Costa Rica (Traveller's Wildlife Guides)
by Les Beletsky
from Interlink Books
The Travellers' Wildlife Guides are aimed at environmentally conscious travellers for whom some of the best parts of any trip are glimpses of wildlife in natural settings.
The purpose of this series is to enhance enjoyment of a trip and enrich wildlife sightings by providing identifying information on the most frequently encountered animals in each of the represented countries.
With stunning color illustrations and photographs of amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds, this series is unique in that it aims to aid the visitor in identifying all types of vertebrate land animals while providing current information on the conservation statuses of the animals.
Not only for travellers, the Travellers' Wildlife Guides are for all those fascinated by wildlife and concerned about our environment.
Most travellers to Costa Rica want to experience its lush tropical forests and catch glimpses of exotic wildlife; toucans and parrots, hummingbirds and hawks, monkeys and big cats, frogs and toads, crocodiles, and (yes) snakes. Here is all the information you will need to find, identify and learn about Costa Rica's magnificent wildlife.
--Identification, distribution, and conservation information on Costa Rica's frequently spotted animals.
--Full-color illustrations of nearly 350 of Costa Rica's most common amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
--Up-to-date information on the ecology, behavior, and conservation of the families of animals to which the pictured species belong.
--Information on habitats and on the most common plants you will encounter.
--Brief descriptions of Costa Rica's most frequently visited parks and reserves.
--Information on ecotourism in general and on conservation in Costa Rica.
Easy-to-carry, entertainingly written, beautifully illustrated-you will want to have this book as constant companion on your journey.
Secrets of the Savanna: Twenty-three Years in the African Wilderness Unraveling the Mysteries of Elephants and People
by Mark James Owens
from Mariner Books
In this riveting real-life adventure, Mark and Delia Owens tell the dramatic story of their last years in Africa, fighting to save elephants, villagers, and -- in the end -- themselves. The award-winning zoologists and pioneering conservationists describe their work in the remote and ruggedly beautiful Luangwa Valley, in northeastern Zambia. There they studied the mysteries of the elephant population's recovery after poaching, discovering remarkable similarities between humans and elephants. A young elephant named Gift provided the clue to help them crack the animals' secret of survival. A stirring portrait of life in Africa, Secrets of the Savanna is a remarkable record of the Owenses' unique passions.
Life in the Valley of Death: The Fight to Save Tigers in a Land of Guns, Gold, and Greed
by Alan Rabinowitz
from Island Press
Dubbed the Indiana Jones of wildlife science by The New York Times, Alan Rabinowitz has devoted—and risked—his life to protect nature’s great endangered mammals. He has journeyed to the remote corners of the earth in search of wild things, weathering treacherous terrain, plane crashes, and hostile governments. Life in the Valley of Death recounts his most ambitious and dangerous adventure yet: the creation of the world’s largest tiger preserve.
The tale is set in the lush Hukaung Valley of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. An escape route for refugees fleeing the Japanese army during World War II, this rugged stretch of land claimed the lives of thousands of children, women, and soldiers. Today it is home to one of the largest tiger populations outside of India—a population threatened by rampant poaching and the recent encroachment of gold prospectors.
To save the remaining tigers, Rabinowitz must navigate not only an unforgiving landscape, but the tangled web of politics in Myanmar. Faced with a military dictatorship, an insurgent army, tribes once infamous for taking the heads of their enemies, and villagers living on less than one U.S. dollar per day, the scientist and adventurer most comfortable with animals is thrust into a diplomatic minefield. As he works to balance the interests of disparate factions and endangered wildlife, his own life is threatened by an incurable disease.
The resulting story is one of destruction and loss, but also renewal. In forests reviled as the valley of death, Rabinowitz finds new life for himself, for communities haunted by poverty and violence, and for the tigers he vowed to protect.
A Guide to the Mammals of Southeast Asia
by Charles M. Francis
from Princeton University Press
Southeast Asia is home to more than 500 mammal species. This richly illustrated field guide is the most comprehensive reference to all mammals currently known to exist in mainland Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, peninsular Malaysia, and Singapore. Every species is covered in full, from elephants and rhinos to dolphins, monkeys, carnivores, bats, mice, and shrews. The detailed text describes key identification features, ecology, habitat, distribution, and status. Seventy-two high-quality color plates depict most of the species covered, and there are distribution maps for easy reference. Charles Francis gives practical guidance on how to find and study mammals and covers important topics such as conservation. A Guide to the Mammals of Southeast Asia is a one-of-a-kind resource for naturalists and researchers and ideal for general readers.
- The most up-to-date and complete guide to the mammals of Southeast Asia
- Generously illustrated with 72 full-color plates
- Comprehensive text aids identification
- Line drawings illustrate footprints and technical details
- Distribution maps
The Eye of the Elephant: An Epic Adventure in the African Wilderness
by Mark James Owens
from Mariner Books
Expelled from Botswana for writing Cry of the Kalahari, the Owenses set off across Africa. They settled in Zambia, where they soon found their peace shattered by the gunfire of elephant poachers. This is the story of the couple's battle to save the elephants and their own lives.
The Whale Warriors: The Battle at the Bottom of the World to Save the Planet's Largest Mammals
by Peter Heller
from Free Press
For the crew of the eco-pirate ship the Farley Mowat, any day saving a whale is a good day to die. In The Whale Warriors, veteran adventure writer Peter Heller takes us on a hair-raising journey with a vigilante crew on their mission to stop illegal Japanese whaling in the stormy, remote seas off the forbidding shores of Antarctica. The Farley is the flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and captained by its founder, the radical environmental enforcer Paul Watson. The Japanese, who are hunting endangered whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, in violation of several international laws, know he means business: Watson has sunk eight whaling ships to the bottom of the sea.
For two months, Heller was aboard the vegan attack vessel as it stalked the Japanese whaling fleet through the howling gales and treacherous ice off the pristine Antarctic coast. The ship is all black, flies under a Jolly Roger, and is outfitted with a helicopter, fast assault Zodiacs, and a seven-foot blade attached to the bow, called the can opener.
As Watson and his crew see it, the plight of the whales is also about the larger crisis of the oceans and the eleventh hour of life as we know it on Earth. The exploitation of endangered whales is emblematic of a terrible overexploitation of the seas that is now entering its desperate denouement. The oceans may be easy to ignore because they are literally under the surface, but scientists believe that the world's oceans are on the verge of total ecosystem collapse. Our own survival is in the balance.
With Force 8 gales, monstrous seas, and a crew composed of professional gamblers, Earthfirst! forest activists, champion equestrians, and ex-military, the action never stops. In the ice-choked water a swimmer has minutes to live. The Japanese factory ship is ten times the tonnage of the Farley. The sailors on board both ships know that there will be no rescue in this desolate part of the ocean. Watson presses his enemy while Japan threatens to send down defense aircraft and warships, Australia appeals for calm, New Zealand dispatches military surveillance aircraft, the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence issues a piracy warning, and international media begin to track the developing whale war.
For the Sea Shepherds there is no compromise. If the charismatic, intelligent Great Whales cannot be saved, there is no hope for the rest of the planet. Watson aims his ship like a slow torpedo and gives the order: "Tell the crew, collision in two minutes." In 35-foot seas, it is a deadly game of Antarctic chicken in which the stakes cannot be higher.
The Arctic: A Guide to Coastal Wildlife, 2nd (Bradt Guides)
by Tony Soper
from Bradt Travel Guides
Birder's Conservation Handbook: 100 North American Birds at Risk
by Jeffrey V. Wells
from Princeton University Press
Until now there has been no single, comprehensive resource on the status of North America's most threatened birds and what people can do to help protect them. Birder's Conservation Handbook is the only book of its kind, written specifically to help birders and researchers understand the threats while providing actions to protect birds and their habitats. Jeffrey Wells has distilled vast amounts of essential information into a single easy-to-use volume-required reading for anyone who loves birds and wants to ensure they are protected. At-a-glance species accounts cover in detail North America's one hundred most at-risk birds; each account is beautifully illustrated by today's top bird artists. The text includes status, distribution, ecology, threats, conservation actions and needs, and references. A distribution map accompanies each entry. Chapters discuss birds as indicators of environmental health, the state of North American bird populations, major conservation issues, and initiatives now underway to improve the health of North America's birds.
Birder's Conservation Handbook is an indispensable resource for birdwatchers, researchers, naturalists, and conservationists. Reading it will inspire you to become an active steward of our birds and the habitats we share.
- A comprehensive guide to North America's one hundred most at-risk birds and how to protect them
- Compact and easy to use, with beautiful illustrations and data organized for convenient, at-a-glance reference
- Detailed species accounts, including distribution maps
- Practical advice on conservation
- Information on leading conservation agencies and resources
The Last Wild Wolves: Ghosts of the Rain Forest
by Ian McAllister
from University of California Press
"As if appearing in a dream, a stream of wolves emerged from the forest edge." So begins this exhilarating journey to one of the planet's most spectacular regions--Canada's North Pacific coast, our largest intact temperate Rain Forest and one of the last places where wolves live wild and undisturbed. Award-winning writer and wildlife photographer Ian McAllister draws from his intimate observations of more than forty wolf packs along this rugged coastline over a seventeen-year period in this first-ever documentation of their fascinating, complex way of life. In a compelling narrative and more than 100 stunning photographs, McAllister captures these majestic animals fishing for salmon, stalking seals hauled out on rocks, playing on the beach, and raising their families. The Last Wild Wolves also describes the work of scientists whose recent findings have corroborated McAllister's own observations and the traditional knowledge gleaned by First Nations people over centuries--that these wolves are genetically distinct; unlike other wolves, they subsist on coastal prey and swim from island to island in their archipelago home. The Last Wild Wolves is a remarkable portrait of the unique lives of island wolves and an eloquent expression of just how much is at stake in their preservation.
Copub: Greystone Books
Relentless Enemies: Lions and Buffalo
by Dereck Joubert
from National Geographic
The tawny lion slinks through golden grass, stealthy and sinuous, utterly concentrated on the hunt, a perfect predator awaiting only the instant when pure instinct triggers the rush, the spring, the ferocious slash of sharp claws and merciless fangs that will bring down her prey. It's a scene as old as Africa itself, yet its sudden, violent drama is always new.
Dereck and Beverly Joubert know it well. For decades they've lived among lions, winning international acclaim for their unique photographs and pioneering documentaries, which record lions' previously unknown behavior such as nocturnal forays and a willingness to stalk their quarry through water. Of all their long experience, the Jouberts consider their two years with the lions of Duba the most exciting, important research they have done—here presented in fascinating text and 100 gripping images.
Month after month, they battled floods, hardship, and danger to capture these spectacular shots of the relentless blood rivalry played out on the Okavanga Delta every day as three separate lion prides harry a huge herd of buffalo. These massive beasts are challenging prey; they fight back fiercely, aggressively seeking out the big cats and attacking them with deadly thrusts of their sharp, sweeping horns. The lions leap and dodge, but not always swiftly enough to escape—and so the ancient struggle goes on.
The companion volume to a new National Geographic film airing in 2006, this is an unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime glimpse of the world's most awe-inspiring hunters, the lethal and beautiful lions of Duba.
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