Game Ranger's Diary: Activities and Observations of a Ranger in the African Wilderness

Nature conservation in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, has many facets ranging from the ethical to the pragmatic. Victor Meyer's diary, kept during his first, fulltime year in the field, reflects on most of the practices developed and conventions followed to meet the challenges faced by park rangers of the early 1990s, whether stationed at a big game reserve, delicate nature reserve, fire-ravaged mountain reserve or a marine reserve under recreational pressure. Duties included anti-poaching patrols, black rhino monitoring, trail construction, estuary monitoring, beach patrols, ski-boat operations, public relations, law enforcement, rhino capture procedures, botanical identifications, alien plant control, fire management, map compilation, fence assessments, game censuses, turtle tours, and diving activities. This book, true to the rough and original writings (unabridged though lightly edited), will encourage junior rangers to apply themselves and to make use of the tried-and-tested methods. It should also urge more experienced wildlife managers to reassess their modus operandi against some of the established knowledge presented.