PROBOSCIDEA – The Emotional Lives of Elephants

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Mary Hernandez

by Mary A. Hernandez

After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Hamish John Appleby is working on the publication of his book, Proboscidea – the Emotional Lives of Elephants.  This 190-page book will be sent to eligible Kickstarter funders in March 2016, according to the crowdfunding site.  Thereafter, the picturesque book will be available through the main website at www.proboscidea.org.

Proboscidea – The Emotional Lives of Elephants focuses on Asian elephants whose numbers, Appleby noted, are considered “critically endangered” at roughly 25,000-40,000 individuals.  In comparison, the larger African elephant, whose valued tusks leave it greatly vulnerable to ivory poachers, are 470,000 in number (World Wildlife Fund, n.d.).

On the main website, www.proboscidea.org, the author explained the significance of this book for him and his hopes of what it could mean to the rest of us:

“After having lived periodically in Sri Lanka for over four years, working with elephants, capturing amazing moments and being amongst elephants has been a life-changing experience for me. Elephants have added colour and richness to my experience of life and deepened my appreciation of both seen and unseen communication that is evident and possible between human beings and animals.

One of the key messages of the book is that elephants are wild animals that need to be with their own family, friends, social groups and left free to be elephants, not ‘living joy rides’ for entertainment or symbolic gestures for temples and chained to a pole their whole life.”

Keeping with the objective of earth friendliness and sustainability, the book will be printed on recycled paper and made in Germany under “fair conditions”.  All net proceeds will be donated to Elephant Transit Home (ETH), an organization that works with elephants, for “veterinary equipment and other essential needs” (Appleby, 2015).

Appleby also goes one step further in terms of transparency:  “All profits will be listed on the Proboscidea website…This way there can be full transparency as to how much money has been collected and reports on what the money has been spent on will also be listed.”

For more information about the book, please visit: www.proboscidea.org

https://www.facebook.com/proboscideabook

Appleby, H. (2015). Proboscidea – The Emotional Lives of Elephants.  Retrieved from http://www.proboscidea.org

Appleby, H. (2015).  Kickstarter:  Proboscidea – The emotional lives of elephants.  Retrieved from https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hamishjohnappleby/proboscidea-the-emotional-lives-of-elephants/posts/1449930

Appleby, H. (2015.  My superb book – ‘PROBOSCIDEA – THE EMOTIONAL LIVES OF ELEPHANTS’ – ‘Kickstarter’ is online today.  Retrieved from http://tinyletter.com/hamishjohnappleby/letters/my-superb-book-proboscidea-the-emotional-lives-of-elephants-kickstarter-is-online-today