Travels With Tarra

Elephants are amazing and majestic creatures. They are also very social animals; the elephant “aunts” help new elephant mothers take care of babies, and elephant babies are never left alone. Therefore, it was a tremendous shock to Tarra, a Burmese baby elephant torn from her herd and bought by a tire dealer in California. This was in 1978, when there were no laws against this.

Now, imagine you’re a university student. Your dog, who normally doesn’t cause a fuss when pedestrians stroll outside your house, begins to bark his head off. You walk outside to see what the commotion is all about, and you see a man walking a baby elephant.

That’s what happened to Carol Buckley. Luckily, the tire dealer was agreeable to her feeding and studying the baby, eventually naming her its keeper. Carol eventually purchased the elephant, which she named Tarra, and they led adventures in and out of zoos and circuses.

Carol dreamed of an elephant sanctuary for captive elephants, and she established the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, TN. Travels With Tarra, written by Carol Buckley, is an inviting and quick read perfect for nature and wildlife enthusiasts. My only complaint was that it was too short; however, for reluctant readers who have interests in wildlife, this is a pretty cool choice.