Elephant Memories - by Cynthia J Moss (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

An eye-opening account of the lives and relationships of elephants in the wild in Kenya

Cynthia Moss studied the elephants in Kenya's Amboseli National Park for decades, and her long-term research revealed much of what we now know about these complex and intelligent animals. In Elephant Memories she turns that knowledge in an accessible, engaging, even moving story of individual elephants and their complicated relationships. With Moss as our guide, we get to know a number of elephants who are in a family group that is led by matriarchs Teresia, Slit Ear, Torn Ear, Tania, and Tuskless. and we develop new understanding of what elephants do when allowed to live in the wild. An afterword offers a view of the the families from a few years later and addresses current conservation issues.

Review Quotes

"A prose-poem celebrating a species from which we could learn some moral as well as zoological lessons."-- "Chicago Tribune"

"Moss speaks to the general reader, with charm as well as scientific authority. . . . [An] elegantly written and ingeniously structured account."--Raymond Sokolov "Wall Street Journal"

"Moss tells the story in a style so conversational . . . that I felt like a privileged visitor riding beside her in her rickety Land-Rover as she showed me around the park."--Sarah Blaffer Hrdy "New York Times Book Review"

"One is soon swept away by this 'Babar' for adults. By the end, one even begins to feel an aversion for people. One wants to curse human civilization and cry out, 'Now God stand up for the elephants!'"--Christopher Lehmann-Haupt "New York Times"

About the Author

Cynthia F. Moss is a professor of psychology and member of the Institute for Systems Research at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is the coeditor of Neuroethological Studies on Cognitive and Perceptual Processes.