{"product_id":"a-training-school-for-elephants-1","title":"A Training School for Elephants","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eINSTANT \u003cem\u003eSUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/em\u003e BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE STANFORD'S TRAVEL WRITING BOOK OF THE YEAR 2026 • WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR WRITING ON CONSERVATION 2025 SHORTLISTED\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the award-winning author of \u003cem\u003eThe Lost Pianos of Siberia\u003c\/em\u003e comes a journey, following four 19th-century elephants marched from the East African coast towards Congo to tell a heartbreaking story of folly and colonial greed.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1879, King Leopold II of Belgium launched an ambitious plan to plunder Africa’s resources. The key to cracking open the continent, or so he thought, was its elephants – if only he could train them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd so he commissioned the charismatic Irish adventurer Frederick Carter to ship four tamed Asian elephants from India to the East African coast, where they were marched inland towards Congo. The ultimate aim was to establish a training school for African elephants.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing in the footsteps of the four elephants, Roberts pieces together the incredible true story of this long-forgotten expedition, in travels that take her to Belgium, Iraq, India, Tanzania and Congo. The storytelling brings to life a compelling cast of historic characters and modern voices, from ivory dealers to Catholic nuns, set against rich descriptions of the landscapes travelled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDigging deep into historic records to reckon with our broken relationship with animals, \u003cem\u003eA\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eTraining School for Elephants\u003c\/em\u003e reveals an extraordinary and enduring story of colonial greed, ineptitude, hypocrisy and folly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Transworld UK","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47713272103069,"sku":"9781804994399","price":82.95,"currency_code":"MYR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0511\/7575\/1837\/files\/9781804994399_mph.jpg?v=1779160999","url":"https:\/\/mphonline.com\/products\/a-training-school-for-elephants-1","provider":"MPHOnline.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}