This book is about elephant poaching and how Delia and Mark Owens did all they could to stop these poachers in Zimbabwe. The Eye of the Elephant: An Epic Adventure in the African Wilderness by Delia and Mark Owens is a firsthand account of how these two amazing human beings were able to safe the elephants in Zimbabwe and how they also helped make a difference in many people’s lives.
Eye of the Elephant: Summary
Biologists Delia and Mark Owens are interested in tigers and are studying them. That is why they are in the middle of Africa trying to track them. Part of the reason is that they were banned from the previous country they were studying them and had to start all over. They chose Zimbabwe because they have a lot of forest. The Owens come to realize that elephants are being poached at an alarming rate and will go extinct if nothing is done about it.
Creating change is not easy especially when poaching helps poachers feed their families. The Owens understand this and hire rangers from the villages and provide jobs for the villagers. They also provide food and other stuff in order to break the cycle of poaching and relying on other things to survive. This is how Costa Rica became a tourist country and changed the whole structure so killing turtles and other wildlife was not necessary. I greatly recommend reading up on that and how they were able to incorporate the animals in the lives of the Costa Ricans and help them ensure their safety.
Conclusion
The Owens have an uphill battle throughout the novel but they never falter. We see them try and try again until they succeed and it was anything but easy. I really enjoyed reading the book and seeing how determined the Owens were in saving the elephants.
Reading a success story like this makes you happy. There are people like them that revolve their lives around these animals and that takes a lot of sacrifice. If you would like, you can donate to their charity here: http://www.owens-foundation.org