Brian Jackman

More than just a book on lions, this book is about the whole panorama of African wildlife living around the Musiara Marsh on the borders of Kenya and Tanzania. It tells the story of shifting dynamics among four different lion prides, and of many other animals as well. Rhino, hippos, elephants, mongoose, zebra and many others are mentioned. One chapter follows a young wildebeest calf on its first migration journey, another tells of the vain efforts of a cheetah to raise cubs, loosing one litter after another. Yet another part of the book unfolds the story of the last pack of wild dogs to roam through the area, their numbers dwindling down until there's so few left it looks like they might not recover. With descriptive language and accurate details, the reader follows along on a midnight hunt with a hyena clan, circles the skies with the buzzards and vultures, hides in the brush with the reclusive leopard. Unlike most books I've read about African wildlife, this one doesn't have much to say about conservation or how wildlife is affected by humans. Instead, it's simply a broad picture of the animals' lives, accompanied by lots of photographs illustrating the events described.

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