Giants of the Monsoon Forest

Living and Working with Elephants

By: Jacob Shell

Narrated by: Tim Fannon

“No one who loves elephants or how humans interact with wildlife should pass up Jacob Shell’s remarkable book.”—Dan Flores, author of Coyote America

Giants of the Monsoon Forest journeys deep into the mountainous rainforests of Burma and India to explore the world of teak logging elephants and their intriguing alliance with humans. Jacob Shell’s narrative vividly depicts elephants’ extraordinary intelligence, and the complicated bond with individual human riders, a partnership that can last for decades. Giants of the Monsoon Forest reveals an unexpected relationship between evolution in the natural world and political struggles in the human one, while considering how Asia’s secret forest culture might offer a way to help protect the fragile spaces both elephants and humans need to survive.

©2019 Jacob Shell (P)2019 Recorded Books

Great story of Asian work elephants

I really enjoyed the story and the history of these elephants. I appreciated that he kept an open mind on the not so gentle training practices of some of the elephants. He told it in an objective manner, even though I still don't agree with it. There were touching moments of the relationships of mahouts. I like that he gives ideas trying to preserve the species especially the GPS to find the elephants after their wanderings. Very well written and researched.