Human emotion and animal instinct meet poignantly when two six-week-old leopard cubs become the charge of 22-year-old game ranger Graham Cooke at Londolozi. Staying with the cubs in an unfenced bush camp surrounded by lions, hyenas and other leopards, he must first gain their trust before he begins to guide them towards release in the wild. It takes weeks of patience and gentleness for Graham to be accepted into the cubs' small family unit and to find ways of communicating with the young leopards as he slowly begins to introduce them to their new environment. Graham finds himself drawn more to the wary little female than her easy-going brother, but over time both cubs come to recognise him as their protector. They form a bond of friendship through which he can gain unparalleled insights into their development and behaviour. When, a year later, the cubs are relocated to the Zambian wilderness, Graham faces the hardest task of all: to set free the young animals he has become so devoted to so that they can return to a wild existence where he is unable to control their fate.
This inspiring book tells the story of a photographer's journey to find the mysterious black leopard. There are few creatures as gorgeous and elusive as the black leopard. In Africa, these magnificent cats are so rare as to be the stuff of legend. Will Burrard-Lucas's love for leopards began during his childhood in Tanzania and propelled him into a career as a wildlife photographer. In his quest to create intimate portraits of animals, he developed innovative technology, including a remotely controlled camera buggy and a high quality camera trap system for photographing nocturnal creatures. Then, one day in 2018, he heard about sightings of a young African black leopard in Kenya and with the help of people from the local community, he succeeded in capturing a series of high-quality photographs of the elusive cat. In this compelling and visually stunning book, Burrard-Lucas tells his story of creativity, entrepreneurship, and passion for wild animals, alongside awe-inspiring images of lions, elephants, and the black leopard itself. • STAR WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER: Will Burrard-Lucas's passion for nature and expertise in camera technology have earned him coverage from National Geographic, The New York Times, and the BBC—and over 1 million fans enjoy his breathtaking work online. • NATURE'S HIDDEN WONDERS: Black leopards are individual animals in whom a gene mutation results in excess melanin and an elegant black coat. Most are found in Southeast Asia, where lush vegetation offers them camouflage. In the semiarid shrub lands of Africa, black leopards are extraordinarily rare. Burrard-Lucas's images—showing these beautiful creatures prowling their territory under cover of night—are vivid reminders of nature's hidden wonders. • INCREDIBLE STORY: This is an adventure story that takes place in remote and wild corners of Africa. It reveals Burrard-Lucas's devotion, vision, and innovation that led to him capturing photos that are not only incredibly rare, but also breathtakingly beautiful. Perfect for: • Aspiring and professional photographers • Photography buffs • Nature and animal lovers • Big cat enthusiasts • Conservationists • National Geographic readers • Fans of memoir and adventure stories • Travelers to Eastern and Southern Africa
A stunning visual and personal journey in search of the iconic big cat, the snow leopard. The snow leopard, known as the ghost of the mountains, is an elusive predator that has captured the human imagination for eons. Yet, by nature secretive, living at altitudes of up to 19,000 feet in one of the world's harshest environments, it is notoriously difficult to see. Those lucky enough to encounter one speak of the experience as momentous, transformative, even spiritual. In this handsomely illustrated, eloquent book, published in partnership with the Snow Leopard Conservancy, world-renowned wildlife photographers, naturalists, and conservationists take the reader closer than most humans will ever get to knowing snow leopards and understanding why these beautiful big cats have for so long been considered the most mysterious of all. More than 130 breathtaking photographs—all taken in the wild, and none with camera traps—accompany personal narratives and anecdotes that convey the experience of learning to see; the patient pursuit, following the tracks and other sign for a momentary glimpse; an unexpected encounter; watching the predator hunt; a magical moment with a mother and her cubs. A special "seek and find" section challenges readers to spot the snow leopard—to discern camouflage from rock and snow. The text also relates the natural history of the snow leopard, its cultural significance and place in lore, its interactions with local peoples, and information about its conservation. Royalties from the sales of Searching for the Snow Leopard support the Snow Leopard Conservancy and its programs.
Keep wildlife in the wild! Support the Born Free charity and join Virginia McKenna and her team behind the scenes of a real life leopard rescue. Every year Born Free helps hundreds of animals around the world. This is the true story of one of their incredible rescues . . . Meet brave Leda, a dedicated mother leopard, and her shy twin daughters, Rhea and Roxanni. These are the Limassol leopards, a family who grew up behind bars in a cramped city zoo in Cyprus, far from their natural homeland. This is the inspiring true story of their rescue, a journey that led these remarkable creatures from hardship to hope, and to the eventual sanctuary of Born Free's South African wildlife reserve. Filled throughout with full-colour photographs and fascinating facts about how leopards live in the wild, this is an ideal book for young animal lovers.
'Evolution is an exquisite artist, even if an unconscious one.'- Eric Dinerstein The leopard is perhaps one of the world's most beautiful creatures. The spots on its body are even romantically called 'rosettes'. It is social but solitary, inconspicuous but significant in numbers, large but elusive, and does not fit any of the pigeonholes of large-cat conservation. In India, the leopard is a poster boy of the fight to preserve wildlife, but in many countries, it faces either ecological or local extinction. A worrying phenomenon, given that these cats carry out important ecosystem services that have not been fully understood yet. In Leopard Diaries: The Rosette in India, Sanjay Gubbi, who has studied and documented the leopard for nearly a decade, gives us a close look at this fascinating creature. From detailing its food habits to throwing new light on how the young are reared, from offering suggestions on tackling leopard-human conflict to imagining the future of this arresting animal, this book is a 360-degree view of the leopard, its ecological context, its fraught relationship with the human world, and how wildlife and human beings can find a way to co-exist.
The remarkable story of the heroic effort to save and preserve Afghanistan's wildlife-and a culture that derives immense pride and a sense of national identity from its natural landscape. Postwar Afghanistan is fragile, volatile, and perilous. It is also a place of extraordinary beauty. Evolutionary biologist Alex Dehgan arrived in the country in 2006 to build the Wildlife Conservation Society's Afghanistan Program, and preserve and protect Afghanistan's unique and extraordinary environment, which had been decimated after decades of war. Conservation, it turned out, provided a common bond between Alex's team and the people of Afghanistan. His international team worked unarmed in some of the most dangerous places in the country-places so remote that winding roads would abruptly disappear, and travel was on foot, yak, or mule. In The Snow Leopard Project, Dehgan takes readers along with him on his adventure as his team helps create the country's first national park, completes the some of the first extensive wildlife surveys in thirty years, and works to stop the poaching of the country's iconic endangered animals, including the elusive snow leopard. In doing so, they help restore a part of Afghan identity that is ineffably tied to the land itself.
Snow Leopards, Second Edition provides a foundational, comprehensive overview of the biology, ecology and conservation of this iconic species. This updated edition incorporates all the recent information from range-wide surveys and conservation projects, the results of technical and advances particularly in genetics, camera trapping and satellite tracking, and evaluates emerging threats. New chapters synthesize the novel scientific methods and statistical analyses used to develop density and population estimates and how they inform conservation and management estimates. Sections cover historical information, the main biogeographic patterns, evolutionary trends, conservational efforts, and cultural significance. Status and distribution are fully updated for all 12 countries where snow leopards occur. Other sections describe established and emerging threats, including human-wildlife conflict, illegal trade, infrastructure development, and climate change along with conservation solutions used to address these threats. The book concludes with a final section on global snow leopard initiatives and future potentials. ? Offers a complete and thorough update on snow leopard ecology, conservation, research techniques and population trends, among other topic? Presents the results of the latest scientific research and conservation measures? Edited by recognized experts with contributions from 240 of the world's leading experts throughout the snow leopard's range
"If the eye expresses life and soul and what lives inside, leopards are the eye of Africa, linked through a connective nerve directly to what this continent means and symbolizes." —Dereck Joubert National Geographic filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert have worked with dangerous wildlife in Africa for years. They have produced more than 20 award-winning films, as well as some of the most beautiful wildlife photography in existence, and their conservation efforts have included establishing game reserves and regrowing rain forests. Eye of the Leopard is a visual celebration of these beautiful cats, the country they call home, and two photographers with a lifelong passion for photographing them. Upon finding a mother leopard and her three-day-old cub, the Jouberts capture the remarkable beauty of one leopard’s life and follow her gripping story as she battles to survive and complete her own life’s journey into motherhood. Their documentary of the same title won them their fifth Emmy Award for Best Achievement in Science, Nature, and Technology.
Set in Kenya in the 1950s against the fading backdrop of the British Empire, a story of self-discovery, betrayal, and an impossible love from the author of The Fever Tree. After six years in England, Rachel has returned to Kenya and the farm where she spent her childhood, but the beloved home she’d longed for is much changed. Her father’s new companion—a strange, intolerant woman—has taken over the household. The political climate in the country grows more unsettled by the day and is approaching the boiling point. And looming over them all is the threat of the Mau Mau, a secret society intent on uniting the native Kenyans and overthrowing the whites. As Rachel struggles to find her place in her home and her country, she initiates a covert relationship, one that will demand from her a gross act of betrayal. One man knows her secret, and he has made it clear how she can buy his silence. But she knows something of her own, something she has never told anyone. And her knowledge brings her power.
SOON TO BE A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES • “A majestic, melancholy, and beautiful novel” (The New Yorker), THE LEOPARD is one of the best-selling Italian novels of the twentieth century and an acclaimed masterpiece of world literature. This beautiful hardcover edition, translated by Archibald Colquhoun, also includes two short stories and a brief memoir of the author’s childhood. Set in Sicily in the 1860s, during the tumult of Italian unification, THE LEOPARD tells the spellbinding story of a decadent, fading aristocracy threatened by the approaching forces of revolution and democracy. Its author, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, who was the last in a line of Sicilian princes, wrote the novel in the 1950s, inspired by the decline of his own family. Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, remains skeptical and stoic as he finds himself beset by civil war, social change, and his family’s loss of wealth and status. While his beloved nephew, Tancredi, more practical and flexible than he, joins the nationalist rebels and marries the ambitious daughter of a newly rich upstart, Don Fabrizio takes refuge in his love of astronomy, gazing at the unchanging stars while the world as he has known it crumbles around him. The dramatic sweep and richness of Lampedusa’s observation, his seamless intertwining of public and private worlds, and his sure grasp of human frailty imbue THE LEOPARD with its melancholy beauty and power. “No novel in Italian literature has aroused so much passion or caused so much argument… The book is more than the memorable invocation of a certain place in a certain epoch. It is a work of art that will survive, long after the last sad palaces of Palermo have gone, because it deals with the central problems of the human experience.” —from the Introduction by David Gilmour "The genius of its author and the thrill it gives the reader are probably for all time."—The New York Times Book Review "A masterwork . . . A superb novel in the great tradition and the grand manner."—Newsweek Everyman's Library pursues the highest production standards, printing on acid-free cream-colored paper, with full-cloth cases with two-color foil stamping, decorative endpapers, silk ribbon markers, European-style half-round spines, and a full-color illustrated jacket. Contemporary Classics include an introduction, a select bibliography, and a chronology of the author's life and times.
