It's What We Call Bayou Living...: growing up Africa...

many of you know of my love affair with Africa. i would move there no questions asked if the opportunity were to arise. i can only imagine be able to offer such an opportunity to my children. i recently discovered Tippi Degré through a friend of mine, Maddie.

i instantly fell in love! Her parents, Alain Degré and Sylvie Robert, moved from France to Southern Africa in newly independent Namibia living in the freedom of nature as wildlife photographers and film makers!

y'all, seriously i would do this in a HEARTBEAT! i mean i want this life myself, living in the wild, but to be able to offer such an experience to my child? WOW!

thanks to my friend Maddie, it has become my mission in life to find this book & purchase 2 copies, one for her & one for myself (any donations would be accepted ;) ):

*Most pictures borrowed (stolen) from Maddie's blog

Tippi Degré grew up living in close contact with wild animals, including elephants, leopards and ostriches, who treated Tippi as one of their own.
The animals allowed Tippi to cuddle them, dance with them, and ride on their backs.

Tippi Degré grew up and spent ten years travelling round Africa with her parents French wildlife photographers Sylvie Robert and Alain Degré. Tippi’s mother Sylvie, 52, gave birth to Tippi in Namibia in 1990. Sylvie said, “My daughter was a very lucky little girl. She was born and raised almost completely in the wild. “It was magical to be this free in nature. It was just the three of us living wild with the animals and not too many humans. “Tippi always said that this was her gift. She was in the mindset of these animals, believing they were her size and her friends.” Tippi’s friends included a leopard called J & B, and an elephant named Abu.

Sylvie and her husband Alain Degré have compiled a book about their lives called Tippi: My Book Of Africa. Sylvie said, “She had no fear. She did not realise she was not the same size as Abu and would look into his eyes and speak to him. “Tippi was just 18 months old when they met and it was a special time. “Their friendship was incredible.”

Sylvie Degré insists that she always put Tippi’s safety first, she said, “Wild animals will either run away or attack you if they are frightened. You must always be on the watch. “Tippi was hurt only twice. First a meerkat bit her on the nose. “Then, in 1994, she was at a water hole with a baboon called Cindy.
“Cindy attacked Tippi’s hair and pulled out a handful out of jealousy. That was terribly painful.”

Sylvie, Alain, and Tippi moved to France in 2000, but the family visited Africa in 2006.
Sylvie said, “When we returned to Africa in 2006 Cindy ran up to Tippi and played with her hair, grooming her. It was quite beautiful.” Sylvie added, “My daughter will always be African. Hers is like Mowgli’s story, but Tippi’s is true.”

Tippi Degré grew up surrounded by wild animals in Africa and learned to hunt with the San bushmen of northern Namibia.