Elephants

Description:

"Elephants have long been an endless source of fascination, since Stone Age man first pictured mammoths in his cave wall graffiti. The earliest books on them appeared in 400 BC. More recently, interest in their threatened survival due to man's insatiable greed for ivory has lent them a prominence scarcely before equalled by any other mammal." "Their intrinsic interest, closeness to man in many of their faculties and long standing as symbols of wisdom and power have prompted a plethora of books on elephants, but so far no truly comprehensive treatment of their natural history. This volume sets out to fill that gap by weaving together the latest research and the little known observations of scholars, travellers and those who for centuries have worked with the Asian elephant as a beast of burden. The author blends these disparate sources in an easy style to provide a full and fascinating account of the elephant both as a superbly adapted animal and as long time associate of man's activities. The range is wide in geographical and temporal terms also, covering both the African and Asian elephant as well as extinct forms such as the mammoth. Their origins, evolution, anatomy, ecology and behaviour are all subjects for discussion." "The book concludes by examining the domestication of the elephant and its practice in both past and present. The possibility exists that the African Elephant may be used as an animal of transport in certain areas of Africa. Finally the author hopes that this book will serve not as an epitaph to one of the world's wonders, but rather as a continuing reminder of its precarious existence and of our responsibility for its continued survival."--BOOK JACKET.

subjects: Elephants,  Olifanten,  Éléphants,  Afrikanischer Elefant,  Asiatischer Elefant