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An authoritative, accessible, and gorgeously illustrated
exploration into the lives of these remarkable animals Lions are
the only social cat. They hunt together, raise cubs together, and
defend territories together against neighbors and strangers. Lions
also rest atop their ecological pyramid, with profound impacts on
competitors and prey alike, but their future is far from assured.
Craig Packer interweaves his discoveries from more than forty years
of research—including a substantial body of new findings—to
provide an unforgettable portrait of the African lion. He shares
insights into the intricacies of lion life from birth until death
and describes efforts to conserve lions in an increasingly crowded
continent. With a wealth of breathtaking photographs by Daniel
Rosengren, The Lion sheds light on a host of intriguing scientific
questions, such as why males have manes, why lions are social, how
sociality limits and stabilizes lion populations, how close
inbreeding affects lion health, why lions become man-eaters, how
lions and people can best be protected from each other, and how to
ensure the lion’s survival into the next century. Engagingly
written by the world’s foremost expert on African lions
Integrates a wealth of findings from two of the most comprehensive
field studies on any animal Features hundreds of stunning
photographs that capture a broad range of lion behaviors,
ecological interactions, and conservation challenges Blends vivid
field anecdotes and graphics to give the reader a sense of
adventuring into the lion’s world
From flat-topped acacia trees to great migrations of wildebeest
across an edgeless expanse of grass, the Serengeti is one of the
world's most renowned ecosystems. And at the apex of this
incredible landscape prowls its seemingly indomitable ruler: the
Serengeti lion. These majestic mammals are skillful hunters,
iconic, and integral to Serengeti health. But they also commit
infanticide, eat local people and destroy local livelihoods, are a
source of profit for those who make money shooting or conserving
them (and sometimes both), and are in constant danger from the
encroachments of another species: humans. With Lions in the
Balance, celebrated lion researcher and conservationist Craig
Packer takes us back into the complex, tooth-and-claw worlds of
lion conservation and behavior. A sequel to Packer's Into
Africa-which gave many readers their first experience of field work
in Africa, of Tanzanian roads, of long hours spent identifying
lions by their ear marks and scars, and of the joys of bootlegged
Grateful Dead tapes beneath savannah moons-this diary-based
chronicle of adventure, real-life danger, and corruption will both
alarm and entertain. Packer's story offers a look into the future
of the lion, one in which the politics of conservation will require
survival strategies far more creative and powerful than any now
possessed by the citizens of the savannah-humans included. Packer
is sure to infuriate poachers, politicians, and conservationists
alike as he minces no words about the problems he sees. But with a
narrative stretching from Arusha to Washington, DC, and marked by
Packer's signature humor and incredible candor, Lions in the
Balance is a tale of courage against impossible odds, a masterly
blend of science and storytelling, and an urgent call to action
that will captivate a pride of readers.
Serengeti National Park is one of the world's most diverse
ecosystems, a natural laboratory for ecology, evolution, and
conservation, with a history that dates back at least four million
years to the beginnings of human evolution. The third book of a
ground- breaking series, "Serengeti III" is the result of a
long-term integrated research project that documents changes to
this unique ecosystem every ten years. Bringing together
researchers from a wide range of disciplines--ecologists,
paleontologists, economists, social scientists, mathematicians, and
disease specialists-- this volume focuses on the interactions
between the natural system and the human-dominated agricultural
system. By examining how changes in rainfall, wildebeest numbers,
commodity prices, and human populations have impacted the Serengeti
ecosystem, the authors conclude that changes in the natural system
have affected human welfare just as changes in the human system
have impacted the natural world. To promote both the conservation
of biota and the sustainability of human welfare, the authors
recommend community-based conservation and protected-area
conservation. "Serengeti III "presents a timely and provocative
look at the conservation status of one of earth's most renowned
ecosystems.
Craig Packer takes us into Africa for a journey of 52 days in the
autumn of 1991. But this is more than a tour of magnificent animals
in an exotic, faraway place. A field biologist since 1972, Packer
began his work studying primates at Gombe and then the lions of the
Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater with his wife and colleague
Anne Pusey. Here, he introduces us to the real world of fieldwork -
initiating assistants to lion research in the Serengeti, helping a
doctoral student collect data, collaborating with Jane Goodall on
primate research. As in the works of George Schaller and Cynthia
Moss, Packer transports us to life in the field. He is addicted to
this land - to the beauty of a male lion striding across the
Serengeti plains, to the calls of a baboon troop through the rain
forests of Gombe - and to understanding the animals that inhabit
it. Through his narration, the reader is encouraged to feel the
dust and the bumps of the Arusha Road, smell the rosemary in the
air at lunchtime on a Serengeti verandah, and hear the lyrics of
the "Grateful Dead" playing off bootlegged tapes. "Into Africa"
also explores the social lives of the animals and the threats to
their survival. Packer grapples with questions he has passionately
tried to answer for more than two decades. Why do female lions
raise their young in creches? Why do male baboons move from troop
to troop while male chimps band together? How can humans and
animals continue to coexist in a world of diminishing resources?
Immediate demands - logistical nightmares, political upheavals,
physical exhaustion - yield to the larger inescapable issues of the
interdependence of the land, the animals, and the people who
inhabit it.
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