Lawrence Anthony is the author of the book and the head of Thula Thula, the reserve the book is set in. Anthony’s grandfather was a miner who emigrated to South Africa from Scotland in the 1920s. Anthony’s parents moved to Zululand in KwaZulu-Natal in the 1960s, and Anthony grew up wandering the African bush and befriending local kids. He moved to the city as an adult and worked in real estate until eventually returning to the wild in the 1990s, when he bought Thula Thula.

Anthony’s work with animals is not restricted to the elephants at Thula Thula. His concern is extended to all living beings, so much so that he puts his own life at great risk in moving to an active war zone to save the animals in Baghdad. This attitude is reflected in the book, where he takes on the herd despite their difficult past, his own lack of resources, and issues like poaching already plaguing the reserve. From the moment the herd arrives, Anthony forms a connection with them, and his efforts are directed toward not just keeping them safe but also rehabilitating them into the wild again. He dismisses the wildlife dealer’s offer to take the herd off his hands despite the trouble the elephants cause him because, to him, they are not a liability—they are his herd.