Wildlife of East Africa Dave Richards

Wildlife of East Africa, by Dave Richards. Struik Nature (Random House Struik); Cape Town, South Africa 2013; ISBN 9781770078918 / ISBN 978-1-77007-891-8

Wildlife of East Africa, written by the highly experienced Dave Richards, is an invaluable guide for visitors to national parks and other wildlife-rich places in East Africa.

Dave Richards  

East Africa, an area that comprises Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda, is one of the most wildlife-rich regions in Africa. This region is intersected in several major biomes, with the result that its vegetation is very diverse. It is bisected by two rift valleys, running north to south, which contain numerous lakes, both fresh water and soda. It also has a number of isolated mountains, with their own varied habitats. These include the ice- and snow-covered Kilimanjaro (the highest mountain in Africa), montane forests, tropical rain forests, semi-desert, savanna, mangrove forests and a palm-fringed coastline, with its many lagoons and estuaries. This diversity of vegetation and animal life makes this the premier wildlife viewing region in Africa. The mountains in the west are home to the rare and endangered Mountain Gorilla, which occurs both in Rwanda and Uganda. Chimpanzees are also found in Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania. One of the world's largest migrations of mammals takes place between Tanzania and Kenya, with over one million Wildebeest, accompanied by approximately 200000 Zebra and thousands of Gazelle, moving to better grazing areas. The economic benefits that result from the conservation of the region's wildlife have now been realised, and wildlife tourism has become a major source of revenue and employment. There has been a huge upsurge of interest in Africa and its wildlife. Viewing wildlife in natural surroundings is a satisfying experience, and there is arguably no better way to relax from the stresses and strains of modern life. However, most visitors would benefit more if they had information on the wildlife they were watching. The East African topography is a study of contrasts. Features range from snow-capped mountains and deserts, sandy coastlines and fresh-water lakes, to savanna grasslands, fertile agricultural plantations, extinct volcanoes and coral reefs. The surface relief of East Africa is more varied than most other parts of the continent. Areas below 500 m are confined to the coast and parts of interior eastern Tanzania, eastern Kenya and the Lake Turkana area in northern Kenya. Most of the remaining region is plateau country (between 500 and 1500 m), with highland areas in northern Rwanda, southwestern Uganda, western and central Kenya, and much of interior Tanzania. The region is bisected by two rift valleys. In the west is the Central African Rift Valley, which runs from the Sudan in the north down to Malawi in the south, and roughly forms the political borders of the DRC with Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. This valley contains a number of fresh-water lakes, which all vary in altitude above sea level, from Lake Albert (612 m), Lake Edward and Lake George (both 913 m), to Lake Kivu (1460 m). Lake Tanganyika, the world's second-deepest lake, with a depth of 1435 m, is also located in this Rift Valley, 773 m above sea level. [...]

This is an excerpt from the book: Wildlife of East Africa, by Dave Richards.

Title: Wildlife of East Africa
Authors: Dave Richards
Publisher: Struik Nature (Random House Struik)
Cape Town, South Africa 2013
ISBN 9781770078918 / ISBN 978-1-77007-891-8
Softcover, 15x21 cm, 168 pages, throughout colour photos