Elephant destiny : biography of an endangered species in Africa
For thousands of years, the majestic elephant has roamed the African continent, as beloved by man as it has been preyed upon. But centuries of exploitation and ivory hunting have taken their toll: now, as wars and poachers continue to ravage its habitat, as disease and political strife deflect attention from its plight, the African elephant faces imminent extinction. What will become of these magnificent beasts' As the elephant's future looms ever darker, Martin Meredith's concise and richly illustrated biography traces the elephant's history from the first ivory expeditions of the Egyptian pharaohs 2500 years ago to today, exploring along the way the indelible imprint the African elephant has made in art, literature, culture, and society. He shares recent extraordinary discoveries about the elephant's sophisticated family and community structure and reveals the remarkable ways in which elephants show compassion and loyalty to each other. Elegant, illuminating, and urgent, Elephant Destiny offers a beautiful and important tribute to one of earth's most magisterial creatures at the very moment it threatens to vanish from being
1 online resource (ix, 244 pages)
9780786728381, 0786728388
814246078
""Contents""; ""Acknowledgements""; ""1. Manyara""; ""2. The Land of Punt""; ""3. Arms and the Elephant""; ""4. Roman Games""; ""5. Protégés of the Gods""; ""6. The Elephants� Graveyard""; ""7. Nature�s Masterpiece""; ""8. Footholds on the Coast""; ""9. The Cape of Death""; ""10. Zanzibar�s Tune""; ""11. The Khartoum Run""; ""12. Heart of Darkness""; ""13. Rivers of Ivory""; ""14. Jumbo and Friends""; ""15. Safe Havens""; ""16. Ancestors""; ""17. Enter the Scientists""; ""18. Family Life""; ""19. Mating Pandemonium""; ""20. Body and Mind""; ""21. Rumbles""; ""22. Death"" 23. The Culling Option24. Ivory Wars
25. An Image of Liberty
Select Bibliography
Index
Originally published as Africa's elephant by Hodder & Stoughton in 2001