Peter Byrne (2)

On first acquaintance there's something just a little wrong with this concept, a book written by a professional game hunter. You wonder if the authors assertion that this is the last great elephant comes from the certain perspective of the man who shot it. But Byrne is that not uncommon phenomenon of the game hunter turned conservationist, although perhaps an uncommon one in that he talks freely - often ruefully - of his hunting days long since past. But the focus of the story is the wildlife reserve he almost single-handedly set up in Nepal, and the animals and people living there, and especially the elephant Tula Hatti.

Byrne's assertion about the 'lastness' and greatness of this elephant perhaps doesn't have anything more going for it than his enthusiasm, but you tend to forget in his energetic telling of the tale (and in the company of a young wife and child) that he is a man who has lived and hunted in this territory for more than a quarter of a century. So the elements settle down and you begin to appreciate that you are being told a special story by a man with very rare qualifications to tell it. In the end it comes down to a search for this very elusive, very wary elephant in order to make a film documentary that will make it famous, the best chance it has in Byrne's view of gaining recognition and protection.

Byrne writes in the same manner as you'd imagine him telling tales around the campfire. At times it seems a little disjointed and he has a penchant - as anyone with a long history of adventure might - for skipping back and forward in time. But that's the nature of fireside stories. There is a jarring note, perhaps, as you realize that even in this book he is attempting to raise money towards the running of the wildlife reserve in Nepal. But you have to give him credit for being honest about it, and admire his dogged attachment to some of his traditional gear despite his sponsors enthusiasm for equipping him with every single item from their extensive outdoor catalog. It becomes very apparent that Byrne is a man who is in love with a place, and the animals and people in it, and that he is superbly qualified to tell its story. Very highly recommended.… (meer)