The Elephants and I

Pursuing a Dream in Troubled Zimbabwe

They came when she called. Offering her trunk to be rubbed Lady would acknowledge Sharon’s greeting and return hers. This proud, noble and wild matriarch would bring her family to the pan at Kanondo, knowing Sharon, sitting quietly watching, only wishes them well.

Then came the drought. The land grabbers who claimed State Land and elephants protected by a Presidential Decree their own. In came the unethical hunters and the dreadful poaching by the cruellest measure, snares, increased dramatically.

However, Sharon Pincott continued her commitment to care for what had been previously declared as the Presidential Elephants – and indeed any living creature that lived in this special wilderness area.

Home became a small rondavel bordering the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. Surviving loneliness, hardships and Nicki Mukuru her 4 x 4 vehicle, Sharon Pincott did not give up her mission to help and protect wildlife, and particularly ‘her elephants’ through the recent turbulent times in Zimbabwe.

There is a hint of Sharon being a little disparaging about others who have gone before her, other men and women who have dedicated their whole lives to caring for wildlife, many who have done so with little or no recognition, and many who have to consider their families before speaking out against forces they do not agree with and have no control over.

This is an inspirational true story of one person who abandons a high-flying career and luxurious life-style to fulfil her dream. Sharon’s descriptions of the Hwange area and its myriad of wildlife are so evocative one can easily image themselves there and memories come flooding back. Sharon sees not only the larger elephants and wildlife, but the little things that make Hwange, and indeed Africa, so special.

Published 2009 by Jacana,
ISBN 9781770096493

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