Thunder and Lightning Over Africa's Eden

    PENSACOLA, FL, February 22, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- With the resonating sound of Thunder, we're making the world aware of the continuing problem in Africa's only Eden. When Thunder: An Elephant's Journey first began its conception, its creators had one goal in mind: to educate the world about the horrific reality elephants face every day as a prime candidate for poaching.

Many people know that elephant ivory is well sought after. What they don't know is how this illegal trade has devastated the area of Gabon. According to Dr. Fiona Maisels of the Wildlife Conservation Society, "Comparing the area already surveyed in 2012/13 with the same area surveyed in 2004, suggests that between 44-77% of the elephants have been killed: in other words, that 11,100 elephants have been lost since 2004."

These facts are staggering. Greed for ivory has become almost a sickness in our world. Dr. Richard Ruggiero has seen it first-hand with all the work he has done in the area to help protect elephants. "Dead elephants and seized ivory are the symptoms. Demand is the ailment." It seems that this illegal trade has come down to supply and demand and soon the supply will be gone. If it continues at this rate, there will be no elephants left for the generations to come and that is something we desperately want to change.

We created Thunder to be an ambassador for all elephants and to help inform the world of the current plight of these majestic creatures. We want his remarkable story to educate our children in the ongoing problem facing the forest elephants of Gabon. Our hope is that this series will continue to inspire our children for years to come and that they will become active participants in the protection and preservation of animals that are in danger of extinction. Awareness is the first step to making the change these animals drastically need. It is a stepping stone to creating an active dialogue with others, instead of sweeping it under the rug and avoiding the horrible reality of our time.

Thunder is a middle grade animal adventure book that is sure to be an instant classic. Thunder tells the story of a young elephant who is separated from his mother by poachers who are out to make a quick buck. This heartfelt tale will take its readers through every emotion imaginable, as Thunder makes his way across the jungles of central Africa with his newfound animal friends. The lessons he learns along the way help reinforce the preservation and protection of animals.

Thunder: An Elephant's Journey is a trilogy that follows the life of Thunder. The first installment is Thunder: An Elephant's Journey which released March 7th of this year. The second book is Thunder II: An Elephant's Journey, Footprints in the Sand. In this book, we learn more about the after effects of poaching as well as dealing with deep personal loss. Thunder III: An Elephant's Journey, Hope Haven is the final book in the series. In the third book, Thunder and his friends return to find new adventures in a world trying find the balance between destruction and preservation of animal lives.

Authors Erik Daniel Shein & L.M. Reker believe that it is important to teach our children that animals are important to our world and their preservation has a global impact on all of us. As active members of the Arkwatch Foundation, some of the proceeds from sales will go to the Arkwatch Foundation whose mission is to prevent the depletion of rare animal and plant species. The Arkwatch Foundation: arkwatchfoundation.org

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