Man-eaters, Mambas and Marula Madness

Book excerpt: What started as a vision about the Olifants River Game Reserve has become the story of a game ranger s lifeHe tells his story here and provides a wealth of lessons on conservation as well as stories of life in the bush, as it is enjoyed only by those fortunate enough to live on a Big Five reserve. With a naturalist s eye for detail as well as the bigger picture of managing a fragile ecosystem through years of drought and plenty, Mario Cesare brings a storyteller s delight and a dash of Italian passion to sharing his world.Life-and-death encounters with lion, elephant and buffalo are balanced by rescues and interventions as these giants of the lowveld suffer the effects of human interference in their ecosystem. There are problems with poachers and with rapacious neighbors; then the delights of success and in the case of the elephant population, the conundrums of too much success.