Born into a family of Scots who had lived in Africa for several generations, Dame Daphne Sheldrick seems to have been perfectly suited to her Kenyan environment, even from an early age. Growing up during "days of discovery," she quickly became adept at observing the habits and patterns of wildlife; her childhood friends included an impala, a waterbuck, a zebra and a dwarf mongoose named Ricky-Ticky-Tavey. It was this unusual upbringing, combined with Sheldrick's inherent empathy for other living creatures, which fostered her lifelong interest in the welfare of animals.
From these youthful memories, Love, Life, and Elephants continues through Sheldrick's first marriage to her teenage sweetheart, their work in creating a new national park in Tsavo, and the birth of a daughter. It is in Tsavo that Sheldrick's marriage eventually dissolves, and she meets the love of her life, David Sheldrick, warden of Tsavo National Park. With David, Sheldrick again becomes a wife and has another child. Under his guidance, she also begins to perfect a method of hand-rearing baby animals, most often elephants. Tragically, David's life is ended early by a heart attack, but Sheldrick continues his work through the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the Orphans' Nursery in Nairobi National Park.
Sheldrick's connection with the orphaned elephants is, at times, quite astounding, and her forgiveness for their role in a debilitating accident is admirable. Readers who enjoy such books as Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa or Elspeth Huxley's Flame Trees of Thika will want to experience this remarkable African story. --Roni K. Devlin, owner of Literary Life Bookstore & More