The Last Giants: The Rise and Fall of the African Elephant

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. (Nov.)