The Growing Up Of Sukari

The Growing Up of Sukari tells the story of elephant love and family devotion. Sukari, which means sugar in Swahili, is a young African elephant. She follows her grandmother, Bibi, the matriarch of the family, who is taking the herd to the place of good grasses. Sukari's adolescent male cousin, Moja, gets them in trouble at the beginning of the walk. Along the way, tragedy strikes when poachers shoot Bibi and steal her beautiful ivory tusks. A nearby ranger hears the sound of guns and comes to chase the poachers away. The herd and the ranger head for Amani, a government protected sanctuary. Moja is now old enough to join the other bull elephants. Sukari soon has a new baby brother and stays with her mother and the herd. She learns how to take care of the calves, how to find the good grasses and watering holes, and where to go from season to season. She will grow to be a wise elephant with calves of her own and maybe, someday, Sukari will become the herd's new matriarch.