#WCW: The life behind the beautiful lodges and wildlife
"Francoise Malby Anthony has spent years protecting some of the world’s most threatened species."
This week, Carol Ofori has chosen to chat to a woman that is not unfamiliar to KZNers.
Besides being the wife of the late Elephant Whisperer, Lawrence Anthony, she is also the woman that chose to stay when she could've easily left.
Françoise Malby-Anthony is a powerhouse woman with a mission. After the unexpected death of her husband and partner at Thula Thula game reserve, many people thought she would return to her very successful life in France.
Her passion for animals is clear as day and her continued work with the elephants that her husband had protected has resulted in two books.
After his sudden passing in 2012, "the herd of elephants that he had protected and befriended sensed the loss, and traveled out of the bush and stood by the couple’s home each night for a week. It was a gesture that only further proved the belief that Lawrence Anthony had expressed during his life – that the acutely tuned species maintained connections both physical and spiritual." (Ideacity)
The thing she wanted to highlight is that what people see when they visit a game reserve is just one side of how things are. This is what she has focused on in her new book, The Elephants of Thula Thula.
"They generally have very little idea of the work involved to achieve this; the many struggles, including the endless fight against poaching, the fires, the droughts and mining threats. This is what I have described in the book, and all the hard learnings of my adventures in the wilds of Zululand." (TimesLive)
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Her passion runs deep in her words and she wanted to share her experience with the world. This is why she wrote her second book.
"In my book I wanted to share this journey of discovery, resilience and survival, for humans and animals. A life driven by vision and passion, never giving up on your dreams, all inspired by this special herd of elephants." (TimesLive)
Anthony and her team had to get creative when COVID-19 hit. So she decided to do virtual adoptions for the wildlife. But it wasn't just for the animals, it was also her game rangers and her rescue dogs.
Image Courtesy of Facebook