Secrets of the Savanna: Twenty-Three Years in the African Wilderness Unraveling the Mysteries of Elephants and People

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars | 652 ratings

Price: 17.5

Last update: 12-20-2024


About this item

"Vividly written... Their story is thrilling - the kind of tale that wild-animal lovers won't easily forget." (People)

In this riveting real-life adventure, Mark and Delia Owens tell the dramatic story of their last years in Africa, fighting to save elephants, villagers, and - in the end - themselves. The award-winning zoologists and pioneering conservationists describe their work in the remote and ruggedly beautiful Luangwa Valley, in northeastern Zambia. There they studied the mysteries of the elephant population’s recovery after poaching, discovering remarkable similarities between humans and elephants. A young elephant named Gift provided the clue to help them crack the animals’ secret of survival. A stirring portrait of life in Africa, Secrets of the Savanna is a remarkable record of the Owenses's unique passions.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Linda Ballou
    5.0 out of 5 stars Paving the Way for Progress in Africa
    Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2016
    Research for my trip to Africa included reading this inspiring memoir written jointly by Mark and Delia Owens. They each have chapters in the book, so you receive a male and female experience of the wilds they lived in for twenty three years. Aside from being a model marriage, shouldering burdens and hardships without complaint together, they are both exceptional writers. Especially, Mark who waxes lyrical on more than one occasion describing the remote landscapes and connections with the animals they were studying. Their ground breaking research provided a window into the behavior of our largest mammals. They formed an organization that helped provide jobs for locals, so they would not need to turn to poaching to survive. Their efforts turned the tide on what was the largest elephant poaching atrocity in all of Africa. Their work continues today by Africans who have learned how to work within the framework of the government to stop poaching and provide other means of survival for tribal communities.
  • Superior.Shores
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
    Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2021
    This is the first book of this nature worthy of five stars. Mark & Delia have put together incredible statistics and observations and presented their findings in a logical and human context. The world is a better place because of the research they conducted in Africa. Unlike other books I’ve read, there was always a plea for money. Not so with this book. The plea, if there is one is subtle. To read of their departure from Africa was the low part of the book and yet their legacy continues.
    Everyone should read this book, especially those who have been to Africa, or are planning to in the near future. Africa changed my life. This book goes deeper than what I experienced.
  • Merle Miller
    4.0 out of 5 stars Secrets of The Savanna
    Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2024
    The book was very good but it lacked the desk imagination that was required in the first novel. I really enjoyed the parts of way the book that stem the poachers. I also liked way they taught the juvenile how to get along in life!
  • Zoev
    5.0 out of 5 stars Secrets of the Savanna
    Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2024
    No words can easily describe the stunning imagery brought to readers by the Owens’ deep and enduring care for Nature itself and its African story. A story that has a past and a future and can be told. Thank you from one of your Troop in spirit! ZoeV
  • Carl E. Carnahan
    5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent summary of what happened to the authors after their ...
    Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2015
    An excellent summary of what happened to the authors after their first two books. More of the same experiences, but moving on to the era of using a helicopter to do all of the covering the vast amount of Africa in their research and desire for more knowledge of their exposure to the beginnings of their first book. We went to hear them on one of their lecture tours (and hopefully fund raising support for their research and living in such primitive conditions, always to learn more. I went to college to become a wildlife biologist and nothing could have prepared me for make it in those experiences that they did. A must read for everyone with a desire to live and do research in primitive Africa.
  • Valerie Joy Mauk
    3.0 out of 5 stars Just "ok"
    Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2019
    Book started out interesting, then boring...mostly research data (numbers, charts, etc.). I was expecting an actual STORY.
  • Mary Fussell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Uplifting, exciting - a must read
    Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2006
    I have just finished Secrets of the Savanna - a most worthy sequel to The Eye of the Elephant and Cry of the Kalahari and I am starting it again. I feel I have been on safari to North Luangwa in Zambia - living with the people and the elephants. Delia and Mark Owens write beautifully and their work to save the elephants by saving the people moved me to tears and shouts of joy. I was amazed to learn how the elephants are rebuilding their society after the heavy poaching of the 70's and 80's. The parallels between human and animal behavior are thought provoking. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves nature and wants to find a way for humanity to prosper along side of wildlife.
  • Diane Jewell
    4.0 out of 5 stars Heartfelt
    Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024
    Secrets of Savanna by Mark Owens, Delia Owens ⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Learning experience about Africa, elephants, poachers, and survival. Mark and Delia wrote a great documentary that I had the pleasure to read. Hope you will read it as well.

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