An Elephant in My Kitchen
What the Herd Taught Me about Love, Courage and Survival
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4.7 • 37 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
"The most magical book about the African bush since Born Free." Daily Mail
A blonde, chic Parisienne, Françoise never expected to find herself living on a South African game reserve. But when she fell in love with renowned conservationist Lawrence Anthony her life took an unexpected turn. Lawrence died in 2012 and Françoise was left to face the tough reality of running Thula Thula without him, even though she knew very little about conservation. She was short on money, poachers were threatening their rhinos, and one of their elephants was charging Land Rovers on game drives and terrifying guests. There was no time to mourn when Thula Thula's human and animal family were depending on her.
How Françoise survived and Thula Thula thrived is beautifully described in this charming, funny and poignant book. Their elephant herd, rescued by Lawrence, shared Françoise's grief at his passing but over time forged a new relationship with her. One day a baby, Tom, became separated from the herd and found his way into Françoise's kitchen. Another day there was a desperate race against time to save a baby who had a snare wrapped round his face and couldn't open his mouth to suckle.
Meanwhile Françoise fulfilled her dream of building a rescue centre for orphaned rhinos and other wildlife. Abandoned hippo baby Charlie, who hated water, joined the centre's rhinos and quickly became best friends with a little girl rhino called Makhosi. The traumatised babies had round the clock care, including an unlikely nursemaid in the form of a German Shepherd called Duma. If you loved Lawrence's The Elephant Whisperer, or just want to spend time with some very special animals, then you won't want to miss this sparkling book.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this enchanting sequel to the late conservationist Lawrence Anthony's 2012 memoir, The Elephant Whisperer, his widow, Malby-Anthony, recounts how she carried on protecting elephants and rhinos after his death. She explains how such an unlikely couple she was once a "city girl" and "Parisian through and through"; he, an adventurous and "passionate visionary" met and, in 1998, founded the Thula Thula game preserve in his native South Africa. Animal lovers will be swept up in Malby-Anthony's narrative early on, when she describes an elephant herd's grief at Lawrence's death. Previously involved chiefly in the preserve's business affairs, Malby-Anthony begins caring for the animals after Lawrence's death, and, among other things, must navigate the passage of power from one elephant matriarch to another and attempt to comfort a calf with a missing mother. Malby-Anthony shares lighthearted moments a young hippo following a terrified local man "like a baby duck"; an attention-seeking elephant calf given to twerking along with heartbreaking observations on the toll exacted by poachers. Contrasting human depredations to how elephants "coexist... with endless respect and love for each other," Malby-Anthony offers a book of great inspiration and wide appeal to nature-loving readers.)
