“The day was hot, the air was still and dust devils danced across the bush as Lofty waited in the shade at the edge of the forest, sometimes lifting his great trunk to test the air for scent. Suddenly there it was, the smell of humans and the guns they carried; he knew the poachers were not far away.” “Suddenly and shockingly, there was an explosion of water and a huge crocodile leapt out of the shallows and fastened its jaws onto a young elephant’s leg, dragging him back into the water.” “Raising his trunk to its full extent, Lofty caught the faint but distinctive smell that came from burning grass and trees, and knew that this was the start of a bush fire, always a great danger to animals caught in its path.” Travel the bush tracks and forests of Africa with Lofty the elephant and experience the sights and sounds of wild Africa. See through the eyes of an elephant, the dangers and challenges faced by him and his herd as they follow their ancient migration routes across this vast continent.
Harry Rivers was born in England but moved to Southern Africa as a young man and served in a colonial police force where he travelled extensively; many of the incidents in his stories are based on personal experiences and those of his family and colleagues. At the end of his service, he and his family moved to South Africa, where they launched a tourism business and later a safari venture, which provided many more experiences of wildlife and their environs. They now live in a delightful coastal town on South Africa’s famous garden route.