Baby Tom being fed by Tom, Shireen and Alyson.
The main house.
Rhino horn poisoning with the local vet, Dr Mike Toft.
Mabula doing yoga!
Our breeding colonies of white-backed vultures are under threat, as their brains are highly prized for muthi, traditional medicine.
Gobisa and Frankie cuddle.
Mkhula Dam during the 2014 drought.
The construction of the Thula Thula orphanage with Promise and Andre, one of our game rangers.
Our amazing head game ranger, Siya.
Axel and Megan with Ithula in his boma.
Baby Ellie loved his padding pool.
Duma and Nandi, our baby black rhino, playing football together.
Thabo saying hello to our game ranger Khaya.
Baby Charlie – the hippo who was scared of water – standing bravely in his padding pool with his friend Makhosi.
When the drought broke at last, the herd came to mud pools at my house to celebrate the rains with me.
Our rhino orphans playing together in the mud.
Dehorning Thabo and Ntombi was the only way I could keep the safe. It was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made. Dr Mike Toft (far right) anaesthetized them before cutting off their horns.
The Thula Thula anti-poaching team – this professional outfit is what we need to keep our animals safe.
Vusi holding the snare that had been wrapped around the trunk and mouth of Marula’s baby.
We were relieved to see Susanna suckling so soon after losing the tip of her trunk in a same injury.
Me with Clément and Katja.
Gobisa, the herd’s oldest bull, taking it upon himself to check out my new mate.
A new beginning with the Thula Thula Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.
Kenya, our newly arrived baby kudu, who was one of the first rescues at the new rehab centre.
Kayleigh with Bruce, a rescue dog turned bodyguard for staff at the rehab centre.
Me with my beloved doggies, Gypsy and Gin. They are such an important part of my life and I am so grateful to have them constantly by my side.
Note
1. Identities and place names have been changed to protect the location of rhinos.
About the Authors
FRANCOISE MALBY-ANTHONY founded the Thula Thula game reserve in 1998 with her late husband, the renowned conservationist and internationally bestselling author Lawrence Anthony. When Lawrence died in 2012, Francoise took over the running of the reserve and is equally passionate about conservation. She was the driving force behind setting up a wildlife rehabilitation center at the reserve to care for orphaned animals. She currently resides in South Africa. You can sign up for email updates here.
KATJA WILLEMSEN was born in Holland, grew up in South Africa and now lives in France. A full-time writer, she is the author of the thriller Shepherd’s Prayer. An Elephant in My Kitchen is her first work of nonfiction. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
1. The only walls between humans and elephants are the ones we put up ourselves
2. Falling in love with Thabo
3. Poaching is war
4. Magic money tree
5. Reality strikes
6. Enfant terrible
7. French temperament
8. Baby Thula
9. Long live the king
10. Dangerous deals
11. Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do
12. Ubuntu
13. Stars are brighter in Africa
14. How do I keep you safe?
15. Never give up
16. An elephant in my kitchen
17. Follow your dreams, they know the way
18. Ellie
19. And then there were seven
20. Silent killers
21. Only when the well dries do we know the value of water
22. Rather a live rhino without a horn than a dead rhino without one
23. The hippo who hated water
24. Love in the bush
25. Nowhere is safe
26. Keeping the dream alive
27. Frankie vs Frankie
Afterword
Picture Acknowledgements
Photographs
Note
About the Authors
Copyright
First published in the United States by Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
AN ELEPHANT IN MY KITCHEN. Copyright © 2018 by Françoise Malby-Anthony and Katja Willemsen. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
The picture acknowledgments here constitute an extension of this copyright page.
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact your local bookseller or the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].
Originally published in Great Britain by Pan Books, an imprint of Pan Macmillan
First U.S. Edition: November 2019
eISBN 9781250220158
First eBook edition: September 2019
An Elephant in My Kitchen: What the Herd Taught Me About Love, Courage, and Survival Page 27