Lori Robinson's Blog, page 8

7 Surprising Benefits You Will Gain from De-cluttering Your Life

De-cluttering your life is the self-help du jour. And for good reason.

Whether you are just thinking about de-cluttering your life, or have embraced the process, I can tell you from experience that it will benefit you and the planet in multiple and surprising ways.

I’ve always loved the feeling of cleaning out long overlooked drawers, giving away clothes I don’t wear to my sisters, or selling furniture that I no longer love. It’s a feel-good act to clear out unwanted, unused, and unloved stuff from your life.

Dining & Reading room in my California home, post de-clutter

I purposely live in a small home because I don’t like having to furnish large spaces I rarely use or maintain things I don’t need. And, the small space keeps me disciplined about not re-accumulating.

 

De-cluttering Done Right

To gain the most reward from your de-cluttering process you need to do it right. If you simply fill your trash-can with all the things that you no longer want you will not reap the blessings available from the process.

To really benefit you and the planet, de-cluttering has to be done with an awareness about the items you will get rid of.

The planet’s resources and the many people involved in producing the shirt, chair, or package of food in your home demands reverence. When you decide to get rid of something it means you can find a better place for it to be back in the world with someone who will use it, love it, and want it. Friends and relatives, consignment shops, and donation outlets are all good candidates for reusing the things you no longer want to keep.

My California back garden contains only things I absolutely Love. De-cluttering does not have to mean empty.

7 ways de-cluttering will help you and the planet

It makes you realize you actually feel better when you are surrounded by less stuff. There is less to maintain, worry about, and think about. When the spaces around you are free of clutter, your internal space is also freer. Free to dream. Free to create. Free to relax.
Once you get rid of things that no longer serve you, you are less likely to bring more things back into your home. You are more aware of re-cluttering and undoing all the work you did to un-clutter in the first place. So, you naturally start to consume less.
You become a more conscious consumer. Conscious consumption saves you money and time and is one of the best ways to heal the planet. When you do buy something it’s because you need and love it.
The act of de-cluttering will spill over into other parts of your life. After finishing the de-cluttering of my home spaces, I went on to clean up my email inbox, my i-photo file, and my computer desktop.
De-cluttering becomes a metaphor for living more simply. Simplifying can be applied to every area of your life. I even de-cluttered my eating habits. I realized I don’t need as much variety in my cupboards, and that eating more simple meals is healthier. My body and the planet both benefit.
De-cluttering is a gift to the next generation. Not only are you modeling a simple, less consumer-oriented lifestyle for younger family members, you are also ensuring they don’t have a huge mess of things to organize, and get rid of when you die.
Most people feel a deep sense of sadness about the state of the planet, and powerless about changing it. Perhaps the most surprising gift that comes from the act of de-cluttering is that it’s an antidote for this kind of ecological despair. De-cluttering our life allows us to take a stand and do something tangible towards our goal of a more sustainable planet.

 

Resources to support you in de-cluttering your life

Best selling phenomena, Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, by Margareta Magnusson

I would love to hear from you in the comment section below about your journey with de-cluttering your life.

The post 7 Surprising Benefits You Will Gain from De-cluttering Your Life appeared first on .

Overwhelmed by All the Changes You Want for the Planet?

If you make a list of all the ways you want to help the planet, how long will your list be?

 

Global warming, poaching, species extinction, habitat loss, animal abuse, factory farming, the list of things we want to change is long.

 

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. And when we are overwhelmed, it’s easy to feel stuck. That means we end up doing nothing.

 

But, now more than ever, the planet needs you, me and every one of us. The changes we want for the planet will not happen without each of us doing our part.

 

So how can we defeat feeling overwhelmed, stuck and powerless? How can we stay inspired?

 

First, remember that saving the planet isn’t easy! We want it to be, but it isn’t. If we are unrealistic with our expectations for change, we often end up feeling disappointed.

 

Second, follow, listen to and learn from people like the heroes in my books, Saving Wild, and Wild Lives.  These are people who never give up. Adopt them as mentors.

 

Third, focus on the positive. Remind yourself that change is possible by celebrating what has been achieved.

But most important of all, begin. Anywhere. Then, keep going. And, never give up!  The planet needs you!

 

Use this link each and every time you shop on Amazon. A percentage of your sale will go to the most effective people and organizations helping wildlife across the planet. 

The post Overwhelmed by All the Changes You Want for the Planet? appeared first on .

Conservation’s Dog Heroes

Dogs are amazing. They are lovable, loyal, and protective. And, it turns out, heroes of conservation.

Working Dogs for Conservation (WD4C) loves bad dogs – the obsessive high-energy kind. Of the approximately one million dogs euthanized in shelters across the country each year, Megan Parker and her partners at WD4C rescue handfuls of those dogs that few others want.

These dogs don’t just get rescued; they get to work, putting their special high- energy skills to use in an array of conservation-related activities. From sniffing out arms and ammunition used by poachers in Zambia, to detecting invasive weeds before they break the surface in Montana, these dogs become heroes that would otherwise have been killed, but for Parker’s efforts.

Megan Parker with Pepin, Photo: Dave Hamman

Parker and her colleagues select dogs with an over-the-top desire to play with a toy. “The ones we choose are high speed, hell to live with, high energy, and obsessive-compulsive. They will do anything to fetch or tug.”

To train the dogs, Parker links the scent of whatever target she’s training the dog on, be it ivory, ammunition, or invasive weeds, with a reward, usually a ball or a tug toy. “All of our training is positive. We link what they love with what we want them to find.”

When they find and train the right dog, Parker says, “The dog loves it. When it loves what it’s doing and has focus and drive, we keep it busy.”

She and her colleagues train dogs that get placed in countries as far away as Zambia. These dogs are trained to detect pangolin scales, leopard skins, lion, mokula lumber, gunpowder, elephant ivory, rhino horn, illegal ammunition, and illegal bush meat species.

*****

DOG HEROES FOR CHEETAHS

The world cheetah population has dropped from 100,000 to ten thousand over the past one hundred years. While the story of their population decline is similar to that of other species across the globe one of their challenges has to do with the cheetah’s greatest asset: its speed.

A cheetah can accelerate to seventy miles per hour in just three seconds. With special claws that work like cleats; a tail used as a rudder; long limber legs; a flexible backbone; an expanded nasal cavity for greater air intake; and enlarged arteries, lungs, and heart, the cheetah is an aerodynamic wonder of unparalleled speed.

However, because they are built for speed and not for power, cheetahs have trouble competing with larger and more powerful cats that will often steal a cheetah’s prey and kill their young.

One way cheetahs have dealt with this obstacle is by living outside of game reserves where many of their competitors are found. Consequently, 90 percent of Namibia’s cheetahs reside outside of protected areas, alongside humans, many of whom are farmers that see the cheetah as competition for their livestock.

When Laurie Marker moved to Namibia to start the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), her first task was to sit with farmers and to listen.

Livestock farmers had killed nearly half of Africa’s most endangered big cat, and Marker was all about finding solutions.

“The most difficult part of doing this job is balancing all of the interests of the people involved—the politics of keeping everyone happy. And with cheetahs we will not solve the conservation crisis unless all stakeholders have a voice in the solution.”

Keeping everyone happy and giving all stakeholders a voice means caring about livestock farmers (in an arid environment with regular drought, livestock farming is the main form of livelihood) whose decision to pull the trigger could mean one less endangered cat.

“You can’t ask a farmer to care about conserving wildlife when he’s struggling just to feed his family,” says Marker. That’s why one of CCF’s signature programs is Future Farmers of Africa, a human-wildlife conflict mitigation initiative. This program works with farmers to find predator-friendly livestock and wildlife management techniques.

One such technique Marker pioneered in Namibia is the use of Anatolian shepherds and Kangal dogs, physically imposing dogs originally from Turkey.

The dogs, whom Marker carefully selects, are highly intelligent, protective of the livestock, and able to drive away most large predators. Farmers who have used Anatolian and Kangal dogs to protect their herds have reported drops in predation rates of between 80 and 100 percent—meaning those farmers are less likely to kill or trap cheetahs on their lands. Farmers, in fact, are so enthusiastic about the program that there is a two-year waiting list for puppies.

CCF guard dog at work

Excerpts for this post were taken from the new book, Wild Lives, Leading Conservationists on the Animals and Planet They Love. Laurie Marker and Megan Parker, who are both using dogs for conservation, are two of the twenty conservationists featured in the book who are saving species across the globe.

 

 

The post Conservation’s Dog Heroes appeared first on .

VOLUNTEER FOR WILDLIFE, ANIMALS, AND CONSERVATION

Have you ever considered helping animals by signing up to volunteer for wildlife abroad? Writer Hildy Rubin put together this post for SavingWild. It is full of tips and ideas for anyone who wants to volunteer for wildlife. 

There are many different ways to volunteer. You can help researchers collect data that will be used for conservation (tigers in India, desert elephants in Namibia, whales in the Azores), work in a wildlife sanctuary caring for rescued and orphaned animals (baby orangutans in Borneo), build fences, plant trees, teach students, photograph and/or count animals. The choices are vast. Some ‘volunteer for wildlife’ opportunities allow you to have close, or hands-on encounters with animals. Others might be more indirect – protecting and improving habitat, analyzing data, or working in the community to teach people and students about conservation, environmental protection, etc.

Baye Pigors. Photo from Adam Jones.
Some things to be aware of before you Volunteer for Wildlife

Something that you may not be aware of – it is usually not free to volunteer for wildlife on programs abroad. Most projects charge a fee, which is used to pay for your food and accommodation, as well as other costs associated with your stay, such as transportation and donations to the project.

 

Tips for Choosing a Volunteer Program

Whatever project and company you get involved with, volunteering for wildlife can be an incredible experience, sometimes life-changing, while at the same time contributing to a worthwhile cause which needs your help, if you choose your project wisely. The goal is to find a project that offers you a memorable, fulfilling experience which has contributed to helping wildlife in some way. Some factors to keep in mind while choosing where you will volunteer are: Is the organization working to release the animals back into the wild? How much training will you receive? At the end of your experience will you have gained skills that will help you achieve your goals? The end result of your volunteering for wildlife should be mutually beneficial.

Helpful information

This website has some good information on the overall topic: http://edgeofafrica.com/responsible-wildlife-volunteering/

 

Some basic questions to consider:

What is the main goal of the organization? For example:

http://edgeofafrica.com/about-us/responsible-volunteering/

https://www.thegreatprojects.com/about-us

 

How does the organization use your fee/donation?

https://www.thegreatprojects.com/where-your-money-goes

 

How does the organization vet their projects?
Is the organization environmentally responsible? https://www.thegreatprojects.com/responsible-travel-policy

 

What exactly will you be doing on your project? Will you be just used for labor or will you feel like your efforts are actually contributing to conservation? A good place to find this information is through participant reviews:

https://www.thegreatprojects.com/blog/alys-review-samboja-lestari

 

Before getting involved and paying your fee, do your homework, ask questions, and find out everything you can about the company and the project.

Here are a few of the many places that offer volunteer with wildlife opportunities. [Please note that Saving Wild is not endorsing any of these, just offering a way for you to get started on your search.]  

https://www.thegreatprojects.com/

https://www.cheetah.org/you-can-help/...

http://youth4africanwildlife.org/get-...

http://earthwatch.org/

https://www.gooverseas.com/volunteer-...

https://conservationvip.org/why-volun...

https://www.conservationafrica.net/

http://www.wildlifevolunteer.org/

https://www.gviusa.com/volunteer-abro...

 

We hope this information and these tips have been helpful. Let us know in the comments below.

Whatever you choose, we wish you a wonderful and successful volunteering with wildlife experience!

 

The post VOLUNTEER FOR WILDLIFE, ANIMALS, AND CONSERVATION appeared first on .

How Permaculture is Saving Kenya’s Wildlife

Last year while traveling in East Africa I met an exceptional young man, permaculture practitioner George Kaberia. He is a 35 year-old Kenyan who is saving wildlife and wild places through gardening. I think you will love his story.

 

George works at Sirikoi, a safari lodge situated smack dab in the center of Kenya. One day, after eating yet another exceptional organic meal of berries, greens and even fresh turmeric from Sirikoi’s on-site kitchen garden, I asked if I could get a tour of the vegetable patch.

 

George enthusiastically leads me through an acre of land he maintains using permaculture methods. If you haven’t heard of permaculture it’s a way of gardening that takes advantage of the different characteristics of plants to produce more while using less water and no chemicals.

 

We walk alongside mounds of peppers, potatoes, spinach, basil, bananas, and raspberries interspersed with marigolds under the arms of avocado, mango and citrus trees. “It’s called companion planting, George explains. “Garlic chives protect carrots, and leeks protect broccoli, from aphids and white fly. The trees provide shade.”

 

Chickens, used for eggs and meat and manure compost, peck around our feet looking for bugs, while worms enclosed in a massive bin are eating their way through weeds and leaf scraps to make compost and ‘liquid gold’, a juice used as natural fertilizer. The idea is to “continually add beneficial fungus and bacteria to the soil as food for  the plants,” says George. From the looks of the lush leaves and abundant produce, it’s working in spades.

 

You have to understand what a surprise this is. On a continent whose small farmers are known for single crop production (lots of bananas), and the increasingly more common practice (thanks to the USA) of using fertilizers and chemicals, having this kind of variety, and all of it organic, is novel.

 

George transports produce to Sirikoi’s kitchen. Photo @Sirikoi

 

George first learned about permaculture while working for a non- governmental organization in 2013. “It made so much sense” that he brought the ideas home to practice on his own garden and then to Sirikoi.

 

George shares his permaculture gospel to anyone who will listen. With George’s help, numerous people in his home village are using his techniques in their gardens.

 

And now he wants his ideas to grow bigger. “My plan is to help more and more people in surrounding villages raise vegetables without chemicals and by using less water. A lot of people now have cancer because of chemicals being used on their gardens.”

 

He also wants to help pastoral people like the Samburu, Turkana, and Maasai to practice farming instead of relying on the government for relief food.

 

All of this helps save wildlife. Food insecurity is one of the main causes of bush meat poaching, and poisoned soils and plants contaminate little critters that are then eaten by larger animals, and so on, up the food chain.  

 

For this reason, George is this years Saving Wild hero. (To see past heroes go here and here.)

 

With a cash contribution Saving Wild will help support George to help others have lush organic gardens to feed their families, and save wildlife all at the same time.

 

The best part is that one of my safari clients will be going to Sirikoi in October and can hand deliver the cash to George. Direct delivery is the best way I know of to make sure the donation gets to the actual person who will most benefit. This is grassroots support at its most effective and it’s what Saving Wild specializes in. (Remember SavingWild’s super successful on-the-ground plastic clean up program?)

 

If you would like to help George spread the seeds of his great work (sorry for the pun, I couldn’t help myself) you have two options:

1) Donate to our umbrella non-profit. You will get a tax deduction but a small portion will go to them for their services. Here is the donate button:

     2) Send a check to me (I will cash it and add it (100%) to the envelope being delivered to George).

 

Feel free to contact me with any questions about permaculture, George’s plans or visiting Sirikoi.

Email me at savingwildblog@gmail.com

 

LvL

The post How Permaculture is Saving Kenya’s Wildlife appeared first on Saving Wild.

Unusual Final Act For Lucky Giraffe

This morning, on my last wildlife drive here at Mombo Trails, before I fly to another camp in a different area of Botswana, we come across all that remains of a dead giraffe: a sun bleached jaw-bone. The death most likely the result of a long chase, and fatal bite to the jugular.  Probably from a lion.  After the big cat pride had taken their fill, others – jackals, hyena, vultures – would have cleaned up the remains. 

 

To my eye there is nothing left. But one spotted hyena disagrees. She patiently whittles away at a slimy, saliva softened patch of bone.  “For much needed calcium,” Seko, my guide, says. Hyenas live in packs but she won’t announce this meal to her clan – too much effort for very little reward. We leave her be.

 

Spotted Hyena eating giraffe jaw bone.

 

A few minutes further along the dirt road we spot another dead giraffe. “Around  25 years of age,” according to Seko, “an old male.”

 

We stare at the fallen being. His stomach entrails are spilled outside of it’s cavity (possibly the work of one hyena) but otherwise the giraffe is intact.

 

Every day animals die here in the wild, but it’s rare to see a whole dead animal. Every animal is food to someone else, devoured quickly and completely, rarely leaving a trace.

 

This giraffe had died peacefully. For his entire life, and in his final weakened state of old age, he had beaten the odds. He had avoided being taken down by lions, fatally kicked by other male giraffes, or killed by bush meat poachers. Unusual for the African bush.

 

Instead he had laid down in this open circle of grass edged by shrubs, his long neck stretched against the earth and land he had called home for a quarter of a century, and taken his last breath.

 

Seko tells me he knows this giraffe. “This male was the first giraffe I learned to recognize when I started guiding in this area about eight years ago.” There’s a sadness in Seko’s voice. He has lost a friend.

 

I wonder who, besides Seko (and me), notice that this great giraffe being is gone? Did this guy have friends, family or loved ones?  Did any of them witness his passing three days earlier? 

 

Loneliness – for the giraffe, for myself – envelops me.  

 

Elephants continue to visit the bones of dead family members, ritualistically mingling among the remains as a part of their process of letting go of the deceased. Do giraffes have a similar ritual?

 

No matter, death is a solo act.

 

Seko’s friend had, I imagined, lived an elegant and wonderful life before dying with peace and dignity.

 

That’s the best we can hope for.

 

Later, I wonder if the hyena we had seen had yet realized that a few minutes walk from the jaw-bone lay a whole meal for the taking – an elegant gentle giant waiting to be reintegrated into the Botswana sand and earth from which he originated. 

 

**Every time you shop on Amazon you can help giraffes and wildlife across the globe if you use the shop Amazon link on the right of this page. Copy the link to your desk top and use it each time you shop. 

The post Unusual Final Act For Lucky Giraffe appeared first on Saving Wild.

Elephants – Up Close and Personal

Elephants are like us, but better, says Daphne Sheldrick. They share consciousness and emotions, elaborate communication and memory, and family and social ties similar to our own. In fact, elephants share more attributes with us than most other animals.

 

It’s the main reason elephants have become the poster child of the conservation movement. “We tend to admire qualities in other species that we recognize in ourselves. [And that] makes it easier for us to relate to them. As a result, we empathize more with gorillas [and elephants] than guppies,” says wildlife filmmaker Mark Deeble.

 

I’ve been fortunate to see elephants in the wild many times over the 33 years I’ve been going on safari in Africa. But this time, if I could have counted them all, I estimate I saw 1,000 elephants in the three weeks I recently spent in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. That’s more elephant encounters than I’ve had on all my trips combined.

 

Elephants are a keystone species. Trees and plants, whose seeds are spread in their manure, support hundreds of different types of animals.

 

Elephants rule Africa’s land.

As a humble visitor here I am grateful to them for every encounter. To hear their rumbling communication when calling each other closer, their trumpeting protests, and the flapping of their ears when they are telling us we have come close enough.

 

I rejoice in their obvious joy as they rush down the sandy hill towards water where they play, swim, submerge themselves, and drink.

 

Wild elephants visited my tent at 5 of the camps I stayed in. And they sniffed me, lifting their trunks towards the back of the safari vehicle where I sat silently. A few of them stopped eating or walking, turning to stare at me. I wish I knew what they were thinking.

 

At dusk a herd of about 100 elephants surrounded me and my driver/guide. We spent an hour with them watching adolescents jostle each other, and one brave guy repeatedly sniff and mock charge our open topped truck. Anyone of them could have easily flipped our vehicle. But they tolerated us.

Me with Jabu and Morula.

 

On a visit to the Living With Elephants Foundation I met Jabu and Morula, two human-habituated elephants. I stroked their wrinkled leathery skin and wiry tail, looked inside their mouths, and supported their heavy trunks across my shoulder. They trumpeted, squirted water, and kissed me. I learned elephant facts from their owners as I walked alongside them through the water laden lands they call home.

Me with Jabu.

Of all the amazing things I understand about elephants, what remains with me is the feeling I experience whenever I am in their presence. They exude a powerful but gentle energy. They are strong and independent, yet comforting and caring. They seem to be present, and highly aware of each other, their surroundings, and me. It’s how I feel in the company of a spiritual guru. Or similar to how I felt years ago when I touched a wild baby whale in Mexico’s San Ignacio Lagoon as she maneuvered her body towards me to look deep into my eyes. One soul acknowledging another soul. The contact was so powerful I cried. That’s how I feel being among the elephants. There is a wordless harmony, as if I’ve found a missing piece of myself.

 

Each and every day there are about 100 less elephants than there were the day before. Ivory poaching has drastically cut their numbers from an estimated 10 million in the 1900’s to about 35,000 today.

 

In Carl Safina’s book, Beyond Words, he explains why ivory poaching is so difficult to terminate. “Ivory is about poverty, ethnic rivalry, terrorism, and civil war. Orchestrating much of this are…- criminals, corrupt government officials, official governments – who are mining elephant populations to finance savage conflict. …Blood ivory has been helping finance Joseph Kony’s Lords Resistance Army, Sudan’s murderous Janjaweed, and possibly Al Queda’s Al Shabab wing. Fueling all this is simple consumer craving for carvings that people could – quite literally – live without. So ivory is not just about elephants. It would be far simpler if it were.“

 

Elephants represent wild Africa like no other species. Safina says, “In a generation or two, the memory of wild Africa will be lost as utterly as an American prairie of head-high wildflowers swirled by bison, darkened by wild pigeons, bordered by towering forests of chestnuts, as it all was, mere moments ago.”

 

Safina’s words create panic in my heart. Without wild elephants in the world I will die from a great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to elephants, also happens to me.

The post Elephants – Up Close and Personal appeared first on Saving Wild.

Animal Books

Do you love to read wildlife and animal books?

I do. I read a lot of them.

On these shelves you will find my favorites. These are the animal books I’ve read and loved.  My top recommendations.

Thanks for using any of the links to buy the books. A small percentage of your purchase goes to the best NGOs saving animals around the world. Using the link does not cost you anything extra. It’s a win win.

 

Top Animal Books #content { width:950px; } .post-comms{ margin-right:20px; } Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feelby Carl Safina
I wanted to know what they were experiencing, and why to us they feel so compelling, and so-close. This time I allowed myself to ask them the question that for a scientist was forbidden fruit: Who are you? Weaving decades of field observations with exciting new discoveries about the brain, Carl Safina's landmark book offers an intimate view of animal behavior to challenge the fixed boundary between humans and nonhuman animals. In Beyond Words, readers travel to Amboseli National Park in the threatened landscape of Kenya and witness struggling elephant families work out how to survive poaching and drought, then to Yellowstone National Park to observe wolves sort out the aftermath of one pack's personal tragedy, and finally plunge into the astonishingly peaceful society of killer whales living in the crystalline waters of the Pacific Northwest. Beyond Words brings forth powerful and illuminating insight into the unique personalities of animals through extraordinary stories of animal joy, grief, jealousy, anger, and love. The similarity between human and nonhuman consciousness, self-awareness, and empathy calls us to re-evaluate how we interact with animals. Wise, passionate, and eye-opening at every turn, Beyond Words is ultimately a graceful examination of humanity's place in the world.What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural Worldby Jon Young
“Jon Young knows birds, and you will too after reading his marvelous book. You’ll discover a universal bird language that will speak to you wherever you go outdoors. Every nature lover should read this book.”—Joseph Cornell, author of Sharing Nature with Children and John Muir: My Life with NatureA lifelong birder, tracker, and naturalist, Jon Young is guided by three basic premises: the robin, junco, and other songbirds know everything important about their environment, be it backyard or forest; by tuning in to their vocalizations and behavior, we can acquire much of this wisdom for our own pleasure and benefit; and the birds’ companion calls and warning alarms are just as important as their songs. Deep bird language is an ancient discipline, perfected by Native peoples the world over, and science is finally catching up. This groundbreaking book unites the indigenous knowledge, the latest research, and the author’s own experience of four decades in the field to lead us toward a deeper connection to the animals and, in the end, a deeper connection to ourselves. “Jon Young is one of the heroes of the new nature movement . . . This elegant book will deepen the kinship between humans and other species. It decodes our common language.”—Richard Louv, author of The Nature Principle and Last Child in the Woods“A brilliant work, born of a lifetime of listening, teaching, and tracking what really matters . . . Jon Young’s work replenishes our humanity.”—David Abram, author of Becoming Animal and The Spell of the SensuousRewilding Our Hearts: Building Pathways of Compassion and Coexistenceby Marc Bekoff
In wildlife conservation, rewilding refers to restoring habitats and creating corridors between preserved lands to allow declining populations to rebound. Marc Bekoff, one of the world’s leading animal experts and activists, here applies rewilding to human attitudes. Rewilding Our Hearts invites readers to do the essential work of becoming reenchanted with the world, acting from the inside out, and dissolving false boundaries to truly connect with both nature and themselves.Writing Wild: Forming a Creative Partnership with Natureby Tina Welling
Align Your Creative Energy with Nature’s“Everything we know about creating,” writes Tina Welling, “we know intuitively from the natural world.” In Writing Wild, Welling details a three-step “Spirit Walk” process for inviting nature to enliven and inspire our creativity.Soul of a Lion: One Woman's Quest to Rescue Africa's Wildlife Refugeesby Barbara Bennett
For animal lovers, nature enthusiasts, and the vast readership for gripping true-life stories, this African saga is a must-read adventure. It chronicles the unique Harnas Wildlife Foundation in Namibia, where Marieta van der Merwe and her family, former wealthy cattle farmers, have sold land to buy and care for embattled wildlife. We meet Sam, the "AIDS" lion infected by mistake at a vet clinic. Boerjke, a baboon with epilepsy and Down syndrome. Savanna, the one-eyed lioness. And Marieta van der Merwe herself, the inspiring proprietor of Harnas who shares her home with needy wild animals. Survivor of an early life fraught with personal tragedy in the African Bush, she now devotes herself as care-giver and ambassador for wildlife and wildland. Told with insight, humor, and thrilling immediacy by author and Harnas volunteer Barbara Bennett, this story will captivate readers of all ages.Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Storyby Daphne Sheldrick
Daphne Sheldrick, whose family arrived in Africa from Scotland in the 1820s, is the first person ever to have successfully hand-reared newborn elephants. Her deep empathy and understanding, her years of observing Kenya's rich variety of wildlife, and her pioneering work in perfecting the right husbandry and milk formula have saved countless elephants, rhinos, and other baby animals from certain death. In this heartwarming and poignant memoir, Daphne shares her amazing relationships with a host of orphans, including her first love, Bushy, a liquid-eyed antelope; Rickey-Tickey-Tavey, the little dwarf mongoose; Gregory Peck, the busy buffalo weaver bird; Huppety, the mischievous zebra; and the majestic elephant Eleanor, with whom Daphne has shared more than forty years of great friendship. But this is also a magical and heartbreaking human love story between Daphne and David Sheldrick, the famous Tsavo Park warden. It was their deep and passionate love, David's extraordinary insight into all aspects of nature, and the tragedy of his early death that inspired Daphne's vast array of achievements, most notably the founding of the world-renowned David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the Orphans' Nursery in Nairobi National Park, where Daphne continues to live and work to this day. Encompassing not only David and Daphne's tireless campaign for an end to poaching and for conserving Kenya's wildlife, but also their ability to engage with the human side of animals and their rearing of the orphans expressly so they can return to the wild, Love, Life, and Elephants is alive with compassion and humor, providing a rare insight into the life of one of the world's most remarkable women.The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wildby Craig Childs
Daphne Sheldrick, whose family arrived in Africa from Scotland in the 1820s, is the first person ever to have successfully hand-reared newborn elephants. Her deep empathy and understanding, her years of observing Kenya's rich variety of wildlife, and her pioneering work in perfecting the right husbandry and milk formula have saved countless elephants, rhinos, and other baby animals from certain death. In this heartwarming and poignant memoir, Daphne shares her amazing relationships with a host of orphans, including her first love, Bushy, a liquid-eyed antelope; Rickey-Tickey-Tavey, the little dwarf mongoose; Gregory Peck, the busy buffalo weaver bird; Huppety, the mischievous zebra; and the majestic elephant Eleanor, with whom Daphne has shared more than forty years of great friendship. But this is also a magical and heartbreaking human love story between Daphne and David Sheldrick, the famous Tsavo Park warden. It was their deep and passionate love, David's extraordinary insight into all aspects of nature, and the tragedy of his early death that inspired Daphne's vast array of achievements, most notably the founding of the world-renowned David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the Orphans' Nursery in Nairobi National Park, where Daphne continues to live and work to this day. Encompassing not only David and Daphne's tireless campaign for an end to poaching and for conserving Kenya's wildlife, but also their ability to engage with the human side of animals and their rearing of the orphans expressly so they can return to the wild, Love, Life, and Elephants is alive with compassion and humor, providing a rare insight into the life of one of the world's most remarkable women.Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales Of A Botswana Safari Guideby Peter Allison
A hilarious, highly original collection of essays based on the Botswana truism: “only food runs!”In the tradition of Bill Bryson, a new writer brings us the lively adventures and biting wit of an African safari guide. Peter Allison gives us the guide’s-eye view of living in the bush, confronting the world’s fiercest terrain of wild animals and, most challenging of all, managing herds of gaping tourists. Passionate for the animals of the Kalahari, Allison works as a top safari guide in the wildlife-rich Okavango Delta. As he serves the whims of his wealthy clients, he often has to stop the impulse to run as far away from them as he can, as these tourists are sometimes more dangerous than a pride of lions. No one could make up these outrageous-but-true tales: the young woman who rejected the recommended safari-friendly khaki to wear a more “fashionable” hot pink ensemble; the lost tourist who happened to be drunk, half-naked, and a member of the British royal family; establishing a real friendship with the continent’s most vicious animal; the Japanese tourist who requested a repeat performance of Allison’s being charged by a lion so he could videotape it; and spending a crazy night in the wild after blowing a tire on a tour bus, revealing that Allison has as much good-natured scorn for himself. The author’s humor is exceeded only by his love and respect for the animals, and his goal is to limit any negative exposure to humans by planning trips that are minimally invasive—unfortunately it doesn’t always work out that way! Peter Allison is originally from Sydney, Australia. His safaris have been featured in National Geographic, Conde Nast Traveler, and on television programs such as Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures. He travels frequently to speaking appearances, and splits most of his time between Botswana, Sydney, and San Francisco.The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wildby Lawrence Anthony
Lawrence Anthony devoted his life to animal conservation, protecting the world's endangered species. Then he was asked to accept a herd of "rogue" wild elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand. His common sense told him to refuse, but he was the herd's last chance of survival: they would be killed if he wouldn't take them.In order to save their lives, Anthony took them in. In the years that followed he became a part of their family. And as he battled to create a bond with the elephants, he came to realize that they had a great deal to teach him about life, loyalty, and freedom. The Elephant Whisperer is a heartwarming, exciting, funny, and sometimes sad memoir of Anthony's experiences with these huge yet sympathetic creatures. Set against the background of life on an African game reserve, with unforgettable characters and exotic wildlife, Anthony's unrelenting efforts at animal protection and his remarkable connection with nature will inspire animal lovers and adventurous souls everywhere.Tracks: A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outbackby Robyn Davidson
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURERobyn Davidson's opens the memoir of her perilous journey across 1,700 miles of hostile Australian desert to the sea with only four camels and a dog for company with the following words: “I experienced that sinking feeling you get when you know you have conned yourself into doing something difficult and there's no going back." Enduring sweltering heat, fending off poisonous snakes and lecherous men, chasing her camels when they get skittish and nursing them when they are injured, Davidson emerges as an extraordinarily courageous heroine driven by a love of Australia's landscape, an empathy for its indigenous people, and a willingness to cast away the trappings of her former identity. Tracks is the compelling, candid story of her odyssey of discovery and transformation.  “An unforgettably powerful book.”—Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild Now with a new postscript by Robyn Davidson.The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhoodby Helene Cooper
Journalist Helene Cooper examines the violent past of her home country Liberia and the effects of its 1980 military coup in this deeply personal memoir and finalist for the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award.Helene Cooper is “Congo,” a descendant of two Liberian dynasties—traced back to the first ship of freemen that set sail from New York in 1820 to found Monrovia. Helene grew up at Sugar Beach, a twenty-two-room mansion by the sea. Her childhood was filled with servants, flashy cars, a villa in Spain, and a farmhouse up-country. It was also an African childhood, filled with knock foot games and hot pepper soup, heartmen and neegee. When Helene was eight, the Coopers took in a foster child—a common custom among the Liberian elite. Eunice, a Bassa girl, suddenly became known as “Mrs. Cooper’s daughter.” For years the Cooper daughters—Helene, her sister Marlene, and Eunice—blissfully enjoyed the trappings of wealth and advantage. But Liberia was like an unwatched pot of water left boiling on the stove. And on April 12, 1980, a group of soldiers staged a coup d'état, assassinating President William Tolbert and executing his cabinet. The Coopers and the entire Congo class were now the hunted, being imprisoned, shot, tortured, and raped. After a brutal daylight attack by a ragtag crew of soldiers, Helene, Marlene, and their mother fled Sugar Beach, and then Liberia, for America. They left Eunice behind.A world away, Helene tried to assimilate as an American teenager. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill she found her passion in journalism, eventually becoming a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. She reported from every part of the globe—except Africa—as Liberia descended into war-torn, third-world hell.In 2003, a near-death experience in Iraq convinced Helene that Liberia—and Eunice—could wait no longer. At once a deeply personal memoir and an examination of a violent and stratified country, The House at Sugar Beach tells of tragedy, forgiveness, and transcendence with unflinching honesty and a survivor's gentle humor. And at its heart, it is a story of Helene Cooper’s long voyage home.When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africaby Peter Godwin
Hailed by reviewers as "powerful,""haunting" and "a tour de force of personal journalism,"When A Crocodile Eats the Sun is the unforgettable story of one man's struggle to discover his past and come to terms with his present. Award winning author and journalist Peter Godwin writes with pathos and intimacy about Zimbabwe's spiral into chaos and, along with it, his family's steady collapse. This dramatic memoir is a searing portrait of unspeakable tragedy and exile, but it is also vivid proof of the profound strength of the human spirit and the enduring power of love."In the tradition of Rian Malan and Philip Gourevitch, a deeply moving book about the unknowability of an Africa at once thrilling and grotesque. In elegant, elegiac prose, Godwin describes his father's illness and death in Zimbabwe against the backdrop of Mugabe's descent into tyranny. His parent's waning and the country's deterioration are entwined so that personal and political tragedy become inseparable, each more profound for the presence of the other" -- Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon"A fascinating, heartbreaking, deeply illuminating memoir that has the shape and feel of a superb novel." -Kurt Anderson, author of HeydeyThe End of the Game: The Last Word from Paradiseby
A landmark book on Africa revisited: The origins, history, and prospects of big game in Africa   Researched, photographed, and compiled over 20 years, Peter Beard’s End of the Game tells the tale of the enterprisers, explorers, missionaries, and big-game hunters whose quests for adventure and "progress" were to change the face of Africa in the 20th century. This landmark volume is assembled from hundreds of historical photographs and writings, starting with the building of the Mombasa Railroad ("The Lunatic Line") and the opening-up of darkest Africa. The stories behind the heroic figures in Beard’s work—Theodore Roosevelt, Frederick Courtney Selous, Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen), Denys Finch-Hatton (the romantic hero of Out of Africa), Philip Percival, J. A. Hunter, Ernest Hemingway, and J. H. Patterson (who became famous as the relentless hunter of the "Man-Eating Lions of Tsavo")—are all contextualized by Beard’s own photographs of the enormous region. Shot in the 1960s and ’70s in the Tsavo lowlands during the elephant-habitat crisis and then in Uganda parks, Beard’s studies of elephant and hippo population dynamics document the inevitable overpopulation and starvation of tens of thousands of elephants and rhinos. Originally published in 1965 and updated in 1977, this classic is resurrected by TASCHEN with rich duotone reproduction and a new foreword by internationally renowned travel and fiction writer Paul Theroux. Touching on themes such as distance from nature, density and stress, loss of common sense, and global emergencies, this seminal picture history of eastern Africa in the first half of the 20th century shows us the origins of the wildlife crisis on the continent, a phenomenon which bears a remarkable resemblance to the overpopulation and climate crises we face today. Africa's Finest: The Most Sustainable Responsible Safari Destinations in Sub-Saharan and the Indian Ocean Islandsby Colin Bell
A stunning perspective of the most sustainable responsible safari destinations in sub-Saharan and the Indian Ocean Islands.When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animalsby Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
This national bestseller exploring the complex emotional lives of animals was hailed as "a masterpiece" by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas and as "marvelous" by Jane Goodall.The popularity of When Elephants Weep has swept the nation, as author Jeffrey Masson appeared on Dateline NBC, Good Morning America, and was profiled in People for his ground-breaking and fascinating study. Not since Darwin's The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals has a book so thoroughly and effectively explored the full range of emotions that exist throughout the animal kingdom. From dancing squirrels to bashful gorillas to spiteful killer whales, Masson and coauthor Susan McCarthy bring forth fascinating anecdotes and illuminating insights that offer powerful proof of the existence of animal emotion. Chapters on love, joy, anger, fear, shame, compassion, and loneliness are framed by a provocative re-evaluation of how we treat animals, from hunting and eating them to scientific experimentation. Forming a complete and compelling picture of the inner lives of animals, When Elephants Weep assures that we will never look at animals in the same way again.The Language of the Land: Living Among a Stone-Age People in Africaby James Stephenson
At the age of twenty-two, James Stephenson arranged to spend a year living among the Hadzabe, the last hunters and gatherers still living a traditional life in Africa. He wanted to live their life, hunting what they hunted, eating what they ate, participating in their dances and ceremonies, consulting with their medicine men, and learning their myths and dreams.Armed only with his camera, his art supplies, and the open-hearted courage of youth, he set out to visit with a people who have changed little since the Stone Age to glimpse the world as they perceived it and learn the wisdom they had wrested from the land.The Danakil Diary: Journeys Through Abyssinia, 1930-34by Wilfred Thesiger
This is an account of the two journeys Thesiger made into the Danakil country (in Abyssinia) in 1933-4 at the age of 24. In a number of ways these journeys were the most influential of his life, laying the foundations of the man considered by some to be the greatest living explorer.Bulu: African Wonder Dogby Dick Houston
Fans of narrative non-fiction, true dog stories, and African wildlife will want to check out Bulu!Born on a crocodile farm in Zambia's untamed South Luangwa Valley, the puppy seemed different from his littermates. Too quiet. Unresponsive. Terriers are usually full of energy and bouncing off walls. But not this one. Nobody wanted him. Enter Anna and Steve Tolan—former police officers who had left behind their life in England to live in the African bush. People thought the Tolans were a bit different, too. The peculiar puppy suited them perfectly. They named him Bulu, or "wild dog" in the local Nyanja language.Living in the bush, Bulu not only found his voice, he also found his calling as a foster parent to the orphaned baby animals—including warthogs, monkeys, elephants, baboons, bushbucks, and buffalo—cared for by the Tolans. But Bulu's protective nature led him into terrifying situations in the wild. It's a miracle he survived! But survive he did, disarming people with his wacky ways and nurturing once-unwanted creatures like him until they too could be set free. Bulu's story is a joyful confirmation of dogs as unique spirits, capable of love, compassion, and bravery.Packed with vivid descriptions of encounters with crocodiles, lions, leopards, poisonous snakes, armed poachers, and more—and illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographs—Bulu: African Wonder Dog is a great resource for meeting Common Core State Standards that will be enjoyed by readers of all ages.From the Hardcover edition.Last Stand: Ted Turner's Quest to Save a Troubled Planetby Todd Wilkinson
Entrepreneur and media mogul Ted Turner has commanded global attention for his dramatic personality, his founding of CNN, his marriage to Jane Fonda, and his company’s merger with Time Warner. But his green resume has gone largely ignored, even while his role as a pioneering eco-capitalist means more to Turner than any other aspect of his legacy. He currently owns more than two million acres of private land (more than any other individual in America), and his bison herd exceeds 50,000 head, the largest in history. He donated $1 billion to help save the UN, and has recorded dozens of other firsts with regard to wildlife conservation, fighting nukes, and assisting the poor. He calls global warming the most dire threat facing humanity, and says that the tycoons of the future will be minted in the development of green, alternative renewable energy.      Last Stand goes behind the scenes into Turner’s private life, exploring the man’s accomplishments and his motivations, showing the world a fascinating and flawed, fully three-dimensional character. From barnstorming the country with T. Boone Pickens on behalf of green energy to a pivotal night when he considered suicide, Turner is not the man the public believes him to be. Through Turner’s eyes, the reader is asked to consider another way of thinking about the environment, our obligations to help others in need, and the grave challenges threatening the survival of civilization. The Elephant's Secret Sense: The Hidden Life of the Wild Herds of Africaby Caitlin O'Connell
While observing a family of elephants in the wild, Caitlin O’Connell noticed a peculiar listening behavior—the matriarch lifted her foot and scanned the horizon, causing the other elephants to follow suit, as if they could “hear” the ground. The Elephant’s Secret Sense is O’Connell’s account of her groundbreaking research into seismic listening and communication, chronicling the extraordinary social lives of elephants over the course of fourteen years in the Namibian wilderness.            This compelling odyssey of scientific discovery is also a frank account of fieldwork in a poverty-stricken, war-ravaged country. In her attempts to study an elephant community, O’Connell encounters corrupt government bureaucrats, deadly lions and rhinos, poachers, farmers fighting for arable land, and profoundly ineffective approaches to wildlife conservation. The Elephant’s Secret Sense is ultimately a story of intellectual courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. “I was transported by the author’s superbly sensuous descriptions of her years spent studying the animals. . . . Conjures a high-class nature documentary film in prose.”—Steven Poole, Guardian “A ride as rough and astonishing as the roads of the African floodplain.”—Joan Keener, Entertainment Weekly “A successful combination of science and soulfulness, explaining her groundbreaking theory of how elephants use seismic communication. . . . O’Connell’s account is studded with sympathetic insights and well-turned phrases.”—Publishers Weekly “This fascinating book reads like a fast-paced detective story of a scientific discovery and adventure set in contemporary Africa. . . . By the end, O’Connell takes her rightful place among the leading biographers of the African elephant.”—Iain Douglas-Hamilton, author of Among the Elephants  Behind the Dolphin smile: One Man's Campaign to Protect the World's Dolphinsby Richard O'Barry
Behind the Dolphin Smile is the heart-felt true story of an animal lover who dedicated his life to studying and training dolphins, but in the process discovered that he ultimately needed to set them free. Ric O’Barry shares his journey with dolphins and other sea mammals in this captivating autobiographical look back at his years as a dolphin trainer for aquatic theme parks, movies, and television. Also included is a preface relaying a first-hand account of his adventures filming the 2010 Academy Award–winning documentary The Cove, which covertly uncovered Japan’s inhumane dolphin-hunting practices. O’Barry, a successful animal trainer who had had everything—money, flashy cars, pretty women—came to realize that dolphins were easy to train, not because of his great talent, but because they possessed great intelligence, and that keeping them in captivity was cruel and morally wrong. O’Barry now dedicates his life to stopping the exploitation of these exceptional mammals by retraining them to return to their natural habitats.Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congoby Vanessa Woods
A young woman follows her fiancé to war-torn Congo to study extremely endangered bonobo apes-who teach her a new truth about love. In 2005 Vanessa Woods accepted a marriage proposal from a man she barely knew and agreed to join him on a research trip to the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. Settling in at a bonobo sanctuary in Congo's capital, Vanessa and her fiancé entered the world of a rare ape with whom we share 98.7 percent of our DNA and who live in a peaceful society in which females are in charge, war is nonexistent, and sex is as common and friendly as a handshake. A fascinating memoir of hope and adventure, Bonobo Handshake traces Vanessa's self-discovery as she finds herself falling deeply in love with her husband, the apes, and her new surroundings in this true story of revelation and transformation in a fragile corner of Africa.West With The Nightby Beryl Markham
West with the Night is the story of Beryl Markham--aviator, racehorse trainer, beauty--and her adventureful life in the Kenya of the 1920s and '30s.An aviator, she transport live cargo, hunters,scientists and explorers on her single engine plane. She was known to be one of the best flighers that you could find and count on.This books is regarded by many as one of the best adventure books ever!The Beast in the Garden: The True Story of a Predator's Deadly Return to Suburban Americaby David Baron
"Reads like a crime novel . . . each chapter ends on a cliff-hanging note."―Seattle Times When residents of Boulder, Colorado, suddenly began to see mountain lions in their backyards, it became clear that the cats had returned after decades of bounty hunting had driven them far from human settlement. In a riveting environmental tale that has received huge national attention, journalist David Baron traces the history of the mountain lion and chronicles one town's tragic effort to coexist with its new neighbors. As thought-provoking as it is harrowing, The Beast in the Garden is a tale of nature corrupted, the clash between civilization and wildness, and the artificiality of the modern American landscape. It is, ultimately, a book about the future of our nation, where suburban sprawl and wildlife-protection laws are pushing people and wild animals into uncomfortable, sometimes deadly proximity.The Wilderness Family: At Home with Africa's Wildlifeby Kobie Kruger
When Kobie Kruger, her game-ranger husband and their three young daughters moved to one of the most isolated corners of the world - a remote ranger station in the Mahlangeni region of South Africa's vast Kruger National Park - she might have worried that she would become engulfed with loneliness and boredom. Yet, for Kobie and her family, the seventeen years spent in this spectacularly beautiful park proved to be the most magical - and occasionally the most hair-raising - of their lives. Kobie recounts their enchanting adventures and extraordinary experiences in this vast reserve - a place where, bathed in golden sunlight, hippos basked in the glittering waters of the Letaba River, storks and herons perched along the shoreline, and fruit bats hung in the sausage trees. But as the Krugers settled in, they discovered that not all was peace and harmony. They soon became accustomed to living with the unexpected: the sneaky hyenas who stole blankets and cooking pots, the sinister-looking pythons that slithered into the house, and the usually placid elephants who grew foul-tempered in the violent heat of the summer. And one terrible day, a lion attacked Kobus in the bush and nearly killed him. Yet nothing prepared the Krugers for their greatest adventure of all, the raising of an orphaned prince, a lion cub who, when they found him, was only a few days old and on the verge of death. Reared on a cocktail of love and bottles of fat-enriched milk, Leo soon became an affectionate, rambunctious and adored member of the fmaily. It is the rearing of this young king, and the hilarious endeavours to teach him to become a 'real' lion who could survive with his own kind in the wild, that lie at the heart of this endearing memoir. It is a memoir of a magical place and time that can never be recaptured.Kingbird Highway: The Biggest Year in the Life of an Extreme Birderby Kenn Kaufman
Now revered as one of North America's top birders, Kenn Kaufman hit the road at age sixteen and spent a year crisscrossing the country to see as many birds as he could, in a birding competition known as a "big year." In what has become a classic among birders, this memoir chronicles the subculture of birding in the 1970s and a teenager's search for his place in the world. In a new afterword, Kaufman looks at the evolution of bird-listing since his own big year.The Moth Snowstorm: Nature and Joyby Michael McCarthy
Moth SnowstormThe Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birdsby Julie Zickefoose
Julie Zickefoose lives for the moment when a wild, free living bird that she has raised or rehabilitated comes back to visit her; their eyes meet and they share a spark of understanding. Her reward for the grueling work of rescuing birds—such as feeding baby hummingbirds every twenty minutes all day long—is her empathy with them and the satisfaction of knowing the world is a birdier and more beautiful place. The Bluebird Effect is about the change that's set in motion by one single act, such as saving an injured bluebird—or a hummingbird, swift, or phoebe. Each of the twenty five chapters covers a different species, and many depict an individual bird, each with its own personality, habits, and quirks. And each chapter is illustrated with Zickefoose's stunning watercolor paintings and drawings. Not just individual tales about the trials and triumphs of raising birds, The Bluebird Effect mixes humor, natural history, and memoir to give readers an intimate story of a life lived among wild birds. Cathedral of the Wild: An African Journey Homeby Boyd Varty
Boyd Varty had an unconventional upbringing. He grew up on Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa, a place where man and nature strive for balance, where perils exist alongside wonders. Founded more than eighty years ago as a hunting ground, Londolozi was transformed into a nature reserve beginning in 1973 by Varty’s father and uncle, visionaries of the restoration movement. But it wasn’t just a sanctuary for the animals; it was also a place for ravaged land to flourish again and for the human spirit to be restored. When Nelson Mandela was released after twenty-seven years of imprisonment, he came to the reserve to recover.   Cathedral of the Wild is Varty’s memoir of his life in this exquisite and vast refuge. At Londolozi, Varty gained the confidence that emerges from living in Africa. “We came out strong and largely unafraid of life,” he writes, “with the full knowledge of its dangers.” It was there that young Boyd and his equally adventurous sister learned to track animals, raised leopard and lion cubs, followed their larger-than-life uncle on his many adventures filming wildlife, and became one with the land. Varty survived a harrowing black mamba encounter, a debilitating bout with malaria, even a vicious crocodile attack, but his biggest challenge was a personal crisis of purpose. An intense spiritual quest takes him across the globe and back again—to reconnect with nature and “rediscover the track.”   Cathedral of the Wild is a story of transformation that inspires a great appreciation for the beauty and order of the natural world. With conviction, hope, and humor, Varty makes a passionate claim for the power of the wild to restore the human spirit.   Praise for Cathedral of the Wild  “Extremely touching . . . a book about growth and hope.”—The New York Times   “It made me cry with its hard-won truths about human and animal nature. . . . Both funny and deeply moving, this book belongs on the shelf of everyone who seeks healing in wilderness.”—BookPage“This is a gorgeous, lyrical, hilarious, important book. Boyd Varty is as brilliant a storyteller and as kind a companion as you’ll ever meet. He describes a life that has been spent forging a new way of thinking and being, in harmony with both Nature writ large and the human nature that is you. Read this and you may find yourself instinctively beginning to heal old wounds: in yourself, in others, and just maybe in the cathedral of the wild that is our true home.”—Martha Beck, author of Finding Your Own North Star   “Cathedral of the Wild is the captivating story of the joyful, occasionally terrifying, but always interesting life of Boyd Varty. It is also a tale of healing, and of one family’s passion to restore our broken connection to nature. Be prepared to fall in love with Varty, his sister, his parents, his uncle, the ideals they fiercely hold to protect the African bush, and the wild animals and people that surround them. With his campfire wit and poet’s ear, Varty is a wonderful new voice in adventure writing.”—Susan Casey, author of The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean“From the first chapter of Cathedral of the Wild, Boyd Varty’s South Africa grabs your heart, rather like the giant mamba he encountered as a boy. The deadly snake moved on, but Varty’s stories stick.”—Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle

New animal books are added frequently so bookmark this page and keep checking back.

 

The post Animal Books appeared first on Saving Wild.

Magical Okavango Delta

Much of Botswana lies within the arid Kalahari Desert. But in the north west of the country there is an immense inland delta river system, which spreads over 6,500 square miles (10,460 kilometers), called the Okavango Delta. Summer rains (Dec –Feb) in Angola flow into the delta from March – July, swelling the permanent waters there to three times their normal size.

 

I just spent a month exploring this region.

 

The arrival of the water coincides with Botswana’s dry season creating an oasis that attracts vast herds of animals from the dryer areas. From one day to the next the dry brown grasses in the plains behind Mombo Trails Camp turned green. And hundreds of impala and buffalo appeared, up to their knees in water, munching the newly green fodder.

 

The only transportation to one of the places I stayed, Little Vumburu, was by boat. The driver, aptly named Speedy, raced through narrow passages flushing out malachite kingfishers, egrets, and sacred ibis from the tall bamboo-like reeds that lined both sides of the boat’s channel.

 

The Okavango Delta is full of islands, formed when vegetation takes root into fertile termite mounds. This camp was on a big island and at night reed frogs filled the air with what sounded like millions of bamboo chimes – tink, tink, tink. Within several feet of my tent hippos grunted about territories and discontent, then chewed and pushed through water on their nightly feeding route.

 

Safari vehicles here are designed to drive through water as seamlessly as if they are boats. The animals too are adapted to the seasonal floods.

 

The first time I heard elephants moving through water from one island to the next, I was hooked on the sound. It was laborious. They gently placed each front foot with caution, trying to avoid holes, crocodiles and hippos although those two would also try to evade the elephants. And when the river is deep, there is no sight so special as watching elephants swim. (watch my video of elephants tussling in the Chobe river here. 

 

I’m told even the lions and cheetah swim from island to island this time of the year to find prey and mates.

 

A mokoro ride provided an intimate water-level view. My poler pushed a long wooden pole against the muddy bottom to propel the two-seater canoe silently through water lilies and over 40 species of dragonflies. Hippos, the most dangerous animal in Africa, with only their eyes and ears above water, watched us, angrily protesting with wide mouth grunts if we came too near. A Pels fishing owl, a rare sighting, flew away from a leaping water antelope, called a red lechwe.

 

 

The dry areas are covered in Kalahari desert sand as fine as powered sugar. My shoes were laden with it. Animals use the sandy vehicle roads for ease of movement leaving easily interpreted footprints for the guides. “This is a civet cat who walked this direction this morning. Lions are heading that way now.“

 

Lion print in Kalahari Sand.

 

We found this elephant using a termite mound to reach the higher branches of a marula tree.

 

I’m hooked on the magic of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. I just returned home and I’m already planning my next trip back. Next time I want to see lions and cheetah swim.

 

 

 

The post Magical Okavango Delta appeared first on Saving Wild.

Wildlife Conservationists and the Animals they Love

Wildlife conservationists are often called crazy, unrealistic, and a dying breed. They are also called super heroes, and wildlife’s last hope.

 

In Wild Lives, Leading Conservationists and the Animals and Planet They Love, you will meet twenty of the world’s top wildlife conservationists. People who are saving cheetah, penguins, giraffes, dolphins, lions, elephants, wolves, birds and bears.

 

Wildlife Conservationists Farwiza Farhan with Leonardo DiCaprio (photo: Paul Hilton)

 

 

What Jane Goodall and others say about Wild Lives (Stories of Leading Wildlife Conservationists)

 

“Almost every day we hear one more story about a species facing extinction, a habitat destroyed. And indeed, planet earth has never been so threatened by human actions. This is why Wild Lives is so desperately important. The wildlife conservationists in this book are united by their belief that it is not too late to turn things around. You will be inspired by their stories. You will realize that there is hope for the future if we join the fight, if each of us does our bit.”

—Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE, and UN Messenger of Peace, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute

 

 

“A children’s-zoo veterinarian who became an advocate for the world’s dwindling cheetah population. An intrepid Indian scientist who confronted the dangerous scourge of elephant poaching. A pioneering female biologist who became the world’s leading expert on giraffes. Who knows why some people develop the passion that defines their life’s work? For some, such as investigative wildlife photojournalist Paul Hilton, it was a love of animals that started in childhood. For others, such as internationally renowned treetop ecologist Meg Lowman, it was an affinity for nature that began in the woods of rural upstate New York. With the world facing an unprecedented spate of species extinction, the survival of iconic wildlife, such as the polar bear and such lesser-known creatures as Israel’s long-billed hoopoe, is often up to courageous individuals who commit to their passion and sacrifice their comfort so that the planet maintains a healthy biodiversity. Thanks to the environmentally committed interviewers Robinson and Chodosh, twenty conservationists succinctly tell their stories in this illuminating volume.“

—Booklist book-review magazine

 

 

“The twenty lives documented in this compelling book are truly remarkable in their diversity and commitment to conservation of species and habitats. I loved reading about each and every one of them, the different problems they encounter protecting animals and their bold and insightful solutions—a wonderful read.”

—Jane Alexander, actress; author of Wild Things, Wild Places

 

 

“Fighting for sanctuary and safety for those most precious to them, these wildlife heroes are up against extraordinary odds, yet their courage and sacrifice remains undaunted. From melting icecaps to humid jungles, these people have dedicated their lives to helping those who can never say thank you. Robinson and Chodosh weave masterful narratives around these people, in stories that are even more astounding because they are true. Wild Lives brings into clear focus the incredible animals with whom we share the world. Be careful, it will make you want to quit your job and join the fight to save them.”

—Vanessa Woods, New York Times bestselling author of Bonobo Handshake

 

 

Find Wild Lives at bookstores nationwide (USA), and on Amazon (in many countries). Take a look inside here:

The post Wildlife Conservationists and the Animals they Love appeared first on Saving Wild.