Hatsy
Pre–order Your Copy of The Wisdom of Elephants Today!
The Wisdom of Elephants intertwines spectacular photography, the challenges of wildlife conservation, and the importance of storytelling, to raise awareness of the numerous concerns surrounding Africa’s gentle giants. As one turns the pages and begins to identify with the individual elephants, it is clear that Kathy’s career working with trauma survivors set her up well to understand the plight of elephants as they lose their relatives and territory. Kathy’s stunning images of Africa’s last remaining tuskers are an enduring inspiration to those who care about them, and to those who work for their conservation.
— Ryan Snider, Ph.D. Director, Socially Responsible Safaris
The Wisdom of Elephants landing page is live! Subscribers to Heartfelt Stories get the first peek and a pre-order discount price here. Every sale of this 12”x12” coffee table book earns $10 for elephant conservation. I have invested thousands of hours and dollars in this art project dedicated to sharing a message of healing and hope for the planet. If you enjoy reading my stories, I hope you will pre-order my book.
Last week I got some exciting news. I learned the name of the adult female elephant on the book cover is Hatsy! Dr. Winnie Kiiru, who wrote the Foreword to The Wisdom of Elephants, asked researcher Dr. Cynthia Moss if she could identify the lead elephant on the cover. Much of what is understood about African elephants is thanks to 50 years of in-depth research by Dr. Cynthia Moss, Dr. Joyce Poole, and their many colleagues. Dr. Moss developed a set of rules for naming and identifying the elephants. Each family group is given a two-letter code, e.g. AA, AB etc. Dr. Moss was able to identify Hatsy from my photo. She is from the HB Family which is led by a matriarch named Hollie. Hatsy was born in 1987, the same year I was married. Knowing Hatsy’s name and the year she was born makes me feel even more connected to her.
Hatsy is a beauty and in her prime at age 35. I love how her long slim symmetrical tusks curve inward. This tusk shape is characteristic of several Amboseli elephants including Big Tuskers Tim (died Feb. 2020) and Craig.
Elephants form deep bonds with each other, which last for decades. Elephant survival is strongly affected by access to the social and ecological knowledge that older elephants hold; where to go, what to eat, how to avoid danger.
- Dr. Cynthia Moss
Tim
Craig
I made a last-minute edit to ensure Hatsy’s name was included in the story. We are on the home stretch; the final draft will be uploaded to the printer by the end of this week.
A large format print of Hatsy hangs in our home. Hatsy and I walk towards each other several times a day. Now I nod and whisper “hello Hatsy” when I pass by. I’ll be back in Amboseli in June and on the lookout for Hatsy. I would love to see her again.
British filmmaker Alison Coates created a short zoom video of me telling the story about my encounter with Hatsy. You can watch this 2-minute video on the landing page of The Wisdom of Elephants.