Introduction

Setting up a wildlife guide was initially an exciting yet daunting task. I even went through a stage of thinking, ‘who am I to set up this project? What qualifies me for this undertaking?' From my earliest memories I have been interested in the natural world. I've spent countless hours devouring books and observing the smallest of creatures.

Experience through observation

I learnt a great lesson early on in life through my observations: Even proclaimed experts can (usually unwittingly) sow seeds of misunderstanding. After more than twenty years of studying and guiding in the wildlife field, I have finally convinced myself that it's time to make a valuable contribution. I have spent much of my time observing behavioural habits of species that I have encountered. Much of this is recorded in a plethora of photographs and journals.

To set up a wildlife guide based on personal experiences is an exciting task. As an avid reader of many literary genres, and a keen observer and listener I find myself at times wondering where I learnt certain information. Much of it is recorded in my journals and images, but a great deal is from unrecorded observations and reading or hearing of it from others.

I have done some comparisons of published wildlife guides and find a great deal of difference in some information. This is not saying some are right and others wrong. The differences arise from the areas where the studies were undertaken. As will be discussed later, a species is adaptable to its environment and the habits of East African animals may differ considerably to those of the same species in Southern Africa. Even within Southern Africa there will be a difference in behaviour in the same species. The historically recent interference of man has played a huge role in redefining aspects of animal behaviour.

Why a zebra has stripes

Humans always seem to need an explanation for everything; as a result, a great deal of surmising has gone into explanations of animal behaviour. During my guiding years I often wanted to answer questions such as "why does a zebra have stripes?" by saying, "it just does!"

Heat reflection, camouflage, and confusing a predator when a herd is on the move. These are just some of the many theoretical answers to the Zebra stripe riddle. When we look at a zebra’s habits and its preferred habitat then we must wonder at how evolution has worked this one out.

The zebra lives on the open plains of Africa, making the black and white striping very conspicuous. The theory that the stripes are to confuse predators when the zebra are fleeing in a herd sounds good at first glance. However, when you consider evidence that the zebra is one of the most common prey species in most parts of Africa then this theory fails to make sense.

The natural state of living things

One of the best pieces of advice that I have ever been given is that, "A wildlife guide must reflect the behaviour of animals in a natural state." Although this advice is incredibly sound, there is a fundamental problem to modern-day wildlife observations that make heeding it a difficult task. What, in the 21st century, constitutes the natural state? Even in the areas of greatest diversity such as the Serengeti, Kruger National Park and the Okavango Delta, the human impact is enough to change the behavioural traits of species.

Animals are very adaptable, and behaviour often changes according to the situation. Man has played such a huge role in the changing of the landscape that the animals have had to adapt by using behaviours never before observed. Must we now record this behaviour as an evolutionary development, or should we discard it as unusual?

My mission

The aim of my wildlife guide is firstly, to give as comprehensive a coverage as possible of each animal species, and secondly, to highlight unique examples of species differentiation in various parts of Africa. The guide also aims to provide information and images of unusual and rarely seen incidents of animal behaviour as animals, like humans, show behaviour far removed form the perceived norm at times.

Wildlife guides of today generally show distribution patterns, particularly of the larger animals, covering only the national parks and game reserves. This is due to the fact that these animals only occurred in the protected areas. With many new private reserves, particularly in South Africa, the distribution has increased considerably. This wildlife guide will encompass all areas with a viable population (breeding wild) of a species.

The wildlife guide will include a large amount of generic information on animals – that I have personally experienced – but it is more about personal observations and discussions.