The Elephant Whisperer

Even after the Ovambos’ disappearance, sporadic poaching continues on Thula Thula. One day, however, Lawrence gets a call that rhino and ivory poachers are in the area. A few days later, he discovers a group of white-backed vultures circling above a dead southern white rhino with its horns severed. Everyone on the reserve resolves to find the culprits.

One early evening the next week, Lawrence hears shots and sees spotlights on the reserve, and he sets out with a team of men to find the poachers. They trap the poachers, eight professionals with rifles, and a shootout proceeds. Lawrence and his men injure three of the poachers, while the others escape. He hands the poachers over to the police, confident that news of Thula Thula’s victory will keep others away.

A few weeks later, however, Lawrence receives a bout of bad news: First, Phineas, the key witness in the Ovambo poaching scandal, passes away. Additionally, the Ovambo guards who fled had been tracked down to Durban but had now disappeared completely, leaving Lawrence without a case. Finally, his accountant tells him the reserve is running out of cash and they need to increase their bottom line somehow.

Françoise comes up with the idea of opening a small luxury lodge with a gourmet restaurant that she herself will run, to attract more guests. Before the end of the year, the lodge is up and running and soon getting regular bookings. Lawrence is relieved that “[w]ith plenty of hard work and a bit of luck [the reserve] could be all right” (165).

The reserve seems quiet, as if the elephants have disappeared, and Lawrence realizes that Nana—who had been impregnated by a bull in her old home and was now close to term—must have disappeared into the bush to give birth. Lawrence sets out looking for the herd, and they emerge, Nana with her newborn beside her. She brings him for Lawrence to see, touching first Lawrence and then the baby on their heads with her trunk. An overwhelmed Lawrence names the baby Mvula, meaning rain, as he was born during the first spring showers. The herd disappears again two weeks later, and Lawrence finds them in the same spot, this time with Frankie having given birth. The herd approaches again, and Frankie parades her newborn past Lawrence, whom he names Ilanga.

A few days after Ilanga’s birth, Lawrence gets a call from Nkosi Nkanyiso Biyela, the principal chief in the area. He is an “essential cog” in Lawrence’s Royal Zulu project. Lawrence meets the Nkosi at his homestead to address his people about the game reserve project. It is a difficult task, as game reserves are considered to be a white man’s concept designed to seize tribal land used for cattle grazing. Lawrence’s impassioned speech is met with resistance from cattle owners, and although the Nkosi eventually ends the discussion, Lawrence anticipates bitter clashes ahead.

The night after meeting with Nkosi, David tells Lawrence he is leaving, as he has fallen in love with a young British lodge guest whom he is following to England. This is a big blow for Lawrence, but he wishes David well. David’s replacement, Brendan, is a worthy one: He is a young man with a degree in zoology and wildlife management and a major in entomology; he has a love for all living creatures and a bright attitude.

Soon after Brendan settles in, however, Lawrence gets a call from David. He is unhappy in England and now returning home. He arrives at Thula Thula as soon as he can, hiking miles on foot through torrential rains that leave the roads unnavigable for vehicles. Brendan, witnessing David’s commitment, laughingly agrees to handle the scientific side of the work so David can have his old job back. Over time, the two men become the closest of friends, earning them the shared moniker “Bravid the clone ranger” (178).

In late winter, Lawrence decides the reserve needs some “burns,” where sections of the land are burned to help regenerate afresh. A few hours later, a fire breaks out on the reserve—it is reported to be arson, a new poaching tactic to distract manpower onto one side of the reserve. Lawrence and his rangers attempt to stop it by back-burning, lighting smaller fires in front of the approaching blaze to destroy everything flammable in its path. However, the wind changes direction, and the men are now faced with two huge fires burning completely out of control and endangering the entire reserve.

Lawrence discovers elephant tracks leading to Croc Pools and realizes that if Nana thinks it safe for her herd, it must be for his men, too. He leads the rangers there, where they find the herd, along with a couple of crocodiles, all taking shelter. The fire sweeps past them, leaving them unharmed, but Brendan radios that the fire has jumped boundaries on another part of the reserve. As Lawrence arrives there, the wind finally changes, and a back-burning fire stops the advance of the larger one.

The lodge and the house are still under threat from an advancing wall of fire. At the last minute, a fleet of vehicles with firefighting equipment arrives, as every neighboring farmer has responded to the reserve’s emergency call. The fire is put out, and although a third of the reserve is completely charred, the spring rains at night cleanse the earth. Two weeks later, new life springs up all over the reserve. Thanks to the poachers, the clearing has been done perfectly, but nobody forgets that they almost lost the reserve to the fire and that they have an elephant to thank for saving their lives.

Lawrence wants to introduce foot safaris and begins experimenting with getting out of his vehicle and walking near the elephants to get them comfortable. He discovers that elephants have invisible boundaries they set for themselves that, if encroached, turn them aggressively defensive. The perimeter varies across individual elephants, changes between Lawrence and a relative stranger, and can be shrunk, but only by the elephants and entirely on their own time.

During one instance, when Lawrence is on foot, Nana and Mvula approach him directly, and Lawrence is forced to ignore every survival instinct to stand still. The elephants stop five yards away, browsing contentedly but constantly glancing over at Lawrence, until he realizes that they are looking for his acknowledgement—with animals, too, communication is a two-way street.

After Lawrence’s interaction with Nana and Mvula, it becomes easier for humans to be around the herd. The elephants reciprocate when they arrive at the lodge while a candlelit dinner is being served for guests on the veranda. The guests bolt inside but are entertained by the elephants’ antics, as the latter destroy the place settings, enjoy some of the food, drink their fill, and splash around in the swimming pool.

Nana eventually comes up to the lodge and, displeased by Lawrence’s attempts to get her to leave by clapping, almost brings down the support pole of the building by headbutting it. Lawrence pushes on her trunk, desperately pleading with her not to destroy his livelihood. She eventually backs away but displays her disgust by defecating on the patio. The next morning, a single electric strand is put up around the lodge at elephant height, and an underground drinking trough is set up right outside it. This works well, as the elephants don’t come up to the lodge ever again.

Lawrence learns that Nkosi Nkanyiso Biyela has passed away. He is succeeded by his son, Phiwayinkosi Biyela, whom Lawrence doesn’t know very well. Lawrence attends the induction ceremony bearing gifts, but his requests for meetings with the new Nkosi go unfulfilled.

Shortly after this, a faction fight breaks out in the neighboring Bucanana village between the Biyelas and the Maxwells, the latter being a group displaced onto Biyela land by the apartheid government. Faction fights between the Biyelas and Maxwells previously raged for years but had ceased when their leader, Maxwell Mthembu, had paid allegiance to the previous Nkosi. Upon his death, however, they revoked the pledge and were now trying to seize traditionally Biyela land.

Lawrence decides to stay neutral and hopes things will sort themselves out, as between the Nkosi and the fact that most of his workers on the reserve are Maxwells, he has allegiances on both sides. However, the cattle cabal uses the opportunity to destroy Lawrence’s relationship with the new Nkosi by spreading rumors that he is supporting the Maxwells, harboring them on the reserve and supplying them with ammunition. Lawrence seeks help from his friend Prince Gideon Zulu, the uncle of the king, who promises to use his influence but advises Lawrence to contact the Nkosi directly. Over the phone, the Nkosi invites Lawrence for a meeting in Bucanana over the weekend to address the people.

Lawrence works on his speech and asks a local priest in good standing to be his translator. He arrives at the meeting to find heavy police reinforcements around the area, as the gathering is getting heated. Lawrence addresses the crowd and is interrupted halfway through with jeers and accusations, but this helps him identify the people opposing him. He is able to prove his innocence and clear up the claims against him. The Nkosi dismisses the matter altogether, reassured of Lawrence’s friendship and loyalty. Lawrence is relieved but in time learns that he has made some powerful enemies.

Marion calls the following morning, requesting that Lawrence take in a single female elephant whose entire family has been either shot or sold. Lawrence agrees, and weeks later the elephant arrives, immediately bolting into the boma and staying deep inside. The terrified animal refuses to respond to any overtures. Lawrence eventually approaches her, and when she charges, he backs off theatrically to help her regain her confidence. The elephant is named ET, i.e., enfant terrible.

Despite her increased tolerance for Lawrence over time, ET continues to be unhappy, slipping further into depression. Lawrence decides the only way to help her is with the herd, and he draws them to the boma. ET is thrilled to see Nana, who stands at the gate and raises her trunk at the younger elephant. After a few minutes, Nana walks past the gate to indicate that Lawrence ought to open it; once it is open, the herd emerges from the thicket where they have been waiting, and Nana walks past the gate to show ET the exit. It takes a few tries, but ET eventually makes it out and rushes to follow the departing herd across the open savannah.

Lawrence gets a call from his mother who has learned from the police that a powerful local induna has hired assassins to kill Lawrence. Lawrence thinks it is the cattle cabal behind this, as the induna apparently boasted that without Lawrence, he would be able to seize the tribal trust land. The police have the assassins’ names but cannot act upon mere hearsay. Lawrence decides to pay the induna a visit, accompanied by Lawrence’s friend, Obie Mthethwa, senior councilor to one of the most powerful Zulu tribes in the area.

Lawrence and Obie are forced to wait until it is dark and then escorted into a hut to meet the induna alone. The latter blatantly denies the police findings, but halfway into the meeting, he is visited by the four men whom Obie identities as the assassins. Realizing the danger he is in, Lawrence clutches his gun while confronting the induna about the assassins, even as the four men deny the charges. The induna’s silence confirms Lawrence’s fears. Lawrence claims the police know of their visit and that if anything happens to Lawrence, the induna and his men will be implicated. The induna quickly gives Lawrence his word that nothing will happen to him, once again denying the existence of a hit list, and Lawrence knows he will be safe—the induna cannot now go back on his word. Lawrence and Obie leave, reassured that the cabal is now in retreat.