The Elephant In The Temple: Tales Of Beast And Man In India

From military camels and hunting cheetahs, to herding dogs and talking mynahs, animals have been living, working, playing and performing with humans in India for centuries. John Lockwood Kipling writes about animals in daily Indian life, bringing alive the sights, sounds and smells of the nineteenth century. Forty restless elephants are hoisted into a steam ship and nearly sink it; a guilty goat gets the thrashing of its life; a cheetah-keeper wakes up every night to a feline bedfellow; and a dog follows a king to heaven. Kipling describes the animal kingdom with the authority of a naturalist. He narrates myths, folktales and incidents from day-to-day life, peppered with local sayings.

Illustrated with Kiplings own drawings, and enhanced by his son Rudyard Kiplings verse, The Elephant in the Temple offers a fascinating glimpse of a time when birds and animals used to 'come and go at their own pleasure, and rub shoulders with humanity. This book is a delight for animal lovers everywhere.