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Summary: Not an identification guide but a guide to behavior
Review: 21 Feb 2000 With over 35,000 copies sold to date, The Safari Companion is among Chelsea Green's top-10 best-sellers. Visitors to Southern African wildlife parks will find it practically everywhere they go: in bookstores, lodge gift shops, and in the hands of most safari guides. A number of museums and alumni associations provide members of their African tour groups with complimentary copies. What distinguishes The Safari Companion from conventional field guides is its emphasis on the behavior of the mammals visitors see in the protected areas of Eastern and Southern Africa. Illustrations are in the form of drawings and icons that serve not for identification of species but to identify their displays. Having the means to interpret and understand the behavior of the animals enriches an African wildlife experience. My main objective in writing the book, and the more comprehensive Behavior Guide to African Mammals that preceded it (1991), was the hope that visitors would spend more time watching the common animals they see and less time searching for the Big Five. Getting to know the animals would, I expected, deepen concern for their conservation and increase the prospects of saving Africa's most outstanding ecosystems for the benefit of future generations. The "Revised and Updated" Safari Companion published last October includes two introductory chapters that were left out of the first edition because of space limitations. Chapter 2 gives a useful overview of the social and mating systems of the families and species included in the book, and Chapter 4 guides the reader through the different kinds of displays performed by African mammals, using ungulates, carnivores, and primates described in the book as examples. The Safari Companion is now as complete a guide as I intended it to be, and I believe it will enable anyone with a genuine interest in animals to gain greater understanding and enjoyment from an African safari.
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Summary: My most-thumbed book in Botswana
Review: Forget the field guides - any safari guide worth his or her salt can tell you if that's a Thompson's gazelle or an impala. But what they CAN'T tell you is: why does a warthog kneel while eating? what's up with that hyena sibling rivalry? This book is chock full of the kind of insights that make the difference between a "checklist" safari and really understanding what you're looking at. This is the only book we used on our recent trip. Every time we came across a new animal someone in our group would grab the book and read aloud the best parts. I left it our copy in Kenya with our guide so I'd better go order another copy!
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Summary: The only book you need
Review: Forget the field guides - any safari guide worth his or her salt can tell you if that's a Thompson's gazelle or an impala. But what they CAN'T tell you is: why does a warthog kneel while eating? what's up with that hyena sibling rivalry? This book is chock full of the kind of insights that make the difference between a "checklist" safari and really understanding what you're looking at. This is the only book we used on our recent trip. Every time we came across a new animal someone in our group would grab the book and read aloud the best parts. I left it our copy in Kenya with our guide so I'd better go order another copy!
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Summary: A Must Have!
Review: I just returned from a 10 day safari in Tanzania. The Safari Companion was informative and enlightening. Our tour guide asked me for my copy when the safarai was over! It seems the book is in such high demand in Africa, it commands nearly double the cover price. I gave her my copy. Because I enjoyed reading it so much on the trip and hope to use it to explain the 500+ pictures I took while there, I ordered another one when I came home!
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Summary: Excellent book for the safari rookie
Review: I was looking for a book or two (as luggage weight limits were tight)to enhance my first safari experience to the national parks of Tanzania. I selected this book based on Amazon.com reader feedback. It was a real help during the safari and continues to be used while reviewing video, photos, and books on African wildlife. I also took a good field guide (Audubon)--but these were widely available on the safari 4WD as well as at the lodges. What makes the Estes book unique is it describes the MEANING of the behavior and social groups you see on the game drives. Almost daily we would see sights that struck me as unexpected--like an all male group of 40 impalas, or zebras leading a line of hundreds of wildebeest; I'd look up that species in the Estes book back at camp and he would explain the meaning of the behavior. My safari mates were all very experienced and involved in zoos in the USA. They would often ask to borrow my "Estes" for their use.In my opinion, if you can only take one book other than your safari journal--take this one. If you can take two, include a good field guide (like Audubon).
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Summary: "The" Safari Book
Review: If you are going on safari, and you need to bring only one book, this is the one. Contrasts with other books in that its focus is on explaining animal behavior -- answers the "what are they doing?" query better than any other book out there. And its intellectually inquisitive aspect makes for interesting reading. Also --- we happened to meet the author by chance, and he was quite nice and interesting; a passionate scholar.
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Summary: "The" Safari Book
Review: If you are going on safari, and you need to bring only one book, this is the one. Contrasts with other books in that its focus is on explaining animal behavior -- answers the "what are they doing?" query better than any other book out there. And its intellectually inquisitive aspect makes for interesting reading. Also --- we happened to meet the author by chance, and he was quite nice and interesting; a passionate scholar.
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Summary: The perfect safari companion
Review: Just returned from a safari to Tanzania. This book, along with the Audubon Field Guide to African Wildlife, made our experience that much better. The information contained in this book embellishes the wildlife viewing experience, by providing fascinating and in-depth information about the animals seen there. The text is organized very well and crammed full with useful information. Highly recommended reading for before a safari, and especially while there.
Rating:
Summary: The perfect safari companion
Review: Just returned from a safari to Tanzania. This book, along with the Audubon Field Guide to African Wildlife, made our experience that much better. The information contained in this book embellishes the wildlife viewing experience, by providing fascinating and in-depth information about the animals seen there. The text is organized very well and crammed full with useful information. Highly recommended reading for before a safari, and especially while there.
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Summary: Great for Amateurs
Review: Most African Mammal guides are designed for people working in that field. Here, we have one specifically designed for the average enthusiast who wants to know a bit more than provided in the also essential Audobon Guide to African Wildlife. Let's face it - while you may get the occasional bird or even reptile enthusiast, it's the mammals that capture the imagination of the average person on the street when it comes to the wildlife of Africa. You don't have to travel to the Dark Continent to enjoy this one, and - in acknowledgement that people can be interested in wildlife without necessarily being able or willing to go on Safari - it's also designed for use if you're fortunate enough (as I am) to be a regular at a quality zoo or even a regular viewer of "National Geographic" or "Nature". The book is very easy to use and browse through, explaining habits and noting the best parks and reserves for each animal, as well as the animal's major predators or relationship with other predators. You don't have to look through it long to wish for similar volumes for Asia and North America. Certainly worthy of being one of the first books on the shelf of anyone who loves African wildlife.
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