Le Dr Caitlin O'Connell est une experte de renommée mondiale des éléphants, qui explore leurs formes de communication uniques et l'importance cruciale de leur conservation. Son travail examine les aspects subtils et intimes de la société des éléphants, en utilisant souvent des approches narratives et visuelles innovantes. La recherche d'O'Connell s'étend à l'importance universelle du rituel pour les animaux sociaux, y compris les humains. Par son écriture, elle jette un pont entre l'enquête scientifique et la narration captivante, éclairant les vies complexes des éléphants et le règne animal en général.
Tells the story of a previously unknown mode of elephant communication. This work offers an account of the author's relationship with the animals she studied for fourteen years in the Namibian wilderness - a poverty-stricken land threatened by expanding human populations and unstable politics.
Stanford behavioural ecologist, world-renowned elephant scientist, and award- winning author, Caitlin O'Connell shows how embracing the ten most profound rituals of the animal kingdom can make us more connected to ourselves, to nature, and those around us.
With rare, stunning in-the-field photographs, this nonfiction photo essay brings young children to the Africa scrub desert to witness a baby elephant surviving in the wild.
Meet Greg. He's a stocky guy with an outsized swagger. He's been the intimidating, yet sociable don of his posse of friends--including Abe, Keith, Mike, Kevin, and Freddie Fredericks--but one arid summer the tide begins to shift and the third-ranking Kevin starts to get ambitious and seeks a higher position within this social club. But this is no ordinary tale of gangland betrayal--Greg and his entourage are bull elephants in Etosha National Park, Namibia, where, for the last twenty years, Caitlin O'Connell has been a keen observer of their complicated friendships. In Elephant Don, O'Connell, one of the leading experts on elephant communication and social behavior, takes us inside the little-known world of African male elephants, a world that is steeped in ritual, where bonds are maintained by unexpected tenderness punctuated by violence. Elephant Don tracks Greg and his group of bulls as O'Connell tries to understand the vicissitudes of male friendship, power struggles, and play. A frequently heart-wrenching portrayal of commitment, loyalty, and affection between individuals yearning for companionship, it vividly captures the incredible repertoire of elephant behavior and communication. Greg, O'Connell shows, is sometimes a tyrant and other times a benevolent dictator as he attempts to hold on to his position at the top. Though Elephant Don is Greg's story, it is also the story of O'Connell and the challenges and triumphs of field research in environs more hospitable to lions and snakes than scientists. Readers will be drawn into dramatic tales of an elephant society at once exotic and surprisingly familiar, as O'Connell's decades of close research reveal extraordinary discoveries about a male society not wholly unlike our own. Surely we've all known a Greg or two, and through this book we may come to know them in a whole new light
Set against a backdrop of nature, the narrative immerses readers in the vibrant sounds and sights of the hornbill's habitat. It captures the essence of the environment, evoking a sense of tranquility and connection with wildlife. The serene atmosphere invites exploration of themes related to nature and the delicate balance of ecosystems, making it a compelling read for those interested in the beauty of the natural world.