From the Bookshelf of Retro Chapter Chicks …

Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story

Daphne Sheldrick

Start date: September 1, 2017

Finish date: September 30, 2017

Why we're reading this: Our September Mixed Bag features a book about animals, woman's best friend.…more
[close] Our September Mixed Bag features a book about animals, woman's best friend.

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Feb 11, 2015 Candi rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, animals

This was a truly delightful and enlightening book about the plight of the elephants, the dedication of Daphne and David Sheldrick to the wildlife of Africa, and the landscape of Kenya. I found it to be very inspirational - living out your dream and being able to actually devote and immerse yourself in work that you find truly rewarding – how wonderful is that?!. More than just a memoir of Dame Daphne's life in Africa, Love, Life, and Elephants is also a lovely tribute to the memory of Daphne's s This was a truly delightful and enlightening book about the plight of the elephants, the dedication of Daphne and David Sheldrick to the wildlife of Africa, and the landscape of Kenya. I found it to be very inspirational - living out your dream and being able to actually devote and immerse yourself in work that you find truly rewarding – how wonderful is that?!. More than just a memoir of Dame Daphne's life in Africa, Love, Life, and Elephants is also a lovely tribute to the memory of Daphne's second husband and the spark behind the name of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

So many moments in this book were quite heartwarming, as Daphne and David rescued and raised numerous orphans of various animal species throughout the years. I learned a little bit about some of these other species and a lot about the elephants themselves. I loved that many of the elephants in the Sheldricks' care took the other orphans, whether elephant or not, under their wing and essentially made them part of their own family. There were moments of sorrow when some of the orphans did not survive, but also joyful times when they were saved and returned to their own kind in the great wilderness of Africa. Daphne struggled for so long to find the perfect milk formula to feed the baby elephants. I did not know prior to reading this book that such a feat could be so difficult. Since baby elephants were extremely sensitive to cow's milk, Daphne, through trial and error, developed many different formulas before finding the right one. I can only imagine her despair when it would seem an elephant may survive only for that creature to then suddenly deteriorate before her very eyes.

David and Daphne's insight into the behavior of elephants is just remarkable. These truly are an amazing species that exhibit emotions much like human beings. According to David, "In order to interpret elephant behaviour, you must simply analyse it from a human point of view and that way, you will usually end up close to the truth, something that scientists have yet to learn." Many times the Sheldricks would find themselves at odds with various scientists that would journey to Kenya in order to study the species of animals living there. Often, these scientists were missing the humane approach towards animals and the Sheldricks suffered additional remorse when decisions were made contrary to the true wellbeing of the animals.

Daphne reflects on the killing of animals for sport: "How lightly my ancestors shot at animals. For us, now living in a different era, conscious of the decimation of wildlife and privileged even to glimpse such creatures in a wild situation, the actions of my forefathers appear shocking and difficult to understand. But at that time the maps of Kenya showed little on their empty faces, and beyond each horizon stretched another and another of endless untouched acres, sunlit plains of corn-gold grass, wooded luggas, lush valleys, crystal-clear waters. And everywhere there was wildlife in such spellbinding profusion that it is difficult for those who were never witness to this to even begin to visualize such numbers. At the time no one ever imagined that any amount of shooting could devastate the stocks of wild game, let alone all but eliminate it." However, despite the fact that much knowledge was gained regarding the wildlife of Kenya and all of Africa, poaching was a constant plague to the animals and to the Sheldricks. The greed for ivory and rhino horn was a major threat to the elephant and rhinoceros species of Kenya. Huge initiatives were taken at various times throughout David Sheldrick's life in order to rid the country of these poachers.

The death of David Sheldrick was a huge blow to Daphne as well as many others involved in the preservation and care of Kenya's wildlife and parks. Daphne carried on his work and is someone to be admired without a doubt. I believe she found that by continuing her devotion to the animals and to her homeland of Kenya, the grief she felt was softened a bit. I think she demonstrated a very touching realization when she stated: "The wild animals were my solace, my companions and my sanity, and because of them I was never entirely alone… I thought about the elephants and felt humbled, knowing how stoically they dealt with the loss of loved ones on an almost daily basis, how deeply they grieved but how they did so with courage, never forgetting the needs of the living. Their example gave me the strength I needed to 'turn the page'."

Overall, this was an amazing book. Perhaps the writing is not "perfect", but I think when reading a memoir such as this, I often overlook some of the technical aspects. If the book inspires me, teaches me, and really gets me thinking about life and love, then it is well worth the time spent in reading it. I highly recommend this book if you love animals, love learning about other parts of our world, and love to feel inspired!
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Dec 09, 2017 Book Concierge rated it really liked it

Shelves: animals, audio, nature, concierge, strong-women, library, memoir, nonfiction, africa, elephants

Digital audiobook narrated by Virginia McKenna

Subtitle: An African Love Story

From the book jacket: Daphne Sheldrick, whose family arrived in Africa from Scotland in the 1820s, is the first person ever to have successfully hand-reared newborn elephants. Her deep empathy and understanding, her years of observing Kenya’s rich variety of wildlife, and her pioneering work in perfecting the right husbandry and milk formula have saved countless elephants, rhinos, and other baby animals from certain dea ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Sep 16, 2017 Tasha rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fic

I really enjoyed reading about the author's life and experiences in Africa, especially her time with elephants. They are so fascinating and I feel this book is one that continues to show us that elephants are such amazing, complex and special creatures. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 08, 2017 Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu rated it really liked it

Shelves: animals, cultural

I quite enjoyed this book. I learned a great deal not only about elephants, rhinos, and other African animals that were described in the book, but I also learned about the political history and the troubles with poaching and hunting. A well written book and would recommend.

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Sep 20, 2025 Navah marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Sep 19, 2017 Nancy marked it as maybe

Shelves: elephants

Oct 01, 2015 debbicat *made of stardust* marked it as to-read

Shelves: group-read

Jul 25, 2023 Sharmon marked it as to-read

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