Elephant House
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- $30.99
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- $30.99
Publisher Description
In Elephant House, photographer Dick Blau and historian Nigel Rothfels offer a thought-provoking study of the Oregon Zoo’s Asian Elephant Building and the daily routines of its residents—human and pachyderm alike. Without an agenda beyond a desire to build a deeper understanding of this enigmatic environment, Elephant House is the result of the authors’ unique creative collaboration and explores the relationships between captive elephants and their human caregivers.
Blau’s evocative photographs are complex and challenging, while Rothfels’s text offers a scholarly and personal response to the questions that surround elephants and captivity. Elephant House does not take sides in the debate over zoos but focuses instead on the bonds of attentiveness between the animals and their keepers. Accompanied by a foreword from retired elephant keeper Mike Keele, Elephant House is a frank, fascinating look at the evolving world of elephant husbandry.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Readers looking to be regaled with magnificent photographs of elephants having a grand time as they luxuriate in their digs will be surprised and even a bit disillusioned by this photographic essay from photographer Blau and animal historian Rothfels, as they document the daily lives of elephants in the Asian Elephant Building at the Oregon Zoo. Though the authors state that the photographs reflect no agenda regarding animal captivity, one can't help feeling saddened by the images of these magnificent creatures confined to small spaces built with steel bars and concrete. A few images depict the elephants seeming to enjoy the attention of their keepers, and a series of still life photos of the building's office space adorned in elephant memorabilia depicts the staff's dedication to the species. However, most of the photographs catch the pachyderms staring off into the distance, huddled together with heads lowered, or lumbering on sawdust in jail-like chambers, which evokes a state of gloom. The sense of sadness one has after gazing upon these images certainly leaves a lasting impression.
