The Cowboy and His Elephant: The Story of a Remarkable Friendship

Many of you probably know that Bob Norris, the man featured in old Marlboro ads, was an actual cowboy for a living, and not an actor. But did you know that he had a pet elephant? This happened later in life, after he was no longer ‘the Marlboro Man’ (because cigarette smoking had fallen out of favor). The book tells of his upbringing and how he came to run his own ranch, loving the animals and working on the land (when he didn’t really need to, having been born into wealth). At one point a man who had bought some young elephants out of Africa and was holding them while finding buyers (namely zoos and circuses), asked to rent stalls in his barn for the elephants. Norris agreed. One by one the baby elephants were sold, but the show more smallest Amy remained. Norris had become attached to her and offered to buy her himself. And so their friendship began. Amy was still frightened and traumatized from the experience of loosing her family- she was the only survivor of a herd culled in Zimbabwe (because of conflict with human farmers). Norris’ calm patient and affection helped her to recover and then her personality started to shine. While Amy was still small, her mischievous behavior was seen as endearing and she was allowed to do whatever she wanted. When she grew bigger this became problematic and Norris had to call in an expert trainer to teach her some basic obedience, and some “tricks” that were just to keep her mind sharp and give her something interesting to do. But she also learned to help the cowboy cut cattle- after his horses got over their fear of her!

It seems a charming narrative up to this point, however eventually Amy grew too large for any of Norris’ structures- the barn was no longer safe and even after some retrofitting, and the trailer was probably going to break from hauling her (along with her goat companion and Norris’ horse). After visiting some zoos and seeing how bored the elephants looked there, Norris and his wife couldn’t bear to think of Amy going to a zoo. So they found a circus that would take her- where they felt she would have a better life, well-cared for and taught things to keep her interested, having something productive to do. It seems she often caused trouble at the circus, though- stealing things, playing pranks on people or the other animals. Norris went once years later to see her and sat in the crowd to see if she would recognize him. Her reaction awed the crowd, who had no idea of Amy’s past.

Her story doesn’t end here, though- animals performing in circuses (especially elephants) was protested by animal rights activists and it fell out of favor with the general public. So the circus started to phase out their animal acts. Luckily, Amy came to the attention of a man who single-handedly worked to return African elephants to the wild- back in the countries they had come from. I wish the story had continued here, showing how Amy adjusted to living in the wild after so many years among people- but it ends while she is still undergoing habituation to the climate, landscape and plants of the region. Very heartwarming and surprisingly true story. Even the beginning few chapters, which are written describing Amy’s early life with her natal herd, were based on the lives of wild elephants and as true to life as the author could make it. There were some parts of the book that lost my interest a bit- such as the brief history of the circus and the trainer there who took over Amy’s care- but they were still relevant and particular to Amy’s story. show less

Book mail is the best, and when it is an unexpected gift from a bookish friend, it is a treasure. I am so grateful that she shared one of her favorite books of all time with me. I don’t know that I would have ever discovered it independently, and it is a beautiful story. A beautiful story because it is a true story. What a treasure to read the bond, the understanding, the kindness, the thoughtful care, and the love shared between a man named Bob and an elephant named Amy. I didn’t know him as Robert Norris or Bob to his family, friends, and community. He is the cowboy we of a certain age knew from commercials and billboards as the "Marlboro Man." The cowboy smoking Marlboro cigarettes.

In the 1980s, a little elephant in Africa was show more given the name Amy before she began a journey across the ocean. Little did she know that this frightening time would give her an extraordinary life—an extraordinary life because of humans that love animals and dedicate their lives to them. The primary story is Amy’s life on the ranch with Bob Norris. It is heartwarming in every way. It shares a man’s patience, a man’s kindness, a man’s compassion, and how it led to a friendship beyond imagination. A friendship for an elephant far from the only home she knew, an elephant on her own, and what happened when she began to respond to kindness, trust she was safe from harm, and enjoy her daily life.

Malcolm MacPherson brings the story to life with atmospheric writing, interspersing background information and facts about African elephants to help readers understand the depth of the "remarkable friendship" and to give an appreciation of the species.

A bibliography of resources to read “More About Elephants” is provided at the end of the book. To all who want to learn about elephants and/or study elephants, the bibliography must include this book. For animal lovers, it is the gift and treasured delight experienced by unconditional love. show less

She was born in Zimbabwe in the late 1980s, she was sole survivor of a cull and subsequently shipped to the US to be sold either to a circus or zoo. While waiting for a buyer she was held on a ranch in Colorado owned by a cowboy, and when no buyer materialised, already besotted by her, the cowboy bought her.

The cowboy, a wealthy rancher, is Bob Norris, for twelve years the original real cowboy Marlborough Man of billboards and press ads, an animal lover as much at ease with horses and other animals as with people, his new charge a baby African elephant now named Amy. Having helped Amy overcome her recent traumas Bob developed a deep empathy for this enchanting yet confused creature, soon he was devoting all his time to her care and she show more was to come to dominate his and his family's life for the next several years.

This is the story of Amy, intelligent and strong willed, and of Bob Norris, a man of principles and high standards, and their remarkable relationship. The account begins with Amy's probable beginnings, the facts of the cull, and follows her journey to the US, and her eventual repatriation to her African home.

But it is more than just Amy's story, it is an enlightening account that dispels many myths about African elephants and questions the prissy and misguided PC attitudes which today seem to prevail today concerning the care of animals. Amy proves that African elephants are capable of being trained, more importantly appear to benefit from and enjoy being trained, and that they can be animals of great character and strong loyalties.

The Cowboy and His Elephant is a well written and researched account, it is often amusing and funny, on more than a couple of occasions I found it extremely moving - on one occasion because of its deep sadness, on another due to great happiness. The book surprised me, It gave far more than I expected, and has changed my mind on or caused me to rethink a number of issues show less

Most cowboys have horses and cattle on their ranches, and Bob Norris was no exception to this rule. As a young boy, he had a pet bear, and this helped him discover his love of animals; he decided then and there he would one day become a “real cowboy.” He worked his way up to owning his own ranch while gaining the reputation of being a champion horse breeder and trainer. He loved his ranch and animals as much as he loved his family, but his family was growing up, and he was feeling like he needed something more, like he had a hole in his life that needed filled somehow. That hole in his life turned out to be elephant-sized. A man had bought six baby elephants from Africa, and he needed a place to board them until he could find show more buyers. Norris agreed to renting some horse stalls to the man, and when he met Amy, he feel in love. Amy’s life had been spared in a cull in Africa; the rest of her family had been killed, and now she was an orphan. Amy was traumatized and terrified, and Bob could feel her pain. With the passion he had shown other animals, Bob began to nurse Amy back to mental health and grew attached to her. He finally decided to buy her, and she became part of the ranch. Bob trained her in ranch chores such as riding fences, and taught her that humans are not all bad. However, Amy was growing; she soon became too big for the ranch, and Bob knew he had to part with her. It would be one of the hardest decisions he had ever had to make. The Cowboy and his Elephant is a touching story of love and bonds that run deep, and the gifts which are received when such relationships are formed. Anyone who loves animals will understand Bob’s connection with Amy, and his heartbreak when he had to let her go. And everyone can learn the lesson that unconditional love in your life will only enhance everyday. show less