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Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Mike Procter
and I'm an Mure. Spotlight uses a

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special English method of broadcasting. It
is easier for people to understand no matter

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where in the world they live.
In South Africa, a group of elephants

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starts to walk slowly across the land. These large gray animals walk for more

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than twelve hours. Their long noses
or trunks move from side to side as

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they walk. This group or heard
of elephants goes to the home of their

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human friend. They have not been
there for about two years, but they

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seem to sense that something has happened. Something has happened. Their human friend

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has just died. The elephants seemed
to mourn his death. They seem to

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be honoring him. But who was
this man and why was he special to

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the elephants. Today's spotlight is on
this man. His name was Lawrence Anthony.

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Many people called him the elephant Whisperer. He was a friend to many

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wild animals. Lawrence Antony lived in
Zululand, South Africa. He was a

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conservationist. He worked to protect wild
animals and the places they live. He

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owned a game reserve called Tula Tula. This very large area of land is

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used to protect wild animals. Such
animals do well in game reserves because they

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can live in their natural environment.
In nineteen ninety nine, an animal organization

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taught to Lawrence Antony. They told
him about a herd of elephants. These

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elephants were a big problem. They
were very dangerous. They charged or ran

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at vehicles and people. The elephants
were so dangerous that the authorities would have

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to kill them, but Anthony did
not want that to happen. He wanted

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to save the elephants so he decided
to give them a home at Tulla Tula.

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The elephants arrived at Tulla Tula in
a big track. They were released

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into a special area for keeping animals. This area had strong fences. The

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elephants would get an electric shock if
they touched the fence, but still the

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elephants escaped. Anthony had to find
the elephants they had left the safety of

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Tula Tula. Other people would shoot
the elephants if he did not find them.

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After many days, he found them, but they had destroyed more property

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and they had charged at another man. They were very dangerous. Anthony brought

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the elephants home to Tula Tula again. This time he tried something different.

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He decided to live with the elephants. He lived and slept by the elephants

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for many weeks, but he did
not go too close. The elephants got

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angry if he came too near,
but Anthony would sing and talk. He

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did this for a particular purpose.
He wanted the elephants to trust him.

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He told the BBC World Service.
I would walk around talking to myself.

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I tried to get them used to
my voice. Sometimes I would sing.

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I would be there for weeks.
After a little while, the elephants let

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him come closer to the fence.
He talked to them as if they were

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people. He told them they were
in their new home. He told them

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that they would be happy. He
wanted to persuade the elephants to stay in

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to La Tula. The leader of
the elephants was a female called Nana.

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Nana was the matriarch. Anthony concentrated
his efforts on her. As the weeks

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passed, Nana let him move nearer
and nearer. Then one day she put

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her long trunk through the fence.
Anthony moved closer. She reached out and

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Nana touched Anthony with her trunk.
She had accepted him. Anthony said that

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everything changed after this happened. He
discovered that all the other elephants accepted him

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too. He told the BBC World
Service. I began to understand that once

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the matriarch makes a decision, she
communicates it to the herd. The next

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day, there was no tension.
The elephants were calm. That day.

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Anthony released the elephants the fenced area. This was a big decision. If

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the elephants left Tula Tula, they
would be shot and killed. But it

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worked. The elephants knew how to
escape, but they chose to stay.

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Anthony formed a very special link with
the elephants. They became very close.

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They were friends. His son Jason
told BBC Radio four he could stand and

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call to them, and call and
call and call, and they would come

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and touch him. An amazing relationship. Anthony had a special relationship with elephant,

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but he wanted to protect other animals
too. In two thousand and three,

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he saw television news of the bombing
of Baghdad, Iraq. He knew

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that there was a big zoo there. He discovered that no one planned to

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save the zoo animals, so he
decided to save them himself. He flew

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to Kuwait. There he collected supplies. He drove to the border of Kuwait

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and Iraq. The guards at the
border were very surprised to see him.

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Iraq was a war area. Everyone
else was trying to leave Iraq, but

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Anthony was trying to enter. He
explained that he was going to rescue the

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zoo animals. The guard said that
the idea was insane, but he led

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Anthony into Iraq. Anthony got to
Baghdad. He saw ruined buildings and he

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heard gunfire. There was still fighting
in the city, but Anthony found the

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zoo. It was wrecked. Anthony
saw many dead animals. Flies were all

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around them. Other zoo animals had
been eaten by local people, but dangerous

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animals such as lions and tigers had
survived. However, these animals were deeply

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shot and they were starving. Anthony
and some helpers immediately began to save the

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animals. Anthony bought donkeys to feed
the zoo animals. He paid zoo workers

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to return to work. It was
hard work preparing the zoo. Soon American

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soldiers started to help. A few
weeks later, former Iraqi soldiers helped too.

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These men had been killing each other
on the battlefield only recently. Anthony

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told the BBC American soldiers were fighting
during the day, they put down their

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weapons at night. Then they would
come across to the zoo and help.

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I was watching American soldiers and Iraqi
soldiers both working to help these animals,

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completely amazing. Anthony stayed in Baghdad
for six months. When he left,

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the animals were healthy and the zoo
was clean. The zoo had been saved.

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Anthony's work protecting animals could be dangerous, but he learned a lot from

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animals. In his book Elephant Whisperer, he explained, they taught me that

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all forms are important to each other. There is more to life than just

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yourself, your family, or your
kind. The writer of this program was

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Katie Blake. The producer was Nick
Mandels. The voices you heard were from

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the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted and voiced by

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Spotlight. You can find our programs
on the internet at www dot Radio English

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dot net. This program is called
Lawrence Anthony Elephant Whisperer. We hope you

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can join us again for the next
Spotlight program, Goodbye,