Pursuing a dream instilled by early David Attenborough television adventures, a young man from the industrial northwest of England is advised at school to become a veterinary surgeon as a first step towards a career working with wild animals in Africa.

His misgivings about the values and justification of domestic veterinary practice are contrasted with a passion for wilderness and wildlife conservation. Early experiences in the vivid Uganda of Idi Amin are juxtaposed with life in a grey Pennines veterinary practice.

Eventually arriving as a veterinary officer in newly independent Botswana he finds adventure with wild animals as a veterinarian and later as an ecologist, survey pilot, game capture operator and even a safari hunter, becoming a passionate conservationist... all while starting the first veterinary practice in the country.

Austere and immense, the Arctic region is a fascinating topic for intrepid travelers and stay at home students alike. This new guide in the Pocket Naturalist series covers the variety of flora and fauna that have adapted to this incredible, remote environment with trademark beauty and accuracy.
A truly unique ecosystem, the Arctic remains one of the few areas on Earth with very little human habitation. Many species truly run free in the Arctic and there is a wide variety of vegetation including shrubs, grasses, mosses, sedges and lichens. These plants provide food and cover for a variety of small animals including lemmings, voles and hares which are a critical food source for larger mammals including the Arctic fox. Large mammals unique to the Arctic include the polar bear, musk ox, walrus, caribou (reindeer), bowhead whale and bearded seal.
Tourism to this region has experienced incredible growth in the last decade with more and more people hoping to experience a region only visited by explorers previously. This new Pocket Naturalist Guide will be a must-have for anyone planning to visit the region or anyone hoping to visit in the future.

This version of the book is fully illustrated and contains over a hundred photographs in black & white. Moths of the Limberlost is a fascinating book written by the well-known American novelist and photographer Gene Stratton-Porter. It paints a vibrant picture of her delight in the moths as she loves, cares for, breeds and studies the creatures. The first chapter is an introduction and the second is an overview of the natural history of moths, however, it is only marginally technical and she interweaves the chapter with her own experiences. In the final thirteen chapters she focuses on one moth per chapter, the moths that have most caught her interest. It is partly an autobiography as she describes her experiences from childhood - her delights and joys at successfully breeding them or learning something new about them and her sadness when they die or don't breed. It describes her family's help in this passion and the friends she gained through the pursuit. It is a beautiful window into the person she was and her love of nature.

Besides being a world-famous game-viewing destination, the Kruger National Park is home to an incredible diversity of bugs, beetles, butterflies, spiders, scorpions and other creepy-crawlies. This richly illustrated, beginner-friendly guide is ideal for the casual visitor keen to identify and learn more about the Park’s smaller inhabitants.

Find out what happens inside a termite mound, how ladybirds protect themselves from predators, and why dung beetles race to fresh dung pats.

Aimed at the popular market, this book:

• Spans 30 groups, including moths, beetles, wasps, crickets and spiders, and features over 200 commonly encountered species
• Contains vivid photographs of Kruger’s most interesting and attractive critters
• Unpacks noteworthy behaviours and biology
• Introduces key concepts, such as mimicry, cryptic coloration, metamorphosis, parasitism and pollination
• Includes bug-watching and photography tips for beginners

Part of the NATURE NOW series, this beginner-friendly, richly illustrated guide is an informative and entertaining read, sure to appeal to visitors who want to make the most of their visit to the Kruger National Park.