What do You think about Zamba: The True Story Of The Greatest Lion That Ever Lived (2005)?
I am more than a little disappointed by this book. I've slowly read my way through all the stories of Africa USA over the years (it would not be a stretch to say I am a zookeeper today because of Helfer's wife's book!), and I've loved them all along. Perhaps that is part of the problem with this book -- there's not really anything new here, just a retelling of the same story (unlike the others which had largely new material in each). Being involved in the exotic industry myself now for several years, perhaps a little too much cynicism on my part has slipped in as well. This book read like so many other ego-gushing, self-back-patting animal trainer books. Helfer did some amazing work, certainly, but seriously, he was not the first to figure out that you get more accomplished with animals through affection/trust/respect than through fear/cruelty/domination. He's also just one of many who claim to be the first to do so. This is a beautiful story, but it gets bogged down by Helfer's constant trumpeting of his own greatness. Having read a very different account of the end of Zamba's life elsewhere (as well as a very different portrait of Helfer himself), it really makes me curious as to how much is really "true" in this story. But as with all tall tales, perhaps that really isn't the point. Zamba, Modoc, and all the other animals at Africa USA do speak to an incredible bond between animal and trainer. This particular telling simply lacks the usual magic.
—Laura
This is the true story of a lion who was raised from a cub and lived his entire life with Ralph Heller, his owner. He starred in movies and TV shows, but he also slept on the bed (one specially made to accommodate both lion and human) and rode int he car (a convertible, resulting in head-turning!)This book was an enjoyable and easy read, and surprisingly good considering Heller's first book, Modoc, about an elephant, was not nearly as interesting. I think the difference is that in Zamba he is writing from his own experience, and in Modoc he is telling someone else's story. He is best served to stick with his own experience as he tells it far better.If you are interested in lions, or just animals, I highly recommend this as a nice read. It was interesting to see how Zamba behaved in different situations, and it's clear to see that Heller was a compassionate animal handler in Hollywood who put the welfare of the animals first in an era when many other did not.
—Heather
I loved his book. I really enjoyed the tale of ralph helfer and zamba. The book is very heartwarming. Zamba is about an animal trainer, Ralph Helfer, training a 4 month old lion cub. Ralph Helfer has his theories on how to train animals. Ralph uses the “affection training” method. What that means is that he used love and affection to help animals. So this method works because its better than being afraid of the animals and the animals being afraid of us. So pretty much this book is about a warmhearted tale of love between two species. After 18 years of training Zamba, she was a star in numerous motion pictures and television shows. The rest of the book is about the adventures of Zamba and Ralph.
—Sally Nguyen
