Tippi Degré

Tippi Degré (born 4 June 1990) is a French girl, who spent her childhood in Namibia among wild animals and tribespeople. [cite news
first = Alice
last = Haine
title = Pets and their People: The bush baby; Little Tippi walks and talks with the animals
work = The People
publisher = Trinity Mirror
date = December 22, 2002
url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-95663011.html
accessdate = 2007-10-09] After moving to Paris, France with her parents, she returned to Africa to make six nature documentaries for the Discovery Channel. She is known among other things for supervising the tigers in Fort Boyard, off the coast of France, which is the stage for a popular international game show.

Biography

Tippi was born in Namibia, where her parents, Alain Degré and Sylvie Robert, worked as freelance wildlife photographers. [cite news
first = Lisa
last = Burrow
title = Tippi The Animal Girl of Africa
work = The People
publisher = Trinity Mirror
date = May 19, 1996
url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-61177069.html
accessdate = 2007-10-09] She was named after Tippi Hedren. [cite web
url = http://www.dispatch.co.za/1998/01/24/features/QOFA.HTM
title = Unattractive experience of the not-so-dark continent
author = Pip Smith
publisher = Daily Dispatch
date = January 24, 1998
accessdate = 2007-10-09] During her stay in Namibia, she befriended wild animals, including a 28-year old elephant Abu, a leopard nicknamed J&B, crocodiles, lion cubs, giraffes, giant bullfrogs and chameleons.cite news
first = Kim
last = Willsher
title = Forget being famous, says bush baby, I'd just like to be normal
publisher = The Sydney Morning Herald
date = December 27, 2002
url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/12/26/1040511135489.html
accessdate = 2007-10-09] She also befriended the Bushmen and the Himba tribespeople of the Kalahari, who taught her how to survive on roots and berries, and to speak their language.

Tippi later moved with her parents to Madagascar and then to France, where she became a celebrity.cite news
first = Kim
last = Willsher
title = The Real Mowgli; Tippi Degre is the little girl who was best of friends with the jungle's fiercest animals
publisher = Daily Record
date = June 23, 2001
url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-75781566.html
accessdate = 2007-10-09] A book of her adventures ("Tippi of Africa", ISBN 978-1868720835) was published and translated in several languages. [cite book
last = Degre
first = Tippi
others = Claudia Steinitz (translator)
title = Tippi aus Afrika. Das Mädchen, das mit den Tieren spricht.
language = German
publisher = Ullstein Hc
year = 2000
isbn = 978-3550071645] [cite book
last = Degre
first = Tippi
others = Huang Tien-yuan (translator)
title = 我的野生動物朋友
language = Chinese
publisher =
year = 2002
isbn = 9576078237] "My Book of Africa" (ISBN 9781770070295) is a bestselling novel of Tippi's adventurous life in Namibia. She also set up a website, and returned to Africa to make six nature documentaries for the Discovery Channel.

In Paris (France), Tippi attended a local state school for the first two years, but is now homeschooled because she was found to have little in common with the other children in Paris.

References

Further reading

* cite book
last = Ody
first = Joelle
coauthors = Sylvia Robert, Alain Degre
title = Tippi of Africa
publisher = New Holland Publishers
year = 1998
isbn = 978-1868720835
* cite book
last = Degré
first = Tippi
coauthors = Sylvie Robert, Alain Degré
title = My Book of Africa
publisher = Struik
year = 2005
isbn = 978-1770070295

External links

* [http://www.tippi.org/ Official website]
* [http://fr.xihalife.com/bbs/photos/coolphotos/1139.htm Photos]