SIGNED!! "LIVING THE WILD LIFE" BY IAN WHYTE, SOFTCOVER, 2019 FIRST EDITION, 432 PAGES, NO NAMES OR INSCRIPTIONS. IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.
Ian Whyte was born in 1947, and spent his entire school career at King Edward VII School in Johannesburg. In 1970, he started his career with the Governments Department of Veterinary Services in Skukuza. During this time with the Vets, he was involved with researching diseases and the use and effect of commercially available veterinary drugs on wild animals. In 1974 he was appointed in the post of Technician in the Research Department of South African National Parks (now SANParks). In 1977 he gained the Certificate in Field Ecology at the University of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) for studies on the ecological aspects of foot-and-mouth disease transmission in impala. In 1986 he was awarded a Masters degree (cum laude) at the University of Natal for studies on lions and wildebeest, and a Doctorate in 2001 at the University of Pretoria for studies on elephants.
He also conducted other studies on buffalo, hippopotamus and baobab trees. In 1991 he acquired a private pilots licence to facilitate tracking of radio collared animals, and he was given responsibility for aerial censuses of large herbivores in Kruger and some other national parks using both fixed-wing aircraft and heli¬copters. In total he was engaged in full-time wildlife research in the Kruger National Park for 37 years up until his retirement in 2007. He has been a Member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission's African Elephant Specialist Group since 1992, and a Professional Member of the Game Rangers Association of Africa since 1988.
But this is not a book about science. Though some of the results of the authors research are necessarily given, he has done this in an easy reading style for the layman. The book is mainly a compilation of stories from a researchers adventurous life during an earlier time when research was hands on, which resulted in many of the amazing close-up and personal interactions with animals like lions, elephants, rhinos, buffaloes, snakes and birds. He reveals that he sometimes wonders how he survived it all. The book ends with an enlightening chapter on the dilemmas facing wildlife managers tasked with conserving elephants and their habitats. This book is a must read for any Kruger National Park enthusiast and generously adds to the wealth of natural science publications emanating from South Africas iconic national park! (Dr Salomon Joubert, Former Park Warden/Director: Kruger National Park).
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