Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story    by Dame Daphne Sheldrick Order:  USA  Can Picador, 2013 (2012) Hardcover, Softcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Dame Daphne Seldrick has saved countless African animals from certain death. In her book Love, Life, and Elephants, she reveals her life's work of saving animals that otherwise would have perished from predators, malnutrition or poachers who see money in their pockets instead of the wonderful creatures in front of them. As her self-appointed role of conservationist grew to a life-long occupation, she was able to rescue many animals from the jaws of death. Her favorites though were the baby elephants who were nourished back to health and then released back into the wild. Her rapport with these regal creatures is absolutely awe-inspiring. In her Orphans' Nursery in Kenya, there were an almost unmanageable number of various wildlife that needed her loving care. Dame Daphne Seldrick received the honor of being named Dame of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for her conservation efforts. Doomed to death, many baby animals would have perished had she not made this her life's work. Born in Africa, she grew up with the wild animals of Kenya and thus was born her desire to save those that could be saved, the goal being to reintegrate them back into their own kind in the wild. She is a conservationist of the highest order, an expert in animal husbandry, and, by the way, an enchanting author. Her life's story underlines her devotion to save as many of those animals that need her help as she can. Her work with baby elephants that lived because of that devotion is so inspiring. Many times, poachers will kill a mother elephant to cull the mother's tusks to be sold on the black market, leaving the newborns to starve. While poaching is outlawed, the laws are hard to enforce when the chance comes to harvest big tusks for big money. The same is true for the rhinoceros that are killed for their horns to provide horn powder for those who believe in its magical powers! Many times the animal is still alive while the poacher slices the horns from its body!! Dame Daphne Seldrick has lived a remarkable life and one she has chosen to share with us. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Travel books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews