The story of a South African park
Shaping Addo is dedicated to the rangers and researchers of Addo, whose dedication and hard work turned a remnant herd of traumatised elephants into an inspirational conservation success story.
More than a century ago elephants in the Eastern Cape were systematically hunted – until just 16 were 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.
And today, Addo can boast the Big Seven … elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, as well, in the marine protected area, the great white shark and southern right whale.
Shaping Addo expertly delves into the history of the park, detailing the positive impact that changing conservation practices have had on its development. Drawing on decades of groundbreaking research, author Mitch Reardon provides fascinating insight into the lives and habits of the animals – terrestrial and marine, and examins individual species, the relationship between them, and the carefully crafted management strategies required to ensure the survival of all species.
The book is an engrossing account of how a seemingly insignicant sanctuary was transformed into an astonishingly successful mega-park, and the most ecologically diverse protected space in South Africa. Struik Nature, R320.
