Read a good book lately?

I'm always looking for a good book.  At the moment I'm reading South African, Julian Radymeyer's "Killing For Profit", a sinister tale of greed, corruption and ruthless criminals in the game of rhino poaching and rhino horn trade.  And some friends recently gave me a copy of  Mandy Retzlaff's "One Hundred and Four Horses", which really has me hooked - it's written by a woman who lived through Robert Mugabe's land invasions in Zimbabwe and her family's amazing efforts to keep their horses alive during these harrowing years.  I'm always open to suggestions about what makes good reading, especially if it involves Africa and wildlife, so add your favourite books in the comments section below!



TOP 50 BOOKS YOU CAN'T PUT DOWN

"Planet Elephant - a story of family, love and the global wildlife trade" was placed on the Australian government's Top Fifty Books You Can't Put Down this year, which means it gets a cute little sticker on its cover.  Let me know if you think the sticker is true to its word!  The list also features one of my favourite authors, Tony Park's book "Dark Heart", so if you're looking for a good read it's definitely worth checking this list out.  If you're struggling to buy "Planet Elephant" or any of my other books, don't forget to ask your local bookseller to order them in, try ordering it through Booktopia, or you can get signed copies here through my website.  And you can read a free copy of the prologue and first chapter here online thanks to my publisher, Pan Macmillan Australia.

KENYAN TERRORIST ATTACK LINKED TO ELEPHANT POACHING?

Could the recent tragic terrorist attack by Al Shabaab in Nairobi's Westgate Shopping Centre be linked to elephant poaching for ivory?  It's not as crazy an idea as it seems.  Blogger, Christ Tacket, writes in an article for Treehugger just out, that there are an increasing number of studies suggesting that terrorist organisations are being funded by illegal ivory from poached African elephants.  Check out the story here.  No wonder the US government is stepping up its efforts to stop the illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn.  The illegal wildlife trade, a multi-billion dollar industry, is now a national security risk.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTERNATIONAL MARCH FOR ELEPHANTS - 4TH OCTOBER

Melbourne friends, don't forget to join up and march for elephants along with people from 14 other cities around the world on 4th October.  This is part of the iworry campaign linked to Dame Daphne Sheldrick's Trust in Kenya. All the details are on the iworry website. If you don't live in Melbourne or can't make it, you can also sign up to iworry's digital march on their website.