Graham Spence – författare

An inspiring story of conservation in the face of brutal war and bureaucratic quagmires, The Last Rhinos will move animal lovers everywhere.Conservationist Lawrence Anthony''s South African wildlife reserve protects elephants and many other animals, including several endangered Southern White Rhinos. When he learned that the Northern White Rhino was on the very brink of extinction--courtesy of a flourishing black market for rhino horns in the Far East--he knew he had to act. If the world lost the sub-species, it would be the largest land mammal since the woolly mammoth to go extinct. The Northern White Rhino''s last refuge was in an area in the Democratic Republic of Congo controlled by the infamous Lord''s Resistance Army, one of the most vicious rebel groups in the world. In the face of unmoving government bureaucracy, Anthony made a perilous journey deep into the jungle to try to find and convince them to help save the rhino.

The astonishing story of the soldiers, conservationists, and ordinary Iraqis who united to save the animals of the Baghdad ZooWhen the Iraq war began, conservationist Lawrence Anthony could think of only one thing: the fate of the Baghdad Zoo, caught in the crossfire at the heart of the city. Once Anthony entered Iraq he discovered that hostilities and uncontrolled looting had devastated the zoo and its animals. Working with members of the zoo staff and a few compassionate U.S. soldiers, he defended the zoo, bartered for food on war-torn streets, and scoured bombed palaces for desperately needed supplies. Babylon''s Ark chronicles Anthony''s hair-raising efforts to save a pride of Saddam''s lions, close a deplorable black-market zoo, run ostriches through shoot-to-kill checkpoints, and rescue the dictator''s personal herd of Thoroughbred Arabian horses. A tale of the selfless courage and humanity of a few men and women living dangerously for all the right reasons, Babylon''s Ark is an inspiring and uplifting true-life adventure of individuals on both sides working together for the sake of magnificent wildlife caught in a war zone.

When South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony was asked to accept a herd of "rogue" wild elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand, his common sense told him to refuse. But he was the herd''s last chance of survival: they would be killed if he wouldn''t take them.In order to save their lives, Anthony took them in. In the years that followed he became a part of their family. And as he battled to create a bond with the elephants, he came to realize that they had a great deal to teach him about life, loyalty, and freedom. The Elephant Whisperer is a heartwarming, exciting, funny, and sometimes sad account of Anthony''s experiences with these huge yet sympathetic creatures. Set against the background of life on an African game reserve, with unforgettable characters and exotic wildlife, it is a delightful book that will appeal to animal lovers and adventurous souls everywhere.

The remarkable story of Grant Fowlds, a conservationist who has dedicated his life to saving the last rhinos, vividly told with the help of Graham Spence, co-author of the bestselling The Elephant Whisperer.''A terrific read . . . an outstanding book!''Gary Player and Vivienne Player''A truly heart-wrenching story, but a must-read for all who value our wild animals and their right to roam free. Grant Fowlds is a Zulu in a white skin and loves the people who hold the key to animal conservation. This is an intriguing true story that sends a clear message to the rest of the world.''Phil Liggett''Exceptionally readable - a fluid and captivating story . . . a swashbuckling tale.''Dr Dave Cooper, Rhinos Without Borders veterinarian, and Debbie Cooper of iSimangaliso Wetland Park''A rollicking true-life adventure that celebrates rhinos and people''Guy Rogers, Daily Herald''Truly awe-inspiring . . . Read this book. You will get a sense of Africa like never before, from a true African soul.''David S. Lee, Limbani in the blockbuster movie Black Panther''An excellent read . . . both sobering and uplifting''Moira Smith, General Manager Africa & Middle East, Goway TravelWhat would drive a man to ''smuggle'' rhino horn back into Africa at great risk to himself? This is just one of the situations Grant Fowlds has put himself in as part of his ongoing fight against poaching, in order to prove a link between southern Africa and the illicit, lucrative trade in rhino horn in Vietnam.Shavings of rhino horn are sold as a snake-oil ''cure'' for colds or impotence, but a rhino''s horn has no magical, medicinal properties. It is for this that rhinoceroses are being killed at an escalating rate that puts the survival of the species in jeopardy. This corrupt, illegal war on wildlife has brought an iconic animal to the brink of extinction.Growing up on a farm in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, Grant developed a deep love of nature, turning his back on hunting to focus on saving wildlife of all kinds and the environment that sustains both them and us. He is a passionate conservationist who puts himself on the front line of protecting rhinos in the wild - right now, against armed poachers; but in the longer term, too, through his work with schoolchildren, communities and policymakers.We are most grateful to photographer Gerhard van der Westhuizen for the use of his stunning photograph on the cover of the book.

Conservationist Grant Fowlds lives to save and protect Africa''s rhinos, elephants and other iconic wildlife, to preserve their habitats, to increase their range and bring back the animals where they have been decimated by decades of war, as in Angola, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This vivid account of his work tells of a fellow conservationist tragically killed by the elephants he was seeking to save and a face-off with poachers, impoverished rural people exploited by rapacious local businessmen. Fowlds describes the impact of the Covid pandemic on conservation efforts, the vital wildlife tourism that sustains these and rural communities; and tells of conservationists'' efforts to support people through the crisis. Lockdowns may have brought a welcome lull in rhino and other poaching, but also brought precious tourism to a standstill. He shows how the pandemic has highlighted the danger to the world of the illicit trade in endangered wildlife, some of it sold in ''wet markets'', where pathogens incubate and spread. He describes a restoration project of apartheid-era, ex-South African soldiers seeking to make reparations in Angola, engulfed for many years in a profoundly damaging civil war, which drew in outside forces, from Cuba, Russia and South Africa, with a catastophic impact on that country''s wildlife. Those who fund conservation, whether in the US, Zambia or South Africa itself, are of vital importance to efforts to conserve and rewild: some supposed angel-investors turn out to be not what they had appeared, some are thwarted in their efforts, but others are open-hearted and generous in the extreme, which makes their sudden, unexpected death an even greater tragedy. A passionate desire to conserve nature has also brought conservationists previously active in far-off Venezuela to southern Africa. Fowlds describes fraught meetings to negotiate the coexistence of wildlife and rural communities. There are vivid accounts of the skilled and dangerous work of using helicopters to keep wildebeest, carrying disease, and cattle apart, and to keep elephants from damaging communal land and eating crops such as sugar cane. He tells of a project to restore Africa''s previously vast herds of elephants, particularly the famed ''tuskers'', with their unusually large tusks, once prized and hunted almost to extinction. The range expansion that this entails is key to enabling Africa''s iconic wildlife to survive, to preserving its wilderness and, in turn, helping humankind to survive.There is a heartening look at conservation efforts in Mozambique, a country scarred by years of war, which are starting to bear fruit, though just as a new ISIS insurgency creates havoc in the north of the country. What will humanity''s relationship with nature be post-pandemic? Will we have begun to learn that by conserving iconic wildlife and their habitats we help to preserve and restore precious pockets of wilderness, which are so vital not only the survival of wildlife, but to our own survival on our one precious planet.

When Lawrence Anthony was asked to accept a rogue herd of elephants in his reserve in South Africa, it was the last chance for these elephants. If Anthony didn’t take them, they would be shot. But he had no experience with elephants at all. What was he to do?Take them on, of course!What follows is an exciting and heartwarming series of adventures, in which Anthony learns about elephants and becomes part of their family. Full of both triumph and tragedy, The Elephant Whisperer, is a fascinating and unforgettable account of living with the majestic elephant.