What do you think?
Rate this book
Elephant Dance: A Story of Love and War in the Kingdom of Elephants
It's the middle of the night in the Namibian desert when Tammie Matson wakes to find two bull elephants standing just inches from her head. Totally vulnerable in her tiny tent, she promises the night: 'If you just let me survive tonight I will give up Africa. I'll give it all up. Just don't let them stand on me.'
It's not a promise she will easily keep. At 29, Tammie has spent half her life in Africa working as a conservationist. Africa - with its big skies and extraordinary wildlife - is her first love, and Tammie has just landed her dream gig researching human-elephant conflict.
But as her thirties approach, Tammie is conscious that Africa has left little room for pursuit of dreams that are becoming increasingly important: a partner, kids, a house ... With her visa running out and close to broke, it seems like Africa may just force Tammie to give it up after all.
On returning to Australia, Tammie unexpectedly lands a job at the World Wide Fund for Nature in Sydney. There she meets Andy, a charismatic Brit, and Africa suddenly has a rival. But she's not ready to give up on the elephants yet....
From the magic of Bushmanland in Namibia to the civil strife of Assam, India, Elephant Dance takes us to the heart of a quest for elephants to live peacefully in a world with too many people and too little space.
Passionate, funny, and wise, Elephant Dance is also a young woman's story of self-discovery, love and the courage it takes to follow a calling, especially when life has other plans.
It's not a promise she will easily keep. At 29, Tammie has spent half her life in Africa working as a conservationist. Africa - with its big skies and extraordinary wildlife - is her first love, and Tammie has just landed her dream gig researching human-elephant conflict.
But as her thirties approach, Tammie is conscious that Africa has left little room for pursuit of dreams that are becoming increasingly important: a partner, kids, a house ... With her visa running out and close to broke, it seems like Africa may just force Tammie to give it up after all.
On returning to Australia, Tammie unexpectedly lands a job at the World Wide Fund for Nature in Sydney. There she meets Andy, a charismatic Brit, and Africa suddenly has a rival. But she's not ready to give up on the elephants yet....
From the magic of Bushmanland in Namibia to the civil strife of Assam, India, Elephant Dance takes us to the heart of a quest for elephants to live peacefully in a world with too many people and too little space.
Passionate, funny, and wise, Elephant Dance is also a young woman's story of self-discovery, love and the courage it takes to follow a calling, especially when life has other plans.
299 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2009
8 people are currently reading
480 people want to read
About the author
Tammie Matson
3books9followersTammie Matson is an Australian wildlife conservationist with a grand passion for Africa and all its wildlife, especially elephants. She worked for many years in southern Africa, before becoming the head of WWF Australia's species program in 2007, and a voice for threatened species worldwide.
Having worked on human-elephant conflict in Namibia and India, she moved to Singapore in 2012 where she is working on reducing the illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn that is decimating Africa's elephants and rhinos. She divides her time between being a mum to her son, lecturing in the environmental sciences, and undertaking freelance conservation work in Africa and Asia.
Having worked on human-elephant conflict in Namibia and India, she moved to Singapore in 2012 where she is working on reducing the illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn that is decimating Africa's elephants and rhinos. She divides her time between being a mum to her son, lecturing in the environmental sciences, and undertaking freelance conservation work in Africa and Asia.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 22, 2019
3 Stars = Okay. Maybe not a page-turner, but not sorry I read it.
May 31, 2020
Good intentions of an elephant conservationist in Namibia. Some of the work involved had me baffled.
September 12, 2016
It was OK but too much about the writer and not enough about the elephants. More about the elephants might have obscured the fact that Ms Matson is not a talented writer.
February 12, 2012
Very interesting book by a very interesting lady. Highly recommend to anyone interested in Elephants and Africa.
April 28, 2019
A real and honest account of the elephant situation in Africa
Coming from the world of wildlife management and conservation, it’s refreshing to read the honest truth and reality of what occurs and what needs to be done in Africa. All to often everyone just wants to save all the elephants, and don’t get me wrong, I am
An elephant lover. But there is a reality to the situation and conservation requirements differ in places. Thanks Tammie for you wonderful book, I share your love of Africa and it’s wildlife
Coming from the world of wildlife management and conservation, it’s refreshing to read the honest truth and reality of what occurs and what needs to be done in Africa. All to often everyone just wants to save all the elephants, and don’t get me wrong, I am
An elephant lover. But there is a reality to the situation and conservation requirements differ in places. Thanks Tammie for you wonderful book, I share your love of Africa and it’s wildlife
January 4, 2024
the colors were eye-catching, but the rest of this was just. okay. i think it reads to children as a fine book in theory, but from my perspective, the aim of what was being told was a little confusing. was it supposed to be an insight into the author? if so, why was it filled with her opinions and thoughts but didn't go in-depth into her as a person? who is the main focus? is this supposed to give kids historical background and more information on Indian culture? the core is getting a little lost in translation. some food for thought i suppose.
September 29, 2018
Anything about our beloved elephants is worth eating! Thanks Tammie!
August 24, 2020
Interesting. This book improved my understanding of the impacts of elephant-human conflict both in Africa and India.
October 26, 2013
I love reading the parts about the elephants and wildlife, I read the next book first (elephant planet) which repeats some of the story again. I do enjoy reading about how solutions are being trialed to combat the elephant-human conflict and I do enjoy the conservation side though.
July 3, 2016
This was okay, but the author spent too much time talking about her own feelings, opinions and loves and not enough time writing about the elephants. She writes about her experiences in both Africa and Australia as a conservationist, making the story jump around which I found distracting.
June 30, 2010
Tammie is a dedicated person who is passionate about wildlife conservation. Her story is one that really engages the reader.
November 10, 2010
It was great to ready about Tammie's experience with elephants and trying to find solutions to Elephant/Human conflict.
April 18, 2011
An interesting autobiography and look at the author's study into human elephant conflict in Africa and India and her love of the African bush.
March 15, 2016
Very enjoyable read. Inspiring, informative and well written
November 27, 2018
Well done, Tammie! Memoir moves along at a steady pace and paints a picture of living with wild animals (particularly elephants) in the wild of Africa and India.
December 14, 2016
Enjoyable. Very inspiring.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.