Love, Life, and Elephants - by Daphne Sheldrick (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Astonishing...You may be tempted after the last page to sell all your possessions and join [Sheldrick's] cause."--The Boston Globe

The first person to successfully raise newborn elephants, Dame Daphne Sheldrick has saved countless African animals from certain death. In this indelible and deeply heartfelt memoir, Daphne tells of her remarkable career as a conservationist and introduces us to a whole host of orphans--including Bushy, a liquid-eyed antelope, and the majestic elephant Eleanor. Yet she also shares the incredible human story of her relationship with David Sheldrick, the famous Tsavo National Park warden whose death inspired the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the orphans' nursery, where Daphne works to this day. From her tireless campaign to preserve Kenya's wildlife to the astonishing creatures she befriended along the way, Love, Life, and Elephants is alive with compassion and humor, providing rare insight into the life of one of the world's most fascinating women.

Review Quotes

"Sheldrick has bottle-fed baby elephants, donned cricket gear to ward off charging baby rhinos, and shared bathtubs with dikdiks...What shines through is her authentic love for the land and its creatures....[She] herself is a rare bird." --More

"A remarkable portrait of the Sheldricks' love and life's work." --People

"A sometimes harrowing memoir of Sheldrick's years as a conservationist devoted to saving orphan elephants and fighting against poaching...Riveting." --Whole Living

"If Dame Daphne hadn't already been honored by the Queen of England, I would personally lobby on her behalf. This extraordinary woman has saved hundreds of orphaned baby elephants....She can write, too." --Smithsonian

"An enchanting memoir...Sheldrick and her pioneering game warden husband David have often been ahead of science in their understanding of African wildlife. Five stars." --The Daily Telegraph (London)

"Engaging...Dame Daphne Sheldrick has led a truly extraordinary life." --Women's Wear Daily

"Love, Life and Elephants has an animal population big and personable enough to fill a zoo." --Janet Maslin, The New York Times summer reading list

"[Sheldrick] gives a lyrical yet droll voice to her rollicking life in Kenya, where she has spent more than 50 years rehabilitating orphaned wildlife...[A] rich memoir." --Publishers Weekly

"In this highly personal autobiography, [Sheldrick] recounts a lifetime of fostering orphan mammals, reptiles, and birds while raising a family and helping her valiant husband develop Kenya's national parks in an era of political turmoil and rampant poaching. Filled with eyewitness accounts of African conservation, astute wildlife observations, and a touching love story, Sheldrick's book will delight nature-loving readers." --Rick Roche, Booklist

"Heartfelt...fascinating." --Kirkus Reviews

"[Love, Life, and Elephants] is both an incredible memoir of a life and two romances. The first of these blossoms when the young author moves to Tsavo with her first husband and falls head over heels for the park and its famous warden, David Sheldrick. The second love story follows Daphne and David as they devote their lives to rescuing baby elephants from poachers and finding homes for orphan elephants, all the while campaigning against the ever-present threat of the ivory trade." --GQ (UK)

About the Author

Dame Daphne Sheldrick is a Kenyan author, conservationist, and expert in animal husbandry, particularly the raising and reintegrating of orphaned elephants into the wild. From 1955 to 1976, Sheldrick was co-warden of Kenya's Tsavo National Park.