Antelope
is a term used for even-toed ungulate species indigenous to Africa.
In scientific terms, it is animals that belong to the family Bovidae
encompassing those species that are neither cattle, sheep, goats,
giraffe or buffalo. In practical terms it includes animals such as
kudu, nyala, eland, sable, roan, gemsbok, wildebeest, hartebeest,
bontebok, blesbok, tsessebe, waterbuck, oribi, klipspringer,
steenbok, and many more. There are a total of 85 antelope species in
Africa, all covered in this book with several subspecies also
included.
The
book has 358 pages with a flexible cover in a strong, durable bind.
It contains many beautiful colour photographs from a variety of
photographers of all the animals and their habitat - on average about
1 photo per page.
Part
1 of the book deals with Africa, the continent with incredible
habitat diversity. It describes why different parts attract different
species – fascinating and a real eye opener. Various threats to
Africa’s antelope and other wildlife are listed. One of the obvious
threats is the growing human population. Over a period of 50 years
the growth was a staggering 250% from 230 million to 811 million by
the year 2000. The one-billion mark was reached in 2010. At this
rate, Africa will have a population of two-billion people by the year
2050! But there are also positive trends and the book describes
developments in conservation, hunting, farming, and tourism.
Part
2 of the book describes all the species of African antelope in great
detail. This includes distribution maps indicating all species and
different subspecies, taxonomy, identification description, current
status, preferred habitat and feeding. Interesting facts about each
specie are discussed under general notes. For example, the only
antelope known to climb trees is the klipspringer!
One
of the appendixes in the back of the book is a list of all the
antelope with average size, weight and horn lengths.
This
book is not only scientifically correct and complete, but is an easy
to read guide with all the facts to anyone interested in the wildlife
of Africa. I am grateful that I could add this book to my collection.
Willem
Frost, the author, is a conservationist, game farmer, writer and
photographer. He is passionate about the wildlife of Africa and
believe in conservation through sustainable utilisation.
The
Antelope of Africa
–
by Willem Frost and edited by Trevor Carnaby
First published: 2014
Distributed by Jacana Media (www.jacana.co.za)
ISBN: 978-1-4314-0608-1
First published: 2014
Distributed by Jacana Media (www.jacana.co.za)
ISBN: 978-1-4314-0608-1
Book
review by Johan Rothmann – 20 April 2017