Elephant Complex

Author: John Gimlette
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0385351283
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 432

Book Description
No one sees the world quite like John Gimlette. As The New York Times once noted, “he writes with enormous wit, indignation, and a heightened sense of the absurd.” Writing for both the adventurer and the armchair traveler, he has an eye for unusually telling detail, a sense of wonder, and compelling curiosity for the inside story. This time, he travels to Sri Lanka, a country only now emerging from twenty-six years of civil war. Delving deep into the nation’s story, Gimlette provides us with an astonishing, multifaceted portrait of the island today. His travels reveal the country as never before. Beginning in the exuberant capital, Colombo (“a hint of anarchy everywhere”), he ventures out in all directions: to the dry zones where the island’s 5,800 wild elephants congregate around ancient reservoirs; through cinnamon country with its Portuguese forts; to the “Bible Belt” of Buddhism—the tsunami-ravaged southeast coast; then up into the great green highlands (“the garden in the sky”) and Kandy, the country’s eccentric, aristocratic Shangri-la. Along the way, a wild and often desperate history takes shape, a tale of great colonies (Arab, Portuguese, British, and Dutch) and of the cultural divisions that still divide this society. Before long, we’re in Jaffna and the Vanni, crucibles of the recent conflict. These areas—the hottest, driest, and least hospitable—have been utterly devastated by war and are only now struggling to their feet. But this is also a story of friendship and remarkable encounters. In the course of his journey, Gimlette meets farmers, war heroes, ancient tribesmen, world-class cricketers, terrorists, a former president, old planters, survivors of great massacres—and perhaps some of their perpetrators. That’s to say nothing of the island’s beguiling fauna: elephants, crocodiles, snakes, storks, and the greatest concentration of leopards on Earth. Here is a land of extravagant beauty and profound devastation, of ingenuity and catastrophe, possessed of both a volatile past and an uncertain future—a place capable of being at once heavenly and hellish—all brought to vibrant, fascinating life here on the page.

Elephant Secret

Author: Eric Walters
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 1328476774
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 357

Book Description
“Each plotline has something in it to challenge readers . . . Cliffhangers and elephants will keep readers engaged”—from the award-winning author (Kirkus Reviews). We Bought a Zoo meets Jurassic Park in a gripping story featuring the evergreen appeal of human-animal friendships and set in an elephant sanctuary, about a thirteen-year-old girl, a cast of elephants, and a surprising new arrival—a woolly mammoth. Sam was born and raised in an elephant sanctuary. When a beloved elephant dies giving birth, Sam develops a connection with baby Woolly—who isn’t actually an elephant but was cloned from woolly mammoth DNA. And the billionaire genius behind the cloning experiment will stop at nothing to protect his investment. Smart, determined, and loving, Sam stands up to this powerful adversary to protect the sanctuary and her herd. In the best tradition of child-animal friendship stories, Elephant Secret explores the strong and complex bond between Sam and her elephants while offering a fascinating, authentic glimpse into elephant—and human—behavior. “Walters’ depiction of the bond that exists between Sam and her elephants is captivating. The elephants, who are presented as majestic and intelligent creatures with humanlike characteristics and rich emotional lives, will leave readers awestruck.” —School Library Journal “Walters interweaves his beautiful family story with a thorough description of elephant behavior—their intellect, compassion, and loyalty—and factual scientific possibilities of cloning an extinct species . . . A must-read for anyone with an interest in elephants and their welfare.” —Booklist “Walters packs in numerous details about these magnificent and highly intelligent creatures while raising complex ethical questions regarding humans’ relationship with animals.” —Publishers Weekly

Elephant Talk

Author: Ann Downer
Publisher: Millbrook Press
ISBN: 1512457604
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 112

Book Description
Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! On a hot day in the African savannah, a group of elephants searches for food. While foraging they often lose sight of one another. Yet at the end of the day, in one coordinated movement, the elephants suddenly regroup. This coordinated movement—and others like it—has puzzled scientists and caused them to question how elephants communicate with each other. Since the 1990s, scientists have gathered significant data on elephant “talk.” Biologists have determined that elephants use a complex system of communication of at least ten distinct sounds, combined in many variations. Researchers are now asking: what do these sounds mean? As scientists study the elephant sounds that humans can hear, they are also identifying ways elephants communicate through nonverbal behaviors and making sounds too low for human ears. Scientists have realized that elephants even receive messages by using their sensitive feet to feel vibrations in the ground. All of these discoveries are helping elephant researchers better understand elephant behavior. But the elephant’s time as a wild animal is running out. Threatened by habitat loss and illegally hunted for their ivory tusks, elephants are on the brink of extinction. Will understanding elephant talk be the key to saving the species?

Elephant Don

Author: Caitlin O'Connell
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022610611X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 272

Book Description
Elephant male are often portrayed as aggressive loners, who shape the world around them by brute force. But they can also be gentle and playful giants, even empathic. "Uncertain Throne "brings Entourage from LA to Mushara, showing how the lives of male elephants is really one of time with a posse, entourages of mixed ages, with all of the social dynamics groups of men in other species experience. The story follows that of Greg, and a band of his friends, with days at the water hole, evenings spent defending turf, and searching out mates. "Uncertain Throne "is Greg's story, but it is every bit as much a story about O'Connell, who, like Jane Goodall and others who inspire her, has dedicated herself to learning about elephants, and in turn sharing what she has learned with those of us who aren't enamored of sleeping on elevated wooden platforms in Namibia that keep lions out of reach but are scalable by a wide array of other visitors--snakes included. "An Uncertain Throne "tracks Greg and his group of males for a decade, starting in 2004. In a series of short chapters, starting in the present but winding back through previous field seasons, O Connell narrates and aims to understand the vicissitudes of male friendship, power struggles, and play. She captures for readers the incredible repertoire of elephant behavior, communication included. Greg it at times a tyrant, and at others a benevolent dictator. And he possesses what it takes to stay at the top, even as the environment and landscape morph around him with the dynamics of wet and dry years. Life for male elephants is uncertain, and full of tragedy and triumph alike. And this gives us all a sense of what it's like to walk in their company."

Small Bites of the Elephant

Author: John Manzetti
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780985051433
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 152

Book Description
This book is a series of short chapters designed toprovide the reader with "lessons learned" and my "been there,done that" experiences and the straightforward solutions that haveworked for me. Although the topics in the book can be complicatedand sometimes feel overwhelming, solutions to problems in eacharea don't have to be. Leaders don't need to "reinvent the wheel"but they do need to keep it "rolling down the road." Nearly 50years of business experience across multiple industries, plusmilitary service, plus many hills and valleys over the years havetaught me that.

The Sense of an Elephant

Author: Marco Missiroli
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447241924
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Book Description
Pietro arrives in Milan with a battered suitcase full of memories, to take up a new job as concierge. Living in his palazzo are lost and eccentric souls: Poppi, a lawyer; Luciana and her son; and Luca, a doctor, whose wife Viola holds a secret that could destroy their marriage. Right from the start Pietro has a special interest in Luca and his family, and soon he's letting himself into their apartment while everyone is out. As his story emerges in snatches and flashbacks, each prompted by his case of treasures, we begin to find out what has brought him to be guardian here, so late in his life . . . For readers of The Elegance of the Hedgehog and The Yacoubian Building, this is an atmospheric and unforgettable novel about the ties that bind.

Exploring the World of Elephants

Author: Tracy Read
Publisher: Exploring the World of
ISBN: 9781770859449
Category : Elephants
Languages : en
Pages : 24

Book Description
The ancestors of the elephant once roamed across much of the planet, but today, only two species survive: the African elephant and the Asian elephant. In this colorful introduction, young readers learn about the physical attributes and life history of the largest land mammal on Earth. With a massive body and huge ears that serve as built-in air-conditioning, a six-foot-long trunk with "fingers" that help it forage for food and water, tough, protective skin and outsized tusks used as tools and weapons, the elephant is a force to be reckoned with. Just as fascinating is the elephant's complex social structure. While adult males make their own way, the herd's oldest female nurtures and protects her extended family with the assistance of the other females. Guiding family members on lengthy migrations to find food and water, she teaches them life skills, organizes search parties for lost members and defends against hostile approaches. Together, the family forages and plays, welcomes new life, builds and maintains relationships and mourns its dead. In Exploring the World of Elephants, young readers also discover the value of ensuring that these intelligent, engaging mammals don't suffer the fate of their ancestors. The Exploring the World of... nature series was created for young readers who are eager to learn more about the wild creatures of the world. Each title contains beautiful photographs of the animals in their natural habitats and the highly readable text explores their daily lives and physical characteristics, how they make their homes, how they raise their young and what they eat. "This series has a different approach than typical animal books and goes beyond a basic introduction. The books provide the reader with another perspective and focus on different forms of survival tactics. Diagrams of the animals are presented describing different body parts and their functions. Another chapter discusses the natural talents of the animal... An extensive index is included. Recommended." --Library Media Connection, of the previous books in the series

At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig

Author: John Gimlette
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307806529
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 607

Book Description
A wildly humorous account of the author's travels across Paraguay–South America's darkly fabled, little-known “island surrounded by land.” Rarely visited by tourists and barely touched by global village sprawl, Paraguay remains a mystery to outsiders. Think of this small nation and your mind is likely to jump to Nazis, dictators, and soccer. Now, John Gimlette’s eye-opening book–equal parts travelogue, history, and unorthodox travel guide–breaches the boundaries of this isolated land,” and illuminates a little-understood place and its people. It is a wonderfully animated telling of Paraguay's story: of cannibals, Jesuits, and sixteenth-century Anabaptists; of Victorian Australian socialists and talented smugglers; of dictators and their mad mistresses; bloody wars and Utopian settlements; and of lives transplanted from Japan, Britain, Poland, Russia, Germany, Ireland, Korea, and the United States. The author travels from the insular cities and towns of the east, along ghostly trails through the countryside, to reach the Gran Chaco of the west: the “green hell” covering almost two-thirds of the country, where 4 percent of the population coexists–more or very-much-less peacefully–with a vast array of exotic wildlife that includes jaguars, prehistoric lungfish, and their more recently evolved distant cousins, the great fighting river fish. Gimlette visits with Mennonites and the indigenas, arms dealers and real-estate tycoons, shopkeepers, government bureaucrats and, of course, Nazis. Filled with bizarre incident, fascinating anecdote, and richly evocative detail, At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig is a brilliant description of a country of eccentricity and contradiction, of beguilingly individualistic men and women, and of unexpected and extraordinary beauty. It is a vivid, often riotous, always fascinating, journey.

Tarra & Bella

Author: Carol Buckley
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 069815374X
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 36

Book Description
A friendship unlike any other! After retiring from the circus, Tarra became the first resident of the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. When other elephants moved in and developed close friendships, only Tarra remained alone—until the day she met a stray mixed-breed dog named Bella. From then on, the two were inseparable. Color photographs of Tarra and Bella at home in the Elephant Sanctuary deftly illustrate this inspiring story of inter-species companionship.

The Asian Elephant

Author: R. Sukumar
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521437585
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 276

Book Description
This ecological analysis of elephant-human interaction, and its implications for the conservation of Asian elephants, includes recommendations on conservation and management, taking into consideration the socio-economic characteristics of the Asian region.