Secrets Of The Savanna: Twenty-three Years in the African Wilderness Unraveling the Mysteries ofElephants and People

Mark Owens · Delia Owens

Jul 2007 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

 "Vividly written...Their story is thrilling—the kind of tale that wild-animal lovers won't easily forget."—People

In this riveting real-life adventure, Mark and Delia Owens tell the dramatic story of their last years in Africa, fighting to save elephants, villagers, and—in the end—themselves. The award-winning zoologists and pioneering conservationists describe their work in the remote and ruggedly beautiful Luangwa Valley, in northeastern Zambia. There they studied the mysteries of the elephant population’s recovery after poaching, discovering remarkable similarities between humans and elephants. A young elephant named Gift provided the clue to help them crack the animals’ secret of survival. A stirring portrait of life in Africa, Secrets of the Savanna is a remarkable record of the Owenses's unique passions.

Ratings and reviews

This was a rather bittersweet book. It was full of some beautiful - and utterly shocking - moments, but also parts that were quite sad and downright horrific. It was, all in all, a good book. I am sort of surprised that the focus was more on the people, and less on the actual animals. It was more of a memoir than a book on nature.

About the author

When Mark and Delia Owens first went to Africa in 1974, they bought a thirdhand Land Rover, drove deep into the Kalahari Desert, and lived there for seven years. They are the authors of Cry of the Kalahari, an international bestseller and winner of the John Burroughs Medal, The Eye of the Elephant, and Secrets of the Savanna. After more than 30 years in Africa, they returned to the United States to carry on their conservation work.

DELIA OWENS is the author of the bestselling Where the Crawdads Sing, her first novel, and the coauthor of three internationally bestselling nonfiction books about her life as a wildlife scientist in Africa: Cry of the Kalahari, The Eye of theElephant, and Secrets of the Savanna. She has won the John Burroughs Award for Nature Writing and has been published in Nature, African Journal of Ecology, and International Wildlife, among many others. She lives in Idaho, where she continues her support for the people and wildlife of Zambia.