Rumours about elephants roaming the Knysna forests are almost as old as the trees themselves. And, for the past decade at least, many assumed that that’s all these elephants were – rumours, augmented by one mysterious Matriarch, last seen in 1999.
Author and conservationist Gareth Patterson set off on a quest to seek any “lost” elephants that might be found – and ran into evidence that the forests contain, not just elephants, but elephant herds, albeit small ones, on practically his first day. After eight years of intense exploration and research, Patterson and his team have verified that there are at least five cows in the forests, plus three bulls – and DNA tests confirm the results.
Patterson’s work has been turned into a film, The Search for the Knysna Elephants, which is playing at the Labia Theatre in Cape Town all this week. You won’t want to miss the incredible footage – book now!
Patterson’s journey will leave you marveling and, quite possibly, packing your bags for a vacation in Knysna. Listen to Gareth as he reads an extract from his book, The Secret Elephants, detailing an encounter with a young forest pachyderm:
Book details
Please register or log in to comment
