Tracker Manual: A practical guide to animal tracking in southern Africa

Title: Tracker Manual
Subtitle: A practical guide to animal tracking in southern Africa
Author: Alex van den Heever; Karel Benadie; Renias Mhlongo
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Imprint: Struik Nature
Cape Town, South Africa 2017
ISBN 9781775843351 / ISBN 978-1-77-584335-1
Softcover, 15 x 21 cm, 312 pages, throughout colour photos and images

About: Tracker Manual. A practical guide to animal tracking in southern Africa

This Tracker Manual, a practical guide to animal tracking in southern Africa, puts you 'into the skin' of the trainees. Everything you read and measure is a reflection not only of the spoor that they will come to recognise and describe, but an indication of the standard that has been set for Tracker Academy's deserved recognition by the Field Guide Association of South Africa and the Sector Education Training Authority, as a legitimate training facility for future guides and trackers. The Tracker Manual presents the more concrete and obvious wildlife signs for some 160 animals and teams them with a host of seemingly unrelated details to give a comprehensive picture of traffic through the bush. Simple, bulleted text highlights the key features of each animal's tracks and signs, accurate track drawings offer a clear visual guide to the animals' prints, multiple photographs, many annotated, of the animals, their tracks, dung, middens and scrapes, show what to look for. With an instructive introduction, this detailed and richly illustrated Tracker Manual to southern Africa's animal tracks and signs will prove invaluable in the field.

Alex van den Heever is general manager of the Tracker Academy. He has spent the last 20 years working as an environmental manager, guide, and trainer and assessor of trackers in South Africa. He has travelled to many of the world's most remote regions to learn traditional tracking skills from expert trackers.

Karel Benadie spent 33 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 principal Academy trainer based at Samara Game Reserve.

Renias Mhlongo was born in what is today the greater Kruger National Park. He was a member of the team of trackers who successfully helped settle the now-famous leopards of Londolozi in the 1980s. He is the head Academy trainer based at Londolozi Game Reserve, where he has lived for 32 years.

Content: Tracker Manual. A practical guide to animal tracking in southern Africa

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
An ancient skill
Tracks and signs
Practical tracking
About this book
Animals' tracks and signs
Carnivores
Large mammals
Antelopes
Small mammals
Primates
Hares and rodents
Amphibians and reptiles
Birds
Insects
Glossary
Bibliography
Index