Wildlife of Southern Africa, by Carol Polich

Wildlife of Southern Africa, by Carol Polich. Penguin Random House South Africa. Imprint: Struik Travel & Heritage. Cape Town, South Africa 2010. ISBN 9781770078468 / ISBN 978-1-77007-846-8

Introduction to Wildlife of Southern Africa by Carol Polich.

The natural heritage of southern Africa is one of the region's most coveted treasures, and southern African countries are committed to protecting this wealth through national parks and conservancies. The region is home to an abundance of big game, birds, antelope and numerous small animals. And, as with most things, the closer you look, the more you see. Wildlife of Southern Africa offers a photographic journey that transports you to the centre of the action: where lions roar and vultures wait patiently; where troops of baboons riot and leopards hunt alone. Here, survival is a ruthless game that targets the weak and challenges the powerful; a game in which a turn in the wind brings the smell of death and a single mistake has an in - and often fatal - penalty. Despite the daily struggles of survival, most animals find time to relax. A pride of lions, after a hearty feast, finds a good spot in the shade to take a nap. Their young cubs exhaust themselves wrestling, stalking beetles and annoying their mothers by nipping at their ears and pouncing on their tails. At the waterhole, elephants indulge in spa treatments that include mud baths and icy showers. Against this apparently peaceful canvas, antelope, zebras and wildebeest mingle nervously around the waterhole, stuck in a no-man's-land between thirst and danger. Metres from them, crocodiles lie in wait for the first careless drinker. Survival is the silent hope of the wildlife of southern Africa: wildlife of astonishing variety, immense and minute, fragile and forceful, ruthless and protective. What a privilege it is to be able to appreciate the living treasure of southern Africa's animals as they play out their lives in the freedom of their natural habitat. The embodiment of strength and patience, a lone leopard gazes into the African sunset. As leopards prefer to hunt at night, their kills are seldom witnessed. This leopard used the cover of the photographer's vehicle and the low light conditions to get closer to its prey.

This is an excerpt from Wildlife of Southern Africa, by Carol Polich.

Title: Wildlife of Southern Africa
Photographer: Carol Polich
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Imprint: Struik Travel & Heritage
Cape Town, South Africa 2010
ISBN 9781770078468 / ISBN 978-1-77007-846-8
Softcover, 18 x 18 cm, 80 pages, throughout colour photos, 1 map