Elephants: The Deciding Decade

Patrick Colgan is the former executive director of the Canadian Museum
of Nature.

This new edition of a 1991 publication relates the plight of African
elephants with an engrossing text and spectacular color photographs. The
introduction by Richard Leakey and subsequent chapters by various
authors alternate with chapters devoted to such themes as lifestyle,
growth, habitat, and the rich diversity of the surrounding life. Perez
Olindo provides an excellent discussion of the moral aspects of
traditional animism and the post-colonial course of conservation. David
Western highlights such often overlooked issues as disagreements among
wildlife researchers and the broad ecological role of elephants. Ian
Redmond reports unusual salt licking and sleeping by elephants in
volcanic caves. Also addressed are merciless poaching and attempts to
curb it, and complex international politics centring on the ban on
commercial trading of ivory.

This book, whose royalties are dedicated to elephant conservation, is
highly recommended both for its natural history and for the passion with
which it conveys its environmental concerns.