Fabulous reads – Delve into elephant park’s deep history

MORE than a century ago, elephants in the eastern Cape were systematically hunted until there were only 16 left. Today there are 650 elephants in the Addo Elephant National Park, the densest concentration of wild elephants anywhere on the planet.

While elephants are undoubtedly still the park’s top drawcard, the past four decades have seen the emphasis shift from protecting a single species to conserving five biomes and the wild animals that occupy them. Today, Addo hosts the Big Seven: elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, as well as great white shark and southern right whale.

ALSO READ: Fabulous reads – Take a walk on the wild side

Like Shaping Kruger, its successful predecessor, Shaping Addo delves into the history of the park and details the positive impact that changing conservation practices have had on its development. Drawing on decades of ground-breaking research, the author provides fascinating insight into the lives and habits of the animals (both terrestrial and marine). Reardon examines individual species, the relationship between them and the carefully crafted management strategies required to ensure the survival of all species.

Shaping Addo is an engrossing account of how a sanctuary was transformed into a successful park and the most ecologically diverse, protected space in South Africa.

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