Wild Orphans

Rating:
Summary: You wont forget it!
Review: Bought this for my niece, she loves it. Beautiful photography.

Rating:
Summary: You wont forget it!
Review: Bought this for my niece, she loves it. Beautiful photography.

Rating:
Summary: I LOVE THIS BOOK
Review: I LOVE THIS BOOK! It ranks up there with rainy days, wet puppy noses and double iced mochas.

The text was written by the photographer. The photographs alone are priceless. I think it is also a very valuable contribution to the ongoing oftentimes contentious debate about human intervention in the animal kingdom. This book makes an eloquent statement that there are times when it is appropriate to intervene, save the lives of the animals and educate humans on the importance of maintaining animal habitat in the process.

What I enjoyed the most was the gradual realization of the author that we are all connected - human and animal. We have created the conditions that are killing these animals through our unsound environmental practices. There is no conscionable way to turn our backs on the animals that are being forced to live in what we have created. We must admit our responsibility for the environmental chaos we have created and help where we need to. To simply look the other way as these elephants die and throw out the excuse that it's "nature", "the law of the land" or worse yet "survival of the fittest" is inhuman.

It is extremely touching. For those of you who can't tolerate another anthropomorphic happy-meal animal book, some die as they are being rescued and some after.

The information on GLOBIO and the work they are doing world wide is a valuable teaching tool for children.


Rating:
Summary: Captivating Photographic Essay of Orphaned African Elephants
Review: Photographer Gerry Ellis spent 2 years with the orphaned elephants of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust at the Nairobi National Park in Kenya in order to document the rescues, daily lives and preparation to return to the wild for these young elephants who have fallen victim to natural and unnatural disasters. In the summer of 1999, prolonged drought and increased ivory poaching brought brought more orphaned baby elephants to the Trust in one season that it had seen in the entire previous decade. Gerry Ellis followed, photographed, and got to know 8 of the young elephants who were one month to one year old when they arrived at the Wildlife Trust. Through more than 100 photographs and accompanying text, we meet the "Orphan 8", learn of the challenges of raising them, observe as the youngsters recover from their injuries and fear, adjust to life at the Trust, develop relationships with one another and with their human keepers, and, after 2 years, move to Tsavo National Park, where they will eventually be released into the wild. An essay by Gerry Ellis introduces each of the book's 6 chapters. Detailed explanations accompany all photographs -not as captions, but full-sized text. I've long been a fan of Gerry Ellis' fine art nature photography, but "Wild Orphans" is fantastic photojournalism and more personal work than I have seen from Ellis before. Ellis' love for this project shows. Admirers of elephants and those concerned with their fate -or that of African wildlife in general- won't want to miss "Wild Orphans".

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: The photography is amazing and that alone is worth getting this book. However the stories behind each picture and story of each member of the Orphan 8 are extremely touching, and provide a wonderful insight between humans and elephants. It will leave you in awe of the difference the wonderful people at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust make in this endeavor to help save the African Elephant.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: The photography is amazing and that alone is worth getting this book. However the stories behind each picture and story of each member of the Orphan 8 are extremely touching, and provide a wonderful insight between humans and elephants. It will leave you in awe of the difference the wonderful people at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust make in this endeavor to help save the African Elephant.