Wild elephants have been struggling for a long time. A recent report shows that they are being slaughtered by poachers in higher numbers than ever before, and the illegal profits from their ivory is being used to fund terrorist organization. In honor of one of the world's smartest and largest creatures, here are three books about these majestic animals.
Water For Elephants
Sara Gruen
Don't be put off by the somewhat mediocre movie that they made out of this book. Water For Elephants is a complex and engrossing novel of fortitude, interpersonal rivalries, and animal care among a traveling down-at-the-heels circus troupe. Gruen's novel brings the circus to life, with all its myriad threats, both obvious (trampling) and covert (spousal abuse).
The Elephant Keeper
Christopher Nicholson
This novel is set in England in the last half of the eighteenth century, when the Victorian aesthetic was at its height, and the English mania for all things foreign and curious was insatiable. The novel takes the form of the memoirs of a man who was entrusted with the care of an elephant at a young age. He and the elephant traveled through England on display, growing up together and developing a powerful friendship.
When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals
Jeffrey Mousaleff Mason
This non-fiction book is as heartbreaking as it is important. When Elephants Weep doesn't just focus on elephants, but Mousaleff Mason's research on the subject was as groundbreaking as it was controversial. Mousaleff Mason presents clear and seemingly incontrovertible evidence that animals experience emotions (including joy, grief, loneliness, and more) but sad to say, this book is as fresh and revelatory today as it was in 1996. Many people seem unable to accept that animals are capable of feeling any emotions whatsoever. We as a species have a lot to atone for, and our reprehensible treatment of elephants is definitely an item on that list.
Image courtesy Flickr/@Doug88888
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