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See the places from Cleopatra's Journey |
Amanda Stockdale is an
ecologist studying elephant in a remote part of Africa. Cleopatra is her
favourite and the matriarch of her study group whose life she holds in
her hand.
Cleopatra is an elephant and matriarch. The journey is her endeavour to keep her precious family alive against enormous odds. All the events contained in this book take place between 1966 and 1994, a tumultuous period for the region. The most tragic event was the demise of the rhino due to commercial poaching. The same people who killed the rhino went on to decimate the elephant. Cleopatra's story of survival weaves in and out of these events. The main characters are based on real people. Amanda Stockdale is an ecologist collecting data for a report which will decide the fate of thousands of elephant, in particular Cleopatra her favourite. Mwenda Mbao is a traditional hunter turned poacher who cannot reconcile his strong traditional beliefs with the demands of commercial poaching. Ben Phiri is his stepson who has no such qualms. Johnnie Pascoe is Amanda's friend and protector. He is a professional hunter who dislikes hunting. |
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Amanda presents her report detailing the damage the elephant are causing
to the riverine vegetation she never believes she will see ever
Cleopatra alive again. The cull that follows her report will destroy her
study group and thousands of other elephant. She is faced with a
terrible dilemma. How does Cleopatra anticipate the crisis and lead her
family to safety? How does Amanda make it back to her camp one night
when her attempt to reach the culling camp fails? Much later when Amanda
is living in another country Cleopatra arrives unexpectedly. What is it
that brings these two old friends together?
Cleopatra's nine hundred mile journey leads her from Zambia to Malawi, then to Zimbabwe, and finally to the Chobe National Park, Botswana. |
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