Orca. The day the Great White sharks disappeared, by Richard Peirce

Orca. The day the Great White sharks disappeared, by Richard Peirce. Penguin Random House South Africa. Imprint: Struik Nature. Cape Town, South Africa 2019. ISBN 9781775846420 / ISBN 978-1-77-584642-0

Orca. The day the Great White sharks disappeared, by Richard Peirce. Penguin Random House South Africa. Imprint: Struik Nature. Cape Town, South Africa 2019. ISBN 9781775846420 / ISBN 978-1-77-584642-0

Orca: The day the Great White sharks disappeared by Richard Peirce follows the meltdown of both the ecosystem and the regional tourism industry of South Africa.

Richard Peirce  

Foreword

Joining the cage-diving industry was originally more about operating a sustainable business than protecting sharks. This changed when I realised I was one of the few who was willing to carry out and sponsor scientific research on Great White sharks. Meeting Richard Peirce was very important to me; not only is he a conservationist - at the time we met he was chairman of the UK Shark Trust - but also someone who wrote stories that could change things. Writing about important issues must make a difference, and in our case the issue is wildlife. Wild fauna and flora are devastated by the continuous growth of the human population. Animals cannot speak for themselves; their evolution over millions of years has fine-tuned them to perfection and has enabled them to survive thus far -but evolution cannot keep pace with human destruction. Threats to nature are not unique to our area - they affect all corners of our planet. There are some heartening stories of successful conservation projects, and some species only remain today due to the efforts of a few passionate committed people. I hope that books like this, and others by Richard, will help make a difference to our wildlife which is in such desperate need of help. Gansbaai's story shows how a few live sharks can economically make or break a little town. An area known globally for the diversity of its marine life is now also known for its vulnerability. The recent past has taught us all a lesson that I hope we will not forget. Although only a few of us could be mentioned in the book, many more have played major roles over the years in developing Gansbaai's Great White shark cage-diving industry. We have become the guardians of Great White sharks in South Africa, and we need to ensure their survival as a critical apex predator. Their loss would affect the entire ecosystem, and the impact of recent events is already being seen. Natural resources are under ever-increasing pressure from over-exploitation, poaching and lawlessness. The domino effect of removing or exploiting one life form, and the consequences it has on another, is graphically illustrated in Orca. The effects are far more wide ranging than could ever be expected. This book highlights the impact of human-induced changes at the highest level on the trophic scale. Port and Starboard, the notorious Orcas that have wreaked havoc amongst Great White shark populations along the Cape coastline, didn't end up with their deformed dorsal fins by chance: Orcas are being illegally shot, particularly by the tuna and swordfish longlining boats. [...]

Richard Peirce has been a shark conservationist for over 20 years. A past chairman of both The Shark Trust (of which he is now a trustee) and The Shark Conservation Society, he has authored several books on sharks. He has also written a range of other titles on the subject of wildlife, including about elephant abuse in captivity (Giant Steps) and canned lion hunting (Cuddle Me Kill Me), and documented a Great White shark's marathor journey across the Indian Ocean (Nicole), all published by Struik Nature. Richard and his wife Jacqui are confirmed nomads who spend half the year in South Africa; their love of wildlife takes them to the bush at every opportunity.

This is an excerpt from Orca. The day the Great White sharks disappeared, by Richard Peirce.

Title: Orca
Subtitle: The day the Great White sharks disappeared
Author: Richard Peirce
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Imprint: Struik Nature
Cape Town, South Africa 2019
ISBN 9781775846420 / ISBN 978-1-77-584642-0
Softcover, 15 x 21 cm, 144 pages, numerous colour photos, maps

Peirce, Richard im Namibiana-Buchangebot

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