Giants and men

A new book explores the many textures of African elephants

| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share
Writing and researching his latest book put renowned author linkurl:Dale Peterson,;http://ase.tufts.edu/faculty-guide/fac/dpeterso.english.htm yet again, in unfamiliar territory.
Peterson -- who has written books on the history of psychiatry, personal computing, apes, and primatologist Jane Goodall -- says that his __modus operandi__ is to dive into book topics he knows little about. For linkurl:__Elephant Reflections__,;http://www.amazon.com/Elephant-Reflections-Dale-Peterson/dp/0520253779 Peterson again came face-to-face with an imposing subject: the largest land mammals on Earth. "Actually it was similar to several of the books I've done, similar to the books I've done about computers. I didn't know anything about them when I started either," he says. "I went into a new subject and just jumped into it."Researching the book took Peterson and linkurl:Karl Ammann,;http://karlammann.com/ the world-famous wildlife photographer and conservationist whose stunning elephant photos accompany Peterson's text, from the jungled mountains of Burma to the verdant plains and dappled forests of Africa in search of their quarry.The author took some time to chat with __The Scientist__ about his experiences with elephants and the survival prospects for the majestic and endangered giants.
Notes from photographer Karl Ammann excerpted from __Elephant Reflections__:__I believe that both the conservation community and most of the conservation media are far too content to go with the ivory story. It's a sexier tale, after all, and it allows us to focus our blame on a distant and rather vague "ivory mafia" in Asia rather than on particular poachers, lax law enforcement officers, and meat traders in Africa. The ivory story is also a simpler one to tell, and perhaps easier to bear. But the consumption of all kinds of wild animal meat in Central Africa has become profoundly commercialized during the past several years. This commercialization has, in turn, caused the consumption of game meat -- including elephant meat -- to explode in scope and impact. The uncontrolled nature of the commercial meat trade is now the most important threat to forest elephants, and it needs to be publicized, understood, and addressed by individuals, organizations and governments....I am convinced that even if we were able to end all trade in ivory tomorrow, it would do little to stop the poaching of the remaining Central African forest elephants.__linkurl:__Elephant Reflections,__;http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/10944.php by Karl Ammann and Dale Peterson, University of California Press, Berkeley, 2009. 288 pp. ISBN: 978-0-520-25377-3. $39.95.
**__Related stories:__***linkurl:A Sultan's gift?;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/54784/
[July 2008]*linkurl:When I see an elephant...paint?;http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/53264/
[1st June 2007]*linkurl:The task of keeping elephants;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/23540/
[June 2006]
Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

  • Bob Grant

    From 2017 to 2022, Bob Grant was Editor in Chief of The Scientist, where he started in 2007 as a Staff Writer.
Share
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

sartorius logo
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo

Products

Photo of a researcher overseeing large scale production processes in a laboratory.

Scaling Lentiviral Vector Manufacturing for Optimal Productivity

Thermo Fisher Logo
Collage-style urban graphic of wastewater surveillance and treatment

Putting Pathogens to the Test with Wastewater Surveillance

An illustration of an mRNA molecule in front of a multicolored background.

Generating High-Quality mRNA for In Vivo Delivery with lipid nanoparticles

Thermo Fisher Logo
Tecan Logo

Tecan introduces Veya: bringing digital, scalable automation to labs worldwide