THE PRESIDENTIAL ELEPHANTS OF ZIMBABWE (1991) - inscribed by the author

Publisher's white hardcover binding with gilt embossed titles on front panel and spine. Pictorial dust jacket.

144pp. Profusely illustrated. 

Inscribed by the author on the copyright page, "To David & Sheila, Happy memories of your elephant encounters in Hwange! Best wishes, Alan. Sikumi Tree Lodge. Hwange. Dec '93."

Binding tight. Contents clean.

'This is the true and moving story about a man and the elephants he has helped to save for posterity. Alan Elliott, a hardened Zimbabwean man of the bush, tracker and safari guide, writes from the heart as he takes us on safari through the changing seasons of Zimbabwe's Kalahari sands, at Hwange, one of the most beautiful wild areas of the world.

We meet Tatty Ear, Skew Tusk, Inkosikasi and Lodwa, the founding cows of Alan's beloved herd which, by 1972, had been reduced to only 22 terrified adults and babies. Today these potentially dangerous animals have become a world famous, approachable 300-strong community.

Packed with historical background about the bushmen and white hunters of the past, and the constantly surprising world of nature, Alan Elliott's important new wildlife book has something for everyone - charging elephants, lions, a crazy ostrich, even the life cycle of the perky little warthog.

Formerly a big-game hunter who now hates to kill, Elliott suggests that some difficult decisions await those dedicated to the future direction of Zimbabwe's wildlife management and he brings us right up to date by explaining why the elephant's ability to modify its habitat is so crucial.

Essentially this is a happy story and Elliott reveals how His Excellency, President Robert Mugabe came to grant presidential status and protection to these remarkable elephants.' - editor's note