A Tribute to Lawrence Anthony
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STRAP LINE Farewell Mkhulu 12 | www.leadershiponline.co.za LAWRENCE ANTHONY A tribute to Lawrence Anthony otal immersion in the wilderness His books tell one about much more than the friend, travel writer Roy Watts. These are fol- is the purest and most natural adventures on which his quests took him; they lowed by dedicated tributes penned by those “T of all therapies. Best of all, you tell the story of a deep and resounding love for whom he has left behind. don’t have to do anything except be there. Mother Nature and her creatures, as well as his Since he was known as the Great Elephant, The sights and sounds are remedies for desperate urge to save many from extinction. let me say: Hamba kahle, Ndlovu Mkhulu! (Go the soul, while the scents of the African Anthony had two loves in his life. One was his well, Great Elephant!) bush are nature’s original aromatherapy.” wife and Thula Thula partner, Francoise Malby; the other was his ‘mistress’, the matriarch Robbie Stammers These are the penetrating words of Lawrence elephant called Nana. Leadership editor Anthony, the larger-than-life conservationist, One cannot truly describe the incredible best-selling author, environmentalist, explorer relationship he and Nana had, but he firmly and animal saviour, written in his third and, believed that elephants had a psychic ability, sadly, final book, The Last Rhinos: My Battle to and this seems to have been confirmed after Save One of the World’s Greatest Creatures. his untimely passing. At age 61, he died of a heart attack before his Anthony had made a decision about a year ago planned March 2012 conservation gala dinner to distance himself from the once rogue herd, as in Durban to raise international awareness of they were becoming bigger – as was the number the rhino-poaching crisis and launch his new of tourists coming to Thula Thula; he did not want Africa smiled There inside your book, but he will live on through his immense to endanger either party. He still met with Nana A little head. contributions in a way that will never die. in the bush, where she would separate herself When you left. Our rivers run Known as the ‘Indiana Jones of Conservation’, from the herd to be with him. But besides those “We know you,” In currents Anthony was born in what used to be Northern special encounters, the herd had not been near Africa said, In the swirl “We have seen Rhodesia (Zambia today) and spent time in the main lodge for more than 15 months. And watched you, Of your thumbprints; Malawi as a child. “The bush was right outside Within a few days of Anthony’s passing, the We can learn Our drumbeats the back door,” he has said about that time. entire herd arrived at his house and came back To live Counting out your Educated first at King Edwards VII School every night for an entire week before depart- Without you, pulse, Our coastline, and then in Empangeni, he was a successful ing again into the bush. He was convinced that But The silhouette of your businessman and estate agent, but it was he could communicate with them on another We know soul.” only after he made Thula Thula – the oldest level; their miraculous salutation only proves We needn’t proclaimed game reserve in the country – his this was so. Yet.” So Africa smiled A little home, that his true calling took flight. I was deeply touched by Anthony’s words And Africa smiled When you left. Anthony’s tales of taming rogue elephants, in his books and felt as if I had come to know A little “We are in you,” rescuing zoo animals in war-torn Iraq and him like an old friend. It saddens me that I When you left. Africa said. meeting with the world’s most wanted terror- will never have the opportunity to meet him in “You cannot “You have not Leave Africa,” Left us, ists (the Lord’s Resistance Army) in the depths person, but he has not left Africa yet. A poem Africa said. Yet.” of the Democratic Republic of Congo to try and by my sister, Bridget Dore (opposite), sums it “It is always with you, save the last Northern rhino, bear testament up perfectly. © Bridget Dore to the fire that burned in his belly. He would The next few pages are dedicated to the have done anything and everything to save legend of Lawrence Anthony from those who the world’s animals. knew him best. First are two features by his www.leadershiponline.co.za | 13 LAWRENCE ANTHONY deep French accent whether they had seen a herd of seven elephants go by. In an area that had not seen a jumbo for at least a century, this must have seemed slightly south of surreal, to say the least. A helicopter joined the search, located the animals, and in a skilful piece of flying the pilot managed to herd them back to within 20 metres of Thula Thula. But night was falling and the wily Nana retreated into thick bush, and under the cover of darkness they managed to reach and break into the Umfolozi Game Reserve. Here the truants really let rip. They broke into an anti-poaching unit cabin, scattering bedding, clothes and rations all around the countryside. If that was not enough, in a stunt akin to school- boys debagging a headmaster, they charged and traumatised the senior manager of Umfolozi. At this point, KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife stepped in with a check into the history of the animals, coming to the conclusion that they were incor- rigible, and that permission should never have been given to relocate them to Thula Thula in the first place. Its immediate inclination was to shoot Nana and the adults, then return the rest of the herd to the wild. Meanwhile, Anthony was offered R100 000 for the herd by a Chinese zoo agent, who then mounted an assault on his initial reluctance by gradually upping the bid to R300 000. Jumboed out as he was after their high jinks, it is a trib- Photo: Roy Watts ute to Anthony’s resolve that he managed to walk away from this offer to throw himself at the feet of KZN Wildlife in a plea for a second After watching a savage Carte Blanche documen- chance. Reluctantly, it relented and, under the The Elephant tary on the brutal taming of the Tuli elephants, threat of a death sentence for a repeat perform- Anthony made an unsuccessful attempt to ance, the elephants were darted and returned Whisperer acquire some of these unfortunate animals, but to the Thula Thula boma, now wisely bereft of This is a tale about love across the species line. they had already been placed in various game Tamboti trees. It starts years ago when Lawrence Anthony, a reserves. The Elephant Management & Owners Dawn broke, and with it a hungover and passionate conservationist, jumped off the com- Association learnt of his need and came to light seriously ticked off herd of elephants put on mercial hamster wheel to develop Thula Thula, with a herd of seven jumbos from Mpumalanga, a full display of their restlessness. Mindful of an attractive game lodge near the Umfolozi and they were darted, loaded on trucks, sedated the extermination threat, Anthony decided that Reserve. A two-hour drive north of Durban, it and sent on a nine-hour road trip. he was going to stay close to them for as long is built on a giant lawn and has an ambience On arrival at Thula Thula, they were cor- as it took to gain acceptance. For the next two spawned by his perfectionism and the French ralled into an electrically fenced boma to be weeks, 24 hours a day, he lived at the boma, flair of his charming partner, Francoise. It is acclimatised prior to release. This did not suit constantly patrolling the perimeter, talking and also a gourmet paradise. them at all, and by 5 a.m. the next day they singing while they stomped around mad as hell, Roaming around the hills and valleys of this had flattened the boundary fence with a huge flapping their ears, trumpeting and showing pristine wilderness are impala, kudu, nyala, Tamboti tree and started the long walk to the all the signs of great elephantine displeasure. zebra, giraffe, rhino, warthog, hyenas and the freedom of the north. After a fortnight of chatting and crooning, and love interest of this tale, Nana – matriarch to a A frantic search ensued, led by the attractive close to being classified as a ‘hoarse’ whisperer, band of reformed elephant delinquents. blonde Francoise, asking all and sundry in her Anthony decided to take a coffee break up at 14 | www.leadershiponline.co.za LAWRENCE ANTHONY the house. When he left, the air was thick with continued for several nights as he and his roof firsthand. We stopped on an open plain when we malice and resentment, but on his return a continued to host them between 2 a.m. and saw the herd some distance away. Anthony gave palpable calm had taken its place. Cautiously 5 a.m. each morning. his clarion call and started a mini stampede. In he approached the fence, and stood face to face But the biggest surprise of all was to come seconds we were in a grey forest of legs, trunks, with Nana the matriarch. In a scene that could several weeks later when Nana returned flapping ears and missionary zeal.