Delia Owens Net Worth, Books, Quotes & Life Story

Body Measurement	34-28-36
Body type	Slim
Height	5 feet 6 inches
Weight	60 kilograms
Hair Color	Brown
Eye Color	Brown
Shoe Size	10 (UK)

Full Name	Delia Owens
Nickname	Delia
Gender	Female
Date of Birth	April 4, 1949
Age	74 Years (As of 2023)
Profession	Author, zoologist, and conservationist
Education	University of California, Davis, University of Georgia
Delia Owens Net Worth	*$2 Million*
Nationality	American
Birthplace	Thomasville, southern Georgia
Hometown	Boundary County, Idaho
Religion	Christianity
Zodiac Sign	Aries
Father	–
Mother	–
Spouse	Mark Owens
Children	a stepson
Siblings	Bobby (brother)

Marcia Alvar’s 1992 interview of Delia Owens	Elephants Under Fire, Upon Reflection, 1992 UWTV Classics
Politics and Prose	“Delia Owens, “Where the Crawdads Sing”
Instagram	instagram.com/authordeliaowens
Twitter	twitter.com/deliaowens
Website	deliaowens.com

Childhood & Early Life

Owens grew up in Thomasville, which is located in southern Georgia; she has spent the majority of her life in or near genuine wilderness.

She received a Bachelor of Science in zoology from the University of Georgia and a doctorate in animal behavior from the University of California, Davis. She knew she wanted to be a writer, but chose a vocation in science instead.

The couple migrated to Africa in 1974 and traveled for some time before settling in Botswana’s Kalahari Desert. The couple wrote Cry of the Kalahari about their experience there.

After campaigning against the local livestock industry, Botswanan government officials expelled the individuals. In the early 1990s, the Owens settled in North Luangwa National Park, Zambia, and then Mpika, Zambia.

Her bestselling nonfiction works, “Cry of the Kalahari, The Eye of the Elephant, and Secrets of the Savanna“, are all about the couple’s research and conservation efforts. They contributed to the reduction of elephant poaching in Zambia by teaching criminals skills such as beekeeping, carpentry, midwifery, and weaving.

Owens has published her research on the behavioral ecology of African mammals in journals such as Nature, the Journal of Mammalogy, Animal Behaviour, and the African Journal of Ecology since earning her Ph.D. in biology.

She has contributed articles to Natural History and International Wildlife, where she served as a “roving editor” for over two decades.

Delia’s strong bonds with the families of a small town and her close relationships with girlfriends have stayed with her all her life. Her novel is dedicated to three friends she has cherished since second grade.

These close relationships and Delia’s intimate connections with Nature have influenced her studies and writing.

Delia Owens and her ex-husband, Mark Owens, have been divorced for 24 years. Beyond that tragic separation, however, there is a long-term romantic relationship.

Delia and Mark were both recent graduates of the University of Georgia, where they met for the first time. Delia and Mark have collaborated on several projects during their academic careers.

In addition, the couple held an auction, sold their belongings, and used the proceeds to purchase camping equipment and two one-way plane tickets to Johannesburg.

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Career

Delia is a Biologist, zoologist, environmental activist, writer, and lecturer. She has conducted research projects on animals in Africa, including in the Kalahari desert in Botswana, 1974-81, and in Zambia, 1985-97.

She is also known to have developed the North Luangwa Conservation Project (NLCP) in Zambia and the Owens Foundation for Wildlife Conversation, Stone Mountain, GA.

She has lectured throughout the United States and Canada, including at the San Diego Zoo, the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, the Museum of Natural History in New York, the Chicago Academy of Sciences, and the San Francisco Zoological Society.

She has also once worked in a department store.

In early 1974, Delia and Mark Owens traversed the Central Kalahari of Botswana in an ancient, rattletrap Land Rover.

They established a primitive camp in an area so remote that they were the only two persons in an area the size of Ireland, with the exception of roving bands of Bushmen.

The first pride of lions approached Delia and Mark’s camp and lay just beyond the trees.

The Owens studied and radio-collared six lion prides for over seven years. The Owens’ camp was within the territory of the Blue Pride, and Sassy, Chary, and Blue frequently romped near the Owens’ tents or ransacked their outdoor kitchen.

The Owens traveled from the Kalahari to the North Luangwa Valley in Zambia to continue their investigation of wildlife.

In addition to studying elephants, Delia and Mark established a program that provided local villagers with jobs, loans, and other assistance so they would not need to poach animals for a livelihood.

Soon, the elephants felt secure in the Owens’ camp and would feed on marula fruits while strolling between their cottages.

The Owens christened the orphaned elephant Gift after it wandered into their camp and took up residence among the bungalows.

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Major Works

Where the Crawdads Sing (2018)
Cry of the Kalahari (1984)
The Eye of the Elephant (1992)
Secrets of the Savanna (2006)

Delia Owens also runs a personal website in her name – deliaowens.com

Awards and Achievements

1981 — Rolex Award for Enterprise for Kalahari Research Project (with former husband, Mark Owens)
1985 — John Burroughs Award (with Mark Owens)
1993 — University of California Outstanding Alumnus Award
1994 — Order of the Golden Ark (Netherlands)

Delia Owens Net Worth

Delia Owens has achieved great success in her career as a wildlife scientist, conservationist, and author. Her books have been praised by critics and readers alike and have sold millions of copies worldwide. As a result, she has accumulated a considerable net worth, estimated to be around $3 million.

Controversy

Owens’ former husband, Mark, has been accused of operating a “shoot to kill” policy against poachers while the couple were living in Zambia. ABC News aired a report in 1996, entitled “Deadly Game: The Mark and Delia Owens Story“.

The report featured the killing of a poacher in Zambia, allegedly committed by Delia’s stepson, Christopher.

To this day, Delia Owens denies the incident, explaining she was not involved, and that there was never a case.

However, her 2018 best-selling novel, “Where the Crawdads Sing“, has aroused suspicion from those on her book tour about the parallels between the main character Kya and her case, and Delia’s own alleged accusation.

The Owens have denied the accusations. No charges were brought against Owens or her ex-husband Mark, or stepson Christopher.

Zambian officials told Jeffery Goldberg, a journalist, and editor-in-chief of The Atlantic Magazine, that they don’t believe Owens is a suspect.

However, they do believe that she is the most important witness. Owens has never been sought for questioning by the Zambian authorities.

10 things you didn’t know about Delia Owens!

The title Where the Crawdads Sing was inspired by Owens’s mother, who encouraged her daughter to explore the woods near their home in rural Georgia by saying, “Go way out yonder where the crawdads sing.”
After an interview, look-ups of her used word crawdad on Merriam-Webster spiked 1200 percent.
Prior to Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens co-wrote three memoirs with her then-husband Mark about their time in Africa. The first, 1984’s Cry of the Kalahari, was a bestseller and won the 1985 John Burroughs Medal, which honors books about natural history.
Where the Crawdads Sing became a surprise bestseller when it was published in 2018: It has sold more than 12 million copies, hit the top of the New York Times bestseller list.
Her book’s success surprised the publishing industry.
Among the book’s most famous fans are Reese Witherspoon and Taylor Swift. Witherspoon, who picked the novel for her Hello Sunshine book club in 2018 and produced the film adaption, called Where the Crawdads Sing “a love letter to Growing up in the South.”
Some believe there are similarities between the plot of Where the Crawdads Sing and a real-life crime.
When television producer Janice Tomlin saw the couple on The Tonight Show, she asked them to participate in a documentary about elephant poaching.
During one period of filming, a suspected poacher was shot several times on camera. Mark and Delia weren’t there when the shooting occurred. Years later, The New Yorker’s Jeffrey Goldberg tracked down the cameraman, who identified Christopher Owens, Mark’s son from a previous relationship, as the initial and final shooter.
Footage of the killing aired on an episode of the television series Turning Point in a segment titled “Deadly Game: The Mark and Delia Owens Story” in 1996.

FAQs

– Delia Owens was married for how long?

Following the murder of the poacher, the Owens fled Zambia and settled on a 720-acre ranch in Northern Idaho. After 40 years of marriage, they divorced, and Delia now resides in Asheville, North Carolina.