Cry of the Kalahari

This book was absolutely fantastic. I laughed, I cried, and I felt like I was living in the Kalahari along with the authors and their wild friends. When I finished the book, I logged onto Amazon to see if the Owens' had written any more books on Africa. Couldn't find any, but I promise if they write any more, I will buy the hardback! Enjoy this wonderful book.

I took this book with me on my own exploration into this great desert and was inspired by the book's wonderful decriptions and insights.

Now, I simply re-read the book everytime I need to visit Africa in my mind. For those people who wish to explore and experience (non-tourist) Africa this is a great place to start.

Of the many books I've read about wildlife, this one sticks in my mind as one of the best, even though it's been several years since I first read it. Some books like George Schaller's "The Serengeti Lion" have more sceintific bent and therefore keep a 'professional distance' from the animals, while others such as those by Joy Adamson and Gareth Patterson become very personal with the animals and lose much of their objectivity. But Mark and Delia Owens find a happy medium between the two extremes, one where we learn a lot about the lions, brown hyenas and other animals they study in the Kalahari desert, but also come to know some of the individuals among these animals as friends.

We also get a taste of life in the Kalahari desert in the middle of Botswana, some of the hardships and life-threatening situations encountered by the Owenses. And we share the issues and concerns they tried to raise in the governments and landowners of the territories where they spent seven years living and studying animals.

At various times this book made me smile. It made me mad. It made me sad. It made me laugh. And it made me wish I could spend a few years of my life studying and living among wildlife as they did.

This is an incredibly well written book for animal lovers, nature lovers, and environmentalists, and if you aren't any of the above, you will be. It shows how individual animals each have their own personality: shy, funny, mischievous, affectionate, docile. It proves how mankind is willing to sacrifice animals' lives and environment for the sake of money, be it diamond mining, hunting, cattle grazing, or whatever suits the wallet. Their should be more people who realize and are willing to try to do something about it, like Mark and Delia Owens.

The book is a true masterpiece. Moving, funny and heartbreaking. People need to read this to see what animals truly face in the wild, and how we make their lives even more difficult. Its an eye opening account of how we must care for and defend our wildlife. The accounts of devistation to animals just trying to get water to survive is probably the saddest account of animal cruelty I have ever read. Mark and Delia tell a story that MUST BE HEARD!