The Last Giants

August 31, 2020
Wood (Walking the Americas), a photographer, explorer, and British Army veteran, takes a rewarding look at the habits and habitats of the African elephant. He begins by recalling the first time he saw elephants in the wild, as a boy on vacation with his parents in Kenya. Scores of them “appeared as if out of nowhere on their nightly pilgrimage to an ancient shrine,” and “I stood transfixed” at this “wondrous and enchanting” sight. While emphasizing that he is still just an enthusiast, “not an expert in elephant biology, psychology or conservation,” he proceeds to introduce some salient facts and insights from each of these areas. To begin, he discusses the varied uses of one of their most distinctive attributes, their trunks, and their divergent evolutionary path from most other mammals—the elephant’s “closest living relative” today is the rock hyrax, a “furry, rodent-like creature that looks a bit like a guinea pig and isn’t much bigger.” Moving onto psychology, Wood shares observations on how his subjects’ highly developed intelligence and capacity for empathy emerge in interactions with each other. Finally, he homes in on the threats posed by trophy hunting and the ivory trade. Comprehensively yet accessibly conveying Wood’s lifelong fascination with African elephants, his discussion will appeal to anyone keen on learning more about them.

October 2, 2020

Adventurer Wood (Incredible Journeys: Discovery, Adventure, Danger, Endurance) followed elephants on a 650-mile migration across Botswana for a British television program. This fascinating companion volume to that series examines the past, present, and future of the African elephant. Wood considers the animal's evolution, biology, psychology, and social lives. Elephant populations have decreased by a third in the last ten years, and Botswana now has one-sixth of the world's elephants. These creatures have been revered, worshiped, and feared. Elephants are a keystone species, one that has a disproportionate effect on the ecosystem they inhabit. The introduction to the use of automatic weapons in wars and conflicts had devastating effects on wildlife. (According to the author, the last use of elephants in war was 1987, when Iraq used them to transport weapons during the Iran-Iraq war.) Yet the work is not all forecasting doom--the author suggests solutions to save this "charismatic megafauna," including education, ending poaching and the ivory trade, erecting bee fences and chili fences, and counteracting civil conflict and habitat loss. VERDICT Expect interest from a range of readers, from young adults to environmentalists to animal lovers.--Susan Belsky, Oshkosh P.L., WI

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2020
An award-winning photographer and explorer presents an introduction to elephants and their biology, psychology, evolutionary past, and environmental place. In this good-natured, enthusiastic portrait of elephants, Wood delves into the creature's history and present-day circumstances as well as their evolutionary success and societal tribulations. The author offers information on their physical specifications and needs; ecological effects on the savanna and forest habitats ("the sheer size of elephants and the amount that they need to eat has a profound impact on the landscapes they live in"); and cognitive abilities, including working memory, categorization skills, and what appears to be a capacity for empathy. Wood also does a good job describing elephant society, matrilineal family groups, sociality, and the passing of life lessons and guidance from one generation to the next. This synthesis of scientific material serves as a solid foundation on which the author recounts his experiences with elephants. This is where the book makes its original contributions--Wood's particular encounters and observations--and allows him to make the case for their protection. Elephants are under serious pressure on a number of fronts, including the encroachment of humans, who use the land to grow both commercial crops, such as sugar cane and palm oil, and subsistence crops; ivory poachers, who target the elders with the longest tusks, destroying the family structure; and trophy hunters, who also seek out the biggest and oldest animals. Wood brings multiple perspectives to bear when grappling with the human-elephant connection. While noting that humans have been a thorn in the elephants' side for centuries, he appreciates that humans have a place in the ecology, as well. The ability to find common ground depends on advancing education, fighting corruption, developing more effective poaching-mitigation methods, and making a determined effort to slow habitat loss and herd fragmentation. A smart, inviting portrait of elephants from a keen-eyed observer.

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