Three books for those who’re passionate about the wild … they’d make great gifts, too
The Soul of a Lion – Reflections on a life lived with animals is Willie Labuschagne’s memoir – a story filled with everything from his research on the desert cheetah’s behaviour to potentially life-threatening encounters with wild animals, from sleeping under the stars the bushmen in the desert to being director at the Joburg Zoo, where he hand-raised a newborn lion cub that had been rejected by his mother. Tracey McDonald Publishers
The Elephants of Thula Thula – Finding Peace and Happiness with the Herd by Francois Malby-Anthony (author of An Elephant in my Kitchen) is the story of the joys of a life dedicated to conservation. The story of Frankie, the feisty matriarch of the herd of ellies at Thula Thula, of finding a girlfriend for orphaned rhino Thabo (and then, when he gets too big for his boots, a big brother to teach him some manners), of rescuing meerkats that have been kept as pets. Of surviving the pandemic, an invasion of poachers, of a mining company wanting the land. The story of how, with wisdom, resilience and communal bonds, the elephants have much to teach us. Macmillan
Return to the Wild is the fictious tale of Angus and Hugh MacNaughton (last seen in A Year in the Wild and Back to the Bush) … written by James Hendry who’s spent two decades working in and around exclusive lodges, and whose stories of close encounters with wild life, a motley group of would-be game rangers, and the brothers misadventures make for a massively entertaining read. Macmillan
At 18, Greg du Toit left Pretoria Boys High and followed his dream. Straight into the African bush. Qualifying as a safari guide, surviving a buffalo charge while seeking out a reclusive forest bird, spending 270 hours at a waterhole in Kenya to get a cover story for Africa Geographic magazine … his work received the highest accolade in world wildlife photography when he won the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year. It’s been shown in natural history museums around the world and hung in the National Geographic Store galleries in London and Singapore, and he has couple bestselling photographic books under his (lens) belt. Now, he conducts photographic safaris in some of Africa’s wildest places, and is well known for his conservation work. Wilderness Dreaming is his memoir. And for those of us who love the bush, it’s the most magnificent read. HPH Publishing.
