Heather asked Debbie Ethell:

I would gladly clean up elephant poo at the Oregon Zoo in order to be near my favorite animals in the world. Is this even a possibility for someone in their 40s with no bachelor's degree? Or, do you need a travel buddy :) I really loved how you told this story. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Debbie Ethell Hi Heather, I apologize I missed this question somehow. If you love animals, then the only place I would suggest seeing or working with them is in the wild. If this isn't a possibility, then promoting their "wildness" until you can be is the absolute best thing you can do for them.

I've worked with elephants in captivity and elephants in the wild and the two simply do not compare. Elephants in captivity are suffering. No question. I don't say this lightly and I am not an activist of any kind. The science simply does not lie.

You don't need a degree to follow your dream. There are plenty of org's that work to keep wild elephants wild who can use more boots on the ground. I appreciate your kind words about my first book and am deeply entrenched in the second in the series which will hopefully launch in early 2023 or soon after. Stay tuned and you can also visit my website (debbieethell.com) for more updates.

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