Elephant Speak

A Devoted Keeper's Life Among the Herd

By Melissa Crandall

2020

First Published

4.52

Average Rating

272

Number of Pages

8H18M

Audio Length

When Roger Henneous first dons his keeper uniform and sets foot in the Oregon Zoo, he doesn't know what to expect. But over his thirty-year career, Roger discovers the joys, difficulties, and dangers of life in a zoo, all the while maintaining an unwavering devotion to Belle, Packy, and the rest of the Asian elephants in his care. As their friend, Roger faces many risks―but his willingness to learn their language and speak for the herd makes him unique among his contemporaries. In return, the elephants give Roger a rare level of trust and respect, reminding us how much we can learn when we choose to listen. Elephant A Devoted Keeper's Life Among the Herd takes place in a time when ethical conversations about animal comfort, safety, and enrichment in zoos were just beginning. More than an evolutionary history of zookeeping, this unique biography celebrates the extraordinary bonds between humans and elephants and asks what we owe elephants, where we have fallen short, and how we can move forward together.

Avg Rating

4.52

Number of Ratings

5 STARS

62%

4 STARS

31%

3 STARS

2 STARS

1 STARS

goodreads

Author

Melissa Crandall

Author · 5 books

About 20 years ago, I had the opportunity to spend four hours with an Asian elephant named Belle, and her keeper Roger Henneous. That occasion changed my life in ways I never anticipated, and led to the writing of my latest book, THE MAN WHO LOVED ELEPHANTS. The manuscript is complete and with my agent, Bonnie Solow, and will soon be submitted to publishers. Stay tuned for more news! I cut my amateur writing teeth on fanzines—Star Trek, Star Wars, Elfquest, and others—so it was only natural that my professional teeth would emerge courtesy of media tie-in novels for Star Trek, Quantum Leap, and Earth 2. Since those long-ago days, a collection of short fiction has appeared, as well as a limited-run self-published endeavor, appearances in CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL, and most recently a Halloween-themed anthology. My fiction has appeared in "Allegory," the tri-annual online magazine of SF, Fantasy & Horror, and in "Amoskeag: The Journal of Southern New Hampshire University." My nonfiction has been featured in the "Journal of the American Geriatrics Society," the blog "The Wild Ride - Caretaking Mom Through Alzheimer's," on the writing podcast The Drunken Odyssey, in the ASPCA's "Animal Watch," "Strides," the magazine of NARHA/PATH Inter'l, and various newspapers. I've even appeared in two cookbooks! I'm hopeless at organized sports and follow no teams. I love to bike, hike, and just take walks, anything to be outdoors and, preferably, among animals. I live in Connecticut with my husband, our Australian shepherd Holly, and ancient surfer-dude cat, Tuna.