As someone who loves animals, I admire veterinarians. They are hands-on about making animal lives better, something made challenging by the difficulty of clear communication. Wildlife vets have even more of a challenge, since there is less data known about their patients and large wild animals can’t be lured into a carrier with a biscuit. That’s why I was eager to read Dr. Aronson’s latest book.
The author was working as a biologist in the South African Navy, when a chance encounter with an injured wild seal made him decide to be a vet, a dream he’d had since childhood. He worked as a farrier and a vet inspector at an abattoir before going into private practice in Cape Town, where he treats non-native and domestic species, as well as wildlife in game parks and zoos. This book is a series of vignettes, an outgrowth from a proposed TV series, that unfortunately, never aired.
It’s natural that a vet working in Africa would be involved with conservation efforts and one chapter goes behind the scenes of the Cheetah Project, a breeding program near Kruger National Park. He also discusses poaching and ways to stop it, habitat destruction, especially damage done to migratory routes. One of the most hopeful trends is that many people are giving up farming and turning their land over to private game reserves, which increases wildlife habitats. These private game reserves are much smaller than national parks, yet still cover acres and are usually fenced, so tourist can see the animals easier within shorter distances. Plus rangers and vets can monitor the animals better, treating health and behavior issues much quicker.
The author not only has a rapport with his patients, but also an admiration of them and an understanding of the Big Picture. “Whenever there is a clash between wild animals and us or our pets, there should be respect. With respect there can be coexistence. Without it, there can only be tragedy.”
Dr. Aronson talks about his failures and flaws, making him a more rounded person and kept him from appearing as a super hero. The only real complaint I have is the lack of illustrations, black and white photos or line drawings would’ve helped those unfamiliar with some of the species mentioned. Aside from that, I learned a lot, enjoyed the book a great deal and would recommend it to anyone who likes animals or adventures.
Lyons Press 2011 227 pp. ISBN 978-1-59921-942-4 Available in ebook and hardback formats
Jackie has painted many of the wildlife species portrayed in this book, to see some of her art, please go here .
This sounds brilliant. Wimp that I am, I always worry with vet tales that there will be some terribly sad story involving baby things dying agonising deaths because of the destructive behaviour of human beings. Still, I know you consider yourself a fellow wimp, Jackie, so I’m hoping I can handle this
There’s only 1 or 2 stories in this book where an animal dies. There’s one about a baby elephant that is sad, but has a happy ending. Definitely better than many animal books.
This sounds like a wonderful book, Jackie – thanks for the review. It seems to me that the author’s initial training as a biologist has given him a longer view, and his work in conserving migration routes sounds particularly interesting. I’m looking out of the window at some migrants right now (redwings) and this had made me think how precarious their lives are, and how much they need the knowledge of people like this. Sad the TV programmes were never made.