From the same series as Remembering Leopards and Remembering African Wild Dogs. Just like the other two, it’s a collection of stunning photographs that wildlife photographers donated to the cause, and proceeds from the book sales support the featured animals- by protecting habitat, educating locals on why it’s important to save them, funding studies, anti-poaching efforts and more. Like the previous books, the photographs are just beautiful. The text doesn’t have as much on the animals’ physiology and behavior as I had hoped (one page of that), it’s more about their tangled history with mankind (being caught by the thousands in ancient times for use as trained hunting animals) and in particular, how precarious their future is because of ongoing habitat loss and poaching. Nowadays this is mainly because cubs get stolen from the wild for the illegal pet trade, and the photo of emaciated cheetah cubs in a cage (that had been confiscated) made me feel so sad. You really hope that the title run of this series won’t come true- that someday future readers won’t be looking at these books in remembrance because the species no longer exists at all.
The pictures really are amazing. Again I looked through the whole book twice, and then thumbed to my favorite images for another lingering perusal when it was time to turn this one in. I love the photo of a mother cheetah up high in a tree snag, with her cubs interspaced vertically through the tree, and one leaping down to the ground. Other images of mothers with cubs, cheetahs standing in the golden glow of setting sun, one poised so beautifully against a background of running water, and some spectacular shots that captured the action of a hunt- final tackle of the gazelle or antelope prey- just couldn’t stop looking at them. My favorite was of a cub on the sands of Namibia. But I forgot to snapshot the page to show you.
Borrowed from the public library. Completed on 5/6/24.
Collection of drawings and sketches by the author/artist. Delightful and whimsical and random. At least, they seemed random at first- but when you get to the very end pages there’s a little description and explanation by the artist, about what inspired the piece, or what other story it was a part of, or what he thinks about the depicted object. The intro and these end-pages explanation bits are lovely reading, it is so solidly insightful and makes me feel appreciative (of art). I need to get my hands on more Shaun Tan! and see the animations done from some of his books- I didn’t even know they existed, before. The artwork is all so much fun, even if some have sad or lonely overtones. Most of them are of everyday objects combined or personified into little beings that interact or have some symbolic meaning. Not quite sure how else to describe it. I had spent days poring over all the pictures, looked through them all at least twice, and then was super happy to find the text at the back to read about, but then I couldn’t. Someone else had this one on request so I turned it in having only read four or five pages of the explanations, but I want to borrow it again to go through the rest, and look at the drawings all over again, of course.
This thick, impressive coffee-table size book is all about the current state of elephants in Africa. As far as I can tell, the two compilers traveled the breadth of the continent collecting materials written about, and photographs taken of, elephants. The words are from conservationists, animal welfare workers, government policy makers, wildlife photographers, safari outfit organizers, big game hunting enthusiasts, field scientists, etc (probably some occupations I have got wrong and many others forgotten because I don’t have the book in front of me now). The photographs- many of them double-page spreads- are stunning and beautiful. The words are detailed, sober and expressive, though I have to admit some of them are on the other hand very straightforward and dry. The chapter written about policy makers and the problems caused when elephant populations cross boundaries of countries that have different ways of assessing and handling their numbers was particularly difficult to get through, if I recall. I did like best one chapter that was about two individual elephants, though now I can’t tell you anything about it. Personal stories always get me closer. And I was very struck by the section about how elephants and big trees co-exist. Namely, it was pointed out that the helpful work of people to provide more watering holes for elephants and other wildlife, actually has a negative impact on large trees- because if the elephants have easy access to water and stay in one place, they keep feeding on the same trees and damage them. In normal circumstances, they’d roam far between watering places, giving trees in one area time to recover and grow again, before they returned. And yet now they often can’t roam because of fences, roads, human habitation and other things blocking their path.
