Author(s): Dick Pitman

Travel Writing

'An endless carpet of leafless mopane woodlands unrolled beneath us as we flew. Then the Zambezi came into view: a broad ribbon of wind-ruffled water, over a mile wide. The great river divided and reunited as it flowed past long, grassy islands speckled with herds of buffalo, impala, and elephants in ones and twos...' Tales from the bush mingle with poignant descriptions of the African landscape in this memoir of a British man who emigrated to Rhodesia in 1977 with a passion for wildlife and wilderness. As the Zambezi Valley was threatened by development, Pitman began working among the elephants in Matusadona National Park, relocating cheetahs, tracking black rhinos, and introducing tourists to the wilds of southern Africa. Inspired by the splendours and drama of wild Africa, "A Wild Life" is a light-hearted account of a quarter-century in conservation. Written with wit and charisma, it gives intelligent insights into a perennially important subject - saving the animals of Africa.