are many more facts, but I found these to be rather interesting.

I couldn't put this book down.   Many of my friends have vacationed in Africa and all seem to want to return.   After reading this story and doing a bit of research, I need to talk further with those friends.