Wildlife guide to our provinces
CHRIS and Mathilde Stuart are well known for their plethora of authoritative books on mammals, wildlife and conservation. Chris is a field ecologist, while his wife is a medical doctor.
Theirs must be a dream life – to trawl our country and collate information for their books, as well as travel the world searching for wild mammals and promoting conservation.
Their latest is a wonderful reference book, brilliantly laid out and user-friendly with many cross-references. Not to mention the fact that it’s beautifully illustrated, tempting you further to get on those safari clothes, pack a bag and get out in to the wild.
We certainly have much to be proud of in each of our provinces, and the book is laid out to either beckon you to a certain area or, if you know which area you wish to travel to, you simply turn to the pages listed in the contents for each province which, in turn, points you to each reserve.
Each reserve described offers a description of the land, the reserve’s history, geology and landscape, vegetation; what wildlife you can expect to see; the highlights; and, of course, facilities, including accommodation and, importantly, access, and what type of roads reach each reserve.
The book contains more than 900 colour photographs and a wonderful pictorial ID guide at the back that features the more frequently seen mammals, birds, reptiles, flowers, trees and amphibians.
In the introduction, the Stuarts say South Africa has been at the forefront of conservation efforts from the very beginning, with Paul Kruger proclaiming our first conservation area. Whether he was a controversial figure or not, it was the former president of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek who, at the end of the 19th century, got the ball rolling with the establishment of the Pongola Game Reserve in 1884.
As they say, the rest is history, but now it is over to future generations to ensure they remain as the wonderful tracts of land they are, where animals and all wildlife are free to roam.
A wonderful guide for any nature lover and essential for those who frequent our reserves.