Fabulous reads: Spot, identify spoors like a pro
Book overview - Tracker Manual: A practical guide to animal tracking in southern Africa by Alex van den Heever, Renias Mhlongo, Karel Benadie and Ian Thomas
Tracker Manual: A practical guide to animal tracking in southern Africa, Alex van den Heever, Renias Mhlongo, Karel Benadie and Ian Thomas, Struik Nature and Penguin Random House, Africa ISBN: 9781775847748
FEATURING all-new spoor drawings, some 200 new photographs and an additional 35 species, this fully revised and updated edition of the ever-popular tracker manual is packed with the latest on the art of tracking.
Based on information developed by some of southern Africa’s best traditional trackers, Tracker Manual now offers even more guidance on how to identify the spoor of some 190 animal species. Individual chapters cover carnivores, large mammals, antelopes, small mammals, primates, hares and rodents, amphibians and reptiles, birds and insects.
Each account contains:
• Simple, bulleted text on key points of each animal’s tracks
• Clear, accurate track drawings
• Numerous informative photographs, sometimes annotated
• A list of similar tracks (where applicable), to avoid misidentification.
An instructive introduction covers the science of tracking.
A detailed and richly illustrated manual to the region’s most common animal tracks and signs.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Alex van den Heever is general manager of the Tracker Academy. He has spent the last 30 years working in the wildlife tracking and conservation in South Africa, and has travelled to many of the world’s most remote regions to learn traditional tracking skills from expert trackers.
Renias Mhlongo is the Academy’ s Lead Tracker mentor and is based in the greater Kruger National Park where he has lived for 40 years. He was a member of the team of trackers who successfully helped settle the now-famous leopards of Londolozi in the 1980s.
Karel Benadie spent 42 years as a tracker and field ranger in the Karoo National Park. Using tracking-based evidence, he successfully collected data on the habits of black rhino for a respected scientific journal. He is currently the Academy’s Lead Tracker trainer based in the Great Karoo.
Ian Thomas is an FGASA Scout, specialising in guiding, weapon handling and tracking. He is also a speaker, wildlife photographer and illustrator.
