The Elephant's Secret Sense: The Hidden Life of the Wild Herds of Africa

Anyone who is interested in African elephants and their rich and amazing lives will find this an interesting read. Caitlin has added hugely to the body of knowledge about Elephant communication. It is part adventure story, as most intrepid young scientists who venture into Africa for their PHD theses discover. It tells of the beauty and terror and difficulties of this most diverse land and her rich wildlife. Caitlin's book tells of her discoveries, elephant communication research, years of working with people in the Caprivi region to combat Elephant/Human conflict as well as her memorable times in hides stalked by lion and all the other adventures. The book is well written for the most part, does lose some momentum toward the end of the book but this would appraer to be editing rather than Caitlin's writing. I thoroughly reccomend it.

An intricate balance exists between humans and nature that undergirds even the most basic experiences. Ecological researcher, Caitlin O'Connell has spent her professional life exploring the lesser-known aspects of this relationship through her study of elephant behavior in sub-Saharan Africa, shedding light on their value within society and promoting the need for continued conservation and outreach. In THE ELEPHANT'S SECRET SENSE: The Hidden Life of the Wild Herds of Africa , O'Connell uncovers the fascinating and complex communication system of elephants, and conveys the deeper importance of this astounding discovery on modern African society.

I read this whole book from start to finish on a series of flights that I took recently and I was totally taken with the story and the science behind it. I couldn't put it down and I haven't read a book in 10yrs! From a phenomenal underlying technological journey merges the principles of many scientific disciplines ranging from zoology, biology, acoustics, geophysics, chemistry, mechanics, electronics, mathematics, not to mention anthropology. As a physicist, I loved the explanation of acoustic coupling and aliasing, a very impressive bridge, making connections between fundamental processes that are essential in tying together a very complex phenomenon. There were tragic elements to the story that were horrific and left me in tears, but at the same time, a remarkable account of caring and human bonding. Congratulations to the author. I can't wait for her next book!

The Elephant's Secret Sense is a compelling journey of discovery, told with a clear and intimate voice that is rare in this genre of writing. Dropped into the middle of rural Africa straight out of graduate school, Caitlin O'Connell used her wits and the lessons learned from a tiny Hawaiian insect, to turn a difficult experience of keeping crop raiding elephants out of fields, into the discovery that elephants are communicating with seismic signals. While this voyage of discovery, with its twists, turns and occasional brush with feisty lions kept me turning the pages, it was the inner layers of the book, about the complex and often difficult relationships between rural communities and elephants that gave the story its soul. Caitlin O'Connell has spent thirteen long years working with elephants and it shows. Whether she was flying high above the free ranging elephant herds of southern Africa, or teaching a single female zoo elephant to communicate with her, she managed to share the unique sights, sounds and emotions of the moment that make a book like this so memorable. Caitlin O'Connell finds that difficult balance between the scientific objectivity and compassion that is rare and much appreciated and I would encourage anyone with an interest in natural history and understanding our place in the world of animals to read this book.

I was very impressed with this book. Part of what Caitlin O'Connell experienced for long stretches of time is something the vast majority of us could not imagine. One particular chapter about the elephant Donna was a personal favorite, explaining in detail much of what this groundbreaking scientist (along with her husband Tim Rodwell) had to cope with in working with these gigantic subjects. Another chapter that detailed a African village experience was quite moving, especially as a dramatic event unfolded in a very unfamiliar, Third World setting. A must-read -- there are very few scientific, introspective books that have gone the necessary distance.