This was an interesting story and nice to listen to. I enjoyed listening to the narrator. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to listen to and review this audiobook.

I didn’t realize this was the 3rd book in the Elephant Whisperer series when I requested the audiobook from Netgalley, until after I finished it, so I don’t think you need to have read the first two to enjoy this one.

The Elephants of Thula Thula is the memoirs of Françoise Malby-Anthony’s and her elephants on the game reserve Thula Thula (which means quiet in Zulu) in South Africa. Her story is fascinating and reminded me that there are great people, doing great and amazing things out there. To dedicate your life to saving and protecting wild animals is just remarkable and so inspiring. I learned so much about elephants and their way of life in this book (like how they can be right or left tusked, akin to how humans are right or left handed), and I was given a front row seat to how much work, effort and money is actually required for a wild game reserve to remain open. Some of this book takes place during the pandemic and so the lack of finances coming in when Thula Thula could not remain open to the public for tours place a huge financial strain on them and the welfare of the animals.

I also learned a lot about other animals in this book as Thula Thula is also home to rhinos, giraffes, baboons, hyenas, a cheetah, meerkats and even a hippo! Learning about the ecosystem and the importance these species have on each other was very interesting. Poaching is also a topic covered and not even reserves are safe. Because of this, rhinos are routinely dehorned and the horns are then transported by armoured vehicles to a high security vault.

Overall, I really enjoyed listening to the stories about the animals of Thula Thula and have now added it to my bucket list of places I would love to visit in my future travels.

The Elephants of Thula Thula is a fascinating memoir written by a woman who has dedicated her life to preserving wildlife.

While elephants are the focus, we also spend time getting to know Savannah the cheetah, a rhino called Thabo, and many others. Malby-Anthony’s love for these animals shines through in her writing.

We see the devastating impact of miners and the destruction of land on wildlife, and how poachers aggressively hunt these animals for their tusks and pelts and whatever else they can sell to a careless, thoughtless industry.

The stories shared don’t follow a linear timeline. Consequently, I sometimes felt confused as to where we were in the course of events, but this was a minor issue.

The audiobook, read by Roshina Ratnam, is engaging and made for a fun listen.

*Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the free download.*

I really enjoyed this memoir by Francoise Malby-Anthony and her life working with the animals of Thula Thula, especially elephants. Along the way, we also learn about giraffes, rhinos, wildebeests, lions, leopards, and buffalo (the big 5 and the tall one). One of my favorite sections is when she was distraught thinking she was going to have to close down the sanctuary, and then the next day met with nearby preservationists gaining almost 10 hectares of land for these majestic creatures. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an audio copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

The problems faced by game reserve owners.
We all heard about how covid-19 effected employment, business, and life in general. Not many people have given a thought about how it would affect a game reserve. No tourists mean no income. No income means no money to pay the employees responsible for running the game reserve. No food or medical care for the animals. Add to these problems the political corruption, poachers and rules that keep changing, no wonder this has become a real nightmare Françoise Malby-Anthony who is the owner of a game reserve in South Africa. I loved listening to this story about her life and all the trials and tribulations in running the game reserve. Friendships formed and attachments to the animals. The Narrator did an excellent job and it almost felt like I was listening to Françoise herself.

I loved listening to this story. I love that Francoise and the team at Thula Thula are doing everything they can to try and save so many endangered species. I love that they introduced predators to the reserve to help increase their survival rate as well. Now I need to go and read An Elephant in My Kitchen.

Roshina Ratnam did a great job narrating this book, I loved listening to her accent. I will definitely look for more book narrated by Roshina Ratnam in the future.

While I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. This is the story of a woman caretaker of a wildlife preserve in South Africa. It includes the details of how she was able to not only survive the covid-19 pandemic (not losing her business, the elephant preserve) but thrive. They were able to expand the preserve to his current status. I loved the stories not only about the elephants and other animals, but about the people. I plan on checking out the first book written by Malby-Anthony soon. Seeing what she's done to help preserve the wild elephants in South Africa is just amazing.

I feel that this book is best enjoyed after reading An Elephant in My Kitchen. I think it can be enjoyed even more if you've already read both Lawrence Anthony's The Elephant Whisperer and Francoise's An Elephant in My Kitchen. That doesn't mean this can't be read on its own. I think the author does a decent job getting you caught up when needed, but I think it helps the reader become more invested in the story of the animal conservation work being done and the efforts to keep their game reserve functioning after reading the other 2 books first.
While the famous elephants from the previously mentioned books are in this story they are not as much a part of it as the title might lead you to believe. It could have just as easily been named The Animals of Thula Thula and drawn in just as many interested readers without drawing on the famed elephants that seem to take up a very small portion of this important story. That being said, this book is filled with many eye opening stories and facts about poaching and the endangered animals of South Africa. I also fully appreciate Francoise Malby-Anthony's honest portrayal of herself and the events that took place in this book. I hope that she continues to chronicle her journey with endangered animals and the status of Thula Thula.
Since I listened to the audio version I would also like to add that the narrator's voice did this book justice and I would happily listen to more stories read by her.

Françoise Malby-Anthony is the owner of a game reserve in South Africa whose mission is to safeguard the most vulnerable of animals and the most endangered. Her beloved elephants live in harmony with other creatures, big and small. As Françoise is put to the test by the authorities, who threaten to take away that which she holds dear, will the staff at Thula Thula come up with a plan?

It is clear that Françoise has a passion for animals, both wild and domesticated. The Elephants of Thula Thula includes interesting facts about its inhabitants, about the South African COVID response, and the struggles of running a game reserve during lockdown.

I learned a lot about the animals that live at Thula Thula and about the challenges of implementing changes in an every evolving world. The author spent a little too much time talking about her dogs, especially considering that the title of the book was The Elephants of Thula Thula. I also found the book to be a little disorganized and repetitive.

Overall, the audiobook was well narrated and engaging. Roshina Ratnam lent her voice to Françoise Malby-Anthony and brought all of Thula Thula to life. I would recommend the audio version of this book to readers who like memoirs about nature and wildlife.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Audio Copy by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to listen to and review this book was entirely my own.

I received a copy of this audiobook for a honest review.

I love the elephants and rhinos of Thula Thula. They have so much life and personality. Hearing Francoise talk about her beloved animals and animal preserve is beautiful and reassuring. There are still people out there fighting for these animals even during a pandemic. I had read her husband's book but not Francoise's first book. I will be going back to read it now.

This book was like going on vacation to a safari while not leaving my house. The stories from Thula Thula, about the animals there, the conservation struggles, and the impacts of Covid were very enlightening.
I wish there was a stronger main idea or moral thread linking the stories together, but overall, I did enjoy it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Francoise Malby-Anthony is an established author and the owner of a game reserve in South Africa. Although she’s written previous books about this reserve, The Elephants of Thula-Thula is the first of her books that I’ve read. My thanks go to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for the review copy; this book is for sale now.

As I begin listening to the audiobook, I am not sure I like it much. After a brief passage about elephants, the author segues into a longer piece about rhinos and by the time she admits that the rhinos are her favorites, I mutter, “No kidding!” There are other passages in which she gushes about the refuge’s well-heeled but generous donors, and I’m beginning to feel as if this is the sort of book that people will buy because the refuge is a good cause, but nobody will actually learn anything or even enjoy it much.

About halfway in, though, I have a change of heart. The second half is much better than the first. She discusses throughout the book the challenges posed to the refuge by the pandemic, and she talks about the measures taken to remain solvent while also keeping her employees whole. There is actually more talk about elephants now. I confess I am jarred by the moment when a favorite animal dies (no spoilers) and she tells us that this is the worst grief of her entire life. She says this not too long after explaining that the reserve’s founder, her husband, has recently died, and so my head snaps up when the tells us that the loss of the animal is the worst. I am chalking it up to hyperbole, but if I were the editor, I’d suggest a rewording.

Nevertheless, there are wonderful anecdotes about the elephants, and of course the rhinos, as well as the addition of a cheetah. She discusses baboons—I’d never fully realized how scary they can be—and I enjoyed hearing about how one goes about moving a giraffe to another location. There’s a lot more about elephants in the second half, and she discusses the threat to the herd when some bureaucrats add up the acreage and decide that there are too many elephants here, and some must be either moved out or “culled” (which means, of course, killed!) The reserve is expanded, but it takes a whole lot of jockeying and maneuvering to carry it off.

Readers that have enjoyed Malby-Anthony’s earlier books, or that have a strong interest in wildlife preserves may enjoy this book greatly, and it is to them that I recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book, learning about the game reserve and elephants. I learned so much. Who know they are right or left tusk?!

I absolutely LOVED this next installment in the collection of Thula Thula stories! I adored Lawrence's book "The Elephant Whisperer" and Francoise's "An Elephant in My Kitchen" so I knew this one would also be a 5 star read! It combines important conservation education and conversation with heartwarming and hilarious real-life stories about the joys and struggles of running a wildlife reserve in South Africa. An absolute MUST READ for anyone with an interest in African wildlife, conservation, and/or inspiring non-fiction! One day I will make it to Thula Thula for a in-person visit instead of just living through Lawrence and Francoise's stories!

Having been to David Sheldrake's Elephant Orphanage in Kenya, I love true stories of elephants, rhinos and those who take care of them. So, when I saw this ARC, I was immediately interested. And the story did not disappoint!

It's clear that the Thula Thula game reserve cares deeply at all its residents, both two- and four-legged. And it was interesting to read about all the various considerations that go into ensuring the safety and welfare of the animals they are entrusted with.

There's no doubt that this "job" is fueled by a passion of love and rewarded by the sense of family it develops.

I truly enjoyed reading Françoise Malby-Anthony's story and how precious the animals in her care are to her. And I would highly recommend this story to anyone who loves animals and wants to see those that are endangered protected.

Thank you to Françoise, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

“Somehow, the elephants got into my soul“
If you like animal documentaries, animal channel, discovery channel, I recommend this book about the Thula Thula Game Reserve in South Africa. It is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. I felt the love that Françoise Malby-Anthony truly has for her animals and the reserve itself. I will be checking out her previous book, as well as her late husband’s (Lawrence Anthony) book, to continue to learn more about Thula Thula.
I chose to listen to this book and the narrator was a good choice. Thank you to #Netgalley and #Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy.

I have followed Thula Thula on Facebook for awhile and loved reading the stories and seeing the pictures so I was so excited to see the audiobook arc! It’s even better than I imagined, the stories are told in such an animated way that I could see it all happening! I would love to come visit one day but until then I’ll highly recommend this book to everyone!

I was unaware this reserve existed, but if I ever get to visit South Africa, I want Thula Thula to be one of my first stops. I loved the descriptions of the elephants and their personalities, especially the rhinoceros Thabo. I knew the pandemic affected a lot of people, but it never occured to me how much it would affect a wildlife game reserve. They work so hard to protect the wildlife from poachers, making sure they have enough land to roam, and are safe and happy. Francoise and her team are extraordinary and I'm so happy I stumbled on this audiobook, the narration is great and it isn’t dry like some nonfiction books can be. The only thing I regret about listening is I missed out on the beautiful photography of the animals included in the book.

I love elephants and this story was so powerful and beautiful! Thank you so much to the publisher and team for the early read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC!

Elephants have always been my favorite animal. Not only that, but I grew up wearing out my childhood copies of all of the James Herriot from near-constant re-reading. So this book hit a special kind of a sweet spot for me. The nostalgia combined with the superb storytelling, and the constant reminder of the importance of wildlife conservation efforts such as the one at Thula Thula all combined to make this one of the best books I've read in a while. I will definitely be listening to the author's earlier book.