Cries Of The Savanna

Sue Tidwell lived in awe of Africa’s extraordinary wildlife. After years spent appreciating the animals in her imagination, the tenderhearted American hated the idea of joining her husband on a big game hunt. And getting attacked by blood-sucking tsetse flies the moment she stepped off the plane gave no hint of the mind-blowing change of perspective in her future... With her initial animosity turning into curiosity as they breathlessly tracked dangerous beasts, Sue formed a surprising bond with their young, government-assigned game scout. And as she became entranced by the tales and wisdom from the Masimba Camp crew, she was humbled by the mystery of the vilified safari and the people who relied on it for survival. Supplementing her own experiences on the elephant-rutted roads with local insights and scientific research into conservation efforts, Tidwell explores how her preconceived beliefs sluiced away under the deluge of reality. And with an evocative narrative peppered with self-deprecating humor, vivid imagery, and over ninety photos and illustrations, you’ll emerge forever changed by the truths this greenhorn found buried in a rugged and romantic landscape.

A non-hunter shares her eye-opening experiences on a hunting safari andinvites readers to reconsider what it will take to save Africa's wildlife. Waking to her husband's alarmed whisper, "Honey, get ready to run" was never in Sue Tidwell's vision of Africa. Nor was skulking through the Tanzanian bush or lying terror-stricken as the cries of lions and hyenas cut through the walls of her tent. Enchanted by African wildlife, she certainly never expected to find herself a sidekick on a hunting safari. Growing up in a deer hunting family, she understood hunting's role in American conservation. Still, the idea of hunting Africa's exotic animals was deeply troubling. Aren't many species endangered? Isn't photo-tourism a better way to protect lions and elephants? Her boots-on-the-ground view answered these questions and many more; it captured her soul and lit a fire in her gut, fueling a passion the opposite of what she expected. Through stories of laughter, tragedy, and wonder, readers will be immersed in adventure as Sue's curiosity sheds light on the struggles and complexities facing the people and wildlife of rural Africa. Whether an animal lover, conservationist, wanderer, adventurer, or human rights advocate, her unexpected odyssey will arm readers with the awareness necessary to sustainably protect Africa's spectacular animals. Only then will the beastly cries of the savanna forever remain a part of the wild.

"Vividly written...Their story is thrilling—the kind of tale that wild-animal lovers won't easily forget."—People In this riveting real-life adventure, Mark and Delia Owens tell the dramatic story of their last years in Africa, fighting to save elephants, villagers, and—in the end—themselves. The award-winning zoologists and pioneering conservationists describe their work in the remote and ruggedly beautiful Luangwa Valley, in northeastern Zambia. There they studied the mysteries of the elephant population’s recovery after poaching, discovering remarkable similarities between humans and elephants. A young elephant named Gift provided the clue to help them crack the animals’ secret of survival. A stirring portrait of life in Africa, Secrets of the Savanna is a remarkable record of the Owenses's unique passions.

This Action Plan describes the conservation status of 23 species of the order Crocodylia found worldwide. The plan is arranged in three principal sections: an Introductory overview, Country accounts, and Species accounts. Each Country account describes the status of wild populations, and current management programmes. The Species accounts summarise the conservation status, principle threats, and existing management programmes and then describe the ecology and natural history of the species and set out recommended priority conservation projects.

The environmental classic that redefined the way we think about the natural world—an urgent call for preservation that’s more timely than ever. “We can place this book on the shelf that holds the writings of Thoreau and John Muir.”—San Francisco Chronicle These astonishing portraits of the natural world explore the breathtaking diversity of the unspoiled American landscape—the mountains and the prairies, the deserts and the coastlines. Conjuring up one extraordinary vision after another, Aldo Leopold takes readers with him on the road and through the seasons on a fantastic tour of our priceless natural resources, explaining the destructive effects humankind has had on the land and issuing a bold challenge to protect the world we love.

"This is the story of the Owens' travel and life in the Kalahari Desert, [where] they met and studied unique animals and were confronted with danger from drought, fire, storms, and the animals they loved"--Amazon.com.

The kea, a crow-sized parrot that lives in the rugged mountains of New Zealand, is considered by some a playful comic and by others a vicious killer. Its true character is a mystery that biologists have debated for more than a century. Judy Diamond and Alan Bond have written a comprehensive account of the kea's contradictory nature, and their conclusions cast new light on the origins of behavioral flexibility and the problem of species survival in human environments everywhere. New Zealand's geological remoteness has made the country home to a bizarre assemblage of plants and animals that are wholly unlike anything found elsewhere. Keas are native only to the South Island, breeding high in the rigorous, unforgiving environment of the Southern Alps. Bold, curious, and ingeniously destructive, keas have a complex social system that includes extensive play behavior. Like coyotes, crows, and humans, keas are "open-program" animals with an unusual ability to learn and to create new solutions to whatever problems they encounter. Diamond and Bond present the kea's story from historical and contemporary perspectives and include observations from their years of field work. A comparison of the kea's behavior and ecology with that of its closest relative, the kaka of New Zealand's lowland rain forests, yields insights into the origins of the kea's extraordinary adaptability. The authors conclude that the kea's high level of sociality is a key factor in the flexible lifestyle that probably evolved in response to the alpine habitat's unreliable food resources and has allowed the bird to survive the extermination of much of its original ecosystem. But adaptability has its limits, as the authors make clear when describing present-day interactions between keas and humans and the attempts to achieve a peaceful coexistence.

A moving, inspiring, personal look at the vastly changing world of wildlife on planet earth as a result of human incursion, and the crucial work of animal and bird preservation across the globe being done by scientists, field biologists, zoologists, environmentalists, and conservationists. From a longtime, much-admired activist, impassioned wildlife proponent and conservationist, former chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts, four time Academy Award nominee, and Tony Award and two-time Emmy Award-winning actress. In Wild Things, Wild Places, Jane Alexander movingly, with a clear eye and a knowing, keen grasp of the issues and on what is being done in conservation and the worlds of science to help the planet's most endangered species to stay alive and thrive, writes of her steady and fervent immersion into the worlds of wildlife conservation, of her coming to know the scientists throughout the world--to her, the prophets in the wilderness--who are steeped in this work, of her travels with them--and on her own--to the most remote and forbidding areas of the world as they try to save many species, including ourselves.