The Last Giants: The Rise and Fall of the African Elephant
Written by Levison Wood
Narrated by Levison Wood
5/5
()
Elephant Conservation
Human-Elephant Conflict
Ivory Trade
Poaching
Trophy Hunting
Noble Savage
White Savior
Endangered Species
Power of Community
Power of Education
Coming of Age
Reluctant Hero
Power of Knowledge
Wise Mentor
Wise Old Mentor
Sustainable Development
Conservation
Habitat Loss
About this audiobook
These giants trek through some of Africa's most magnificent landscapes as they go in search of life-giving waters and pastures. El Nino's droughts and an insatiable ivory trade have cut African elephant numbers by a third in the last decade. If elephants disappear entirely, Africa's entire ecosystem could collapse. But Botswana has become a safe haven, where one-sixth of the world's elephants now reside. Each year their numbers grow and an incredible migration takes place, which Levison has now witnessed and recorded.
In The Last Giants, he teams up with local trackers to gain insight into how this iconic species survives, camps out in the wild, meets the people and tribes living on the migration's path, and joins the park rangers whose job it is to protect these land goliaths.
Levison Wood
Levison Wood served as an officer in the Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan before becoming an explorer, author and documentary maker. He is famous for undertaking the first expedition to walk the entire length of the Nile River on foot, as well as walking the length of the Himalayas and circumnavigating the Arabian peninsula from Iraq to Lebanon. He has written nine best-selling books and produced several critically acclaimed documentaries. He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and The Explorers Club.
More audiobooks from Levison Wood
Walking The Himalayas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Walking the Nile Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Arabian Journey: One Man's Quest Through the Heart of the Middle East Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to The Last Giants
Related audiobooks
Cry of the Kalahari Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Raven's Witness: The Alaska Life of Richard K. Nelson Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Eye of the Elephant: An Epic Adventure in the African Wilderness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5World Wild Vet: Encounters in the Animal Kingdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ivory's Ghosts: The White Gold of History and the Fate of Elephants Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Part of the Pride: My Life Among the Big Cats of Africa Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Woman Among Wolves: My Journey Through Forty Years of Wolf Recovery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElephant Dawn: The Inspirational Story of Thirteen Years Living with Elephants in the African Wilderness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Elephants: Birth, Life, and Death in the World of the Giants Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Walking the Americas: 1,800 Miles, Eight Countries, and One Incredible Journey from Mexico to Colombia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To See Every Bird on Earth: A Father, a Son, and a Lifelong Obsession Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Idle Days in Patagonia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild Life on the Rockies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLeave It As It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt's American Wilderness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Curve of Time: The Classic Memoir Of A Woman And Her Children Who Explored The Coastal Waters Of The Pacific Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Last Rhinos: My Battle to Save One of the World's Greatest Creatures Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5No Beast So Fierce: The Terrifying True Story of the Champawat Tiger, the Deadliest Animal in History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bears Ears: A Human History of America's Most Endangered Wilderness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jungle Peace Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5River Horse: A Voyage Across America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Heart of a Lion: A Lone Cat's Walk Across America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Escalante's Dream: On the Trail of the Spanish Discovery of the Southwest Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rough Magic: Riding the World's Loneliest Horse Race Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Claiming Ground Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In the Temple of Wolves: A Winter's Immersion in Wild Yellowstone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Nature For You
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Uncertain Sea: Fear is everywhere. Embrace it. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shelter: A Love Letter to Trees Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: My Year of Psychedelics: Lessons on Better Living Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Life on Earth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Elephant Whisperer: My Life With the Herd in the African Wild Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Inner Life of Animals: Love, Grief, and Compassion -- Surprising Observations of a Hidden World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Venom Doc: The Edgiest, Darkest, Strangest Natural History Memoir Ever Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Age of Deer: Trouble and Kinship with our Wild Neighbors Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cactus Jack: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Escaping from Eden: Does Genesis teach that the human race was created by God or engineered by ETs? Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5All Things Bright and Beautiful: The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Last Giants
2 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wow! To be honest this book was in a line-up of Levison Wood books I’ve been reading/ listening to but compared to his travelogues, this was the one on the bottom. Was I wrong about it! Innately different but still touching on his travels of “Walking the Nile”, Woods does again not disappoint in bringing the world to us by an incredible talent of combining storytelling, history, facts, humanity and cultures. Despite the apparent research that must have went into this book, was I ever bored by the sheer number of facts. One of the things I appreciated most was his ability to argue and counter-argue so many valid arguments, never just taking one side but rather approaching each issue with honesty and clarity of the situations at hand and at large. Guilty and ashamed do I remember walking my daughters through the local zoo, gawking at the elephants like the rest of the visitors. Yes, I felt sorry for their captivity in order for us, who can’t afford travels to Africa to see these giants in person but sorry and shame do them little good.
Woods educated me about so many things in this book and as a woman, I’m grateful to the knowledge I’ve gained about female elephants and I am in awe of them evermore. Their devotion to their children and the herd is unique and beyond worthy applause. I do hope that as a human species we can find and continue solutions for these incredible creatures to roam our planet for eternity.